There are not few musicians of who the rumour goes they were found when spotted on the street, booked, and sometimes even signed – we speak here about busking. Not many musicians like that, some cannot leave it anymore once they started, others need a kick out of their friend’s flat where they already stayed too long to appreciate the advantages of taking it to the street: money, attention, or sheer the best rehearsal. Some years ago on a cold winter’s night I went with a visiting friend through the city centre, when we passed that singer in front of a warehouse on big busy Alexanderplatz. My friend, a musician, said: „O yeah, she is really good.“ I said: „Yeah, that’s Mary Ocher. We had her some years ago.“ „What’s her name again?“ Four years ago we presented Mary and the Baby Cheeses; it was one of Mary’s first gigs in Berlin, back then with her band she had brought from Israel. Beside the rare sound of the theremin they used, it was also the Russian born singer’s unusual shrill voice and extravagant performance that people made remember this night. The Band later dissolved, Mary stayed in Berlin, tried new band set ups, played solo on the street. I had mentioned once to her that I consider her the most busy musician in town, which I still don‘t think wrong: whilst most musicians wait to be discovered in the rehearsing room, Mary started to play solo and play everywhere and every time she could, and if not play live herself, she would spin records. Whilst trying to flirt with the music industry, gladly these largely ignored her, making Mary Ocher stay herself independent and rasping on her sound: Meanwhile a label has shown interest and was releasing a first album this year: War Songs (out on Haute Areal). An album with great songs for my taste: simple yet accentuated in arrangement, vast in emotion yet ironic, catchy in their melody. People don‘t have to ask so much for her name anymore. Lately Mary told me she had found someone on the street: William Foreign. This young man just arrived in the moloch Berlin, making all his way down from Estonia, with just a guitar in his hand. This friday will see his first live performance – apart from busking.
Listen here to a nice radio podcast with Mary Ocher when lately invited and interviewed by Hanin Elias, formerly front singer of Atari Teenage Riot (also out with new solo album this year):
Come down to our monthly night: Friday, September 2nd, Berlin, Madame Claude. Admission is donation, stage time is 10pm. On decks Rad Spin Rotate Club.
this august, we stay in the city for you, poplars and rocks presents at their monthly residency night: Chris Glen. with buckley and drake in mind and his guitar in his suitcase, chris just moved from aberdeen to berlin to conquer this city with his tunes. and we very delightedly support him in this. his first EP „Pointing Fingers Of Glass“ was out last year; an album is going to be expected soon. A Blue Stork Is Born By A Moonlight Tower (I know this name already by heart) is a new project by Billy „das Kind“, ein Kind from berlin, who just finished school but was known before through his solo appearances and his other electronic side project Wyrd Starchild Sisters – and can be said to be nearly famous in the thriving Neukölln underground noise scene. it’s holiday time, so entertain the kids…
Chris Glen, in your blooddemo for free download to be found on his page. from ABSIBBAMT to you for free download: young pieces of old wounds
friday, august 5th, 10pm stage time, admission is free donation. rad spin rotate club for you on decks all night: Madame Claude, lübbener strasse 19, kreuzberg.
poplars and rocks presents Christy and Emily, a duo located in Brooklyn, New York: while Christy grew up with Metallica, Emily was classically trained on piano, before she entered Christy’s band The Lil‘ Fighters, the beginning of a fruitful collaboration. Christy and Emily released three albums so far: after Gueen’s Head and Superstition, No Rest was released last year on German label Klangbad records, produced by Hans Joachim Irmler of krautrock band Faust. Beside this psych folk project, Emily still found the time to record the whole work of Anton Webern and work with such illustrious names as Oneida, while Christy also plays in punk band The Totallys. If they find time for something else, they go on tour. So we welcome them this time while hanging out in Berlin to play a spontaneous set at an art house party: the whole day at LA54 you can see exhibitons again, watch screenings, attend workshops, part-take in a fleamarket, and see bands and performances. Christy and Emily will play in the cellar around midnight. Landsberger Allee 54. 30th of July, from 3pm to 3am. Band on around 11pm. and the best of all: the admission is free!
poplars and rocks presents this july 1st at madame claude: De La Montaña. Michigan-raised Madison Velding-VanDam left his home for Chile to have arrived meanwhile in Berlin, where he bases now and performs as a group of three further members: with Chilean electronic producer Andres Bucci he also produced his very first demo album consisting of twelve songs that hardly recall the name demo, but are equally to be put aside the best acts and records that the chill wave glo-fi sound has recently brought out, to be thought alongside names like washed out or neon indian. this friday will see De La Montañas very first official gig after two warm up shows on the street and one in an illegal cellar club. needless to say, their demo convinced us so much that we wanted them before we ever saw them. maybe you feel the same: listen here to the debut album Postmodern Whirled, which officially will only be out july 15th. if you „like“ them on facebook, you might be lucky to get a free code for the album download:
Madison Velding-VanDam congenial videos for De La Montaña:
second act on the night: Mozart Mandy from Weimar aka Tilman: musician, artist, vj, non-conformist: his many activities go with his different alias. tomorrow we will have him solo with one of his new incarnations. here is from Cindy Sizer and Lucy Louder:
on decks we welcome beside our very own rad spin rotate club Krautman with a special set. Krautman also runs the hackyard bangout sessions on radio23: on thursday, june 30th Mozart Mandy visits with some tunes.
Madame Claude, July 1st, live acts start 10pm sharp, admission is donation.
tonight, this saturday, june 25th, we are involved in supporting a little art venue in berlin, one of those many endangered to close down soon due to new expensive housing projects for the new clients of this town, beside the many many art and music venues who had close down the last couple of months… landsberger allee 54, once the biggest brewery in europe, after the ‚change‘ in 1990 closed down, then empty for many years, now used and revived for some time by artists, musicians and other creative minds, for who to find working space in the city nearly becomes impossible these days, now sold to a new investor and always on the brink of having to close it’s doors for the workers to make space for new lofts. to raise awareness for their destiny the building invites people and friends regularly to parties and open houses. this time some old acquaintances of poplars and rocks will join the underground stage, with such fine names as STRANGE FORCES, ADDITIV, PARK, MACACO MAU, POP CAMPAIGN, EAST BRUNSWICK ALL GIRLS CHOIR, beside some other bands. plus DE LA MONTANA, a total new act, that we had also to book immediately for the next issue at madame claude, although they never had played live before – use your chance as long as you have it; only sometimes it offers itself a second time…
LA54, Landsberger Allee 54, Berlin. party with free donation. bands start around 8pm at several spots. more art, films, screenprint workshops. join and make a change.
There are not few musicians of who the rumour goes they were found when spotted on the street, booked, and sometimes even signed – we speak here about busking. Not many musicians like that, some cannot leave it anymore once they started, others need a kick out of their friend’s flat where they already stayed too long to appreciate the advantages of taking it to the street: money, attention, or sheer the best rehearsal. Some years ago on a cold winter’s night I went with a visiting friend through the city centre, when we passed that singer in front of a warehouse on big busy Alexanderplatz. My friend, a musician, said: „O yeah, she is really good.“ I said: „Yeah, that’s Mary Ocher. We had her some years ago.“ „What’s her name again?“ Four years ago we presented Mary and the Baby Cheeses; it was one of Mary’s first gigs in Berlin, back then with her band she had brought from Israel. Beside the rare sound of the theremin they used, it was also the Russian born singer’s unusual shrill voice and extravagant performance that people made remember this night. The Band later dissolved, Mary stayed in Berlin, tried new band set ups, played solo on the street. I had mentioned once to her that I consider her the most busy musician in town, which I still don‘t think wrong: whilst most musicians wait to be discovered in the rehearsing room, Mary started to play solo and play everywhere and every time she could, and if not play live herself, she would spin records. Whilst trying to flirt with the music industry, gladly these largely ignored her, making Mary Ocher stay herself independent and rasping on her sound: Meanwhile a label has shown interest and was releasing a first album this year: War Songs (out on Haute Areal). An album with great songs for my taste: simple yet accentuated in arrangement, vast in emotion yet ironic, catchy in their melody. People don‘t have to ask so much for her name anymore. Lately Mary told me she had found someone on the street: William Foreign. This young man just arrived in the moloch Berlin, making all his way down from Estonia, with just a guitar in his hand. This friday will see his first live performance – apart from busking. 
