Archive for May 2010

Jutze 52 #22 – Painting the Plane

This is one of my more pointless songs. I wrote the lyrics on a plane approaching Ljubljana. I did not paint the interior of the aircraft, mind you. In fact, don’t try this at home or in any aircraft, at least not without appropriate permissions.

The two guitar tracks are both first takes. Not that the chord changes are difficult or anything. I’m just glad this weekly song thing is good for something. I’m also still amazed how bad I am at adjusting the drum volume. The rhythm is usually very loud while I’m recording in order for everything to be in time. Eventually, I try to level the other tracks up to match the drum volume. Still, every time the drums remain much too loud. I force myself to lower their volume until I momentarily think the mix is ridiculous. That’s usually when the sound balance is almost good. (The bass became pretty prominent and I’m not sure this is a good thing.)

#22 Painting the Plane

I’m sitting here for hours now
I’m bored and we are still not there
But I have a Biro
And some paintings I want to share

So now I’m painting the plane from inside
As we’re flying through the night
Circles and frames and famous people’s names
I’m painting the plane from inside

So now I’m painting the plane from inside
As we’re flying through the night
Circles and frames and famous people’s names
I’m painting the plane from inside

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

The Future Is Now

Have a look at BreathingEarth.net – if that isn’t frightening, I don’t know what is. As Hank Green (who pointed out the previous link) put it: “There is not enough land on the earth by a long shot for everyone to eat the way that Americans eat.”

Jutze 52 #21 – Surface Tension

This is yet another instrumental track with a title that has little to do with the music. I like how surface tension sometimes appears to be fragile, especially on bodies of water on a windless day. Floating was another thing that came to my mind while working on this track.

I wrote the music right after getting out of my bed on the morning of May 14, 2010. The dialogue between the acoustic and the electric guitar wasn’t exactly what I was aiming for in the first place. Still, I’m quite content with the track and its dynamics.

#21 Surface Tension

Jutze 52 #20 – Die Fremde

This is a piece I’ve recently written for Manticess. I don’t know yet if it will end up in one of our songs. I had made a scratch recording with improvised German lyrics. Eventually, I added some grammar and decided to turn it into a 52-second song. It’s just two acoustic guitars and my voice. It suits the lyrics, I think. Susanne will certainly sing it much better, but you get an idea what our music sounds like in the early stages.

#20 Die Fremde

Langsam wird es Abend.
Die Sonne ist verbleicht.
Langsam kommt die Dunkelheit.
Sie rennt nicht, nein, sie schleicht.

In der Nacht kommt der Schatten.
In der Nacht kommt die Angst.
In der Nacht kommt die Fremde,
Der du nicht entfliehen kannst.
In der Nacht kommen Geister
Und sie singen ein Lied.
In der Nacht kommt die Furcht,
Dass es kein morgen mehr gibt.

In der Nacht kommt der Schatten.
In der Nacht kommt die Angst.
In der Nacht kommt die Fremde,
Der du nicht entfliehen kannst.
In der Nacht bist du einsam
Und du kommst nicht zur Ruh’.
In der Nacht kommen Träume
Und du ahnst, die Fremde bist du.
Die Fremde bist du.
Die Fremde bist du.

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Fußball = heiliger Krieg

Es amüsiert mich immer, wenn Fußballer, nachdem sie ein Tor geschossen haben, sich bekreuzigen und ein Dankeschön an Gott gen Himmel schicken. Ein paar schieben vor Spielbeginn auch ein (An-)Stoßgebet ein. Das wirkt im ersten Moment alles putzig, wird bei näherem Betrachten aber grotesk, spätestens wenn sich zwei Spieler gegenüberstehen, die an den selben Gott glauben und für einen Sieg beten. Da müsste ein gerechter Gott doch ein Unentschieden bewirken. Oder würde es von der Stärke des Glaubens abhängen? Könnte man am Ende sogar Fußballergebnisse als Gottmessgerät betrachten?

Da auf dem Platz gewöhnliche jede Menge Ander- und Ungläubige stehen, ergibt sich leider keine so klare Gleichung. Es gäbe hier allerdings eine einfache Lösung: Man lässt den Vatikan in die FIFA und bei der Weltmeisterschaft mitmachen.

Es soll auch Leute geben, die meinen, dass sportlicher Erfolg das Resultat von Übung, Talent und einer Prise Glück ist. Schließlich existiert auch eine weltliche Erklärung für die Hand Gottes. Wer dagegen meint, der Glaube wäre mitentscheidend für das Spielergebnis, macht aus dem Ballsport quasi einen heiligen Krieg. Was für eine Rolle dabei dann der Schiedsrichter spielt, ist mir noch nicht ganz klar.

These Are the Days

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.

Jutze 52 #19 – Lincoln, TX

This is what happens when I come up with a song in a hurry. I started out with nothing and ended up with this dark story. The title was a rather arbitrary choice. I didn’t even know whether there is a Lincoln in Texas. I just checked: there is one.

#19 Lincoln, TX

Jane is talking to the red old barman
Stalking me out like a roaming son
Here in the desert of Lincoln, TX
Promise me heaven outside the door

I can see there’s a man in the shadows
And I know I have seen him before
He turns around and says, I’ve been waiting to meet you once again

I return to Jane and the barman
I say, I’m sorry for the mess I made
I drink my whisky and I head for the front door
Leaving the body and a bribe behind

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

The Hooters live in Friedrichshafen

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

Fran Smith, Jr. (The Hooters) live in Friedrichshafen

Manticess music now available on bandcamp.com

Check out manticess.bandcamp.com! The site contains all music Manticess have released so far. You can listen to all songs online. If you like them, you can download them in the format of your choice – for free! (Just enter 0 when asked to name your price.) If you really like our music, you can pay us! We’d like that. Now tell all your friends!

Jutze 52 #18 – The Time We’ve Lost

This is yet another instrumental piece. It’s merely a quick combination of chords and notes. But then again, most songs are. I took the chance to play on the piano, even though I only had my digital camera to record the audio. So the sound is crappy, but you can watch me playing. I wrote and recorded the track last Sunday, after two days of heavy metal at the Keep It True festival. Please excuse minor timing problems. After all, I had to guess the tempo in order to make the song 52 seconds long. So I did have a slightly better version recorded, but it was a couple of seconds too long. The version you hear here is actually has a bit a silence appended at the end to make it long enough. I know that’s cheating, but I rather have it like this than with the additional noises you can hear on the video (which does reach the 52-second mark).

#18 The Time We’ve Lost