Johannes Schult

Hier ist eine völlig subjektive Top5-Liste. Dass die meisten Stücke darin schwer bzw. gar nicht (mehr) im regulären (deutschen) Handel erhältlich sind, ist in meinen Augen ein Indiz für die latente Unfähigkeit der Musikindustrie.

1. Dar Williams: When Sal’s Burned Down
2. Richard Shindell: Reunion Hill
3. Reminder: Talk It Out
4. Majesty: Vital Star
5. The Brandos: Walking On The Water

Und hier ist eine ebenso subjektive Top5-Liste der Stücke, die es nicht in die obige Liste geschafft haben.

1. Blind Guardian: And Then There Was Silence
2. Anglagard: New Song #1
3. Richard Shindell: Wisteria
4. The Tannahill Weavers: Are Ye Sleeping Maggie
5. Mike Oldfield: To France

Die Hooters haben ein Video zu ihrer aktuellen Single “I’m Alive” gebastelt. Und wie das Leben so spielt, hüpfe ich darin zweimal durchs Bild (nach 0:23 bzw. 2:05 Minuten). Klar, es gibt bessere Lieder und bessere Videos, aber als Hooters-Fan freut es mich. Nun bleibt zu hoffen, dass die Band im Sommer wieder in Europa tourt und ordentlich rockt.

Back in the early 90s I bought “Theatre of Fate” when it was first released in Europe (I was only 13!),  and I followed Angra’s career rather attentively, but I never got around to see Andre Matos live. Last Friday, I finally got the opportunity to change this. Andre Matos and his guitarist Andre Hernandez played an acoustic show at a record store in Hannover. There were no more than 30 people and the musicians decided to play literally unplugged, transforming the melodic metal songs off the records into fragile ballads. I was surprised how great the songs sounded. The vocals were full of passion and covered an impressive dynamic range. The melodica was the spice in the songs, especially the middle part of “Carry On”. All through the event Matos made entertaining remarks in German and appeared to enjoy the intimate setting. (Einen längeren deutschen Bericht gibt es bei Vampster.com!)

1. Rio
2. Looking Back
3. Holy Land
4. Letting Go
5. Carry On
6. How Long (Unleashed Away)

Last minute line-up changes, lack of setlist changes (let alone surprises), and a rather reserved (but very attentive) audience impeeded the concert at the Café Hahn from becoming an outstanding concert experience. Still, the Brandos are still an outstanding band even under these circumstences. There were the amazing harmony vocals on songs like “The Keeper” and “Walking Home”. There was the inevitable Irish part of the show that gained a lot applause. There was dense atmosphere of old (“Nothing To Fear”) and new (“The Triangle Fire”) masterpieces. And, of course, there was Dave Kincaid’s performance which was up there among the Springsteens and Fogertys.

1. Fight for Love
2. Let it go
3. The Keeper
4. Turn Away
5. The Only Love I Can Get
6. Anna Lee
7. The Light of Day
8. The Other Side
9. She’s the One
10. The Triangle Fire
11. Dino’s Song
12. Tell Her that I Love Her
13. Merrily Kissed The Quaker / The New York Volunteer
14. The Solution
15. Walking Home
16. Over the Border
17. Gettysburg
18. Gunfire at Midnight
19. The Siege
20. The Warrior’s Son
21. Nothing to Fear
22. The Last Tambourine
23. Can’t Go Home

This one was inspired by another friend of mine – or rather by the Michael Owen poster above her bed. It’s basically a song about fandom and its possibly lethal side effects. I pirated the main melody from an old song of mine called “Victualia”. The lyrics came out quite effortless and influenced the arrangement a lot. I recorded the song on the 27th June 2002. All instruments appear courtesy of my keyboard. For the first time I double-tracked the vocals one octave higher, which came out pretty nice considering my total lack of singing talent.

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

She’s in love with Michael Owen
Cos he’s so cute and he’s so great
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Waiting for him at the stadium’s gate
She’s his fan, owns a thousand pictures
He’s in her dreams at night
Watching him play makes her heart go boom
Yeah, he makes her feel alright
Yeah, he makes her feel alright
Cos she’s in love
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Cos he’s so cute and he’s so great
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Waiting for him at the stadium’s gate
She attends every match and afterwards
She’s waiting at the stadium’s gate
Hoping that someday she will meet him there
To tell him “You’re so great!”
To tell him “You’re so great!”
Cos she’s in love
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Cos he’s so cute and he’s so great
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Stalking him at the stadium’s gate
Then one day, as if in a dream
She really met him there
He said: “Hi, I’m Michael! How are you?”
It made her grasp for air
It made her grasp for air
Cos she’s in love
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Cos he’s so cute and he’s so great
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Meeting him at the stadium’s gate
She was so excited, her heart stood still
She was happy as can be
But without her heart-beat she couldn’t live
So she died there instantly
She died there instantly
Cos she’s in love
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Cos he’s so cute and he’s so great
She’s in love with Michael Owen
Waiting for him at the heaven’s gate

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is a song about graveyard tourism. It was inspired by a friend of mine, who thankfully isn’t as obsessed as the person in the song; but she does have the habit of visiting the graves of famous people. Tom Waits was a huge inspiration regarding the music and the vocals of this track. Who would have thought that? I made up the chords and melodies as I went along. I started out with the main rhythm and some minor chords on the acoustic guitar. The modulation after the first chorus is a homage to “Theme from Rawhide” by the legendary Blues Brothers. The initial song structure sounded way too nice, so I added lots of chromatic runs, all played on my keyboard. I do love the Wannabe-Mellotron-flute moment during the last chorus. The recording took place on the 5th and 6th October 2003. The second day was dominated by the vocals, which took forever. It also happened to be the day a new neighbour was moving in. It must have been rather confusing to hear my voice through the door. Anyway, the lesson learned during the making of “Graveyard Girl” was: there is no such thing as overdoing weird, noisy overdubs.

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

I saw her on the graveyard
Dressed in black
There between the tombstones
She was talking to the dead
Kurt Cobain, George Harrison
Mozart and Jim Morrison
Famous people make her day
As long as they have passed away
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl, yes she is
Yes she is

I saw her at the grave of Freddie Mercury
I saw her at the grave of J.R.R. Tolkien
J.F.K., George Harrison
Beethoven, Jim Morrison
Famous people make her day
As long as they have passed away
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl, yes she is
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl, yes she is

And then one day she realized that she’s been to every graveyard on earth. Still, she couldn’t get enough. So she bought a gun and went…
Johnny Cash, George Harrison
John Lennon and Jim Morrison
Famous people make her day
As soon as they have passed away
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl, yes she is
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl
She’s a graveyard girl, yes she is

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Ich bin von dem Film als Gesamtwerk schwer beeindruckt. Worum geht es? Die Geschichte erinnert mich immer wieder an “Das Versprechen” (von Dürrenmatt; den Film und die Neuverfilmung habe nicht gesehen). Es geht damit los, dass in Boston ein vierjähriges Kind verschwunden ist und dessen Tante und Onkel ein Privatdetektivpaar engagieren, welches zusätzlich zur bzw. mit Polizei nach dem vermissten Kind suchen soll. Regisseur Ben Affleck (der für Good Will Hunting einst einen Drehbuch-Oscar gewann) hat den Stoff mit einer Konsequenz verfilmt, wie ich sie zuletzt bei Spielbergs München erlebt habe; falls das als Aussage irgendwie Sinn macht. Auf alle Fälle ist Gone Baby Gone definitiv sehenswerter und aufwühlender Film geworden, den ich sehr empfehlen kann.

This one was inspired by a friend of mine. And one of his friends. And the boy-friend of that person. I’m still amazed how good this song turned out. The writing process had been a mess and it wasn’t until the actual recording that I figured out what to do with the chorus. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to come up with places to go which would rhyme. As you can see below, I kind of failed. The song was recorded on the 15th and 16th January 2005, a few days after I had written the lyrics and assembled the basic chord structure. I forced myself to play this song as fast as possible, starting out with the drums. Playing the acoustic guitar parts was a nightmare due to the modulation from C to C# halfway through the song. I tend to record too many layers of everything. I didn’t think this particular song was going anywhere, so I refrained from extensive double-tracking. Basically, it’s two acoustic guitars (plus some licks during the last refrain), a couple of keyboard tracks (bass and organ), and, of course, the vocals. In the end, everything fell in place and before I knew it, I had the song finished.

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

I’m really happy I have you in my life
I’m really glad you’re there
You’re really someone who makes me come alive
You really show you care

I’m really happy you spend your time with me
It always makes my day
But there is something that’s making my heart bleed
One thing that’s not okay
When we go to the cinema it’s always you and me – and your boy-friend
When we go to the opera it’s always you and me – and your boy-friend

I want to be the one you need
It’s driving me insane
I’m smart and nice, but I’m not him
So all my love is in vain

I’m really happy you’ve found a loving man
But how come it’s not me?
It really kills me, oh can’t you understand
That you’re the one for me?
When we go to the cinema it’s always you and me – and your boy-friend
When we go to the opera it’s always you and me – and your boy-friend
When we go to the theater it’s always you and me and your boy-friend
When we go to the countryside it’s always you and me and your boy-friend
When we go to the local mall it’s always you and me and your boy-friend
When we go to the concert hall it’s always you and me and your boy-friend
When we dive in the swimming pool it’s always you and me and your boy-friend
When we go to the Brandos show it’s always you and me and your boy-friend

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is (going to be) the opener of my solo album “Heteroscedasticity”. It’s basically a drinking song. I came up with the music first while I was toying around with the signature chords of “End of the Line” by the Traveling Wilburys. Before I knew I had a two chord country song. I wrote most of the lyrics on a beautiful day at the Bodanplatz in Konstanz. The recordings took place on the 28th and 29th August 2002, shortly after I had written the song. As you can hear, there’s mainly my keyboard’s auto-accompaniment and a bunch of acoustic guitars. I added some further keyboard tracks (bass and banjo, piano and percussion) and, of course, the vocals.

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

Deep down in Texas there’s a pub without a name
It belongs to Harold’s mother, Judy Mary Jane
All those who’ve seen it, oh I’m sure they won’t forget
People spilling alcohol until the floor is wet
And they sing:
Hey, hey, mama, fill my tankard one more time
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane
Oh, hey, hey, mama, swing your body next to mine
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane

At night the house is packed, people laugh and sing
Everybody’s getting drunk with whisky scotch and gin
Mike strums the banjo and Harold sings along
Old Dave plays the fiddle and so they sing their song
And it goes:
Hey, hey, mama, fill my tankard one more time
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane
Oh, hey, hey, mama, swing your body next to mine
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane

Oh, hey, hey, mama, swing your body next to mine
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane

And when the morning comes, everybody’s gone
And they won’t be back until the setting of the sun
Then Mary takes a nap and rests her weary head
Thinking of the glorious and joyful times she had
And I sing:
Hey, hey, mama, fill my tankard one more time
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane
Oh, hey, hey, mama, swing your body next to mine
Hey, hey, mama Judy Mary Jane

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Heute war ich im fnac und habe ein bisschen nach Musik und Literatur gestöbert. Die Preise (hoch) und meine überraschend resolute Selbstbeherrschung hinderten mich zwar daran, etwas zu kaufen. Doch zwischen den Buchregalen wurde mir wieder einmal bewusst, warum mir das Schreiben Spaß macht: Auch wenn er sehr unrealistisch sein mag, geistert doch in meinem Hinterkopf der Traum, dort in den Regalen einmal ein Buch aus meiner Feder zu sehen.

Hey, ich habe nie behauptet, ich wäre gegen Hybris immun!