Presented by Rockfact Music Club & IRON-T21

Rockfact Music Club, Münchenstein,  Switzerland – 19.03.2022

„Southern Rock“ is an all American style of music which has his roots in the deep south of the USA. Groups such as The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot have provided the essence of this region, which is characterized by elements of country, blues and rock'n'roll, and from this emerged its own audacious identity, different from the rest of the United States.  However, you don't necessarily have to travel to the USA to experience this kind of music live. In Helvetia there are also bands that are dedicated to this style and uphold the spirit of the South. For this purpose it was a welcome opportunity to see the local band The Southern Project live at Rockfact Music Club in Münchenstein. Hardroad was announced as support act and Southern Rock lovers 

like me truly had a reason to make a pilgrimage to this venue and enjoy great music. After the doors opened at 8 pm, the group Hardroad could be experienced a little later. The four-piece around singer / lead guitarist Thomas Denzel were happy on stage and wanted inspire the present audience with rock sounds. It started with „Ride The Bullet“ and two band members with cowboy hats caused an amazing feeling. Band leader Tom presented with a good vocal performance and shined with guitar solos. The polyphonic vocal parts with his two comrades Steve Brechbühl and Jüre Viragh came across great and were fun. The sound was enriched with a lot of groove and let the feet bounce. The audience had to clap along at the beginning of "End of the game" and a rough song was presented with „Can’t you feel the love tonight“. In the middle of the set Tom introduced the band to the crowd and they showed joy. Furthermore he pointed out that you can buy CD's with signature after the concert. "Down, down, down" was a number that should animate to dance. On Friday it worked without problems in Lyss, but it didn't work in Münchenstein. What I noticed immediately in the song "Don't look back" was the chorus from the Guns'n'Roses hit "Paradise City" from 1989, which was cleverly incorporated. After an excursion into gambling with "Rolling Dice" came a more serious song. "Death or glory" is an anti-war song and unfortunately very topical because of the situation in Ukraine and directed against the campaign of the dictator Vladimir Putin. The encore "Turning Wheels" was the finale and rounded off the performance of the Southern Rock group from the cantons of Solothurn & Bern. It was a pleasure to listen to their sounds and enjoy their performance. They left a good impression at their premiere in the Red Rod canton. Setlist Hardroad Ride the bullet Come and get it Leave all your troubles behind The end of the game Can’t you feel the love tonight Let your soul shine Lady of the night Down, down, down Don’t look back Rolling Dice Death or glory Turning Wheels After that a short break took place and the stage was prepared for the headliner The Southern Project. At 10:25 pm it was their moment and the seven members entered the stage. The appearance started with the song „Whiskey Rock and Roller“ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. However an interruption occured by a damage cable. These technical difficulties were solved by a technician in an efficient way and the concert continued. Shooter Jennings said hello with „Steady At The Wheel“ and the new singer Marcel added hard rock influences with his voice while Anita and Rob Ericson supported him with vocals in the background. In contrast to the opening act, this Southern Rock was played dirtier and bolder what you noticed in the attitude and variety of the group. After a quick round of "Texas Mud," "Dimebag" by Cross Canadian Ragweed and "Sister Luck" by The Black Crowes came along audacious. Now a singer change followed and Marcel handed the microphone to Rob Ericson and left the stage. The new set started with "Shanytown" from the band of the same name and Rob looked cool with blowing hair. He also had a voice with more soul influences and that gave a new depth to the sound. The guitar fraction Werni and El Motör provided groove, alternated with guitar solos and shared the spot light with catchy guitar tunes. That felt great. With "You don't love me" the only number of the evening was played in Southern Blues garb, which was no disadvantage. During "Whipping Post" I noticed funk influences in Werni's guitar playing, reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers, which lightened the ambience. Another change at the microphone happened after the harder and dirtier "Midnight Train To Memphis" when singer Marcel returned to the boards. The ballad "All Over But The Cryin'" was played and was free of corny stuff that normally leaves its mark in these tracks. After "Whiskey Talking" hard rock sounds rang out with "Got No Shame" and let the hardness level rise again. The audience was enthusiastic and "Can't You See" by Marshall Tucker Band became the encore before the performance stopped. Werni and his band mates were adopted with much applause. 95 minutes of dirty and cheeky Southern Rock with excursions into Blues and Hard Rock made a lot of fun. Thanks a lot for the great show. Setlist The Southern Project Whiskey Rock And Roller – Lynyrd Skynyrd Steady At The Wheel – Shooter Jennings Texas Mud – Rebel Pride Dimebag – Cross Canadian Ragweed Sister Luck – The Black Crowes Shanytown  - Shanytown That Smell – Lynyrd Skynyrd You Don’t Love Me – The Allman Brothers Whippin‘ Post – The Allman Brothers Midnight Train To Memphis – Chris Stapleton All Over But The Cryin‘ – The Georgia Satellites Send My Baby Home – Laidlaw Whiskey Talking – Preacher Stone Got No Shame – Brother Cane Can’t You See – Marshall Tucker Band On that note the Southern Rock spectacle came to its end and what remains is a lasting impression of the celebration of these audacious sounds that will reverberate in our minds for a long time and bring a smile to our faces. Jerry Thomas Ferrat and Stefan Walker were responsible for the good sound. Livereport by Dominic Latscha