Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Klagenfurt / ((stereo)) / Austria
Concert date: 09.01.2015
Attendance: 200
Ticket price: €15.00 (advance) / €20.00 (day of show)
It wasn’t snowing, so we really had no excuse not to drive to Austria on Friday night. This time the road took us to downtown Klagenfurt, to the club ((Stereo)), which hosted a benefit concert raising funds for the rock/blues club Bluesiana in Velden.
With its warm hospitality and varied lineup of quality live music, Bluesiana is a hugely popular destination for the Rockline.si crew. As we’ve already reported, at the end of 2014 the club fell into serious financial trouble because of incorrectly filled-out paperwork when registering foreign performers. The authorities cleared club owner Gudrun Kofler of any wrongdoing, but she still has to pay a 90,000-euro fine. Back in December, Bluesiana fans started looking for ways to keep the club alive. A Save the Bluesiana group popped up on Facebook, explaining how to donate, and Austrian musician Ulrich Ellison, who currently lives in Austin, Texas, USA, kicked off a donation drive on Gofundme.
Two benefit concerts were organized to raise money as well – the first on January 8, 2015, organized by Ulrich Ellison in Austin, USA, and the second on January 9, 2015, organized by CHL+Band in Klagenfurt. The Austin show featured local musicians who have already played Bluesiana (besides Ulrich Ellison, also Alex Ruiz, Del Castillo, Patricia Vonne, Albert Besteiro and George Devore). The Klagenfurt show mostly featured local acts who may not have played the Bluesiana stage yet, but have happily visited as audience members, and that’s exactly why they feel a duty to help the club.
This time the trip to Austria wasn’t about watching and listening to musical treats, but mainly about showing support for Bluesiana and its owner. The benefit took place at the Klagenfurt club ((Stereo)), because Bluesiana is banned from operating until the fine is paid. The place had a cozy vibe with dimmed lighting, and live music was already pouring off the stage when we arrived, so we felt right at home. To everyone’s delight, the club was nicely packed, too. The lineup was more or less a mystery to us Slovenes, while the locals happily sang along to the hometown acts. The show moved at a great pace, with performers swapping on stage like on a conveyor belt after every four or five songs. Even the frequent changeovers and stage setups went off without a hitch at breakneck speed. The acts that took the stage were: CHL+BAND with guests: Norbert & Dani & Marko Bališ, Buzgi; Dr. Südbahn & die SymPartie; PuZZy; Strike; TEIKA; July Paul Band; De Keiffm; Jam Trax; Thomas Goschat; Galvin & Sko; Austro Pop Band; Manfred Blach. We Slovenes got our share too, when Marko Bališ joined CHL+Band on stage as a guest and sang a few lines in Slovenian – in authentic Austrian-Carinthian Slovenian, of course, which those of us from Slovenia in the crowd probably understood worse than German.
The performers were just as varied in genre – we heard everything from classic blues to more modern rock, from gentle piano ballads to cheerful Austrian folk romps, and there was no shortage of ethno rhythms or singer-songwriters with their mischievous lyrics. Some acts played originals, others covers. With such a mixed bag, everyone in the crowd found something to love. People had fun, mingled, sang along, and the whole night was powered by the feeling that together we can change things for the better.
During the show, CHL+Band leader Christian Lehner, who was both organizer and host of the night, called Bluesiana owner Gudrun Kofler up on stage. She thanked all the donors so far, the organizers and performers of the Austin concert, and the organizers and performers here. She said she believes that with all our help she’ll manage to bring Bluesiana back to life, and invited everyone to come to the shows, because that’s the only way good music can keep reaching us.
All of us can still change things for the better – despite the benefit concerts, Bluesiana still needs our help. You can still donate to support the club. But above all, come to a show once the club opens its doors again. The Rockline.si crew believes that will happen soon – or as Bluesiana owner Gudrun Kofler puts it: »There’s no other way for me. Bluesiana has to live on.«
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