EVEN IF WE LEAVE THE HOARY OLD CLICHÉ OF THE “STEEL CITY” ASIDE, THE UPPER AUSTRIAN CAPITAL LINZ IS STILL DEFINED BY ITS HISTORICAL ROLE AS A CENTRE OF HEAVY INDUSTRY. BUT AS ATTWENGER RIGHTLY POINT OUT IN THE INTERVIEW BELOW, THE LANDSCAPE AROUND LINZ IS ACTUALLY STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
WHERE DO YOU GO TO HEAR EXCITING MUSIC IN LINZ AND UPPER AUSTRIA?
In Linz to Kapu and Stadtwerkstatt, and in recent years occasionally to Tabakfabrik. Elsewhere there is the Schlachthof in Wels, Kino Ebensee, Röda in Steyr. Also there are festivals such as the Seewiesenfest in Kleinreifling or Kaleidoskop in Ulrichsberg. Sometimes there are good things happening as part of ars electronica, but there was a lot more of that going on back in the eighties than in recent years.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?
The place that inspired us most in recent times was New Orleans, where we played in 2012 as part of a US tour, but in the end inspiration is not tied to a certain place because you can never predict what will suddenly give you an idea and where it will happen. But it’s best to leave the house, the city or the continent every now and again!
NAME A LIFE-CHANGING MUSICAL EVENT THAT YOU EXPERIENCED IN UPPER AUSTRIA.
Arto Lindsay. Stadtwerkstatt 1985.
WHICH HOTELS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO FELLOW MUSICIANS?
In Linz: Prielmayerhof, Steigenberger, Marriott, Hotel am Dom.
WHICH LOCAL MUSIC MEDIA DO YOU APPROVE OF?
KAPUzine, Versorgerin (the Stadtwerkstatt’s own paper), Radio FRO
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOW TO FRIENDS OR MUSICIANS WHO ARE VISITING UPPER AUSTRIA?
Apart from the venues mentioned above there are a lot of tranquil places, inns, swimming pools and lakes in Upper Austria. And lots of countryside.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MUSIC FROM AUSTRIA, PAST AND PRESENT?
Since we were always missing the music that we would have like to hear ourselves, we formed Attwenger in 1990, and this has remained our favourite music in the present and the past.
ATTWENGER´S TIPS IN UPPER AUSTRIA
- KAPU
Kapuzinerstraße 36, 4020 Linz
www.kapu.or.at
- STADTWERKSTATT
Kirchengasse 4, 4040 Linz/Urfahr
www.stwst.at
- TABAKFABRIK
Peter-Behrens-Platz 11, 4020 Linz
www.tabakfabrik-linz.at
- ALTER SCHL8THOF
Dragonerstraße 22, 4600 Wels
www.schlachthofwels.at
- KINO EBENSEE
Schulgasse 6, 4802 Ebensee
www.kino-ebensee.at
- RÖDA
Gaswerkgasse 2, 4400 Steyr
roeda.at
- SEEWIESENFEST
Kleinreiflinger Seewiese, 4464 Kleinreifling
www.seewiesenfest.at
- ULRICHSBERGER KALEIDOSKOP
Jazzatelier Ulrichsberg, Badergasse 2, 4161 Ulrichsberg
www.jazzatelier.at
- ARS ELECTRONICA CENTER,
Ars-Electronica-Straße 1, 4040 Linz
www.aec.at
- HOTEL PRIELMAYERHOF
Weißenwolffstraße 33, 4020 Linz
www.prielmayerhof.at
- STEIGENBERGER HOTEL
Am Winterhafen 13, 4020 Linz
http://de.steigenberger.com/Linz/Steigenberger-Hotel-Linz
- HOTEL COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT
Europaplatz 2, 4020 Linz
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lnzcy-courtyard-linz/
- HOTEL AM DOMPLATZ
Stifterstraße 4, 4020 Linz
www.hotelamdomplatz.at
WHAT ELSE THERE IS TO DISCOVER
- KLANGWOLKE
Donaupark, 4020 Linz
www.klangwolke.at
- WAHN & SINN
Fabrikstraße 1c, 4020 Linz
www.wahn-und-sinn.at
- VINYL CORNER
Bürgerstraße 14, 4020 Linz
http://vinylcorner.at
- KULTURWERK SAKOG
Trimmelkam 112, 5120 Trimmelkam
http://sakog.net
- KIK
Johann-Georg-Hartwagner-Straße 14, 4910 Ried im Innkreis
www.kik-ried.com
- KULTURVEREIN KOMA
4100 Ottensheim
http://koma.ottensheim.at
- OTTENSHEIM OPEN AIR
Rodlgelände Ottensheim, 4100 Ottensheim
www.openair.ottensheim.at
- JAZZFESTIVAL INNTÖNE
Froschau 4, 4776 Diersbach
www.inntoene.com
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