Song of the Day 7/10: The Heimatdamisch, “Highway to Hell”
It’s not showing up on the GPS, but I’m pretty sure we’re rolling down the highway to hell, which gets us there a lot faster than that old ferry boat ever could. As my dad used to say, we’re making good time.
The Heimatdamisch is a Bavarian band in the New Folk movement — what, did you think Americans were the only people into roots music? — that specializes in updating classic rock songs in a folk style known as Oberkrainer, distinguished from other oom-pah music by the instrumentation. It’s certainly a far cry from Krautrock.
The band is the led by drummer Florian Rein, and features singer/guitarist Conny Kreitmeier, who had a thriving career as a cabaret singer before joining this circus in 2015. I don’t remember where I stumbled across this cut, but apparently it got millions of views when it was posted on Facebook a few years ago.
Kreitmeier might be the star of the band, but Max Grasmüller enlivens this one with a mean tenor sax solo.
I hope this puts to rest the idea that Germans have no sense of humor. They have one, it’s just very strange.
Oberkrainer is my new favorite thing. If just knocked this of its lofty perch as my favorite thing: “I’m pretty sure we’re rolling down the highway to hell, which gets us there a lot faster than that old ferry boat ever could. As my dad used to say, we’re making good time.”