Goch
The Gocher hard rock band released a new Corona single with a political message at the turn of the year.
–
The Corona crisis is a difficult time for the entire music scene. “Of course, that also applies to us. Nevertheless, we want to add our mustard again now. If the whole year is marked by Corona, we want and have to pick it up musically, ”says drummer Phil. His band“ Alfred Johnson ”brought out the single“ When the world needs us again ”at the turn of the year. It is available on all major streaming platforms on the Internet, including YouTube and Spotify.
“We’re just Alfred Johnson”
The band “Alfred Johnson” consists of six men between the ages of 24 and 43, all with a long musical career. The genre? Somewhere on the borderline between rock and hard rock. They like to talk about their music, but not about their full names. “We don’t like to bring them into public. Our own names don’t belong there. We’re just Alfred Johnson, ”says Phil, who also only wants to appear with his stage name. In 2018 the sextet was founded in the “Viller Mühle” of the insane puppeteer Heinz Bömler.
The six-member band surprisingly won the WDR2 talent competition “Best in the West” in 2020. In any case, the band has been on the rise since its inception. So she released the first album “Viller” with ten songs on Easter Sunday 2020. The works have now been played thousands of times online. The group already has a name internationally, now “Alfred Johnson” wants to become better known in the Lower Rhine region. However, all concerts had to be canceled recently, a total of twelve appearances.
Rehearsals take place in the primary school in Hassum
Work on the new single began in October. Rehearsals started in the rehearsal room in the old elementary school in Hassum. But the artistic process was suddenly interrupted by the renewed lockdown. “We can no longer come together in accordance with the Corona regulation, so we leave it,” says Phil. So the fine-tuning of the song had to take place via video conferences. “At the moment, a lot of things have to be coordinated by circulation. Someone makes a suggestion, sends it around – and then the group discusses it. But this way is not optimal, ”says Phil. Nevertheless, one is in good spirits that the new song will be a success.
To strong melodies, the band sings, for example: “The streets are deserted / I’m alone with my fainting / My thoughts are no longer circling / That wasn’t the way it was.” “We really experienced an extreme loss of fun last year. Regardless of whether it is a professional or a hobby band – everyone misses the performances. It makes no difference whether we stand in front of ten or 200 people. We just want to go back on stage, ”says Phil. So recently there was simply no balance to everyday life. A “loss of culture” has thus taken place in the music scene.
Clear edge against conspiracy theorists
The now published song brings confident messages to the people with hearty sounds – and takes a clear edge against conspiracy theorists: “The song goes against all the corona deniers, chemtrailers, flat-earers, populists and their supporters out there. These would see hatred in society with conspiracy theories, rumors, lies and targeted misinformation. You would see this hatred in order to reap discord, that is, to bring us all apart. But we stand together and will never go under as a peaceful community, ”says drummer Phil.
The band:
>> The group was founded in 2018 in the Viller Mühle. The trademark of the six friends are not only hearty sounds, but also self-irony. In addition to drummer Phil, there are also singers Uwe, bassists Tim and Dan, and guitarists Henk and Jay.
– .
