"Everything new, everything different" . A festival who reveals talents in Cologne

Photo : Mavi Phenix from Austria about love, rap and politics. ©Photo Michael Wagener

As a young boy my music teacher told me that I have no feeling for music and years later friends called me an undeveloped country ( for my taste of music). Funny that I at least end up at the c/o pop Festival & Convention 01 - 05 May 2019 in Cologne, Germany reporting for Micmag.net. The showcase programme took place inside and outdoors, with numerous workshops and readings. Free admission for a lot of events. The musical focus was on German acts and artists, but also there was an international flair.

So I had the pleasure to meet Mavi Phoenix, an upcoming young star form Austria, who is singing in English and Spanish. The sympathetic woman was talking during the convention in the Podcast Cosmo Machiavelli with Jan Kawelke and Vassili Golod about Rap, Love and politics. She is an intuitiv songwriter, who was talking about her problems and her outing as a lesbian in the music industry. Still looking for support to love someone, she realized, that her sexuality is currently also a political statement for tolerance and acceptance. She talked about her childhood and that she realized very early, that she loves woman. But after her outing in school, she was also a victim of mobbing for that. Still she said, that equal rights for all human been to who love somebody is still not normal. And still there must be events like gay parades to show people, that all kinds of love are possible.

With the view of politics the discussion in the podcast comes to the conclusion, that politicians need more standing for emotions.

After this I heard a kind of lecture from Susan Rogers. In cooperation with the Sonar festival in Barcelona, she was invited to talk about her research in listening music and explained the difference between a musician and non musician. The musicians have to make music also for non musicians. Susan is the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory for investigating the influence of musical training on the auditory pathway. Prior to her science career, Susan was a multiplatinum-earning record producer, engineer, mixer and audio technician. She is best known for her work with Prince (1983-1987) but production/engineering credits also include David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies, Geggy Tah, Nil Lara, Robben Ford, Tricky, Michael Penn, and Jeff Black.

At the evening , I had the pleasure to listen to an instrumental set of Mighty Oaks. Ian Hooper, Craig Saunders, and Claudio Donzelli performed well known songs in the beautifull ambience of the Satory Rooms (One of he oldest event Locations in Cologne). The italian, the english and the american guys are living now in Berlin and they played in some most important festivals worldwide and hundreds of live shows. For February 2019 Ian, Craig and Claudio are planning a very special touring: Visiting select, small venues they’ll strip it all back to the bare essentials of what makes Mighty Oaks: voices, acoustic instruments, stories, real connections. “We started out as three-piece acoustic band and for this tour, we will ditch the big productions and go back to interacting much more with the people at our shows.”

No barriers between band and audience, this tour will be a very unique and intimate music experience for current and future Mighty Oaks-fans alike.

Do not miss the c/o pop next year in Cologne, if you are in town.

 Michael Wagener for www.micmag.net 2019