Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia
Concert date: 28.01.2015
Attendance: 600
Ticket price: €10.00
»Cvek raku!« is the slogan of a charity concert night raising money for the treatment of Boštjan Cvek, founder and organizer of the Jazz Cerkno festival, which this year is set to hit a nice, round 20 years of existence. Sadly, the wheel of fate turned cruelly: in the early morning hours of the very day the charity festival at CUK Kino Šiška was scheduled, Boštjan lost his battle with an insidious illness. Liver cancer proved stronger. With deep sorrow, the RockLine editorial team extends its sincere condolences on this tragic occasion to Boštjan Cvek’s family and all his close friends and acquaintances. The concert night thus turned into a tribute to Boštjan Cvek! May the light of Jazz Cerkno, and with it Boštjan Cvek, burn forever!
The night was opened by a 10-piece crew from the Cerkno music workshop known as Kar Češ Brass Band. Big friends of Boštjan, in other words! They’re from the neck of the woods where Jazz Cerkno has lived since 1995 and, let’s hope, will keep on living. This ten-strong lineup took the format of New Orleans street bands and transplanted it onto the Slovenian music scene. Their one-of-a-kind, tightly tuned »tin-can jazz« serves up covers of other artists’ standards on a platter, wrapped in a lucidly goofy macramé whose cunningly inventive arrangements give every music consumer a very special kind of joy. And so it was this night at CUK Kino Šiška, where the energy of a whole wall of horns playing in lockstep had the crowd bouncing in no time. For the last song, Jani Kovačič joined Kar Češ Brass Band on stage.
The program ran like clockwork, right on schedule. Next up: Ana Pupedan and the elder statesman and icon of Slovenian rebel singer-songwriting, Jani Kovačič. »Songs of Rage« is their shared motto. These are songs whose poetry is born from the fertile outpourings of the one and only Jani Kovačič, who, thanks to the current goings-on in society, has once again found a full bag of inspiration. The lucid, goofy and at the same time biting Ana Pupedan couldn’t be a better match for Jani’s musical philosophy. The mix of caustically blunt punk rock, cabaret theatricality, occasional leaps toward folk melodies and even into rough-hewn blues is captivating in its honesty and authenticity, so it has no trouble nailing the listener to the spot in front of the stage. The crew had an immense time »horsing around« on stage and indulging their wacky theatrics, dosed with a big helping of experience and routine. Avsec and Jani trade vocals in duets, and Avsec also picks up the violin now and then, contrasting the guitar phrases, while Požar once again fascinated with some outstanding solo escapades and the way he builds speed in them. He’s considered one of the most interesting guitarists on Slovenian soil, one who still hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves at home, but who is about to earn it in a flash. Jani and the Ana Pupedan gang unloaded their bitter anger, no holds barred, from the first second to the last, and wrapped up the show with the slimy »Ameba«. There were still a few songs on the setlist they ran out of time for, but oh well. After what we just lived through, a seriously interesting joint studio album from this »devilishly« tangible project is on the horizon!
Demolition Group are an eternally fascinating alternative rock one-off. Really, a one-off on a global scale. The rejuvenated lineup, still commanded by the unshakable Goran Šalamon (vocals) and Jože Pegam (saxophone), with Matjaž Pegam behind the mixing desk, brought in a new chemistry through the arrival of the rhythm tandem of brothers Ivica and Tomi Gregl and guitarist Matija Lapuh, and delivered an outstanding show in a short but sweet set! The way the sonic building blocks were laid out in the room was outstanding too! Everything worked brilliantly. Just the way it should. The theatrical figure of the one-and-only Goran, a giant of a piercingly rough vocal who can turn truly vulnerable and soft in the moments that call for sophistication, naturally stole the attention, because the band’s poetry works tremendously truthfully in Goran’s delivery. The band once again conjured up an extremely avalanche-like, I’d even say earth-shakingly fat and massively ruffled, distorted sound, and what adds sonic uniqueness to the group’s art premise is none other than Joc’s saxophone. It »thickens« the guitar phrases in an equal role to the one that two guitars play in most bands. In Demolition Group, the saxophone replaces one guitar. The rhythm tandem is brilliant. Precise, in sync and calibrated, and Tomi Gregl simply fascinates with his polished technique, groove and incredible melodic phrasing, which his bass playing develops in motifs within the compositions. »Black rock’n’roll erotica«, directed by these hearty folks from Brežice, came across more captivating than ever and wonderfully charming!
For the big finale, Dan D dropped anchor on stage. They recently stepped away from the promo activities for their Tiho project, during which they played numerous shows over the past two and a half years. Tiho was deemed a huge success. With it, the band made a creative leap into a new dimension, which opened the door to fresh inspiration and exploring musical expanses. As a result, Dan D have lately created a heap of new songs, and as many as four of them were presented at the Kino Šiška show. They slotted them somewhere in the middle of the set, and they came across as remarkably punk-rock-charged. The band promises a new studio album, due out on 1.4.2015 (no, that’s not an April Fools’ joke!), to be followed later by yet another studio album. Both in the same year. Through an excellent closing stretch of Voda, Čas and, as a bonus, a combo of Help! (orig. The Beatles) and the fun rock’n’roll »slap-round-the-ears« Za naju punca, the band delivered one more endearing concert encounter. Tokac, who has transformed into a bearded »lumberjack« (The Drinkers would simply call him »the King of the Woods«), remains the band’s leading charismatic figure and an outstanding frontman. Watching over him from left and right are lead guitarist Tučo and, of course, the always softly flexible warmth of Nikola Sekulovič’s thickened bass lines. In the background, the lord of the drums Obra holds the threads of the song framework in his hands, while the ever-reliable Boštjan Grubar with his keyboards puts the dot on the »i« of the atmospheric haul of a one-of-a-kind musical vocabulary that Dan D represent on the Slovenian music scene.
A concert night of a unique experience, delivered by 4 unique bands! An evening that turned into a tribute to the person and work of Boštjan Cvek, the far-too-early-departed founder of the Jazz Cerkno and Keltika festivals, and one that will surely leave its mark on Slovenian contemporary rock history! Boštjan thus played his last concert; let’s just hope Jazz Cerkno lives on, and with it Boštjan Cvek. The money raised goes to support his family.
Setlist
ANA PUPEDAN & JANI KOVAČIČ:
1. Doba Tepcev
2. La Carmagnole
3. Ukrajinske neveste
4. Ljudje govorijo
5. Besna
6. Pressing (Važen je)
7. Demošisti & Democisti
8. Prekleti krokodil
9. Faux pass, Hippy
10. Trubarrep
11, Himna 1
12, Tarantela
13. Kanibali
14. Ameba
DEMOLITION GROUP:
1. Kapital
2. Dan dolgih sanj
3. Gospodar
4. Kriv sem za vse
5. Kaplja
6. Planet starcev
7. Romantika
8. Ljubiva za svet
DAN D:
1. Pozitivne misli
2. Jutranja
3. San San
4. Kozlam
5. Hlapec
6. Odrešitev
7. Solze
8. Voda
9. Čas
10. Help! / Za naju punca
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