Johannes Schult

This is my new single! It consists of two short songs. Check out jutze.bandcamp.com for further song details, full-length audio samples and various download options. NB: You can download the songs for free by entering zero Euros (0.00€) when naming your price.

Last night, Toto played at the Hohentwiel Festival in Singen. Now the Hohentwiel is an elevation about 250 m above the city. So when I arrived at the station (after cycling to the station in Konstanz and then taking the train to Singen) I was 250 horizontal meters away from the festival site. And 250 vertical meters. There was a bus service that took you halfway up the hill. I opted to walk the whole way, partly because the scenery was very beautiful, partly because I wanted to figure out the way back at night. Also, the bus shuttle queue wasn’t short. Arriving at the top I was in need of quite some water. I was also intrigued by the unconventional setting: the yard of the castle ruin seemed terribly small and rather askew in some places. (The opening band wasn’t particularly interesting to my ears.)

Toto started out with “Child’s Anthem”. The audience was immediately hooked. The sound was clear and thankfully not too loud. I still find the refrain of “Till the End” to be an anticlimax. But apart from that, the music, the atmosphere, the band and the audience were great! Steve Porcaro seemed to get a real kick out of performing live. He had his shirt wet with sweat after four songs already. David Paich throned on the opposite side of the stage and sported a hat and a gown along with short trousers. It was good to see him back in the limelight. His playing was fantastic and his voice, while not being very versatile, had the special vibe that worked so well in songs like “Lovers in the Night” and later on “Home of the Brave”. I hadn’t hope to see Joseph Williams back with Toto but there he was! Given the occasion the band included the two albums with Williams. “Pamela” and “Stop Loving You” were perfect pop songs. I dare to say you cannot play that type of music any better. Period. There were also less famous tracks like “Stay Away” and “Lea”, which were just great. I was very glad to have songs like these in the set instead of medleys or a simple collection of tracks that had been released as singles. My personal favourite was “I Will Remember”, the only song played that was released after 1988. I still regard it as one of the best songs ever written and the rendition in Singen was just sublime.

By the time the band played “Africa” the hot sun had given way to a thunderstorm. Rain started pouring and I don’t think many people blessed the rains up in Singen at that time. A few rows in front of the stage (where I stood) where able to find shelter under the roof of the stage. Unfortunately, the water caught by said roof came down unto the audience behind the first rows. So from then on there was a divide caused by this waterfalls. I was surprised that the change of weather didn’t diminish the applause and the enthusiasm of the audience.

“Hold the Line” was inevitable. Some of the previous songs had been extended with jams and sing-along parts, so was quite happy the band kept the song in its original short form. Of course, I would have loved to hear “Mushanga”, “Straight for the Heart”, “Bottom of Your Soul” and many other songs. But the actual set list was satisfying and who knows if Toto will ever come on tour again?

1. Child’s Anthem
2. Till the End
3. Afraid of Love
4. Lovers in the Night
5. Pamela
6. Lea
7. 99
8. Stay Away
9. I Will Remember
10. Africa
11. Somewhere Tonight
12. Georgy Porgy
13. Stop Loving You
14. Rosanna
15. Home of the Brave
16. Hold the Line

Der Katze ist’s egal.

Find out all about SpinTunes (what? why? who?)! Spoiler: It’s a songwriting contest.

Listen to all the songs! For free.

And here goes my review: at first I was put of by the lack of band names in the file names (of the album download). But then I figured it’s a blessing, because new and old faces/voices would have an equal chance of making a good (first) impression. I avoided listening to the whole bunch in order – take that, primacy and recency effect! I only knew I’d start with the Poodlz. And the rest is, well, not really silence.

• Godz Poodlz appear to think that opposites attract. Or at least that’s how “The Human Bomb” sounds. Combining the explosive superhero trait with a soft, sad song Russ and Rhod flirt with They Might Be Giants-like vocals and a few well-placed sudden stops. This is certainly a fluent transition from Song Fu to Spin Tunes.
• Jenny Katz has a really good voice but the song drifts off towards jazzy regions. The hurried performance would have worked better with more obvious irony/humor in the lyrics (in addition to all those clever rhymes); or the other way round: the dark prequel story could have had a more serious impact with a bit more depth to let the emotions unfold. Bottom line: excellent vocals and a solid tune, slightly beyond my personal taste.
• Edric Haleen plays with opposites as well, I think (am at 1:30 now). What sounds like a charming Broadway rendition of a love song is in fact the evil speech of evil, the insane view of, well, a superhero gone bad. The orchestra sounds give the song a great atmosphere and the vocal performance is among Edric’s best.
• Heather Miller provides a somewhat monotonous pop song. I didn’t get the superhero connection the first time around and I’m not tempted to get it again.
• I don’t really get what Bram Tant’s song has to do with the challenge. I’m confused.
• JoAnn Abbott’s entry has the feeling of an old movie’s musical number; you know, those black and white dramas/comedies where halfway through the protagonist breaks in to a song to illustrate his/her emotional state. Naturally, the idea of a black and white superhero movie in the times of the recent Bat-/Superman flicks is somewhat ironic. The sincerity of the song works surprisingly well and makes it easy to relate. The lyrics are great. This is my favourite song so far, slightly ahead of Edric’s.
• Buckethat Bobby Matheson spices up his relaxed blues with some tasteful accordion playing. The outburst at the end helps to maintain the plot throughout the whole song. The lyrical approach shows a lot of creativity, I think. If I were to vote for five songs or so, this would be a contender.
• Kevin Savino-Riker has probably the most 70s vibes in this round. The vocals are quite passionate, making the song worthwhile. The melody lines tend to stray; the fuzzy guitar and the constant changes of mood make it a bit difficult (for me) to focus on the actual song. So its individual parts that appeal more to me than the song as a whole.
• Ross Durand is another singer I haven’t heard of before. His sounds fine, but at times he seems to try too hard. Also, the backing vocals could have been more subtle, more melodic, less just hanging there. The song itself has enjoyable feature, namely melody and catchiness. Still, the entry as a whole doesn’t convince me 100% with regard to the challenge. Maybe 75%?
• Dr. Lindyke: my first thought was ‘Is Mike Lombardo shadowing?’ Well, he isn’t. Dr. Lindyke starts out with a moody, good piano solo rock piece (?) and just when you want it to become more the vocals accelerate and provide the necessary increase of drama. And then the chords become even more tense. The superhero theme is woven seamlessly into the song, making it a highlight of this round. I can imagine this one with a full band, although it’s already great as it is. (And just afterwards did I figure out that this is actually Dave Leigh of Leigh & Hoover fame and who I first heard/saw playing Jonathan Coulton songs on his keyboard with passion and talent – great to see/hear him here in perfect shape!)
• Danny Blackwell: the guitar seems to be slightly out of tune; or maybe it’s just too loud. At any rate I struggle to follow the lyrical plot and the despite a few nice chord progressions I don’t mind that the tune is over after less than two minutes.
• Emperor Gum almost blow my speaker. And then things go to hell. I was intrigued by the song title, but the mellow vocals and the indistinguishable background noise are a bad combination. What I can make out from the lyrics the challenge was met well; still, this entry became a victim of the unbalanced production and the artifical drums.
• Charlie McCarron starts out more promising than the previous song. Is this going to be a Toto-ballad? No. The overly dramatic (?) vocals are irritating at first, but soon I found myself appreciating the change of tone. Bonus points for originality! The end comes rather suddenly. I’ll keep this one around and give it a few more spin(tune)s.
• Ryan Welton plays his e-piano very well. Too bad I’m more of a punk rock-inspired pop music junkie. The song does have its appeal – the vocals are fine and self-assured – but I just can’t connect. Sorry.
• Jon Eric plays his camp fire guitar well. Too bad I’m more of a punk rock-inspired pop music junkie. The song does have its appeal – the vocals come from the heart and sound good – but I just can’t connect. Sorry.
• Boffo Yux Dudes remind of the time I played in a big band. Songs like this make me wonder why there aren’t more geek musicals around. The tune becomes a bit repetitious after a while. Maybe a middle-eight in minor would have spiced things up. The vocals are a bit too much on the safe side – as a comparison, Jon Eric’s voice isn’t Freddie Mercury’s, but he managed to transport some kind of feeling better.
• Denise Hudson is behind the second song where the title had me curious. The song is a little opera in itself. The glockenspiel/vibes/whatever is really sublime. The vocals fit the song perfectly; they could have been more prominent in the mix, though. Good tune, anyway.
• The Offhand Band – Caleb Hines plays progressive rock? I like the parallel of superman and supervision. The orchestral parts sounds great. The vocals don’t; I mean, the melody lines are just too ambitious, so while not destroying the song they leave me with mixed feelings once the song is over. If I were to rank all entries this one would come before several alleged better songs. Still, it’s no top five candidate.
• Gorbzilla locked out Nick Nolte and pulled out his 60s folk singer personality. Frankly, I do like the general atmosphere of this song. The feeling of departure lingers even though I can’t really follow the story of all the -mans in the lyrics. The guitar playing is a nice contrast to all the digital recording loops that prevail in several of the other songs. The vocals are a bit low on the long run for my taste; how about a soaring middle-eight the next time around?
• Steve Durand must have known that I have a weak spot for minor chords. I’m not a big fan of brass, but hey, it just works fine here. The rhythm changes are great. The plethora of instruments is mixed well. A positive surprise from an artist I hadn’t heard (of) before.
• Caleb Hines – finally! Good intro. Is this a condensed audio book? Or is there an actual song coming? Ah, yes. The clock noises are awesome. The harmonies are, as expected, flawless. And just like that the chorus comes around and turns out to be something They Might Be Giants would have been proud of having written it. Too bad Caleb only has one voice. The chorus would be even better with a “dialogue”, meaning two voices trading parts. Anyway, beautiful song. Oh, and the middle part sounds different and while I’m still wondering why this is the clock starts ticking again and I realize it was the absence of something I had noticed. Vote – if I could vote. (Oh wait, I can!)
• Radiohead, eh no, Governing Dynamics start out promising. The vocals are a bit too soft and, wait, 1:25 now, here is the gripping vibration of charismatic vocal chords. I don’t really pay attention to the lyrics because I’m busy pretending they’re about rainy weather and how rainy weather isn’t so bad, after all, although it’s, well, rainy. /me likes “Origin”.
• Sara Parsons sings one of those songs that sound good but don’t linger on. I envy her talent for harmony vocals.

So all in all I’m (a) pleasantly surprised with the quality of this round – there’s some great stuff here – and (b) glad I didn’t participate because I have no idea what to do with the challenge. In the end I voted for Caleb, JoAnn and Gorbzilla for three very original and inventive songs. And Dave Leigh gets an imaginary vote from me for his excellent shadow entry.

These are the days music is given back to me; not always in the way I like or expect it. But who am I to make demands? I guess it’s better to settle with what is there than to complain.

WatchTower put out a new song and went on to play a fantastic gig at the Keep It True festival. Now a few weeks later I get the news that Alan is no longer in the band. So instead of hoping for another album or tour any time oon I now treasure the memory of the concert even more.

Änglagård reissue their second album “Epilog” with a proper recording of “Rösten”. I have no idea why they had to add a bonus cd for less than four minutes of music. But those precious few notes and chords are achingly beautiful. One couldn’t imagine a piece of music fitting the atmosphere of the album more perfectly. It’s both amazing and shocking to learn that it took basically years to complete the recording of just this tune. So instead of hoping for another album or tour any time soon I now treasure the wild and strange creativity of Änglagård even more.

The Hooters just played a series of shows in Europe. I’m truly lucky to live here. Last Friday they even played in my birth town. The band keeps coming up with new material, the majority of which is really great. Still, they tend to stick with the songs I like less. Another change I regret the lack of jamming on stage. I remember long improvisations in “Twenty Five Hours a Day”, “Deliver Me” and “Mr. Big Baboon”. I loved it when they inserted Beatles or Elvis tunes. Needless to say I was happy that at least some of that spirit returned with Tommy Williams in “500 Miles” this time around. So instead of hoping for another album any time soon I now treasure the live shows even more. And I keep the memory of their previous tours, especially the incredible show in Stuttgart in 2004 and the then new songs they played in 2005.

Yesterday, the Hooters played in Friedrichshafen. This was the first time I had to take the ferry to get to a concert. Funnily, the band played “South Ferry Road” this time around. They also had plenty of songs from “Out of Body” in the setlist, four in total. I liked that. Two new songs from the upcoming EP “Five by Five” were also featured. “Pissing in the Rhine” was sung in German; a quick rocking opening track with no deeper meaning as far as I can tell from one listen. “Silver Lining” was a bit closer to serenity of the “Time Stand Still” record, yet had an upbeat infectious chorus. One of the highlights was the ending of “500 Miles”. Eric (on harmonica) and guest musician Tommy Williams (on guitar, helping out until Eric’s broken shoulder is healed) delivered a fascinating duel that reminded me of the tours in 2004 and 2005, when the band jammed quite a lot. I wasn’t perfectly happy with Johnny B being put into the encore section of the setlist. I always loved how “the big hit” came on halfway through the set, paving the way for a grand finale of non-stop rock with Karla, Satellite, Danced and so on. Anyway, be sure to catch the band on their 30th anniversary tour this summer!

1. Pissing in the Rhine
2. Day by Day
3. South Ferry Road
4. Fightin’ on the Same Side
5. The Boys of Summer
6. Great Big American Car
7. Silver Lining
8. 500 Miles
9. Morning Buzz
10. Deliver Me
11. Private Emotion
12. I’m Alive
13. Twenty-Five Hours a Day
14. Satellite
15. All You Zombies
16. Karla With a K
17. And We Danced
18. Johnny B
19. Free Again
20. Boys Will Be Boys
21. One of Us
22. Time After Time

One of Sweden’s finest punk rock bands, Ninja Dolls, visited Konstanz on Thursday night. They played a tight, quick set featuring three songs off their new “D.I.Y.”-EP along with most of the songs from “1 2 3 Go!” (which was one of my favourite albums 2009). Malin’s voice showed a little strain towards the end of the set, but overall she proved to be an excellent lead singer who handled the old material with ease. As an encore we got a nice cover version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. Other highlights were the acoustic version of “Valentine” and, well, pretty much every other song. I only missed “Run and Hide”. Still, it was an enjoyable show, albeit a rather short one. (Just observing, not complaining here – admission was free, after all.)

1. We Gave It All Away
2. Miss Young and Naive
3. You’re a Monster
4. All Mixed Up
5. Old Mariann
6. Don’t Wanna Go Home
7. Valentine (Is Just a Reason to Get Drunk)
8. Who Am I Fooling?
9. Harry’s Got to Go
10. Who’s Pretending
11. The Last Song About You (for This Time)
12. Jolene

This is yet another song fu contribution. The challenge was to write a song that contains a recipe in some way. The music was clearly inspired by Eläkeläiset. The lyrics for the chorus came somewhat natural; the rest is a collection of ingredients, some of them intentionally sung in German. Finally, I could use some live drums. I had recorded them five years ago for a song I never released online.

“Schnitzel Soup and Vodka” is my last entry for song fu for the time being. The contest consumes quite some time and to be honest, I’m not very pleased with my latest efforts. Sure, “Kingdom of Rain” had possibly the best story line I’d come up with in ages. And the present polka was surely fun. But I’ve had enough exposure to present my case. Don’t get me wrong, I love song fu and the other contestants are great people. I’m happy to be part of it and perhaps I’ll do shadow entries in the future. We’ll see and hear.

For now, please check out the link below. There are plenty of interesting contributions; for starters I recommend Mike Lombardo, because he’s a talented musician and his tune is very entertaining. There’s more, but I’m signing off now, saving my “Best of Song Fu”-list for another post.

Download and vote over at FRED

Here is a secret that I’m going to share with you
The perfect meal to eat before you’re getting drunk
This recipe comes straight from the heart of Mother Russia
It keeps any hangover away
You need some schnitzel soup and 17 potatoes
The soup is easy – just get a lot of meat
Then put it in a pot and add a little water
Boil it for a while until it’s through
When it’s
Vodka, vodka – early in the evening
Vodka, vodka – early in the night
Vodka, vodka – early in the evening
Vodka, vodka – early in the night

If you like it sweet you add some apfelstrudel
And if you’re hungry you should add chunk of cheese
And when the soup is boiling you add a few more items
Paprika, tomatoes, sauerkraut and beans
You have to eat a lot for the soup to be effective
Five full plates at least
When it’s
Vodka, vodka – early in the evening
Vodka, vodka – early in the night
Vodka, vodka – early in the evening
Vodka, vodka – drinking all day and night

Vodka!
Vodka, vodka – early in the evening
Vodka, vodka – early in the night
Vodka, vodka – early in the morning
Vodka, vodka – drinking all day and night

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Zum Glück hatte ich meine Karte vorab online bestellt und so einen Platz in der zweiten Reihe (von vorne ebenso wie von hinten) Mitte bekommen. Das Konzert fand im Plattenladen The Record Collector statt, wo etwa 45 Klappstühle sowie weiter hinten noch ein paar Stehplätze. Zuerst galt es das Vorprogramm zu überstehen. Erin Hill zupfte auf faszinierende Weise auf ihrer Harfe herum und sang mal schön, mal opernhaft. Einer der keltischen Folksongs klang sogar ziemlich gut. Ansonsten gab es anfangs reichlich Cover-Songs, ehe sie in der zweiten Hälfte “psychedelic scifi erin hill songs” spielte. Ich war froh über meinen Mountain Dew-Konsum, weil die Mucke viel zu abgefahren für mich klang. Als versöhnlichen Schluss gab es noch den Eröffnungssong der Fernsehserie Dollhouse (“What You Don’t Know”), den Hill zusammen mit Komponist Eric Bazilian vortrug.

Dann hieß es: Bühne frei für Eric, Cliff und Dave! Das Trio stieg mit einem neuen, recht rohen Rocksong ein, der bereits deutlich machte, wohin die musikalische Reise gehen würde. Die Musiker waren zum Greifen nah und ich habe erstmals bei einem Gig einen (1) Ohrstöpsel verwendet, weil das Schlagzeug auf der (von mir aus) rechten Seite einfach zu laut war. Trotz Bestuhlung und gemütlicher Atmosphäre rockten die drei Musiker durch Erics erstes Soloalbum “The Optimist” (wie angekündigt). Das im Laufe von fünf Jahren entstandene Werk wirkte so wesentlich homogener und lebhafter. Eric sah man zwar noch die Reste einer Erkältung an, doch musikalisch war alles bestens. Meine Lieblingslieder der CD waren auch live meine Favoriten (“Hopelessly, Relentlessly”, “Until You Dare”, “U.G.L.Y.”, “Be My Woman”). Zwischendurch gab es neben zahlreichen Anektdoten auch noch spontan die Ursprungsversion von “U.G.L.Y.” und von den Beatles “Do You Want to Know a Secret”. Da Eric und Dave erst wenige Tage vorher mit Proben begonnen und beschlossen hatten, einen Bassisten ins Boot zu holen, war die Show geprägt von Lockerheit. Besonders bei “The Optimist” war das Textchaos herrlich mitanzusehen. Am Ende kam auch noch das berüchtigte “One of Us”-Demo zum Zug. Im Anschluss hatte ich noch das Vergnügen, mich mit amerikanischen Fans, die ich sonst nur von Twitter und E-Mails kannte, über das dortige Fandasein zu unterhalten. Auch amüsant: Eric meinte, John Lilley habe ihm gesagt, er hätte auf Twitter gesehen, dass ich aus Deutschland zum Konzert angereist käme. Tja, ich muss sagen, es war schon ein tolles Erlebnis, mal etwas anderes als “Johnny B”, “All You Zombies” und “Noch ein Lied?” zu hören, zumal die Trio-Besetzung und die intime Atmosphäre dem Ganzen das Sahnehäubchen aufsetzten.

(Bild von meiner Kamera kommt noch; Bild aus der letzten Reihe bei Twitpic)

1. New Song
2. Driving in England
3. Until You Dare
4. Gemini Yo-Yo
5. Bye Bye Baby
6. U.G.L.Y.
7. U.G.L.Y. (original version)
8. When I Was the Man
9. Kid From Outer Space
10. Do You Want to Know a Secret
11. Be My Woman
12. Fiddlesticks
13. Hopelessly, Relentlessly
14. Mind Going Down
15. The Optimist
16. One of Us

For the lack of other news, here’s a song by Jonathan Coulton. I chose the ASL video by Stephen Torrence to go with it, because his face expressions are awesome. The choice was a difficult one, because there’s other nice ones like Christmas lights, Muppets and plenty of live versions.

Also, check out the two new Ninja Dolls songs – good, friendly punk rock.