Johannes Schult

There are a few new old songs available in the music section. I will add more songs, both Heteroscedasticity album tracks and other remaining tunes, throughout the year. There will also be individual updates for each song, eventually, where you will find the lyrics, recordings details and some further info like the story behind the song or some cryptic rambling. The major news for now is that I’ve decided to make my weird solo stuff available under a Creative Commons by-nc license. Have fun and smile big!

Today, I’ve pulled out my old four-track machine and recorded the a little cover tune. It was written by Jonathan Coulton. I suggest you listen to his version, which is much better than mine. My recording of the song is, just like the original one, licensed Creative Commons by-nc.

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

I haven’t thought of you in fifteen days and today I still won’t think of you
And when I call you up and you’re not well I might not even care
Every day gets better than the one before
Cause every day I know that I’m fine without you
But I don’t think about it
This one is not about you
You can put that in your pipe and smoke it
This one is not about you
Baby, you can take that to the bank
And shove it up your big fat ass

Every time I ride past your house I forget it’s you who’s living there
Anyway I never see your face cause your window’s up too high
And I saw you shopping at the grocery store
But I was far too busy with my cart to notice
You weren’t looking at me
This one is not about you
You can put that in your pipe and smoke it
This one is not about you
Baby, you can take that to the bank
And shove it up your big fat ass

I saw that movie where the guy gets dumped when the girl goes off to find herself
But I think I may have missed the end – there was something in my eye
But it doesn’t matter how it all turns out
Cause I know that guy’ll be fine without you
You shouldn’t worry cause
This one is not about you
You can put that in your pipe and smoke it
This one is not about you
Baby, you can take that to the bank
And shove it up your big fat ass

(words and music by Jonathan Coulton)

Fast genau ein Jahr nach der ersten Session wurden heute die vorerst letzten Spuren aufgenommen. Außerdem machten wir einige Fotos. Entsprechend wird es in absehbarer Zeit akustisches und optisches Material geben. Überraschung des Tages für mich: Sebastian hat ein Lied über einen Film mit Lena Headey geschrieben!

The music section has been revised. I hate to say it’s under construction, but that’s the way it is. My plan is to add various songs through the course of 2008. In the end, there will be all 14 songs which together constitute my “new” solo album. It’s basically going to be a collection of stuff I’ve recorded over the years spiced with a few new numbers in between. I will post lyrics and other related stuff, eventually. If someone wants the files in flac format, make yourself heard (i.e., post a comment). Maybe I can arrange it.

That’s it for now. Check back in a couple of weeks for new additions and further madness.

Fates Warning are an amazing band. I saw them live in Cologne (15th November 2007) and was reminded of just how good a band they really are. Although they’re not really a band in the original sense for some time now. Drum God Bobby Jarzombek joined the band for their recent European Tour, so I just had to see them, come hell, high water, or railway strikes.

It was nice to see Frank Aresti back in the band again. He played some awesome guitar magic. Joey Vera was a bass animal. Ray Alder’s vocals were drowned in the mix, but he gave a great performance, anyway. He’s no longer singing the high parts of some older songs, but manages to re-invent the melodies. Highlights of the show were the three songs off Parallels and the epic “Still Remains”. Especially the later one was breathtaking – progressive metal at its very best! Bobby threw in some double bass in “Point of View” and mastered the complex drum patterns without any visible effort. There were maybe 300 people, so it was a rather intimate show. The atmosphere was great and the chorus in “The Eleventh Hour” was stunning. Check out Flickr for a few more pictures. Wahoo!

1. One
2. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray III
3. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray IV
4. Another Perfect Day
5. Life In Still Water
6. Island In The Stream
7. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray VII
8. The Eleventh Hour
9. Point Of View
10. Still Remains
11. Stranger (With A Familiar Face)
12. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray XI
13. Silent Cries
14. Monument
15. Nothing Left To Say

If you’re interested in some geeky pop songs I recommend Jonathan Coulton. His homepage is an excellent example of a good (i.e., informative and accessible) artist homepage. My favourite songs (so far) are “The Future Soon”, “Ikea” and “I Feel Fantastic”.

Ab sofort ist das Vampster-Blog online, bei dem ich hin und wieder meinen Senf dazugeben werde. Dort gibt es Beiträge aus der Redaktion zu mehr oder weniger aktuellen Geschehnissen in der (harten) Musikwelt.

Kürzlich hörte ich bei WFUV eine (im April aufgezeichnete) Sendung, in der Richard Shindell zu Gast war. Er spielte u.a. ein neues Stück namens “Walden Well”. Neben der schönen Musik und seiner sonoren Stimme faszinierte mich einmal mehr sein Gespür für großartige Texte. In der ersten Hälfte des Lieds wurde eine relativ unspektakuläre Geschichte erzählt. Ich zweifelte bereits daran, dass noch etwas Spannendes passieren würde. Doch dann kam nach dem zweiten Refrain eine überraschende (textliche) Wendung, die mich sogleich fesselte und begeisterte. Ein bisschen wurde ich auch neidisch, weil die Idee an sich so simpel wie eindrücklich ist. Wie so oft lässt sich auch hier die ganze Wirkung nur teilweise mit Worten beschreiben. Das dürften alle feststellen, die das Lied hören, nachdem sie das hier gelesen haben, und dann zu dem Schluss kommen, dass sie es sich völlig anders vorgestellt hätten.

Martin Sommer ist wohl eine Art Liedermacher. Immerhin macht er Lieder. Und zwar solche, in denen vorwiegend Geschichten erzählt und Situationen mit Wortwitz und einer humorvollen Note geschildert werden. Seine Homepage ist relativ informativ und bietet zum Einstieg beispielsweise das Stück “Drachen”; dieses ist ein tolles Liebeslied, das sich mit der Liebe selbst und den damit verbundenen Ambitionen beschäftigt. Ich mochte es vom ersten Moment an.

Ich persönlich finde seine zweite CD “Chansons” besser als das Debüt “Wort & Tonschlag”, obwohl beide ihre Höhe- und Tiefpunkte haben. “Haus mit Fenstern”, “Wohin”, “Bei Nacht” und “Hahn abdrehn (live)” sind meine Favoriten. Dass die der Bestellung beiliegende Rechnung mit LaTeX erstellt worden war, macht mir die Sache noch sympathischer. Leider wurde bei den Texten komplett auf Zeichensetzung verzichtet, was an der Qualität der Musik freilich nichts ändert.

Wow, what a show! I’ve already written a German review and a long, verbose report in the new Hooters forum. (There you can read about the Hooters gig in Tuttlingen last week, as well.) So yes, this is already the condensed version.

The Hooters really rocked the tent last night! They played 110 minutes and (finally) managed to keep the energy of the regular set during the encore (partly due to “Catch of the Day”, partly due to the euphoria of the crowd); they even had to return a second time, because the tent was indeed going crazy. The audience was great and the band apparently enjoyed the gig. The sound (in front of the stage) was amazing, very clear vocals, not too much bass. All good, all good!

There were about 2000 people; hardly anyone left right after the Hooters (although most people got outside to catch some fresh air and get something drink; you see: a Hooters show makes your throat sore, because you can’t help but sing along all the time. Later on, Asia (who were supposed to be the headliner) played for about 100 minutes, but the energy level – both on and off stage couldn’t compare to that of the Hooters!

The concert was organized by the Kulturinitiative Winterbach. They’ve done an amazing job. Not only did they bring the Hooters to the Remstal area, they also made the actual concert very enjoyable, i.e. you weren’t allowed to smoke in the tent, and you were allowed to take pictures (without flash). Two thumbs up! Check out their Zeltspektakel homepage for additional photos. Here’s the Hooters’ setlist:

1. I’m Alive
2. Time Stand Still
3. Time After Time
4. Day by Day
5. Fightin’ on the Same Side
6. Graveyard Waltz (slight return) / 500 Miles
7. Until You Dare
8. Where The Wind May Blow
9. The Boys of Summer
10. Twenty-Five Hours a Day
11. Johnny B
12. All You Zombies
13. Karla With A K
14. Satellite
15. And We Danced
16. Catch of the Day
17. One of Us
18. Free Again
19. South Ferry Road / Brother Don’t You Walk Away

Last Wednesday, the Hooters played the gig of their current European tour. The venue was small (200 people), so there was a rather familiar atmosphere. There were still some minor technical flaws here and there, but the spirit was there and the band apparently delighted to be back on the road/stage. There was, however, hardly any improvation. They basically played their hits and almost the whole new album. Early in the set they played a rock version of “Time After Time” (which was co-written by Rob Hyman) and a mixture of “South Ferry Road” and “Brother Don’t You Walk Away”. Both weren’t really necessary in my opinion. From then on things got better. “Catch of the Day” was the best new song. The band sounded really mellow at times. Just compare the current (album) version of the song “Time Stand Still” with the version they played two years ago and you get the point. Also, Eric Bazilian played more mandolin than on previous tours. All in all it was a good show that. A few more surprises in between wouldn’t have hurt, though. Here’s the setlist:

1. I’m Alive
2. Time Stand Still
3. Time After Time
4. South Ferry Road / Brother Don’t You Walk Away
5. Day by Day
6. All You Zombies
7. Until I Find You Again
8. Until You Dare
9. Catch of the Day
10. The Boys of Summer
11. Karla with a K
12. Twenty-five Hours a Day
13. Johnny B
14. Satellite
15. And We Danced
16. 500 Miles
17. Where the Wind May Blow
18. Morning Buzz
19. Free Again