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Herzgrün
Music Festival at the Sony Center
March 21-23, 2014
Programm 2014: Musicians & Bands
anstatt blumen
Indie / Loop / Pop
„Whoops, this is German pop that sounds as if someone just opened a window and let fresh air come
in…“ wrote for example dpa about the ex pop academy students in Manheim who now live in Vienna.
Lilly Born and Martin Rott have been working on the concept of their duo „anstatt blumen“ („instead of
flowers“) for the last two years and are now ready to hit the road. They will be presenting their debut
album “raus” (“out”) and brand new titles in an almost acrobatic performance with a multi-instrumental
live-loop-setup. The German indie-pop of “anstatt blumen” manages to balance complicated
arrangements with a light verve, yet leaves enough room for moving lyrics, which touch the heart of
the audience through Lilly Born’s clear voice.
Lilli Born: vocals/keys
Martin Rott: keys/guitar/drums/loops
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQKs4UGf4io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zirScc4DkRM
www.anstattblumen.de
www.facebook.com/anstattblumen
www.youtube.com/anstattblumenhamburg
T.S. Brooks
Folk
T.S. Brooks is a native of Portland, Oregon (USA) and now lives in Berlin, from where he now tours
Germany and Europe. Profound folk songs and an impressive voice characterize his music. As a solo
artist, he caused a stir in the US folk underground and is now conquering the German capital with his
guitar.
His third album “Alles Gute” was recorded in an old loft during a bitterly cold winter in BerlinFriedrichshain. The album highlights his literary vocal style and shows his producing ability. He
recorded all the instruments and vocals himself in three days. T.S. Brooks has made music since his
high school days and was lead singer of the American band Minmae, which toured across the USA for
quite a while and released several albums. His lyrics are colorful stories, marked by Brooks'
predilection for literary realism that are thought-provoking and deeply moving. You could describe his
musical style as minimalist, modern, acoustic folk. The works of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave,
Donovan and Dave Van Ronk have had a musical influence on him. With sparse arrangements,
sometimes with a band but often solo, T.S. Brooks plays consistently in the living rooms, bars and
clubs of the continents.
Thomas Sean Brooks: acoustic guitar/vocals
www.ts-brooks.com/
http://tsbrooks.tumblr.com/videos
http://tsbrooks.tumblr.com/soundcloud
Catalina Claro
World Music/Electronica
The Chilean multi-instrumentalist and singer Catalina Claro (vocals, piano, percussion, guitar)
combines ethnic, electronic, traditional and experimental in her music, thus creating a very unique
musical world that literally absorbs the listener. She dubs this exciting harmony “Chilean Fusion”. With
her powerful, melodious voice, she sings songs from her extensive Latin American repertoire which in
addition to Chilean and Peruvian chansons includes Mexican songs, Pablo Neruda's love poems and
shamanic songs of the Peruvian rainforest. Catalina Claro is a Chilean bundle of energy with intricate
arrangements and a big heart. She has worked with Cirque du Soleil and the Spanish actress and
singer Ana Belen among others. Of her own songs, her music and timbre she says: “The music that I
write is feminine, it goes into the deep gently.”
Catalina Claro: vocals/piano/percussion/guitar
www.catalinaclaro.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YBZEXuyqqg&feature=share
www.facebook.com/CatalinaClaroMusica
Elaiza
Neo-Folklore
Elaiza is three young girlfriends as diverse as the instruments they play. Together they combine
Eastern European folk traditions with modern pop melodies to create a unique catchy mixture. The trio
calls their extraordinary roots-pop hybrid “neo-folklore”. Just like their new home in Berlin, the multifaceted sound of Elaiza lives on contrasts and always provides creative energy: Sometimes
melancholy, sometimes dramatic and bittersweet, the next moment they are effervescent and spread
an infectious good mood. “Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to be aware of it,” says Ela
Steinmetz, the band's lead singer and composer. She was born in Ukraine, grew up in Poland and
came to Germany as a teenager. Their songs are both biographical reflections as well as haunting
observations of their environment: Authentic, direct, emotional - just real life.
Ela Steinmetz: vocals/piano
Yvonne Grünwald: accordion
Natalie Plöger: double bass
www.elaiza.de
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNkZTJA42fU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFeF5GzFiUo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVW6scDqA3g
https://soundcloud.com/elaizamusic
Jessica Gall
Jazz/Soul/Pop
Is it a secret that some of the best songs of pop and jazz history took place by the sea? The glistening
light on the beach, the glitter of the waves, the fresh sea breeze revive the inspiration, open the doors
of imagination... For her latest, third opus “Riviera”, the Berlin singer Jessica Gall with producer Robert
Matt felt inspired by coastal scenes from Florida to the Adriatic Sea. The result is a wonderfully
intimate masterpiece of wanderlust, distance and longing. This album is a soulful and expressive
soundtrack of yearning that courageously defies stylistic barriers of the genre.
As before, the vocal art is central: Whether jazz, soul or pop - Berliner Jessica Gall feels at home in
many musical genres. Her concept - strong voice, personal lyrics - thrills the audience again and
again. Jessica's voice sings, breathes, whispers and sounds as if she were singing directly into your
ear. She flirts with pop, thievishly grazes in country fields and dips into the world of jazz nightclubs.
Only someone who has spent countless hours on song and text interpretations can take this kind of
musical course.
Jessica Gall: vocals
Robert Matt: piano
Johannes Feige: guitar
www.jessicagall.de
http://jessicagall.de/index.php/video.html
http://jessicagall.de/index.php/music.html
Simon Grohé
Hip Hop/Soul
Simon Grohé is a rapper and singer. He writes his songs in German. “My songs are about hope and
fear, love and doubt, strengths and weaknesses, and all the things that drive us as people,” said
Grohé. He is an impressive example of how to combine hip hop, reggae, soul and singer-songwriter
music with one another. Backed by his band “The Soulions”, he raps and sings about everyday and
things that move you. After he released his first album in 2009 under the pseudonym “Eskimo The
Soulion”, he hung up his old musician name for good in 2012 to make music under his name Simon
Grohé with the CD “Red”. His brand new album “MamaOerf” will be released in March 2014. Simon
Grohé proves that he was intensely involved with the music and his lyrics to create something you can
identify with. He spreads his catchy messages while singing over beats and rapping over rhythms.
Simon Grohé: vocals
Christoph Melchers: keys
Shadi Heinrich: guitar
Alex Lemke: drums
Alek Precise: bass
www.simongrohe.dehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHVgrLwuuq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzwWZwQ2Coc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkMO3LJp9W8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETG36uhfaa0
https://soundcloud.com/urbantreemusic/sets/simongrohe
I'm Not A Band
Dance floor
With their combination of classic violin and modern electronica, I'm Not A Band keeps the focus on the
dance floor without losing sight of the relaxed moments before or after a long night of partying. The
second album, “BAND BAND”, released in summer 2012, combines violin recorded live with
electronic-based arrangements that sometimes sound like French House, disco or rave and includes
elements
of
hip
hop.
The music never loses sight of the big picture, because that is I'm Not A Band. There have been new
band members since 2013 with the new album. Mony Lück, studied recorder player, is part of the duo
and
backs
up
Stephan
Jung
(violin/synth/vocals)
with
vocals
and
flute.
I'm Not A Band creates this combination of dramatic to playful, thoroughly exciting sound. Their live
performances are often celebrated from Milan to Warsaw, London to Berlin.
Stephan Jung: violin/synth/vocals
Mony Lück: vocals/flute
www.imnotaband.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_NwMyJBIJw
Joscheba
Pop-Jazz/Soul
Joscheba is more than a young singer. She is a “strong voice” (Hamburg Abendblatt) and “a gifted
vocal artist” (Alster Anzeiger) with a sound and a velvet voice that gets under your skin. She is a wellkept secret among newcomers to the jazz scene and is now on tour to promote her first album.
She takes the audience on a diverse journey through easy-flowing jazz standards, groovy original
compositions, fragile, delicate ballads and soulful blues with her impressive virtuoso band.
Joscheba studied in Hamburg at the University of Music and Theatre. Since then, she has been
equally enthusiastic about jazz, pop and soul. She was taught by Roger Cicero, Ken Norris & Ulita
Knaus and appeared with Nils Landgren at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in summer 2012. In
pop music, she has already shared the stage with greats like Ina Müller, Stefan Gwildis, Regy Clasen,
Regy Worthy (Tina Turner) and Soullounge.
Joscheba: vocals
Buggy Braune: piano
Johannes Wennrich: guitar
Oliver Karstens: bass
Konrad Ullrich: drums
www.joscheba.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eDX3qrVXok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbiMpHI-NyY
Tom Klose
Folk/Rock/Pop
The young Flensburg native and Hamburg-based singer writes and sings songs with English lyrics that
cannot be categorized and alternate between genres such as folk, rock, pop, country, blues, soul and
funk. The great singer-songwriter talent has been out and about in and around Hamburg with his band
for about a year and released his first EP “Come Closer”. But he takes every opportunity to play live
even solo, as such, he made more than 100 appearances last year alone and currently serves as
backup for Tim Bendzko on tour. Tom Klose is everywhere, he wins over stages, hearts and
competitions. He recently won the Hamburg “Krach und Getöse” music award and played both “Rock
Im Park” as well as at the Hamburg “Dockville Festival” with his band. His musical roots stem from
Damien Rice, Paolo Nutini and Coldplay and Tom Klose’s music is found somewhere in the middle of
this bar set high.
Tom Klose: vocals/guitar
Niklas Hardt: cello
www.tomklose.de
www.youtube.com/user/BrainlessPunk
www.soundcloud.com/tom-klose
www.facebook.com/tomkloseband
Mélinée
Chanson
The chansons of Mélinée are rooted in love. Her lyrics are not only hopeful and longing, but also
humorous and self-deprecating. Both personal and poetic, they interweave the “melancomical” that the
world adds. Mélinée has been a bundle of singing energy since her childhood, when she first played
the piano then later the accordion. Harnessed with her portable instrument, she gained her first
experiences on some Toulouse stages with her accomplice Maxime Dupuis on cello. Together they
won third place in the Prix Nougaro in May 2010.
Her chosen home is now Berlin, where the singer is lyrically inspired by the urban poetry, history and
the unsettling future of the city. Today, she prefers to play her easy-to-transport accordion to
accompany her and to compose her melodies. As a “Berliner”, she met the cellist Samira Aly in 2012,
guitarist Jonathan Bratoëff in 2013 and most recently the bassist Marcel Krömker, with whom she is
recording a CD in the spring of 2014.
Mélinée Benamou: accordion/vocals
Samira Aly: cello
Jonathan Bratoëff: guitar
Marcel Krömker: double bass
www.melinee.fr
Mockemalör
Electronica / Indie
Four idealistic residents of Berlin are behind the neologism Mockemalör, which means “Beautiful
Mishap”. Lead singer Magdalena Ganter shows her roots and reflects her home, the Black Forest, with
her warm, down-to-earth vocals. The murmuring bassline envelops her voice, spherical synthesizers
whir, guitar chords rattle and come off clear like bizarre percussion beats. Massive soundscapes as
well as delicate dream sequences emerge. A power-packed atmosphere. Magical, magnetic, almost
meditative. Like a dormant volcano that can erupt at any time. The mysticism of a dark forest collides
with the roughness of the capital city - it is this exact tension that drives the musicians of Mockemalör.
The fast pace of our highly-digitized time that may undoubtedly also be inspiring, they use it as a
contradictory oasis in their sound. As a result, this always resonates with a bit of longing for exactly his
type of place.
Magdalena Ganter: vocals/accordion
Simon Steger: synthesizer/vocals
Martin Bach: drums/vocals
www.mockemaloer.de
https://soundcloud.com/mockemaloer
http://www.youtube.com/user/mockemaloer
Seide (Silk)
Jazz/Pop
The young composer and singer Sabine Müller and her trio Seide appear in a pre-release concert for
their second German-language CD “Der Wilde Mohn” (The Wild Poppies) that appears on the Berlin
label Contemplate in the spring of 2014. As the title promises, original compositions of life and love
bloom on this album, all sung by the extraordinary voice of the singer. Simultaneously passionate,
beguiling, and extravagantly rich in the opportunities and risks of pleasure. The color red is also the
most obvious expression of all-consuming, intoxicating love and energetic joy.
She is backed by her well-suited pianist and co-composer Tino Derado and the trumpeter Frank
Braun, who is a new member of the trio. His breathy trumpet tones pervade the songs. The new songs
mark a turning point in the band leader's creative work.
Sabine Müller: vocals
Tino Derado: piano/accordion
Frank Brown: trumpet
www.seide-sound.de
http://www.seide-sound.de/index.php?page=sound
http://vimeo.com/86303253
Siri Svegler
Folk/Pop/Jazz/Country
The voice of Swedish singer Siri Svegler is dreamy and romantic one moment, powerful and
determined the next, but is always crystal clear. Svegler's songs that have found their favorite place in
Berlin are a mixture of folk, pop, jazz and country, full of magic and a little mysterious, but always
authentic, just like the singer herself. In November 2013, she received the “Deutschen Rock und Pop
Preis” (German Rock and Pop Award) for best English-language album for her second album, “Lost &
Found”. Siri Svegler belongs to a generation of self-determined musicians that impress with their talent
and intelligence. She writes and composes her songs herself. The Göteborg resident studied at the
prestigious Arts Educational School in London and trained in music, song, dance and drama. “It is
unclear to us why the Swede is still a secret” (Glamour). “For those newly in love ... Siri is the perfect
accompaniment” (Bunte).
Siri Svegler: vocals/guitar
Thomas Walter: guitar
Caroline Korbel: percussion/cajon
www.sirisvegler.com
https://soundcloud.com/siri-svegler
https://play.spotify.com/artist/3BabSt7gaZbAYdZWhcttRN
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/siri-svegler/id291838963
Lestat Vermon
Folk
Lestat Vermon is the solo project of Polarkreis 18 guitarist Philipp Makolies, who played eleven of the
calming songs from his debut album “Clouds” (September 2012) on the old nylon string guitar he got
at age eleven for his first guitar lesson. In addition to Polarkreis 18, with whom he can look back on a
highly successful career, the guitarist has a very different musical side that he lives out with this solo
project. He does away with unnecessary frills, his singer-songwriter folk is scaled back, withdrawn and
minimalist. The eleven songs that the Dresden native plays almost single-handedly, assisted here and
there by his Polarkreis 18 colleague Ludwig Bauer, are mainly carried by acoustic guitar and Makolies'
soft voice, only infused with the occasional piano melodies or subtle horns and choirs. The longing for
the peace and quiet of nature, turning away from the hustle and bustle of the city are the themes of the
touching, melancholy album.
Philipp Makolies: guitar/vocals
Ludwig Bauer: piano/vocals
www.lestatvermon.com
Herzlichen Glückwunsch kleines Huhn (Congratulations Little Chicken)
Family sing-along concert
Music from the children's songbook “Herzlichen Glückwunsch kleines Huhn” will be performed live and
in color for the first time on the Herzgrün stage. The book and CD are already bestsellers. “A beautiful
blend of both children and adult's voices as well as excellent musicians provide enjoyment that will
even hold the parent's listening interest for a long time,” wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in
2012.
Nearly 200 children and adults now have a unique opportunity to fill the greenhouse with their own
vocals, accompanied by the Hamburg “Glückwunschkapelle” (Congratulations Choir). The sing-along
concert will be moderated by the two creators of the children's song book themselves, Franziska
Biermann (illustration) and Nils Kacirek (composition). Anyone who would like to wake the tired
“Master Jacob” from his sleep in the “Frühtau zu Berge” in the “Grün, grün, grün” in front of the
fountain in the Sony Center should get their voices ready. As lyrics from the popular book say, the
monkeys race through the woods and the mop that came from the kitchen will swing his spoon in step
this afternoon. Dancing “Brüderchen” (little brothers) as well as little sisters are welcome with their
parents. As the book says, “Wer kommt denn da?” - who's coming?
Cordula Grolle: cello
Paris Hermanussen: piano
Frank Trillke: tuba/suitcase and guitar
Franziska Biermann: illustration/moderation
Nils Kacirek: composition/moderation
http://nilskacirek.de/index.php?page=openproj&id=74