Made with MAGIX All text and images are the property of John Hurd (all rights reserved) Rockin all over the Harmonie – Sunny Skies February 28, 2011 We Brits love a bit of tradition.  Queens speech on Xmas Day and all that.  Maybe that’s why I always look forward to Sunny Skies playing the Harmonie.  The first show of the year for the band, and a chance for the many fans to hear what’s caught their musical attention in the preceding year.   February 2011was no different, as Rope Schmitz took his merry men and women  onstage for the bands 39th year.  The songs may have changed along the way, but the bands aim of playing good music with a smile hasn’t changed a jot. Rope was concerned that my previous reports suggested his musical heart was still in SanFrancisco, or somewhere else evocative of the 60’s.  In fact, he actually enjoys the heavier sound of the modern Sunny Skies set-up.  A good thing too on this evenings performance, especially in part two where 70’s & 80’s rock ruled.  The gauntlet was set down from the start as vocalist Alex took the stage to the  hard rocking riff of Deep Purples ‘Perfect Strangers’.  Things lightened up a little when Nadine bounded on and fairly bounced from one stage side to the other like she was on springs.  Was all this talk of not being well she gave me before the show really true?  Heaven help the floorboards when she’s fully fit. Highlight of Nadine’s set was one of the new numbers: Beth Ditto’s  ‘Heavy Cross’ which proved perfectly suited to her style, slotting in well with Natasha Bedingfields brooding ‘Incompatible’ and Alanis Morrisette’s ‘Ironic’. Alex Krienke was clearly back to his barnstorming best after last years time-out in hosptal.  Looking as unlike Freddie Mercury as anyone could possibly look, he still delivers Queens ‘Hammer to Fall’ with Freddies swagger and bravado. For longtime Skies fans there were the bands classic covers – ‘Son of a preacher man’, ‘Miami 2017’ – and of course (could there be a Skies show without it?) ‘Little help from my friends’ The Harmonie stage has been extended this year and while it looked spacious for quartets like Oli Brown and Aynsley Lister it still looked like the queue for a bus in Oxford Street rush hour at times this evening.  One of those times was of course ‘Son of a preacher man’ and whenever the full horn section was onstage you wondered whether Tobias Flerus would be able to open the slide on his trombone without anyone having to leave the stage. It seemed oddly prophetic that the first part ended with older band classics.  Like closing a chapter before the hard rock of part two got underway.  Outside of Alex’s wonderful Freddie Mercury tribute ‘Too much love will kill you’ and Martin’s Gary Moore tribute with an emotion charged ‘Still got the Blues’solo the mood was all out rock.  More Deep Purple with ‘Black Night’ and ‘Smoke on the Water’ as well as a new rock anthem in the shape of UFO’s ‘Only you can rock me’ – announced David Coverdale-like with “Here’s one for ya”. Status Quo’s ‘Rocking all over the world’ sounded almost poppy by comparison.  Coming up to it’s 40th year of existence, the list of hard rock gems leaves no doubt where the heart of Sunny Skies lies musically. I rather missed the acoustic duo set with Martin and Alex playing ‘Stairway to heaven’ and ‘Dead or Alive’.  If you missed playing them too guys, my colleague John Harrison at Bonn Folk Club will happily add you to a future bill – just say the word! A packed out Harmonie says the band is doing it right with the current choice of material, so it’s not just Rope and myself that like to rock!     As long as they continue to mix rock classics with modern gems like ‘Ironic’ and ‘Heavy Cross’ the Harmonie shows of Sunny Skies will continue to be a tradition to savour every year.  Give me The Queen at Christmas, and the band that covers Freddie Mercury’s Queen so well every year as an early concert treat each year, and consider me happy.  Long may one reign, and the other rock! ++++++++++++ Bonafide will fill your head with rock February 23, 2011  So who are Bonafide? “They’re top of the Swedish charts this week” the Tourmanager told me enthusiastically as I surveyed the back of a cd in the Harmonie foyer.  Ah, but which chart? I enquired.  Certainly these Swedes are not the new Abba – as my post gig ringing ears reminded me. As it turned out we were talking Heavy Metal, a scene I lost sight of around the fall of the wall – the Pink Floyd version that is. “If it’s too loud, you’re too old” as a certain record shop Manager reminded me.  I would have agreed with that in 1980 when I joined all the other ‘headbangers’ shouting “Turn it up!” as Sammy Hagar blasted through his heavy metal anthem ‘Red’ at Portsmouth Guildhall.  Now though it’s 2011, and I’m at an age where leather is for sofas rather than jackets;  and heads need hats (preferably warm ones) rather than banging.  Sad I know. Rockin all over the... stage. Bonafide But still, straight into Swedens Hard Rock chart (and mid-price LP Chart) at number one deserves respect – and these lads are billed as Swedens ACDC.   Two very good reasons to shake out the dandruff, arm myself with industrial strength earplugs, a vintage 70’s ‘air guitar’, and prepare to rock. Which brings a surprise – guitar solos, or lack thereof.  This actually has repercussions as the music is fast and furious and – as Shakespeare would have observed had he been a Metalhead – “Tis here, tis gone!” Lkewise, following a barnstorming version of   The Who classic ‘Can’t Explain’ the band are also ‘here and gone’ by 10pm. There was plenty for hardrock fans to enjoy in the meantime though.  A major strength of Bonafide is that, like all the best Hard Rock/Metal outfits, they have an ear for a good rock tune, which is refreshing amongst the metalheads who see only speed and volume and forget that stalwart of all classic rock songs – THE STICK IN THE HEAD RIFF!   Prime examples being their homage to the UK’s Humble Pie in ‘Don’t need no Doctor’ and their own headbanging anthem ‘Fill your head with rock’.  Or ‘Nice Boys don’t play rock n roll’ with a Motörheady style chorus and Lemmy-like vocal.  There was even a short nod to the roots of it all with a grunged up  version of Jimmy Reed’s ‘Big Bossman’ which gave the classic a fresh coat of paint (a coat of grunge?!). As the saying goes “Live long enough, see everything” but in this case “hear everything” could equally apply.  I’ve heard everything on offer here before,  but  for those youngsters (under 40) who never got to see Bon Scott and the original wave of Heavy Metal and also missed the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) These guys will be very welcome, and rightly so.  Vocalist Pontus Snibb, a long haired version of Han Solo, jokingly said he loved Bonn as the home of ‘Bonn’ Scott and Jason ‘Bonn’ham  so the band themselves are still in spitting distance of the originals.  But in the event that one day – rather like Welsh – Heavy Metal is in danger of being forgotten, Bonafide will ensure the kids are alright for at least another generation that wants to rock hard. Thanks to Mr Music for arranging the show at Bonn Harmonie. ++++++++++++ Dana Fuchs – ‘Mama Music’ takes over February 11, 2011   According to Dana Fuchs’ bio she was in a black Baptist Church when she received the advice from a ‘beautiful black woman’ to “Let Mama Music take over”.  On Wednesday I was on the recieving end of that advice as a beautiful white woman truly did let the music take her over – and she took the whole audience over too with a mesmerizing vocal tour de force. After numerous Blues based shows in barely two weeks I really feared this was going to be where for many the money would run out.  Germany playing Italy didn’t help calm my fears either.  Obviously word had got out though. Following Dana’s excellent Harmonie set on Rockpalast last year, and her short but oh so sweet slot ahead of Joe Cocker at Museumsplatz, there was a sizeable crowd packed into the Harmonie and buzzing with anticipation. Looking good, sounding great - Dana Fuchs The flashing twirling lights tell us this is a Rock show, and it’s central figure makes it clear from the word go that tonight she will be taking no prisoners.  ‘Love to Beg’ starts Dana’s new CD and also starts her set.  She may be a fox by name but the lady is a lion by nature.  She constantly stalks from one stage side to the other.  Stopping between songs to wave a shaggy mane of hair from big brown eyes.  She kneels down, sits down, even lays down onstage.  Never for long though.  Seemingly always restless as she roars out tales of love – be it love found, love lost or just misplaced.  Much of the evenings show is made up of new tracks.  No complaints about that though as the new CD is a real corker that might disappoint blues purists, but Thomas Ruf has pulled off a major coup in getting Dana’s signature on a contract and the songs on her first RUF release make for a powerful package. The full tilt rock of ‘Nothings what I cry for’ and ‘Faster than we can’ – the latter already a Fuchs classic in my opinion.  They rock on the CD, but believe me they really ROCK onstage this evening. There are some delightfully quirky numbers on offer too:  ‘Keep on Rollin’ is a ‘Streets of Laredo’ sort of ballad with a latenight barroom rythm perfectly timed by new drummer Tom Curiano.  ‘Superman’ which Dana sings as if she should be holding a mike in one hand and a Jack Daniels in the other is another Fuchs/Diamond classic.  “Superman left us at the voting booth” great stuff. Bassist Walter Laituperissa is on hand to add a sobre melodic counterpoint to the hardrock sound of the band and although I would think it takes a while to adjust to playing beside the Force of Nature that is Dana Fuchs after touring so often with the famously laid back Snowy White, he stands like a rock to do the job at hand – one of those musicians worth their weight of adaptable gold.  Not forgetting Jon Diamond on guitar of course.   Diamond was recovering from food poisoning but put in some delicately crafted solos on his Telecaster. The song/music writing partnership of Fuchs/Diamond has already produced some gems and one of the best is in the set tonight in the form of ‘What You See’, a Stadium Rocker AC/DC style if ever there was one. A favourite musician of Dana’s is Otis Redding and a long time favourite song is ‘Loving you too long’. “Finally” Dana admitted onstage, “I had the courage to record it”. It makes a break from the rock and proves not just a great vehicle for Dana’s vocal abilities but also for John Diamonds Telecaster as he lays down a magical solo. I can imagine Cocker singing this – but not better than Dana Fuchs does. Any doubts about the power Dana has in her voice were dispelled when her microphone transmitter gave up trying to stay with it’s energetic owner and crashed to the floor “Sch**ss Technik!” as someone called out.  Unphased she sang ‘sans microphone’ and still carried her voice up to the balcony.  With everything plugged in and working the band could rip the roof off of a tank – as with the rocket fuelled encore ‘Helter Skelter’. My ‘Rock n Roll Church of Love’ is how Dana Fuchs describes her concerts.  It’s not about selling us Buddha, Jesus or Scientology though.  To Dana it’s not WHO you believe in that counts, but that you believe in something.  It’s a creed that has helped her survive the suicide of a sister and the terminal illness of a brother.  The former was inspiration for sister Donna on one of Dana’s finest moments to date, the hauntingly melodic ‘Songbird’ which was played this evening and dedicated as always to a sister who shared Dana’s dream of singing to the world.   On tonights evidence the World will be eating out of Dana’s hands very soon. ‘Talent will Out’ as they say.  Just sit back and let ‘Mama Music’ take over.