Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Jerneja Jerak
Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / Slovenia
Concert date: 13.04.2013
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 8,00€ / 10,00€
Finally, Matevž Šalehar, the man everybody knows as »Hamo«, has pulled his first solo studio album together with his Tribute 2 Love. It took several years to take shape, and the end product speaks for itself through its artistic impression. This is a one-of-a-kind act on the Slovenian music scene (on the world stage he’s by no means reinventing the wheel), with a basic oath of loyalty to the blues tradition, but it all revolves, of course, around Hamo’s voice and charisma. Slotting the band into this year’s Ortofest lineup looked like the perfect opportunity, since just a few days before the show they had officially released the album »Dve« on Celinka (RockLine review HERE). Saturday night thus came as if made for a celebration.
The day before, the ceiling above the Orto bar ground floor was bursting at the seams, since Siddharta had sold out the place, and it was hardly any different the day after, when Hamo & Tribute 2 Love hit the stage about twenty past ten in the evening. In front of a completely different crowd, of course. A touch more mature, a touch wiser. One by one, the members of Tribute 2 Love took their positions on stage, clockwise. First two up: Martin Janežič Buco, the towering percussionist and drummer, a household name in Slovenia by now, with the enigmatic mug of Motörhead’s Snaggletooth on his T-shirt, and next to him keyboardist Jani Baš, who by build could easily hold down a spot in a “Vuksanovič brothers” trio. Then the newcomer Matej Mršnik, cradling an imposing red ES 335 Gibson beauty. He’s an outstanding guitarist, and I’m truly glad he’s found his place in this excellent combo. Then both obligatory Urošes of the crew, and once things got seriously cooking in the club, it was clear the main man of the evening had arrived on stage too. Hamo in the flesh. Scotch! The band launches into the first tune! A solid riff vise and an even tougher counter-punch from the rhythm section, combined with the velvety warmth of caressing Hammond sounds spun into the eloquence of bluesy fables, make the perfect ambience for Hamo’s sturdy, manly, raspy-throated and above all passionate vocal approach to sink its teeth into. And that’s no lie. It’s simply a fact. And the show only drove that fact home. Hamo can be the “Slovenian version” of the king of soul, Joe Cocker.
Even though this was Mršnik’s first official gig with the band, with all his experience and an extraordinary arsenal of know-how for adapting to different musical environments (from Bomb to Laibach and everything in between), Matej immediately proved he’d found his right place in Tribute 2 Love. Tribute 2 Love is now a sextet, and still wonderfully tight. The mood builds from the first minute to the last. It’s a skill the guys wisely master. Hamo is an outstanding frontman. His charisma and contagious energy are the poisonous trademarks of his mojo. The man didn’t just deliver an utterly convincing, emotionally charged rendition of the material from the album »Dve«. With his sincerity, his endearing, at times almost slightly naive candor, and a constant stream of funny quips between songs, he won the crowd over instantly. The great looseness, the relentlessly positive attitude, the sense of extraordinary dedication and focus, and above all the faith in the music he makes with his comrades-in-arms, is a generator of exceptional energy that filled the Orto bar all night. Over an hour and three quarters, that important spice we so often miss was constantly present in the live music kitchen. The guys enjoy their roles and the music they’re part of and stand for. It doesn’t get more real than that.
The run of songs went from the aforementioned opener Scotch, through Wish You Well, Days Like These, LJ Woman, Lost My Faith, Lazy Blueser, Superstar, Falling, Country (Still In Love), Gun In Love, and also Mojo’s Gone (which isn’t on the album »Dve«). Then there’s the balladic blues drama Heart To Play On, where Uroš Primužič takes over on vocals and, compared to Hamo, fascinates almost just as much with his own vocal interpretation,
The “Slovenian” ones were missing. We got those in the encore. Only Hamo comes back on stage, slyly joking with the crowd that Rožice is up next, but what followed was the excellent ballad Gremo se igrat boga (the new single). By now it has really taken hold, especially among the fairer sex, who made up at least half the audience, which is a good indicator of the band’s mainstream appeal on the Slovenian scene. Naturally, the lewd Rožice followed (note: not a cover of the Dan D song, but an original), a typical tune for the “masses”. For the finale, the band bids farewell with another well-received single, Vija vaja ven. Interestingly, the excellent preacher-style Do You Believe In Love was left out of the set. We’ll probably have to wait for it until the band plays a bigger stage, where there’ll be room for a female gospel choir too.
A great evening of live music. Hamo & Tribute 2 Love are a special story in Slovenia. They’re not discovering an upgrade to Einstein’s theory of relativity, but they impress full-bloodedly with their sincerity, authenticity, and you could even say truthfulness in who they are and what they do. It’s clear that blues is incredibly demanding music to interpret. If you can’t create full-blooded emotional impact, you simply crash and burn. Hamo & Tribute 2 Love dodge this danger completely. Just look at the lineup and it’s impossible from the get-go, and such a crew surely wouldn’t have gathered around Hamo if it didn’t feel that Hamo, once he turns into a conduit for musical information, an extraordinary generator of energy, a true driving engine, fills hearts hungry for warmth and compassion with his positive outlook. Few people turn on a light for us these days. Hamo and his Tribute 2 Love know how, and they can.
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