FEIER ON THE MOUNTAIN 1998 by Japanese Deadhead Arimi

1998 summer became unforgettable summer in my life.The whole story began at Katmandu, Nepal. I met a wonderful and lovely Reiki master who were wearing special T-shirt that has melting skeleton on his breast. I immediately recognized that he was a deadhead. This is how Alfredo and I started our great friendship. He became my respectful Reiki master as well as my best friend.

After few days have passed when I went back to Japan from India, I received one invitation from Germany, the back side of the globe. There was a blue flier inside with a title which made me really really hot, “German deadhead Summer 98/ FEIER ON THE MOUNTAIN” (Rautsch Cavern, Black Forest August 20-24). Thanks, Alfredo!

No more than a month stay in Japan, I was standing on Frankfurt airport.
I was too passionate to carefully think about my budget to go to Germany. Not enough money left in my poor saving, but WHO CARES!!! German DEADHEAD party was definitely attractive enough to draw me all the way to Germany.

Alfredo and I hitchhiked to the Black Forest. Since hitchhiking is not so common in my country, it was really exciting experience to me. Isn’t it wonderful that my first hitchhiking experience is the way to German Deadhead party?! I just can’t explain how I felt when I finally arrived at Rautsch and met Hajo and all the German Deadhead family. They were all super friendly and sweet like I exactly expect. Yes, they are Deadheads! They welcomed me with a great smile.

My boyfriend in Japan (he is also deadhead) advised me to bring DAT so that I can record the live shows just like the real Dead shows. Thank him, it was right to bring DAT with me. I was able to record wonderful live shows of DEADICACE, SCHLUFF JULL and BILLY GOODMAN & THE VIRGINS. These became the best souvenir and a present to Japanese Deadheads.

Three bands were all so unique and had their own tastes of music that I could hardly believe my ear. They were GREAT! Schluff Jull mainly played their original songs which were fantastic. What I really like about them was that I could feel the warmth in their music. Their music was alive, very heart-warming but full of energetic rhythm. I like them so much.

Deadicace played Dead songs perfectly but somehow very original. Especially I think they did great improvisation. I was dancing like crazy and my mind was just floating around the air during the improvisation. Wow, that was great!

Billy Goodman & The Virgins, well , they are famous enough that I guess I don’t have to say anything. They were so professional. They were just mind-blowing! If you want to know what I’m saying, just listen to their music then you’ll know.

Three dreaming days passed so quickly and still remain deeply in my mind. It was great to share this wonderful experience with German Deadheads. I would like to give special thanks to Hajo and Ralph and the families about giving me a chance to join this beautiful party. One thing I really want to point out last is how they make this party. They were all working together, caring each other, sharing same goal, “Let’s make a great party to have fun!”. There were no borderline between the staffs and audiences. I think this is the reason why the party was a great success despite the unfriendly weather. Sun was shining so bright inside every deadheads’ mind.

Arimi from Tokyo

 

FEIER ON THE MOUNTAIN 1998 – review by Björn Eric Münz

Yeah, and so it happened…

“It was the worst time of our lives, it was the best time of our lives.”

To be exact it was the worst weather in seven weeks – but it was the best celebration in (at least) seven years: “Feier On The Mountain IV, 1998” the traditional summer meeting organized by some – and for all the Germanheads. Yes, there still are some of them (in fact “We are everywhere”). It had surely been “a long strange trip”. But once you had found your way through the deepest jungle of the Black Forest (and it was – indeed – black as night) and you could find the “Rautsch” almost high above the clouds, you were rewarded with a real goody!

People from (almost) all over Europe, the U.S. and even Japan gathered together in a “mountain lodge” and keeping the flame alive – just ignoring the angry forces of the rather unfriendly weather-gods. And there was music everywhere (although only very few were “dancing in the street”):The soundsystem presented the latest livetapes by “The Other Ones” (recorded in June this year) and, of course, there was Live-Music following afterwards.

Well, a decision had to be made when the rainstorm began Friday night – and the decision was right: ll the bands played inside instead of the much bigger but rather wet stage outside. A world premiere: the first indoor Open Air Festival in a living-room – atmosphere.

Both “Schluff Jull” and “Deadicace” played two totally different (and nonetheless fantasic) shows on Fri./Sat. and Sat./Sun. – and Billy Goodman (and one Virgin – his bass player Andrew Krell) played a great show on Saturday night.

Schluff Jull is a German band with a very unique sound. Though I don´t know the name of any of the titles they played (all their own material) you have to believe me that it was just great – their musical roots can be found for sure in the late 60´s Psychedelic Rock but they´re far apart from being an antagonism. The band is inspired by so many musical directions as for instance Folk, Jazz, Soul, and Blues that it is absolutely impossible to describe their sound with words. You simply have to listen to their music…

Schluff Jull (founded in 1985) played material of their first CD “Heartlines” (recorded live) and they also presented their latest CD “Circlin´ Round A Sun” (Taxim-Records) which is – as far as I am concerned – a real masterpiece.

Billy Goodman opened up with a beautiful version of Lowell George´s legendary hymn “Willin”´. He presented well-known classics like “Friend of the devil”, “Black Peter”and “GDTRFB” as well as his and his brother´s compositions (for example “Lost Highway”) and his final gift to us was an ecstatic “Good Shepherd” by the early Airplane (at this point you would really notice tears in some people´s eyes). I would have enjoyed some more encores, but – as he also sang “You Can´t Always Get What You Want”…

But there was more music comin´around: Deadicace from Paris (founded in 1990).

I may be excused that I can´t really remember the first Deadicace-show on Friday night, but there were some reasons for it … (pooh!). All I can remember is that there was a lot of jamming in the air.

But the second Deadicace-show on Saturday (or shall I say Sunday morning?) will stay in my mind forever. This one featured among many others a fantastic “Feel Like A Stranger”, “Franklin´s Tower”, “Sugaree”, “Shakedown Street” and the CSN&Y piece “Long Time Gone” which opened the first set brilliantly. “Here Comes Sunshine”, “Don´t Let Go” and “Bird Song” came about like long-forgotten friends and the latter closed the first set just perfectly. “Scarlet > Fire” and the following “Standing On The Moon > Not Fade Away” were just fantastic and “Morning Dew” was another climax of this show and the pearl of the second set. And I will certainly never forget a very moving “We Bid You Goodnight” – the best way to say “goodnight” to the Deadhead Family.

Everybody involved made the nights turn into day, and almost none noticed that it was not until 4 in the morning that they stopped playing.

Time to take a rest for all of us – musicians and audience. And time to wonder why there can´t be more festivals like that in Good Old Germany.

To me this had been the very first visit to this festival ground and also the first time ever to hear all of the bands – and I wouldn´t want to miss this event in a lifetime.

So gather ´round people and let us wait what tomorrow brings … I just don´t know – maybe another “FEIER on the mountain”!?!

Björn Eric Münz (PapaBear)

DEADICACE SETLISTS:

Friday 21 August

Rain > Viola Lee Blues, Love the One You´re With, Friend of the Devil, That´s what love will make you do, Jack Straw, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, When Push Comes to Shove (?) The Lee Shore>What are their names> Eyes of the World > Playing in the Band, Cold Rain and Snow, I Need a Miracle > Bertha > Wharf Rat,
Deal

Saturday Sat 22 August

Long Time Gone > Here Comes Sunshine > Hey Pocky Way, How Sweet it is, Loose Lucy, Spanish Moon, Help on the Way > Slipknot > Franklin´s Tower, Hawaiian Lei´ing music (!), Shakedown Street,
Mississippi Half Step, Feel like A Stranger, Sugaree, Don´t Let Go, Bird Song, Truckin´ > The Other One > Morning Dew, One More Saturday Night Scarlet Begonias* > Fire on the Mountain*, Standing on the Moon* > NFA*, We Bid You Goodnight*

*3rd Set with Olaf Kalemba (guitar), Michael Becker (percussion), Hajo Lorenz (guitar, vocals on Scarlet Begonias & SOTM)