Soundbase Online 23rd October 2003

Hubert von Goisern: Iwasig DVD

On the Iwasig DVD you get the complete concert of the Iwasig tour, served hot and rich, and whoever was there knows that it was really great and Hubert von Goisern offers a bright mix of pieces which are shaped by musical influences from all over the place. Apart from a "Catholic" reggae, he indulges in the blues in Heilige, he sings I bin an with funk and it goes oriental in the exotic Besser Werdn, while the previously described travel influences settle in Afrika. You can count on it, that he also remains true to his musical roots, in this case with pieces like the squeezebox-bothersome Volxjammer, Fia Di and Schleiniger. There is also something for every musical taster and whoever takes the trouble to pay attention to the lyrics at times, will discover a lot of wit, profundity and passion in them, which gets a very individual, somehow brash tone through the Goisern dialect. Certainly, being there live is always unbeatable, but instead I can spool it here and there, until I finally detect "aus is und gschengn is, weils wahr is, dass klar is, dass bogn is und g'logen is und jeder a narr is und i vielleicht a wenn i moan i mua toan, was i mua und i tua und es is niemals gnua..." ("it's over and out, cause it's true and it's clear, that it's not straight and it's lied too, and everyone is a fool, maybe me too, thinking I have to do, what I have to and I do, and it's never enough"). Additionally you can also play the little mouse behind the scenes and discover information about each band member (where do they come from, where are they going...) in the form of backstage reports and interviews. On balance: it grooved and gave a sense of cheerfulness even on a gloomy day!

SB

Discover June 2003

"Ich wollte, ich wäre ein bisschen mehr katholisch, dann wäre das alles ganz leicht" ("I wish I was a little more Catholic, then everything would be easy"). Hubert von Goisern has an unusual charisma. He is odd, unconventional and with it, very open-minded. You have to be a little thick-skinned when you want to establish alpine sound in a pop music style. That can start with the accordion, but with yodelling? What their Hans Jürgen Buchner from Haindling (with the tuba reggae) is to the Bavarians, Hubert von Goisern celebrated for years with the Alpinkatzen. There they drew on unlimited folk music resources, but it happened intelligently enough, that the tightrope walk between the pose of a rocker and the pose of a "squeezebox player" (accordion player) was quite naturally successful. So not Zillertaler Schürzenjäger or similar. You only need to see once on this DVD how Hubert von Goisern stands on the stage when he plays the instrument. It is really definitely un-Catholic. Not just completely incidentally, Hubert von Goisern is also an excellent lyricist. Nevertheless, it is not always bad that you don't always understand it. Because who really wants to understand the lyrics when a soul number is neatly grooving? It is about the party. And in any case it takes place on Iwasig. Hubert von Goisern and his band make thoughtful to groovy rock music with ethno flair. The alpine accordion and yodelling come over like a facet which has been missing from world music. After the dissolution of the Alpinkatzen, Hubert von Goisern was pulled, musically seen anyway, ever more to Africa. His experiences there are documented on the likewise recently released DVD Grenzenlos.

The music on Iwasig is very shaped by Hubert von Goisern's wanderlust. The band, which he has now gathered around him, has the suitable sound carpet in their luggage in order to let the concert become the world music delicacy. The occasional jazzy violin solos are especially fantastic and the quiet numbers on the disc have something of the nostalgia after a holiday. Whoever likes intelligent singing/songwriting - with a good shot of un-Catholic - Hubert von Goisern is the right man for him or her.

Peter Backof

Amazon.de 15th May 2003

He once became famous with a "new folk music", went against the grain of tradition and combined homeland sounds with rock. However, in the meantime, Hubert von Goisern terrifically expanded his style spectrum a long time ago - as is seen for example on the concert recording Iwasig. The man, who takes his stage name from the town of Goisern (situated between Bad Ischl and Hallstatt), works with music elements from all over the world in this atmospheric live recording from summer 2002. Apart from earthy songs (Heast as nit from the bestseller Omunduntn (sic), Fön, Volxjammer, Poika etc), out of passion, the globetrotter shows here in a good many songs that he is obviously at home in the big wide world. He has funky music (I Bi Ån) and the blues (Heilige) in his repertoire as one knows it from the southern states of the USA; he works with the township beat which he has got to know on his travels in Africa (Afrika); he superbly masters the reggae vibes from the Caribbean (Katholisch); he is acquainted with South American salsa sounds (Akipenda) and even has oriental scales (Besser Werdn). A perfect example of a cosmopolitan!

However, with all the cosmopolitanism and wanderlust, the music nomad from the Upper Austrian Dachstein region never loses sight of his roots. In the centre of this wonderful concert therefore, clearly stands the care of homeland traditions. In proper gstanzls and juchitzers (Schleiniger), yodels from the alpine area (Kohler) and love songs in dialect (Fia Di) Hubert von Goisern remains true to his origin and keeps the inheritance of his forefathers with much love. In handling inherited homeland sounds, he strictly adheres to classical composer Gustav Mahler, who once said: "Tradition is the passing on of fire, not the worship of ashes."

Harald Kepler

Blanko Musik

BMG/Lawine 08287 651859 9

The concert

Hubert von Goisern played his new programme Iwasig - which means over, above when translated - for the first time on his journeys through Africa in spring 2002.

In summer 2002 he set off with this programme on a long tour at home, which was one of the most successful of his career. With it he followed a new way: the new numbers were first presented live, before they were to be had on CD!

Hubert can rouse the audience to storms of enthusiasm with the atmospheric, packed programme and each evening gets something quite special: something is not as usual, something is in the air" Hubert sings at the beginning of the programme in Aus is and with it secures the full attention of his listeners then at the latest. The enthusiasm is infectious once more, despite the new band lineup and despite the mostly unknown music. There is plentiful applause - but only between the songs: you don't want to miss a nuance, not a sound.

Each song becomes a little world journey, Africa, South America and the Dachstein Massive seem to be directly next to each other. The Alps rock to the groove of the bongo drums as with Afrika; jazz, rock and reggae rhythms are yodelled and sung to in dialect with Heilige, I bin an, Poika and the old numbers Katholisch and Da Diab. In between are also quieter sounds again and again as with Schad, Fia Di - and the classic Heast as nit as encore. Violin, harmonica, guitar, accordion, percussion create an unrestrained mixture of styles and everything fits together and blends in a way in which you could not have thought up more beautifully.

But the view to the original roots is never lost: as well as with the quieter, traditional numbers from the Trad CD, Hubert von Goisern also remains true to himself and his music with his new material. And when he then buckles on his diatonic, works it like Gary Moore works his guitar and yodels to electric guitar riffs and drums, then there are juchitzers from even the rear grandstand places. Musical freestyle of the most pleasant sort - because Hubert von Goisern knows exactly how he, as a traveller, can make his passengers happy.

Apart from a complete concert from the Iwasig tour, there is a further "treat" on the concert DVD - recordings from the backstage area, interviews and information about the musicians!

The concert DVD will be a must for every Goisern fan. The recordings are unique and only available on DVD!

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