SALZBURG WILL NEVER BE A STOMPING GROUND FOR URBAN HIPSTERS, BUT IT IS THE KIND OF CITY WHERE, BETWEEN SOUNDCHECK AND GIG, YOU MIGHT GO ON A STEEP WALK UP THE MOUNTAIN THROUGH THE WOODS OR TAKE A DIP IN A NEARBY LAKE. SINGER-SONGWRITER MEL LIKES THIS SORT OF THING.
WHERE DO YOU GO IN SALZBURG TO HEAR EXCITING NEW MUSIC?
The “Roter Salon” in the basement of ARGE Kultur. It fits about 130 people at most, and the concert experience is accordingly intense. Rockhouse in Salzburg offers a wide range of events, from intimate blues concerts to the indie festival “Stuck!”. Right next to it there is Freak Sound, an amazing club for electro and techno lovers. A bar called Plan B also puts on small gigs in a cosy setting – perfect for hanging out.
WHERE DO YOU GO TO FIND INSPIRATION?
On clement summer evenings I go to Hintersee, a refreshingly cool lake surrounded by mountains and fields. In the colder season I like to roam through the leafy woods on Kapuzinerberg. After that I might go and see a film at “Das Kino”, Salzburg’s only alternative cinema.
HOW DO YOU ESCAPE THE CONSTANT, TOWERING PRESENCE OF THE PAST IN SALZBURG? OR DO YOU NOT EVEN TRY?
In Salzburg you should live with the past, because the city is a stronghold of classical music, and there is no denying that. But there is a strong wish for more support and tolerance towards alternative cultural ideas, especially among the younger generation!
WHICH HOTEL WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO FELLOW MUSICIANS?
Gasthof Langwied on the road out to Linz. It is a typical Austrian inn with rooms to stay the night. I go there almost every evening for dinner. Or the Hotel Meininger – modern, conveniently priced and a late checkout for musicians!
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOW VISITORS FROM ABROAD?
Riverside Guitars on Ursulinenplatz, a real paradise for guitarists. The Mönchsberg – one of the routes up leads exactly to the Museum der Moderne (museum of modern art). Sphaera on Kapitelplatz, my favourite sculpture in the city. Augustinerbräu, Salzburg’s best beer under old chestnut trees. Jetlag, Herrengasse for vintage furniture, fantastic soul parties and film nights. Musikladen, Linzergasse, a well-stocked record shop with delightful staff and in-store gigs.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC FROM AUSTRIA?
Olympique, Steaming Satellites, M185, Velojet, The Helmut Bergers, Bo Candy And His Broken Hearts, The Boys You Know, Curbs, My Name is Music. And my favourite musical poets in our country’s mother tongue are Der Nino aus Wien, Gustav and Ernst Molden.
MEL´S TIPS IN SALZBURG
- ROTER SALON IM KELLER DER ARGE KULTUR
Ulrike-Gschwandtner-Straße 5, 5020 Salzburg
www.argekultur.at/projekte/rotersalon/
- ROCKHOUSE
Schallmooser Hauptstraße 46, 5020 Salzburg
www.rockhouse.at
- FREAK SOUND
Schallmooser Hauptstraße 48, 5020 Salzburg
klubhaus.at
- PLAN B
Schallmooser Hauptstraße 10A, 5020 Salzburg
www.planb-salzburg.com
- HINTERSEE
- THE WOODS ON KAPUZINERBERG
mountain in the middle of Salzburg
- DAS KINO
Giselakai 11, 5020 Salzburg
www.daskino.at
- GASTHOF LANGWIED
Linzer Bundesstraße 92, 5023 Salzburg-Gnigl
www.aw-langwied.at
- HOTEL MEININGER
Fürbergstraße 18-20, 5020 Salzburg
www.meininger-hotels.com/de/hotels/salzburg
- RIVERSIDE GUITARS
Ursulinenplatz 3, 5020 Salzburg
www.facebook.com/RiversideGuitars
- MÖNCHSBERG
another mountain in the middle of Salzburg
- MUSEUM DER MODERNE
Mönchsberg 32, 5020 Salzburg
www.museumdermoderne.at
- SPHAERA
Kapitelplatz, 5020 Salzburg
- AUGUSTINER BRÄU MÜLLN
Augustinergasse 4, 5020 Salzburg
www.augustinerbier.at
- JETLAG
Herrengasse 28A, 5020 Salzburg
www.jetlag.at
- MUSIKLADEN
Linzergasse 58, 5020 Salzburg
www.musikladen-salzburg.at
WHAT ELSE THERE IS TO DISCOVER
- JAZZIT
Elisabethstraße 11, 5020 Salzburg
www.jazzit.at
- INTERNATIONAL JAZZFESTIVAL SAALFELDEN
www.jazzsaalfelden.com
- KUNSTHAUS NEXUS / SAALFELDEN
Am Postplatz 1, 5760 Saalfelden
www.kunsthausnexus.com
- LOTUS RECORDS / OBERNDORF
Kirchplatz 2/1, 5110 Oberndorf
www.lotusrecords.at
Discover more music from Austria in:
AUSTRIAN HEARTBEATS
A CONTEMPORARY MUSIC TRAVEL GUIDE TO AUSTRIA
Commissioned by Austrian Music Export
Publisher: Verlag für moderne Kunst, Vienna
Contributors: Austrian Music Export and various authors, photographers and illustrators
Design: 3007, Eva Dranaz, Jochen Fill
Edition: 1st English edition, 2014
Translator: Robert Rotifer