Eine wirklich tolle und erfreuliche Nachricht aus Nashville!
If you’re searching for a fascinating little country music hotbed, you’d do well to do what I did over Thanksgiving: Locate your passport, fly over an ocean, land in Munich, Germany, rent a car and drive west for about an hour and a half.
Then, of course, you’d be in Koetz, and you can ask around until you find someone who knows Peter Wroblewski.>>>>>>>click here
Biography
TheCountry & Western Friends Koetz 1982 e.V.
Associationfor the maintenance and promotion of American Roots Music
TheCountry & Western Friends Koetz started out back in 1982. They have onegoal, getting authentic American Country Music heard by German audiences. OldTime Music, Bluegrass, Honky Tonk, Singer-Songwriter, Cajun, Zydeco, Tex-Mex,they have all been welcome since the beginnings of the organisation.
PeterWroblewski has been chairman ever since he created a flyer, saying „wanted –people who wanna share the Country Music hobby with me“. By doing so, he foundnew friends from near and far. Together, they went to see festivals andconcerts all over Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After collecting enoughexperiences, they started organising their own musical events. First, theyhired local bands like Main Spring, featuring Mark Stoffel. Soon the bands camefrom all over the world, especially the US, Canada, Great Britain and evenAustralia. The Double Decker Stringband soon was followed by the likes of BillClifton, Red Rector & Art Stamper or Cathy Barton & Dave Para in 1987.
Bluegrasswas a main factor in the music presented by the Country Friends Koetz. In 1988The Good Ol’ Persons from California (Kathy Kallick, John Reischman, Sally Van Meter,Kevin Wimmer and Beth Weil) played one of their venues, and the Koetz CountryMusic Festival had names on the bill like Bob Everhart, The Tom Russell Bandand Hugh Moffatt all on the same weekend.
Asthe organisation grew, the festivals grew, so The Nashville Bluegrass Bandplayed there and so did Barry & Holly Tashian. Now Country Music Hall ofFame Members Jean Shepard and Emmylou Harris &The Nash Ramblers playedconcerts for Peter Wroblewski, his friends and the listening audiences of Koetz.So did former Blue Grass Boy Peter Rowan, legendary Singer-Songwriter SteveYoung, Richard Dobson and Tom Russell even brought Dave Alvin, Katy Moffatt or Ramblin’Jack Elliott to perform at the Pfleghofsaal Langenau. Then new talent like TishHinojosa got a chance to play her music, as well as Bluegrass Bands like California(Berline-Crary-Hickman-Moore-Spurgin), The Shady Grove Band, High Country, GaryBrewer & The Kentucky Ramblers, Robin & Linda Williams, The WearyHearts, The Lynn Morris Band, Chris Jones & The Nightdrivers, Front Range, BluegrassEtc., Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters feat. Roger Williams, Karen Lynne &Acoustic Shock from down under, The Beggars from South Australia or legendslike Jim Eanes, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver or Charlie Louvin & CharlesWhitstein.
Besidesthe regular concerts and festivals, the Country friends started a series ofBluegrass Meetings, the first in 1997 featuring 23 different Bluegrass acts.For the last three years the Bluegrass Meetings were held in and around the KulturgewaechshausBirkenried, close to Legoland Germany. The tradition will continue in 2012, theyear of the 30th anniversary of the organisation, that now has more that 150members. Among other events, there will be the 29th annual Country MusicFestival June 07-09 in Koetz, and the Bluegrass Meeting in Birkenried,September 07-09. More information can be found on www.cwf-koetz.de .
Inaddition to presenting live music, the Country & Western Friends Koetz havetwo radio programs on Radio free FM in Ulm, AMERICANA and ANTISTATIC COUNTRYTIME, broadcasted in Southern Germany terrestrially on 102.6 FM and world-wideon www.freefm.de (Livestream). The CountryFriends Koetz also bring out the 40 pages magazine COUNTRY TIMES every othermonth. Each third Saturday of the month, the members of the Club have a meetingin the Sportgaststaette Großkoetz, the place, where the Koetz Country MusicFestival has its origins. (Friedrich Hog)