Phoenix E

First we’d like to know what made you start playing an instrument and what was the beginning? Well, I was born by the time the Beatles released their “Help” record in a small town in Bavaria / Germany called Garmisch - Partenkirchen - a beautiful place in the alpes. I got piano lesson at age 6 but hated it because I wanted to play soccer rather than Mozart. At age 11 I had the permission to ditch it, which of course I did. When I was about 13 years old I heard popmusic for the first time and was completely blown away. It was so different to all that folky and Schlager stuff I was forced to heard through my parents records. That was the time, when I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, which seemed to be a very cool instrument. I was taking lessons for about a year and felt that I knew enough to form a band with my mates. After 2 years I had to show my teacher a Cm chord (!!!) and I thought that’s as far as I can get with her. What kind of music did you play in your first band? We played song by the Beatles, Elvis and Neo R&R stuff like Rocky Sharp and the Replays or Showaddywaddy. We thought we were the greates but in fact we couldn’t make more than awful noise. I was 15 years old when we did a talent show and we hoped to be signed right away - which was rubbish! A month before that our Bassplayer had to stop because he got bad in school and his parents told him to stop until his notes would improve. There was noone in our age who wanted to - or could - play bass, so I decided to trade my guitar and my equipment for a bass and an amp in order to keep the band alive.

After switching to bass, you stuck to it for many years? Yeah. I wanted to become a pro and practised maybe 8 hours a day and of course my notes got bad and there was a lot of trouble and arguing with my parents but I had already my first paid gigs in our area and that calmed them a bit down. I promised to do my exam - which I did, but then: Off I went to Munich to study bass at the first private school in Germany after my army service and two years of Double Bass classes in school. And in Munich you learnt all the skills to provide you with some bread? In the beginning it was hard. I was one of the best players in my area and I thought it’ll do, but beeing in Munich with it’s vast recording scene (on that time) I ahd to step back and learn. Well the school gave my the basis but it also gave me many useless rules and I found out that I had to get rid of them - but that took me four more years.

I was lucky to meet Jonathan Kalb ( a former Steve Miller Band guitarist ) who tought me both the Blues and the business. I worked with him for four years and it was a tough way but it paid off in the end. After that I was on the road with Munich Bluesrocker “The Case” - a very rocky way of the Blues but to have bread I had to do a one week tour with the musical “Hair”. I had to give a gig away to another bassist and that’s what drove “Reverend Rusty” (the Lord of all cases) mad and he’d fire me after that.So I stayed with Hair for about four years and guested on the “Golden Hits of Broadway” Tour. After that you returned to The Case? Yeah, he asked me if was willing to work on a regular basis primarily with his band- and now having enough students to pay my rent I agreed and stayed there for another two years. After a few weird changes of personal I switched to guitar and continued for a few months. So you switched again? Yeah! It was a kind of heartfelt thing! I had to do it. We had a few options in the band but we found a bassist first so I took the guitar chair and practised a lot. That’s where the problems arose? Sadly enough! We were a good team but ego problems made it impossible for us to work together longer, so both sides agreed to end the Reverend’s liturgy.

What happened next? After leaving “The Case” I formed my own Blues Band under my own name and toured through the southern part of Germany. I was still with a few music schools teaching, did a record with turkish popsinger “Tekin Turan” and several workshops for the Guitar Institute, subbed in for gigs were they needed sight reading abilities, did this and that. Suddenly I was cought in the C&W scene both on bass and guitar and played with a few bands and projects here and there. And then came the deep cut. Yeah, my marriange went down and I left my family and mainly quit the music business to sell insurances. I only played for the love of it - not for the money which gave me a good feeling, couse I thought that too much pressure lets you forget the only reason why you started! - The love of music itself. From 1994 on I was the MD (musical dirctor) for the austrian musical “Der Watzmann ruft”. We did a few shows here and there but it was more a amateur thing (only by the term). We did great shows but the actors not beeing pros didn’t have enough time to tour exclusively. This thing ended in 1998 when I played my last show before I jumped off to Mallorca with my new wife to run a Bavarian Bar at the Ballermann. You stopped music for a few years? Yes! I gave myself absolutely to the bar and it was a great time. A lot of work, lots of trouble, but still a great time. After the second season my wife got very ill, so we sold the bar and returned to Germany near Mannheim, where she had relatives who gave us an appartement. We were there for about a year or so - both beeing jobless, when I decided to play music again - stricktly amateur like. I found a few bands, worked again as an insurance salesman when the offers as a musician began to rise. The feeling was back and I decided to give it a second try. I worked with a few lokal groups, gave lessons but nothing really great come up, when I got a call be Ritchie Blackmore in a Deep Purple tribute band. What an offer!!! I always wanted to cover than (the) one DP song and here was the chance! Was that the only band then? No, I had another cover band with an american guitarist but it broke down somehow in 2003. Now I was with a band I really was exited about ( the DP band ) but my heart yearned for some original music to be played. So I dusted all my old Blues songs and wanted to concentrate on just these two bands, where my heart was. But Child in time also broke up? Not really - I went! We had some great gigs some great fun and some great trouble. Eyerybody has a strong idea of what his project shoud look like. Now our bassist was the boss and after I found out that the rehearsals had more in common with army service ( with a drill sergeant yelling at people ) than a bunch of mates and rockers I couldn’t stand it anymore, and one day came where the barrel could not hold another drop. Also there was a lot of envy showing trough because I had a lot of gigs with my band, although it was first come - first serve situation. The business side of CIT just wasn’t happening!

So now tell us more about the growing of Phoenix E. Ok! It started - as I said - after the break up with the cover band in Dec. 2003. I phoned a few friends an organized a few rehearsals to get the ship sailing. But it was aweird time; You know December - everybody is so depressed by the absence of warmth and the sun, or was it the stars. Nothing really happened and i was looking for other people to help me out. I then got the opportunity to special guest on the “Ten Years after” Tour near Mannheim. So I called up Bernd - the first bass aspirant and Sebastian a youg drummer who I had found in my area. We rehearsed in the afternoon and made our first apperance on April 7th 2004.

Having no secured bassist I contacted the net and a guy called “Tom Bornemann” got in touch with me. He worked with the Sunnyland Blues Band and Marla Glen and was looking for a band where he could spend more time with his family.

But it turned out different? Yeah! Well the first year (2004) was pretty calm until my wife did start with the booking. She did a great job and all of the sudden, we a tour here - a few gigs there and everything worked out well. We wanted to do a CD in autumn and then take off for 2005. Within ashort period of time Phoenix E. had a lot of shows to play that was the time when Tom told us that he wanted to quit, because his children wouldn’t see him enough.

Then Bernd Metz came back for the bass chair! Exactly! He was the sub when Tom couldn’t do the gig - so it was the best decision to play with him. He jumped in beginning of March 2005 and is still with us. The CD was recorded all by myself in the fall of 2004 and the shows get better and better. So - what does the future look like? Well, the first CD sells very well on the concerts and does pretty good in the radio. We did a few TV Promos to increase the bands name in our area. There’s a few tours planned for autumn 2005 plus the release of a live CD in the beginning of 2006. We’re talking to agencies about gigs in other countries and even Japan seems not be too far away.

:: Discography ::

2005 - The Innocent White Album -

:: Contact ::

Website: http://www.eggmore.de
Email: http://www.eggmore.de/deutsch/ko