After a break of more than two years due to Corona, the 31st Grafing pub festival will take place on Saturday, September 3rd: 14 bands at 14 locations for a whole evening – wandering around between the individual locations is expressly desired. Rudi Baumann not only performs with two bands in which he is a member – Mardi Gras Rooftop Project and Rudi Baumann and Friends – but is also responsible for the other acts: The 67-year-old Sharivari-Musician is the booker for the event. In an interview, the Grafinger tells what the unusual September date has to do with the Grafinger traditional costumes and to whom country legend Dolly Parton would probably kneel down.
SZ: Mr. Baumann, the most recent pub festival took place in June 2019 – quite a long time ago. Do you still know how to do it?
Rudi Baumann: Of course, you don’t forget something like that. But this time something was different than before.
What for example?
Our pub festival for June 2020 was already complete when Corona came and therefore could not take place. Originally, the plan was to postpone the program by a year. When the event didn’t work out in 2021 either, we had to postpone the line-up by another year to June 2022.
Almost from the beginning in the history of the Grafinger Pub Festival, Rudi Baumann takes care of the program.
(Photo: Private)
… this is the month in which the Grafinger Pub Festival usually takes place.
That’s right, always on the last Saturday in June. Only when the World Cup or European Championship is in the summer do we usually postpone it by a week. This year, the Grafinger Trachtler, who celebrated their flag consecration on this day, came before us – after two years of almost complete standstill in the event industry, you can see that many clubs and organizations are now catching up on their events, all in parallel, so to speak. It can happen that two organizers are flirting with the same tag. We don’t want to take away each other’s audience, so we postponed the pub festival a third time, to September 3rd. Due to all this shuffling around, the organization was much more complex than we are used to.
But did everything work at least?
Not quite. But that’s pretty clear, I think. Because if you had time on June 27, 2020, you are not automatically available on June 25, 2022 – that would have been the original date this year. And of those who have confirmed for this day, not all of them can do it on September 3rd: Some bands have members on vacation or have other commitments, so that a performance doesn’t work out. From the original 14 bands and musicians that we had planned for 2020, seven acts are left. So then you start asking around again to fill the spots that have become free again.
With Gracenotes, a band from abroad is also coming to Grafing this year – the group comes from the Innsbruck area.
(Photo: organizer)
What criteria do you use for the selection of the bands?
I try to involve as many local bands as possible – but not the same ones every year: there isn’t a performance at the Grafinger Pub Festival two years in a row. In the meantime, however, the local offer is too small to get the pub festival going. So I’m also asking around in the wider environment. In the past we have had musicians from Dresden or Cologne as guests, this year come with us Gracenotes a band from the Innsbruck area. They play Irish power punk stuff – it’s indescribable, the strings loosen from the fiddles as soon as they start. We really wanted to have them with us!
For many years Rudi Baumann has been trying to win the “Panzerknacker” for the pub festival in Grafing – this year it finally worked.
(Photo: Organizer)
So is Gracenotes your personal highlight at this year’s pub festival?
No, I wouldn’t say it like that. For example, they come Beagle Boys – they are legends and we have been trying to get them to play for us for many years. Due to time constraints, this has never happened. But this year it finally worked! or Bud’n’Cellar, I’ve known them for 40 years and the two musicians can play “Jolene” with their acoustic guitars, Dolly Parton would definitely get on her knees! Oh, I could tell a great story about every single act, why you should definitely see and hear them. Actually, the whole festival is a highlight (laughs).
Does that mean you know all the bands and musicians who perform at the Pub Festival personally?
I’ve always seen every single band live before I book them – either at a live performance or sometimes in the rehearsal room when there may not be an audience experience yet. From time to time I also say: “Great thing you’re doing there, but it’s not quite enough – try it for another year or two, then we’ll see again!”
Rudi Baumann (2nd from right) is appearing in two different formations this year: one with “Rudi Baumann and friends” (see photo) and the other with “Mardi Gras Roof Top Projekt”.
(Photo: organizer)
That sounds pretty strict! Isn’t such a cancellation demotivating for a young band that does music as a hobby?
I do not think so. In the past, when a band recorded and sent out a demo cassette in order to get performances – you could assume: if it sounds good, then the band can do something. It’s different today. With technical know-how and a lot of effort, once you can play a few straight chords, you can snap something decent together even with a tablet. But what it looks like live … live is always a different house number. That’s why I think it’s important to hear that beforehand.
So you’re like the bouncer at the pub festival: you have to be persuaded to even get in. Are there any other possible hurdles?
The locations. The hosts have a say in that. For example, if something comes along like “please no rock band because it just doesn’t suit our audience”, then we try to take that into account as much as possible. But it is even more due to the location itself: If I have to accommodate a band with twelve members and instruments, but there is no place that offers enough space for it, then unfortunately the act just doesn’t work out. By the way, this is exactly what happened this year: big bands could previously play in the tower room in the town hall. However, it is currently being renovated and is therefore no longer available. Accordingly, we cannot accommodate bands with many heads this year.
The Grafing pub festival takes place on Saturday, September 3rd, from 7 p.m. in 14 different locations. Tickets are available in advance for 10 euros. More information about booking offices, locations and bands is available online at pubfest-grafing.de.