The artists of the Cordial Family

The band name – literally translated”100 kilos of heart“ – unmistakably describes how much energy and love are embedded in these guys coming from the area around Leipzig. Forget other bands’ insignificant punk rumpus – these boys offer you classical punk rock combined with trumpet and sax sounds. Since 2015 the guys have been rocking the stages and festivals with this unusual combination together with punk legends like Sondaschule, Oxo86, Freibeuter or Toxoplasma. It's never just about the music. Even though their stuff often enough deals with life, music is still an escape from everyday life - for the band and hopefully also for one or the other listener. It won't change the world, but it will make your own life more livable. At least sometimes. So, in their work, they want to crystallize some of the romanticism that makes up real punk rock and sometimes face the consequences, too. 

Grammy Award winner Andrew Gouche is known for his amazing bass playing skills, his impeccable tone and for 40 years of laying the musical foundations for numerous world-class artists including Quincy Jones, Prince, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Snoop Dogg.

Widely known as the "Godfather of Gospel Bass", Andrew Gouche encountered Cordial cables at Summer NAMM in Nashville in 2018,  when he presented his signature bass model, created in collaboration with Michael Tobias, at the booth next to ours. He was immediately thrilled by the quality of the Cordial cables, which quickly led to a “cordial” and creative business relationship of which the most significant result so far is his own Cordial signature cable, the CSI PP ANDREW GOUCHE.

Beyond The Black’s success story began in 2015 with the band’s debut album "Songs Of Love And Death". The album stayed in the Top 15 of the charts for weeks and earned the band the prestigious "Metal Hammer" award in the category "Best Debut Album". Then the band lived up to its earlier success with its follow-up “Lost In Forever”, which went to #4 in the charts in 2016 and resulted in a huge Beyond The Black tour through Germany, Great Britain, Russia and Japan. At the Wacken Open Air the band has been an institution for 6 years now and, furthermore, Beyond The Black also accompanied superstars like Aerosmith, Korn, the Scorpions or Within Temptation as a support act. In the fall of 2019, the band started its first European tour as the headline act. “Hørizøns”, the band’s current studio album even rocketed to #3 of the official German charts.

Founded in 2012, the alternative rock band Blackout Problems convinces with a creative balancing act between different genres. Their songs defy the usual classification categories. Atmospheric guitar riffs will burn themselves into your into the long-term memory of every Alexisonfire or Being As An Ocean fan and heavy melancholic sentiments and sensations will give you hot and cold goose bumps, the balancing act between engulfing intellectuality and catchy tangs reminds of alternative greats like Biffy Clyro. Ultimately you will experience unheard-of Alternative Rock positioned between wide arcs of suspense, post-hardcore-influenced vigor, piano melancholy and electronic feedback sounds – a distinct outcry, at the same time passionately torn and coldly disillusioned.

Live the 4 guys from Munich put on  a show that puts some world stars in the shade. No wonder: Besides support tours with Massendefekt, Heisskalt, Jennifer Rostock, Apologies, I Have None and Royal Republic they can look back on some celebrated and impressive gigs at Circus Halligalli, BR Puls Startramp or the Rocket Beans. In line with this, their 2016 debut "Holy" gained a position in the Top 50 of the German album charts.

In 2018 the young band from Munich carried on and went one better with their second album, "Kaos", released on the band's own label Munich Warehouse. Even more masterful and commanding, even stronger on the vocal side, even more dynamic due to the band’s typical mix of rigorousness and calmness. 
This band is proceeding - and progressing – steadily. We’re looking forward to a lot more goodies!

Bavarian Future Rock, stage performances wrapped in gold, lots of space for synthesizers within their songs: all these are ingredients preparing the soil for Brew Berrymore. Over 100,000 plays on Spotify for the singles of their debut album "Have A Beer in Stratosphere" and around 100 celebrated live gigs plus various support tours with known acts since the founding of the band in 2017 have proven that the concept of the newcomers from Regensburg is succeeding.

Since many years, the drummer Dirk Brand is on the road for well-known personalities within the music world. He has played at some of the biggest international metal festivals with the metal act Axxis, while with SUBSIGNAL he moves in prog rock circles around the world. But also various big musicals like "Evita" or Hair" as well as travels for the Goethe Institute are outstanding aspects within his vita. He has also made quite a name for himself as a drumming lecturer in academies or at professional events. His activities as brand ambassador and drum book author complete the overall picture as a music all-rounder. We can be sure of one thing: there is still a lot to come!

The band from Ibbenbüren already gained first laurels in the mid 90s during joint concerts with bands like Propagandhi, No Fun At All, blink-182, No Use for a Name and Terrorgruppe. By the end of the decade they could already be seen on the big festival stages. Their mix of hardcore and pop with a touch of emo and a good helping of melody has continued to be successful. But what really makes the band what it is, what it symbolizes is, above all, their socio-critical and anti-fascist attitude.

On the occasion of the band's 25th anniversary, the combo released their second best-of album “Silverhochzeit” in summer 2019 - gaining a top 10 position in the German album charts. During an extensive final tour, the band announced they would stop playing live for an indefinite period of time. However, you will certainly still hear a lot more from the Donots in the future.

MARATHONMANN are one of the few bands that don't just come up to expectations, but always exceed them. Even though their first EP "Die Stadt gehört den Besten" became a hit within the scene in 2012, less than one year after forming the band, and after numerous national and international support shows and appearances at major festivals, the Munich band have never just ensconced themselves in a cozy  comfort zone. On the contrary, as their previous three albums and two Eps show, they have always allowed themselves the opportunity, the freedom to advance into new musical territories without giving up the foundation of their typical sound. A tightrope act that MARATHONMANN have mastered again with the creation of their fourth studio album "Die Angst sitzt neben dir".

While other bands are often paralyzed from shock with the onset of success, i.e. having great difficulties developing artistically, the South German post-hardcore combo is well and truly striving for change. So the musicians again ventured into unknown waters in the process of creating their new record. This time they have also tried out novel piano and synth sounds that perfectly complement the typical MARATHONMANN sound and take it to a new level.
"We just wanted to find out what we could do and where this journey would take us," explains singer Michi. "I just wanted to be ballsy and check myself out". Guitarist Leo thought likewise, because he became involved in the band’s songwriting process  for the first time and straight away contributed several songs to the new album. "The sentiment that we have to prove something to someone has disappeared and that feels incredibly good", Michi sums up.

Topically, MARATHONMANN don't shy away from any challenge either, because, as the title of the album already suggests, everything revolves around the theme of fear. "We all have fears that have haunted us since the day we were born," the singer states. "In the beginning we’re all afraid of darkness, ghosts or loneliness. Later, more and often greater fears of failure or loss are added. We can suppress them, but somehow they always manage to get back to the surface and, ultimately, they will accompany us until we die." The new record by the guys from Munich addresses these feelings of fear and insecurity. And, thus, the musicians don't just break a taboo that affects all people - they also face their own demons with their new album "Die Angst sitzt neben dir".

Mrs. Greenbird - honest, handmade and maybe a little bit weird.

The folk pop duo Mrs. Greenbird from Cologne (Germany) provided one of the very rare music business success stories. Starting off as wedding singers in 2006, singer Sarah Nuecken and guitarist Steffen Brueckner played their way through bars, restaurants and laundromats to chisel their skills and build a solid fanbase. Mrs. Greenbird’s music is multifaceted, blending their strong harmony vocals with their very own musical style - they summed up in one simple word: Singersongwritercountryfolkpop.

Their favorite Cordial products (excerpts):

• CXI PP-SKY
• CXI RP-SNOW-SILENT
• CSM FM-CRYSTAL

Oli Schulte is a multi-instrumentalist and works in many musical areas. He dedicates himself to the sound design of e-drums in the studio, and composes his own music within the rock and electro range. Due to his experience in many projects and bands (Hartmann, Mindblow, Axel Ritt, Good Temper, Samy Saemann) with far more than 1000 gigs, he has learned to appreciate the value of good cables and has relied on Cordial cables for years.

Cordial means "heartfelt". The composition of honest music only succeeds with one''s heart and with full passion. This conviction can also be found in the quality of the cables made by "Cordial ". My first choice for both studio and stage!

Sandersdorf is a (very) small village somewhere in the boonies of Bavaria, located in the Altmühltal, between Ingolstadt and Regensburg. And a breeding ground for sophisticated, even avant-garde pop. For the ones wanting to shake a leg and being intellectually challenged by the music, too. Sandersdorf is the birthplace of the band Pam Pam Ida.

Andreas Eckert, singer, founded the band in 2015 and the first song was released. 2 years later, the band really got going with first live concerts. By now, Pam Pam Ida has released 3 records and is touring way beyond Bavaria’s borders. No matter where Pam Pam Ida performs or where their albums ("Altmodisch", "Optimist", "Sauber") are listened to - the song lyrics on very intimate or socio-critical topics, sugared by sweet irony, are processed by the brain, communicated to the heart via your bloodstream and vice versa (even though untrained ears unfamiliar with the Bavarian lingo might have to listen very closely to get the meaning of their lyrics initially).

Pop music? Well, yes. But of an unusual kind and anything but "off the rack". Somehow "80s" and yet incredibly modern.

Pam Pam Ida are probably Bavaria's hottest pop hope at the moment – for some time now they haven't been regarded as an insider tip anymore. No wonder, because they truly amaze everybody with their diverse and multifaceted skills, including a wide range between irony and seriousness, art and comedy. Funny stories between the songs, and then a song that makes you feel like crying your eyes out. For roller coasters and adventurers alike.

Not only in Germany, but almost worldwide, musicians associate the name Peter Bursch with his almost legendary guitar teaching books. "Peter Bursch's Guitar School" has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. However, his activities go far beyond the writing of these works. Born in the late 40s, he has been giving guitar concerts worldwide since 1965. In 1968 he founded BRÖSELMASCHINE, one of the oldest - and still very active - rock bands in Germany. At the end of the 60s, he also started teaching at various colleges and academies. For over 45 years he has been writing guitar and songbooks, many of them have been published on almost every continent. He is also permanently active as a journalist: many well-known German-language magazines in the music field have been relying on his collaboration for decades. At the NAMM Show in California, he has performed - often in workshops - with the crème de la crème of the guitarist scene: Steve Vai, Uli Roth, Billy Sheehan, Albert King, to name only a few. His repertoire also includes TV and (rock) theater formats. He organizes music event tours or seminars and also appears on the scene as a technical developer in guitar building. Peter Bursch is the "guitar teacher of the nation" - and furthermore, he has been an institution in (rock) culture for more than half a century.

Ronja Maltzahn is a true cosmopolitan, her home is the whole world. She is a musical globetrotter. In 2019 alone she gave more than 200 concerts in more than 15 countries (from living room stages in small towns and villages in Germany to the big festival stage in Buenos Aires in front of three thousand people).
Over the course of her life - she is in her mid-20s now - she has already found inspiration for her music and the stories she tells on 4 continents. She sings in German, English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, French and Dutch - and accompanies herself on various instruments like the cello, the guitar and the piano.

At the end of 2020 her new album #WORLDPOP will be released. Recorded in Germany (in collaboration with very nearly 50 artists), mixed by Grammy Award winner Sebastian Perkal from Argentina and mastered in San Francisco.

Since 2012 Sophie Chassée has been performing on stages all around Germany. The young musician charms her audiences with her virtuosic and filigree modern fingerstyle guitar playing à la Andy McKee or Ben Howard and her unique, soft voice. This dazzling combination of guitar virtuosity and gifted singing & songwriting regularly causes blank astonishment in the audience and by now she treads the boards with world-famous guitarists like Jon Gomm, Michael Fix, Joscho Stephan or André Krengel. Her fourth studio album, produced by fingerstyle legend Peter Finger and released on Acoustic Music Records, will be launched in 2020.

Sophie is also a founding member of the Osnabrück-based RnB/NeoSoul band Karanoon, where her skills on the electric guitar are in great demand. In this constellation she also contributes as a songwriter and is involved in the musical arrangements of the band as well. Karanoon already played as supporting act for the world-famous Hammond organist Lutz Krajenski and have been calling attention to themselves in the alternative jazz scene due to their very distinctive sound. The band's debut album will follow in autumn 2020.

Besides her own bands and projects, Sophie is a permanent band member of the German newcomer musician Alli Neumann, for who she is playing the bass guitar for a change.  Alli Neumann is the new rising star of the German music industry and is increasingly attracting attention due to joint productions with, for example, hip hop singer Trettmann, Max Herre, director Kim Frank or Detlev Buck. Sophie has already accompanied Alli Neumann on tours with Billions and Annenmaykantereit, at support shows for Trettmann or Joy Denalane and has played at festivals across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as Lollapalooza, Rocken am Brocken or Zürich Open Air. She  has also already had amazing TV appearances at Neo Magazin Royale or Inas Nacht. In winter 2019, the first sold out headliner tour followed (Herz ist Trumpf) and in spring 2020 there will be  a second, during which Sophie will also play the bass guitar.

Bassist Sven Holscher musically navigates within a comprehensive spectrum between Classical, Jazz and Latin American music, complemented by constant experimentation with sound design. Born in Chile, he studied Classical Double Bass and Jazz Bass in Munich at the "Hochschule für Musik und Theater". During this time, he expanded his musical horizons through musical activities in symphony orchestras to contemporary jazz ensembles.

He further developed his artistic identity through private lessons with Andrés Rotmistrovsky and Willy González. One of his main specialties is the Tango - here he completed his skills with high-ranking artists such as Lila Horovitz and Juan Pablo Navarro.

Among his current activities are projects like the "Berlin Baires Trio" with Grammy award winner Quique Sinesi, the tango trio "Milonga Roots", the Latin jazz quintet Yacarandá and the South American duo "Angirû Project".

Göttingen 1997: four best friends who were into punk rock and who wanted to establish their own band. The birth of ZSK - the instruments were drawn by lot, knowing 3 chords had to be enough for starters. Back then it was called "Punk rock with heart and brain". And: it worked. First gigs in Juzes and houses occupied by squatters, the move to Berlin. In the meantime ZSK, with a break between 2007 and 2011, are a renowned authority, playing big festivals and on prestigious stages. Ever-present: their commitment against right-wing violence and racism.

In 2006, ZSK launched the campaign "Kein Bock Auf Nazis" (Can’t stand Nazis), with which ZSK has supported anti-fascist protests throughout Germany with information stands since. Their current album "Hallo Hoffnung" expresses ZSK's state of mind: Angry, furious, loud and yet thoughtful. With Guido, member of the Donots and Chris No. 2, bass player of the US-American punk rock legends Anti-Flag.  

Ace - Guitar
Eike - Bass
Joshi - Vocals & Guitar
Matthias - Drums

Photo Credit: Matthias Zickrow