Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Kočevje / Športni park Gaj / Slovenia
Concert date: 14.06.2014
Attendance: 150
Ticket price: €5.00
Kočevje has been going through a real musical bloom in recent years. We’ve taken notice, and the strong “rock ‘n’ roll” star that has lit up this corner of Slovenia is no longer something we can overlook. The Kočevje crowd aren’t messing around. The 2012 compilation “Kočevje špila Grupni” (RockLine review HERE) made that clear, and the current »Kočevje špila – Lik Of« (2013) does too – RockLine review HERE. Word is that the town of Kočevje alone counts a whopping 25 bands that are, one way or another, »soaked« in rock music. Teaming up is the road to success, and the people of Kočevje are a role model for the other Slovenian regions! Under the wing of the Kočevje Musicians’ Association, this year again saw the »Kočevska rock scena« festival go down! Last year the festival ran for two days; this year it was squeezed into one, with seven bands and plenty of other reasons for wild fun and switching off, like the chainsaw-throwing contest! The chainsaw flew farthest in the closing round, the final. The win stayed in Kočevje, and the »machine« got its fresh »grounding« at nine meters and 69 centimeters.
Since it’s the music that interests us first and foremost, we’ll of course devote most of our attention to music in this report too. The organizer thought of everything. A spacious stage, excellent stage lighting, excellent sound. Nothing missing. No wonder. Sound techs came to help out from Nova Gorica’s Agencija Gig, who know how to do things right. It’s seven in the evening, and a lone rider stands on stage. Pavle Benič. In his hands he holds a twelve-string acoustic guitar, but strung with just six strings, of truly antediluvian origin and, consequently, sound. Benič is the most jealously guarded musical legend of the Kočevje region. He played his own songs, which he wrote as a young man, that is, decades ago. In true singer-songwriter style. During his set you could tell the man hasn’t played guitar regularly for a long time, and doesn’t sing regularly either, but the material he presented, in its structure, melody and, most importantly, poetry, has real substance and deserves all the attention. What’s more, I think Benič should record and release a studio album. But definitely with a different guitar in hand. Not the one he has obviously grown very attached to over the years, since it keeps going out of tune, which honestly bothered the few ears at the venue that were, during his set, busy with »trifles« instead.
The little town of Skrad lies in Croatia. Across the border, on the right bank of the Kolpa river. Near Delnice. In contrast to Kočevje, that corner of our southern neighbor is said to be pretty barren when it comes to rock and metal, so bands are in short supply. So Croatian bands try to carve out a path to gigs in the geographically close Kočevje region. Atmosfera is the name of the band the Kočevje folks invited to the festival, and they hail from the aforementioned little town of Skrad! A band that signaled with its opening riff that it builds its rock on a typical retro sonic footing, bound to stir interest among die-hard rockers. From Hendrix, Zeppelin, ZZ Top, UFO and everything in between. Colorful. A polished, confident performance. What surprised most was the attitude, which really digs into the pioneering rock bands, sound included. A few sonic hiccups and vocal wobbles, but otherwise a very pleasant surprise and worth all your attention. In the future too.
Ram Session are locals who landed a spot on the new compilation »Kočevje špila – Lik of« with the interesting song Pet do (Špilej)! They opened their set with it. »Špileej« is also the festival’s main slogan! Ram Session lay their sonic foundations on a root-level dose of blues rhetoric, and weave in elements of funk alongside the bitter edge of rock riffing. For a band that is of course developing its own original character, it’s typical that they love to swerve into extended jam passages full of lovely, charming improvisations that hint at the band’s huge enthusiasm. Especially thanks to the promising frontman Primož, who also handles all the lead vocals and guitar. The band has a punchy, chunky to robust voice that will of course thicken up even more over the years. Ram Session have got balls. Of course the quartet wouldn’t hurt with a bit more movement on stage and a more defined stage outfit. But all that will come. What matters is the music, and that shows promise.
Foršus are a crew of seasoned musicians with a dynamic, fiery singer, Sara. Remarkably boldly tight in delivering their material, again original (Zadnja noč, Moje misli,…). In the melodic content, the rock principle often mixes with pop, especially thanks to the female vocal approach, which also has just the right amount of improvisational feel, effectively loosening up the melody of the verses. They’re not called Foršus for nothing. No shortage of charge! It was during Foršus’s set that most of the festival crowd gathered at the venue, freely gave in to the band’s energy, and the festival really came alive. The partying and revelry in front of the stage didn’t let up afterwards, when the stage was taken over by alternative rockers with a lucid name! Not Zmaj Junij, but Jaguar Februar. One of the most interesting bands of the festival evening in terms of content. Though predictable by the alt-rock math and the quartet equation of vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, Jaguar Februar skillfully spun it their own way. In their arrangements they also include a saxophone, which really sets them apart from all bands, we might even say the whole Slovenian rock scene. You’d be wrong to think that might smell of Demolition Group. The band has two strong vocalists, dynamic movement on stage, and you can even hear guitar and sax in three-part harmonies. True to their name, the guys also have a refined sense for dosing their performances with bursts of lucid craziness and teasing mischief, which works enormously well. Jaguar Februar are a band that can throw a really great party, while at the same time developing their own original character and musical identity (songs Lep v, pa Konec, etc…).
Next on stage were the seasoned Skaktus. The band, which recently let go of its entire horn section and now rules stages only as a quartet, played its signature numbers, which, like the compositions, are mostly based on cues from SKA music, the kind that flourished across the planet through the eighties. The band, which formed back in 1999, also presented its current studio album released in 2010 with an equally unimaginative title (»2010«), only the band’s second studio album, along with, among others, the songs Drobci, Čuden dan, Leta sredinskih odklonov and Tvoja zgodba. Likeable, and with a measure of experience and routine, Skaktus got their set in the bag. The festival revelry was closed out by Static. A freshly assembled band with no fewer than two guitars in the lineup! A sextet. Its members have experience and some serious mileage, having played in other bands before. Static, who only formed this January, played what was in fact their very first official gig ever as part of the festival, which means they’ll remember it forever! Even though the festival pulse had dipped a bit, since it was well past one in the morning and the visitors’ heads were heavily weighed down with alcoholic derivatives, Static kept things engaging by running through evergreen hit standards, serving up a colorful mix. From Heart to Talk Talk. There was quite a bit of catching up going on (a snapped string) and a fair bundle of hiccups in tightness. But singer Jasmina, with her polished vocal charisma and confident stage presence, effectively covered up the sound and performance woes that occasionally crept in, and so secured the band a successful set! Word is Static are already preparing their own original material. Let’s wish them luck.
The Kočevska Rock Scena festival was a complete success. Everything ran like clockwork. The organization! Perhaps also because this year’s festival was only a one-day affair, which made it easier to keep the program under control. Let’s just hope the festival grows into a fixture, that even more people will come in the future, and that it gives the bands a springboard to greater recognition and helps open doors for them across the wider Slovenian scene. I hope the municipality’s leading officials realize what a treasure this is and do everything necessary to protect the cultural and artistic value of the music pulse not just of the town of Kočevje, but of the entire Kočevje region (collaboration between municipalities is also possible), and help it develop carefree and live on!
At the same time, I’d like to thank, wholeheartedly and sincerely, the supreme command of the Kočevje Musicians’ Association, especially the easygoing Zoran and Tadej, for all the comfort and the pampering with drinks and food and the hospitality in general. See you at Kočevska rock scena 2015!
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