There was “a lot of movement” recently at Folkshilfe: For the Upper Austrian trio, the time since the last album “Sing” was quite turbulent, which of course also had to do with the corona pandemic and many canceled concerts. When live life slowly returned, they tried everything, “from concerts with seats to open airs,” remembers singer Florian Ritt. But now the focus is on “Vire” again, i.e. forwards, as the new album is titled.
The dialect pop band likes to work with ambiguous content, as is the case with this title, which, in addition to the optimism inherent in the group, is aimed at the fourth studio album. But how did Ritt and his colleagues Gabriel Fröhlich (drums) and Paul Slaviczek (guitar) keep their positive attitude? “As long as you’re passionate about something, you don’t need to be afraid of falling,” Ritt said combatively in the APA interview. “The more you strive for security, the more you fear what’s to come. It’s just uncertain: pandemic, war, energy crisis. We don’t know how the next few years will develop.”
But the musicians are aware of the number six “in the birth lottery”, which the Austrian origin means. With all this in mind, they created an album full of energetic songs that mostly stand for a sunny attitude to life. The band has now arrived. “Somehow we created a niche that was redefined in the legacy of Hubert von Goisern, Attwenger or Ausseer Hardbradler. With the songs we no longer have to prove what you can do with the Quetsch’n”, Ritt plays on his primary instrument on. “We just wanted to write beautiful songs.”
It’s definitely a success: The opener “Kummama” inevitably catches your ear and makes your legs twitch, with “Wir Hebe heid o” you can feel the musical tailwind, and the “Wanderer” looks down from the sunlit peaks into the idyllic valley. “That’s the alpine sound we want to create,” Ritt nods. “Internationally inspired music that still sounds like Austria.” Musically, one had “always been a paradox” anyway. “We’re not that band from the country that grew up with folk music and then had to break out. No, we studied jazz and then made street music. More like a hobby within our job.”
Over the years, a very unique musical identity has developed from this, with which the Folkshilfe has made itself comfortable between the chairs. “The songs from ‘Sing’ ran on Ö3, FM4 and regional stations,” says Ritt. “But we’re never going to be a network figurehead because we’re not the coolest or the trendiest, but that’s one of the biggest achievements.” Ultimately, he understands the group “like a field study in which I am always surprised at what triggers it and how it is defined”. The audience ranges from children to hipsters to grandparents – and that’s a good thing.
The musical diversity is also expressed on the new record through different producers: Markus “Syrix” Lechleitner comes from hip-hop, Lukas Hildebrand is a “real pop musician”, and Christian Kolonovits, Oliver Kerschbaumer and David Raddish also had their fingers in the Game. “It’s just fun to make music together with capable people,” says Ritt. “In this way, no cabin fever arose, we were able to concentrate on the essentials.” When it comes to songwriting, the following applies anyway: “We are very ego-free: the better idea wins.”
“First of all, it’s about the song, which has to work,” says Slaviczek, outlining the working method. “Everything else is then there to support the emotion – no matter what instruments. What the whole thing looks like live: We only open the construction sites when the album is finished. Whether we are there in the middle of the people and a song just singing a cappella with three of you, although it’s well produced on the album, comes later.” In the minutes before a concert, the three musicians goad each other. “It’s like a sports team, we push ourselves a bit beyond the end of our noses,” smiles Slaviczek. “Then the thrill comes and the adrenaline kicks in.”
What this ultimately triggers can be seen on the tour that begins in Lech on April 8th. Folkshilfe performances have always been entertaining and amusing. With the fourth album, they now sound “so grown-up because they feel like they’ve arrived,” summarizes Ritt. In any case, standing still is not an option. “We have arrived in the movement.”
(The interview was conducted by Christoph Griessner/APA)
(S E R V I C E – www.folkshilfe.at )