You would probably frown at another band: Instead of a selection, the new live album from Sharivari practically all songs of the current stage program. “We struggled a lot with ourselves, but in the end we couldn’t bring ourselves to ignore individual pieces that we had loved for decades,” writes the band. That’s why all fans of their Bavarian folk rock can now look forward to a double CD on which probably nobody will miss their personal favorite song. Or is it?
Who knows, because Schariwari, this group rooted through and through in the Ebersberg district, has actually been around for 45 years. The two founding fathers, Hans Reupold jun. and Günther Lohmeier from Kirchseeon, when they first appeared in spring 1977. In 1982 they were prize winners from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie, in 1995 there was the prize for song poets from the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation and in 2004 the Schariwari-Mystical “Bayerische Rauhnacht” received the German rock and pop prize in the musical category. So it’s no wonder that “the pool of wonderful pieces is huge,” as Franz Meier-Dini, bassist and spokesman for the band, says. So it could well be that the current live repertoire will soon continue to grow, with a few old hits and possibly a few new ones as well. “Of course the bar is high – but the desire is there!”
Schariwari’s “Bayerische Rauhnacht” has long won awards – and is still in great demand by the public.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
The album is the band’s first live CD
The album that has just been released offers 18 tracks, it is Schariwari’s first live CD ever. The band recorded two concerts, in the Altes Kino in Ebersberg and in the Waitzinger Keller in Miesbach. That was in January and February 2020, shortly before the Corona outbreak. It was initially unclear what was to be done with the material. “But when we heard the recordings, we were very happy to have had this idea,” says Meier-Dini. Especially since the lockdown came. The recordings required a great deal of effort – the music was captured on various individual tracks with several microphones – but it was worth it: Oliver Brand, the band’s live and studio technician, managed to capture the atmospheric concert atmosphere without sacrificing the sound quality and speech intelligibility compromises.
You can now simply bring Schariwari’s folk rock home with you, including a live atmosphere. Just dim the lights, turn up the volume – and enjoy. Sing along, dance along, anything is possible. This album offers a soothing break, especially in these meager and gloomy times of culture. What is unique about Shariwari is that this music combines the virtues of a band with songwriting qualities more than ever. The old pieces now appear in a new, more minimalist sound. You won’t find anything opulent, strings for example, the cast is reduced to four men, accents are only set by a mandolin or harmonica. But the three-part singing, trademark of the band, was of course not deleted. “Campfire atmosphere” is what Meier-Dini calls the new concept.
Lyrics and music both serve the Gfui here
In addition to bandleader Günther Lohmeier, there are three longtime musical companions on stage: Franz Meier-Dini on bass, Stevie Moises on drums and percussion and Rudi Baumann on guitar. Together they pay homage to the Shariwari phenomenon. Texts and music are always equal here, they serve one and the same master, the Gfui. These musicians are true mood magicians who move their audience deeply – and thus create community. Anyone who has ever been to a concert can only confirm that. The arc ranges from love songs to world pain to socially critical protest – but the message is ultimately always a forgiving one: don’t give up, because you’re not alone in trying to make the best of your life.
This band creates community: Schariwari live in the Ottersberger Kulturstadl.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
It is really astounding that Shariwari’s lyrics have lost none of their topicality even after 40 years. The CD starts with wanderlust with “Da Wind”, continues with missed chances with “Wieder da” up to the architectural disfigurement of the “old town” by “die Kapitalisten”. Schariwari sings about dreams, about freedom, about lust for life, but also about remorse and loneliness, tells stories about searching and finding in a highly authentic way. Musically, the four casually and skillfully use a wide range of folk, rock, blues, funk or even Caribbean sounds, often accompanied by ballad-like melodies. The texts, mostly in dialect, are clear and direct, and nature serves as a quarry for linguistic images: “Lass de Sonna” is the title. A poetry that feeds on simplicity. By the way, there is no booklet with the lyrics – and there is no need for it: if you listen carefully, you can easily follow.
It’s also kind of a pity that Schariwari still has to sing some of the lyrics
“The time is ripe for new ideas,” Schariwari wrote 40 years ago to denounce the excessiveness of the meritocracy . The fans especially took the “Kirchseeoner Frösche” to their hearts, on the CD you can clearly hear the audience singing along. In any case, the small reptiles have to watch what man does wrong, the gloomy prognosis: “He will choke on his own dirt.” It’s also kind of a pity that Schariwari still has to sing it today. Also very popular: the “summer night” including thunderstorms, a hymn to life in the country. “Hey, dua di up / push your Woikan there / summer night and a Weda to that / grad a so, and ned differently / i like nature”. So simple, so good. suckuad.
The Schariwari live CD is available from the Braeuer stationery in Grafing, from the bookstore in Aßling, from the bookstore or from the Maskeum in Kirchseoon, from Buch-Otter in Ebersberg, from the men’s shop in Landshut or by email to [email protected].