Archive for July 2010

Soccer Girl

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.

Jutze 52 #30 – Der Speckgürtel von Paderborn

This song is rather weird.

#30 Der Speckgürtel von Paderborn

Ein schwarzer VW-Bus hielt vor meinem Haus
Und eh ich mich versah, stiegen schwarze Leute aus
Der erste Vermummte hatte ein Gewehr
Er legte an und schoss und mein Körper wurde schwer
Getroffen!

Der zweite Vermummte griff nach meinem Bein
Und zu zweit hievten sie mich dann in den Bus hinein
Ich verlor das Bewusstsein wie in einem schlechten Traum
Und ich wachte wieder auf in einem fensterlosen Raum
Gefangen!

Dann kam ein Mann im weißen Kittel mit Blutflecken drauf
Er zerrte mich nach nebenan; ich stolperte im Lauf
Ich kann nur schwer beschreiben, was daraufhin geschah
Man zwickte und massierte mich und spielte danach Skat

Man schnürte mich auf Rollschuh und man drehte mich im Kreis
Man kniff mich in mein Ohrläppchen und fragte, wie ich heiß
So ging das viele Stunden und ich war total verwirrt
Ich konnte nicht entfliehen; ich war allein und sie zu viert
Gefangen!

Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, doch plötzlich war es aus
Und müde lag ich auf dem Rasen hier vor meinem Haus
Ich zitterte und fror und meine Kehle brannte
Und dann fiel mir wieder ein, wie der Ort sich nannte
Speckgürtel von Paderborn!

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Jutze 52 #29 – Your Smile

This is the last song I recorded on my old computer. I wanted to approach the 52 seconds of music without a regular song structure in mind. I combined various parts and slowly the track grew into what you hear now. The lyrics had no meaning at first but after tweaking a few lines a vague situation came to life. I also recorded a quick video of me playing the song.

#29 Your Smile

You said goodbye with a hint of regret in your smile
And finally I see that I am free
Because what you meant to me
Won’t bother me no more
It’s all I had in store
And the times we spent
Trying to meet ends meet
It feels so obsolete
And I bleed
I wonder why I liked your smile
Your smile
Your smile

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Toto live in Singen

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?

Rain in Singen

  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

Jutze 52 #28 – Badreligion

This is the backup song I had kept in case I couldn’t come up with a new song one week. Sadly, the computer I use for recording my music died (after almost ten years of use). So here is “Badreligion”. I had written the lyrics back in the 90s for the punk band I was in at that time. I don’t know if we ever came up with any music back then. Then in 2008 I resurrected the lyrics and wrote a quick punk rock song around them. I recorded the song along with “ANOVA”, “Proof of God” and “My Next Favourite Actress” on 8th-9th August 2008. I had to cut of the first two counts at the beginning to make it 52 seconds long.

#28 Badreligion

Seife ist das Manna
Duschgel die Pastille
Seifenschaum die Bibel
Das ist Gottes Wille
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn

Quellen sind wie Kirchen
Wüsten wie die Hölle
Baden ohne Ende
Das ist Gottes Wille
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Deutschland hat verloren

Jutze 52 #27 Loop Pool

This is clearly a homage to Mike Oldfield. I started out with the 7/4 measure and the melody on acoustic guitar. It’s not really a melody, just four notes. Then I added several layers of acoustic and electric guitar loops. I also included a few melody lines that are not completely repetitive. Finally, I experimented with keyboard sounds. Only here did the opening keyboard line in 7/8 materialize.

#27 Loop Pool