Kirchseeon: 45 years of Shariwari – Ebersberg

Totenkopf, double bass and the mighty glockenspiel of the Perchten. This triad will now be seen once again on the stage in Kirchseeon. And anyone who has lived in the market town for a while will probably know exactly why. These are the insignia of a musical phenomenon that began in Kirchseeon in the 1970s. At that time, Hans Reupold and Günther Lohmeier found each other – who are today considered by many to be John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Ebersberg district. As pioneers of Bavarian folk rock, they were honored by the German Phono Academy and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The two youngsters get to know each other through the Kirchseeoner Perchten, soon they make music together at the club evenings and beyond, Lohmeier switches to the double bass, at least for a short time, from the guitar, which Reupold also plays. But not just any cover versions are on the program for the two Kirchseeoners, but their own songs. “I wrote my first song when I was 13,” says Lohmeier: “S Lebn hörn”.

With a Fiat 127 we drive across Leopoldstraße, the bass looks out of the sunroof

The two young songwriters find their inspiration in the mystical cultural heritage of the Perchten in Kirchseeon, plus, as a kind of initial spark, a concert by songwriter Willy Michl. “Bavarian blues – we were completely blown away,” Lohmeier recalls. The very next day, the young duo begins trying out this genre.

The result is something like Boandlkramer Rock’n’Roll – and it’s an immediate hit. Reupold and Lohmeier made their first appearance in 1977, exactly 45 years ago, in Ebersberg’s Sieghartsburg, as support act for Joe Beitler’s rock trio, also from Kirchseeon. Concerts follow in Markt Schwaben, at a pop festival in Piusheim, where bassist Franz Meier-Dini is recruited, and soon also on the cabaret stages in Munich. With a Fiat 127 we drive across Leopoldstrasse, the bass looks out of the sunroof. And no matter where the new band Sharivari appears: audiences and critics alike are enthusiastic. “The dialect simply exploded at the time,” says Lohmeier.

That’s why it doesn’t take long until the first record – which other bands were quite jealous of, says Meier-Dini, despite three spelling mistakes on the back. “Your own LP – that was a real status symbol back then!” But the guys from Kirchseeon have a lot of chutzpah – and simply ask for a recording opportunity in the Musikmarkt on Munich’s Gärtnerplatz, a very popular place at the time. With success: They come across Manfred Kickstein, who invites them to his basement studio and later even joins the band as a keyboardist.

In 1979 the debut “Leit, schaugts uns ins Gsicht” was released, which already included today’s classics “Sommernacht” and the “Kirchseeoner Frösche”. On the cover you can see a bass, a glockenspiel and a skull mask – those three things that will now decorate the stage at the anniversary concert in the ATSV hall. Apart from that, however, there will be no frills, just the well-known, beloved songs – pure Shariwari.

An offer from Schlager mogul Ralph Siegel rejects Schariwari – with a “pink ribbon”

However, this is not a matter of course, because a lot has happened in the course of the 45-year band history, and unfortunately not only positive things. In 1981 the second record, “Der Mensch geht vor”, was released, when Reupold, Lohmeier and Meier-Dini got two more guests on synthesizer and drums, Kickstein and Lohmeier’s brother Wolfi. And not only that: wind instruments and the Kirchseeoner men’s choir are also used, at the release concert, as one would say today, the stage of the Grafinger Stadthalle is jam-packed. “That was the logical development, we gave it our all,” says Lohmeier today. But the acoustic bombast didn’t last long, as early as 1983 it was “The time is ripe” and Schariwari sounded “like a normal band” again.

After that, however, it becomes increasingly difficult. The record company definitely wants a “top hundred hit”, the zeitgeist is changing and tastes are increasingly diverging within the band. “We gave endless demos and tried different collaborations, but somehow the worm was in there,” admits Lohmeier. They only agreed not to work with Schlager mogul Ralph Siegel. “We sent his offer back with a pink bow,” says Meier-Dini and grins.

Open detailed view

So at some point the musicians decide to take a Shariwari break, apart from a very few “relapses” the band didn’t let anything be heard from them until 1991. But then she comes back with a bang: In 1996 the “Bayerische Rauhnacht” celebrates its premiere, a mystical conceived by Schariwari, a theater evening with storytellers, lots of Perchten mysticism and Bavarian folk rock. The Rauhnacht quickly developed into the district’s creative export hit – and raked in a number of awards. The highlight is the German rock and pop prize in the musical category. To correctly classify the measure of honor: The decision was not made by Hinz and Kunz, but by greats like Peter Maffay, Udo Lindenberg and Wolfgang Niedecken.

When the band restarts, however, there is a bit of a rumble between the founders and all the professionals like Martin Kälberer, Bruno Renzi or Wolfgang Lohmeier, who now complete the band. “We already asked ourselves: Who is the front line here and who is the back line?” says Lohmeier. Nevertheless, the Kirchseeon singer-songwriter duo still works well.

But the annual Rauhnacht tours demand a lot from the musicians, at some point their heads are no longer free for new ideas. So after ten winters it’s over, after all you should stop when it’s most beautiful. In addition, Reupold falls seriously ill, and in 2013 he gives his last concert. Well, in April of this year, he finally left the stage of this world.

Open detailed view

But Lohmeier is attached to his “baby” and doesn’t want to see it go down without a trace. For the band’s anniversary in 2017, the former companions meet, get rid of everything that separates them, reminisce – and decide to revive the band. “Suddenly there was a completely new dynamic,” says Lohmeier happily, the anniversary concert in the old cinema was the starting signal, the rest was almost a sure-fire success. The organizers take the Bavarian folk rockers with kisses, because the audience has always remained loyal to them. And in 2018 even the Rauhnacht will be on tour again.

The new cast is actually an old one. Bandleader Günther Lohmeier, who now lives in Edling, is now joined again by bassist Franz Meier-Dini from Aßling, drummer Stevie Moises from Olching, who once enriched Schariwari as a sound engineer, and guitarist Rudi Baumann from Grafingen, with whom Lohmeier have also been working together for decades. All four are now over 60 – but their joy in music, in the old hits of Schariwari, is unbroken. “This fire will burn for a long time,” says Lohmeier.

Open detailed view

In addition, everyone agrees on the reorientation as a classic folk rock band: the focus is solely on the songs and their messages. “We don’t have to prove anything to ourselves any more,” says Baumann. They don’t want to portray themselves, they want to serve the songs. And with Schariwari you don’t need much for that, no virtuoso playing and no large cast. “A song that isn’t good around the campfire isn’t good anywhere else either.”

However, it is important for the four musicians to emphasize that it is not just about playing along. “We’re not a Shariwari cover band,” says Baumann. Nobody tries to imitate Reupold or anyone else, rather everyone gets the space for their own interpretations. “The important thing is that you feel comfortable with it, so that it’s authentic, honest.” And the fans? They celebrate their favorite songs as ever, the musicians report on various concerts with a great atmosphere. One of the nicest compliments, says Baumann, was recently given by a married couple, with a view to their own daughter. Namely: “The gabs without calibration at all ned!”

Schariwari live on Monday, October 3rd, in the Kirchseeoner ATSV-Halle. All information and other dates for the “Bavarian Rauhnacht” under www.schariwari.de.