about the cd "fucoustic plays fugazi"

on the new cd you will find 13 tracks with very diverse arrangements.
we have used such techniques as scratching and beating on our guitars,
whispering and shouting and just about anything we could think of to
generate as much intensity as possible from our interpretations of the
originals.

get our cd here or at trost records (austria), conspiracy records (germany),
cd baby (usa)

that’s what other people wrote about the cd ...

”Cover bands aren't really taken seriously by most music critics and
enthusiasts. There is, however, a loophole: If you can take a song,
reinterpret it and add a new element that makes the song somehow
your own, then cover away, my friends.

Austrians Daniel Amann and Andi Ganter of Fucoustic live permanently
in the cover-band loophole, which is why their record, Fucoustic Plays
Fugazi, is fascinating enough to merit this review.

Fugazi, as most fans can tell you, is all about creating guitar sounds;
thus, to take a Fugazi song and play each and every part on an acoustic
guitar is at once beautiful and unsettling in a good way. "Forensic Scene,"
from Fugazi's Red Medicine, sounds more tragic and emotional on acoustic
guitars, and "Break" from End Hits, sounds jazzy and haunting. "Cashout"
and "The Argument," both from Argument, use cello to help accent the basic
melodic structure of the songs, which are much more subdued than the
originals. That's to be expected from acoustic guitars and cello, but it only
enhances the angry and melancholic nature of the songs. Some songs,
though, sound virtually unchanged, like "Birthday Pony" and "Sweet and Low."
But in each case, without the aid of effects and drums and bass, the songs
on Fucoustic Plays Fugazi are reduced to their essential tensions, and, not
surprisingly, hold up well."

Tucson weekly  USA / Jan 2005 by Annie Holub

fucoustic live

since 2002 fucoustic have played live in vienna (chesea, b72, salztorbrücke),
linz (kapu, stattwerkstatt), steyr (röda), münchen (theatron) etc. feldkirch
(rauch club, poolbar), dornbirn (spielboden), bregenz (einklang), - concerts
as support act for nomeansno (canada), zu (italy), i am x (uk), stereo total
(germany) ...

contact / book us here or www.uglytreerecords.com

fucoustic interview

(by dean jason / on "seven inches" / july 2007)

I knew my friend Mike loved Fugazi. We were in Vermont one summer and I overheard him

talking about Red Medicine with my friend Matt. I liked Fugazi as much as the next guy, but

hadn’t really given them much thought in years. I had kind of chalked them up to high school

and hadn’t visited them since.

Then I came a cross this listing on Toddpnyc.com for an acoustic Fugazi cover band from

Austria and that sounded like it would at least be a reason to hang out with my friend and

maybe hear some Fugazi. What I heard was way beyond our expectations and Mike

immediately started talking to them right after the show.

We sat down with Daniel, Andreas and Christine from Fucoustic, I let Mike do most of the

talking as we bought rounds of PBR’s for each other at Don Pedro’s. This was their first

show in the United States and they were playing all over the country the next few weeks

but I like to think this is a 7inches.blogspot first. An exclusive. The first US Fucoustic interview:

Mike - The thing to me that was really very interesting was your song selection. You chose stuff

like tracks off Red Medicine, that were a little bit… well like b-sides that they didn't play that much

in concert even. Why did you choose those songs?

Daniel - Because they were our favorites… we try to play Waiting Room but it doesn't work with

two guitars, he (Andi) plays the bassline and some songs don't work but normally... we play

those we like. Some are just more interesting, to play a punk song on two acoustic guitars.

M - How do you feel going to Washington DC?

D - We are really nervous, because we asked him (Ian) if we play there, the black cat, if he

would come and yesterday he sent an email back saying, me and Amy are going to be there.

M - Oh my god.

D - We've met him before in Switzerland we've talked a little bit, of course I’m nervous.

M - The first time I saw Fugazi was in .....1992, I’m 32 now so I think I was 18 when I first saw

them live but I was a fan in ‘89 like you.

D - I was living in the country and my neighbor was studying in Vienna, the biggest city we've

got, and I asked him ‘Give me some punk music’ and he gave me like Bad Religion and like

Dinosaur Jr. Fugazi for me was like another kind of music. Even the name Fugazi sounded

to me like raggazzi, it sounded Italian a bit, but how they played the guitars it was for me like

another kind of music. Totally different.

M - What do think of when your onstage? Are you trying to emulate Fugazi?

D - No, we just try to keep up the intensity in a way. For us the music is the most important

and its just fun to play them. I play... we play in other bands too but although they are not our

songs they are our interpretations.

M - Fugazi is kind of on a hiatus right now, and you guys are the closest thing that I’ve got to

seeing them live and I have to say… I felt like I was at a show. I had the same kind of feelings

that I had when I’ve seen them.

D- Thank you.

M - I think your song choice was amazing. Why didn't you decide to do Waiting Room?

Because it doesn't work?

D - Yes, and there are other songs…we have a western country version of Promises but

we don't play it...we tried to play it but it didn't work out. I like Shut the Door best because that’s

a really original interpretation because its so different.

M - Is it at all intimidating? Covering one of Americas most influential punk bands?

D - I don't know… you know because in Austria they are not that famous, but here...for us it was

 not a problem so far, but now people know them here of course... so I don’t know.

M - It was so refreshing to hear these songs played live, like, The Argument was so well done.

D - Such a song like that is easy to do because its quiet,… slow… there’s a lot of melody.

M - I noticed you doing a lot of the instrumental kind of percussive hits with the guitar…

D - Sometimes we work with what is going on with the snare drum in the original, I play up on

the guitar like this or bass parts...sometimes they have things feedback, we can't do it so we

do other things.

M - Are you staying in Brooklyn?

D - Yes, we are staying at some kind of like strange hotel, I think people just go to have sex

there.

M - Are you going to do anything special tomorrow?

D - I think we are just trying to find the way to the bus station and find the right greyhound.

For us its very exciting you know we know a lot of streets from movies, and then you see it...

M - Is your set at the black cat going to be different then the set tonight?

D - We didn't really have a set… we just decided what was next…

M - Much like Fugazi.

D - They also start songs without telling others, we don’t go that far…

M (To Christine, the cellist) How did you get to know these guys?

Christine - We've been friends. We live in the small town.

M - The songs were so good, you did such a good job, and you know... they are my favorite

band, I was a little skeptical.

D - That’s very interesting. We play some shows and it seems people come to get upset

and then they leave quite ok with it.

M - One of the things Fugazi does is they exercise restraint. They have the potential to be

 full blown punk rock band but they hold back and I think that was really something that

as always really precious to me and I hope to other Fugazi fans.

Andreas - That’s exactly what we wanted to do.

M - Are you going to play on your way back through NY?

A - I don’t think so

C - Maybe in the street

M - How many more songs do you guys have in your repertoire?

A - I think that was half, more than half.

M - How long does it take to interpret a song?

D - When we start playing Andi starts something and I just know what’s coming next.

A song works in about half an hour or it doesn't work. Then its just like trying to make it our

own.

M - One song I was hoping to hear tonight that you didn't play was Long Division.

D - Yes....well it’s in our CD. That’s just with one guitar and the rhythm egg but we thought

its just too...it’s silent.

A - I think we play it tomorrow.

M - When you meet with Ian tomorrow are you going to ask when they are going to play again?

D - No. It’s not a good question, I think it’s his lifetime achievement or whatever is Fugazi.

I think they would play, but they can't tour because Brendan has got 3 kids and so on. They are

only Fugazi if those 4 people are there, they don't do another record without touring...there are

rules, I don't know.

M - In the beginning of the show you apologized for your jokes. I think you guys so completely

did the songs justice there wasn’t a question if this was serious at all, the performance was perfect.

A - The thing is you know, that we respect them. You know we are not Fugazi and it’s a different

time so .... we pay respect but at the same time we have some jokes. We don’t want to be a copy

or whatever. Its just out of respect and fun to do that. I hope sometimes...you know the jokes aren’t

so fitting but we try to talk to the crowd. We are making a second album and it comes out in the autumn

and we cannot give it away for free, we do not earn that much. We are teachers, its just about getting

back the costs.

M - Of course, of course.

A - The sound is very clear we recorded it by ourselves, Daniel is a sound engineer as well, we used

some very good microphones.

M - I was telling Daniel I met Ian once and we came close to actually playing a show with Fugazi.

They were calling us back, but the venues were too small, we tried really hard to put it together.

They were so influential in the music scene in so many ways for me.

A - It’s the same for us you know, I think that’s going cross country you know. That a human attitude

that he showed and still shows. Here everybody I think money is the big thing, and of course in Europe

its the same but I think here people could die in the street and as long as you have your money you don't

care.

M - Is the show sold out?

A - I don’t know. We are paying with 2 other bands but Ian is showing up... what more do you want?

He liked the CD so...

M - Well I wish you guys the best of luck tomorrow. Jason knew about you guys and called me, and I

know I want to see you guys again.

D - Tomorrow?

J + M - Tomorrow!