In the past six months, probably only a few spiders have lived in the Glonner scrap gallery. Too many adversities left the stage deserted. But now it’s freed from dust and all cobwebs, now the strings, vocal cords and legs can finally vibrate again: the small music stage dares a new summer start. From next weekend until the traditional open-air festival on August 6, there is a varied program of concerts across styles – from blues, jazz, flamenco and funk to singer-songwriters and virtuoso world music. On the Scrap Gallery website All dates can already be found, and reservations are now possible.
Due to a planned construction project, the future of the stage is still uncertain
At the beginning of December there was the last concert on the Glonner stage, after that it was over – because of a “very unfortunate combination”, as Hanno Größl, head of the scrap gallery, says. On the one hand there was the high number of infections, in view of which the organizing team did not want to take any risks. But not only Corona made life difficult for them, but also the planned start of construction on the gallery site. This is located in a huge barn in the center of Glonner. It was once used to store grain and coal, including a pigeon coop, but is hardly used today – apart from the small music stage. This is probably one of the reasons why the plan a few years ago came about to demolish the barn and replace it with residential buildings. Even if the owner Josef Braun is more than well disposed towards her, the fate of the scrap gallery was uncertain from then on.
The legendary entrance to the Glonner scrap gallery, which was once built into a huge barn as a room within a room.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
And it still is today. According to Größl, there are currently three options: the stage will remain as it is, be rebuilt at the same location, or move to a completely different location. It is easy to guess which solution the junk gallery owners would prefer. “The relaxed atmosphere here, the old walls, the narrowness – that’s what the gallery thrives on,” says Größl, sitting in his second living room. In addition, a new refuge would certainly cost significantly more rent – which could no longer be financed solely with the sale of drinks, the only source of income for the voluntary organizers so far. “If the new building came, we would certainly have to pay three and a half times as much.”
That’s why the team is already thinking about giving itself an official association structure with which membership fees could be generated. And the response to a corresponding survey among regular guests was also very good, says the boss. Nevertheless: “If it can be avoided somehow, we won’t do it.” Firstly, because the voluntariness of everyone involved is part of the scrap gallery’s DNA, so to speak, and secondly, because such a construct of a sponsoring and support association would always cause additional costs and effort.
Because the renovation was postponed again, Hanno Größl spontaneously put together a summer program.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
So because the excavators and infections threatened, it was quiet on the Glonner stage. “You simply can’t put together a program under such unpredictable conditions,” says Größl. But now the conditions have improved significantly again: The corona pandemic is far less threatening, and the owner has postponed the construction project again, this time indefinitely, due to the tense situation on the market. “You get no craftsmen, no material, and if you do, everything is incredibly expensive,” says Größl, who is a stonemason himself. That’s why the construction site is now on hold.
The team is happy that “music is finally happening again – with a bigger audience”
The scrap gallery owners have now grabbed this opportunity and spontaneously put together a summer program. “It’s just important now to look ahead,” says Größl, “to hide the virus and the restructuring from time to time”. One is now happy to be able to open “that music is finally happening here – with a larger audience again”.
There are no corona requirements at the moment. The scrap gallery will continue to be seated a little more loosely than usual, enough fresh air should flow through the open windows and there will still be hygiene stations. As far as wearing a mouth and nose protector is concerned, the guests can decide for themselves what they feel most comfortable with.
Although there are no longer any Corona requirements, the Schrottgalerie now has a little looser seating, with 70 instead of 90 seats.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
What makes Größl and his team particularly happy and positive: All appointments, 13 in number, were booked within a week – despite all the imponderables. “After all, nobody knows how many people are coming to concerts at the moment.” That’s why the yield from the hat is of course also subject to a big question mark. But even musicians who normally only play for a fixed fee agreed immediately, says Größl, not without pride. Yes, the scrap gallery now has an excellent reputation in the scene, both with the audience and with the bands. And in most artist calendars there is apparently still a little air due to the pandemic.
The impromptu summer concerts are staffed with nothing but ideal candidates
And so the scrap gallerists have succeeded in filling their spontaneous summer concerts with nothing but desired candidates – a colorful mixture of loyal formations, which are already part of the beloved inventory of the Glonner stage, and those who are lining up to conquer their audience anew. When asked about his personal highlights in the program, Größl grins sheepishly: “I can only rave about that.”
He couldn’t even imagine a better start: On Friday, June 24th, the friends will board the wonderfully sloping glitter bar the Glonner stage, and for the following Saturday, June 25th, the scrap gallery owners could Klezmer Connection Trio win over three true virtuosos – rating: “very worthwhile”.
The Raumschiff Glitzerbeisl is a humorous work of art that has been exploring the cosmos of music since 2017. The three passionate musicians call themselves “Austronauts”, the trio is an Austrian-Bavarian liaison – in a very unusual line-up: the zither meets drums and trumpet here, and the result is wonderful, highly original music, somewhere between Austropop and jazz , indie, reggea, chanson and funk, seasoned with sarcastic jokes and a good portion of Viennese nastyness.
Absolute home game: The trio “Glitzerbeisl” in the Glonner scrap gallery.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
The head of it all is Manuel Kuthan alias Captain Goldi (Lyrics, concept, zither, vocals) Reiner Ewert alias Ray Cipolla (drums, vocals, musical arrangement) and Heinz Dauhrer alias Colonel Enzo (trumpet, vocals, musical arrangement). At the beginning there was one or the other cover song in the repertoire, but in the meantime the spaceship has completely arrived in the realm of own compositions. The first album is called “Wahlium One” – but don’t expect it to have a sleepy effect. Incidentally, the concert in the Schrottgalerie is an absolute home game for Glitzerbeisl: Manuel Kuthan lives in Reinstorf, Heinz Dauhrer in Berganger and Ray Cipolla also lived in Glonn for a long time before he moved to Munich.
The “Klezmer Connection Trio” came to Glonn from Salzburg especially to present their new program in the Schrottgalerie.
(Photo: organizer)
The Klezmer Connection Trio from Salzburg, on the other hand, transports the rich traditions of Yiddish music into the present day in a sensitive and at the same time powerful way. In Glonn, Georg Winkler (clarinet), Hubert Kellerer (accordion) and Peter Aradi (double bass) present their new program “Meschugge 2.0”. In the intimate dialogue between their three instruments, a vital mosaic is created, a unique soundscape of joie de vivre, melancholy and sensuality. “Meschugge 2.0” stands for “emotionally charged music full of lyrical elegance and fiery virtuosity, with unconventional interpretations full of creativity, spontaneity, with a lot of playfulness and joy in design”.
Summer concerts in the Glonner scrap gallery. The complete program and reservation at www.schrottgalerie.de. It always starts at 8 p.m.