The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

In this interview, Zilli Henneberg reflects on his vibrant career, from his early days with the Fischhaus Combo to his current reggae band, sharing decades of passion and evolution.

1. You’ve had an extensive musical journey that began at 14 with your first guitar. How did your early experiences with the “Fischhaus Combo” shape your understanding of music and collaboration?

We were 3 students with 3 guitars who didn't know much. Uwe had classical guitar lessons (nothing for rock blues), Harry had a father who showed him a few fingerings and German folk singing and I only played the guitar, which I learned to play over time on my own. We met someone with a bass and cardboard buckets (drums) and formed a band. 3 guitars were one too many. I was glad that a distant relative from Leuna gave me a piccolo flute at the time, which allowed me to join the band after all. I blew into it a few times and we played “Locomotive Breath” by “Jethro Tull”, which was brand new in 1975. I learned to integrate myself and give some songs a new shine with a few small, skillful whistle notes. Less is sometimes more. I was accepted. Later, that earned me the position of the new bass player in the band, which I still enjoy being today.

2. Your time in the army was pivotal in starting your songwriting journey. Can you share how your surroundings or experiences influenced your early compositions?

Thank you very much. That reminds me that I still have some songs from back then that I hadn't thought of.

My time in the NVA was no walk in the park. Hard training and the constant fear of the class enemy FRG instilled by the Stasi. And maneuvers and tank firing ranges a few times a year.

“Jeans and parka were swapped for a uniform”, constant obedience and pressure, no comparison with the ‘pillepalle Bundeswehr’, where Max, my first son, still had to go. I compensated for these problems by writing songs that I wouldn't have been allowed to sing in public in the GDR. But I always had musicians who played cover music with me, which made life there more pleasant.

3. The Gypsy Swing Duo you formed during your studies sounds intriguing. What drew you to Gypsy Swing, and how did that partnership with Roger Pabst influence your style?

Roger Pabst lives music. He can inspire. He gave up his German studies and went to the conservatory in Halle to get his professional musician's certificate. He was also able to inspire me and I was there as a bass player until the end of my teacher training (2 years). As both exams were on the same day, I decided to become a teacher. Although I still can't sight-read to this day, I learned the relationships of harmony, circles of fifths, different church keys, “gypsy scales”, which were different forwards than backwards, and so on. You're no longer allowed to say gypsy in Germany, so heptatonic scales.

As we played a lot of Django Reinhardt and Biréli Lagrène compositions in our program, their chords and chord progressions also influenced my own songs. They were also damn complicated fingerings. For example, my song “Wie Zelten”, a song about the first homeless family in my home town. I recently reduced it from 17 chords to just 7 with my son Moritz, who also sings it, in order to make it understandable for normal listeners with the latest release. He has the stage name MoritzR.

4. You took a musical pause to focus on being a teacher, father, and husband. How did this life phase influence the themes or tone of the music you created afterward?

My skills in electronics were limited, so I swapped an unfinished soldered amplifier for a saxophone. Instead of a “good night song”, I played the saxophone to my son Max. I had experience with the piccolo flute and at some point my child was able to fall asleep with it.

But I also met a few people from the “Fischhaus Combo” and we formed “Just for fun”. A rock band.


5. After the Wende, you joined the Skaband “Vibration Syndicate.” What inspired you to take on both bass playing and singing roles in the band?

I was unemployed and trying to sell Ponzi scheme insurance. I was chatting to an unemployed man in the pub who was having a great time with me. I then asked him what he did. He said he was the drummer in a newly formed ska band and was looking for a bass player.

Ska was a foreign word to me, Google didn't exist yet and the Internet was still in its infancy.

So I had a look at it. It was basically like blues, only funnier and it got your legs moving. Exactly my thing. In the beginning, the band only played their own songs, which was nice and new for me. Of course that inspired me to write new songs of my own. Bass and singing was never a problem for me. Since the “Fischhaus Combo”, I've always warbled 1-2 songs to the bass. Laurel Aitken had grown very fond of me for covering and I was the boogie man in the band.

What was new: During the studio recordings from 2006 to around 2009, I switched bass with our trumpet player from time to time and then I played the saxophone because the saxophonist had left. That's why not only the bass but also my saxophone is on both recordings.

6. Several of your songs were featured on “Is this Ska…” and “Skalarm.” Can you tell us about the creative process behind those tracks and what they mean to you personally?

“Vibration Syndicate” was more like a team without a boss. The more I convinced the others of my songs, the more I was able to sing my songs. Of course you're proud when your own song is on a CD. And when I look at the band's statistics on Spotify today, “Fröhlich sein und singen” is always at the top of the list. Incidentally, that's also the name of my last EP. I re-recorded “Fröhlich sein und singen” with MoritzR. I always missed the saxophone solo.

7. You’ve played a variety of instruments over the years, from guitar and bass to saxophone. How has mastering multiple instruments impacted your approach to songwriting and arranging music?

My instrument is the bass. But for my studio work it's useful to play a good rhythm guitar, I've also worked with the keyboard, I played it myself on “Reggae Regina” and “Sinn und Ziel”, but otherwise it was always MoritzR who played it as my main instrument. I only bought a new saxophone two years ago just for the recordings. I really enjoy hearing how the saxophone notes find their place in the arrangements even without knowing the notes. I usually record on 8 to 12 tracks. I'm a fan of brass music.

In the neighboring village, I went through the village with the village band for several years at the fair (church consecration) and also took part in the carnival.

8. Your transition into programming and forming “Triple M” with your sons shows a different side of you. How does playing music with family differ from collaborating with bandmates?

That is no different when making music. You first work on a song as equals and then have fun playing together. There are fathers who go to the stadium with their children. Since I spent my childhood on the soccer field (my father played somewhere else every weekend), I have nothing to do with sports. I have more fun making music with the kids.

They know that and I always get a voucher for street music for my birthday.

By the way, on the advice of my physiotherapist, I have to exercise regularly, which is why I bought myself skikes during a break from recording the album “Skalarm”. These are roller skis. Since then I've been doing sport regularly and don't have any major disc problems.

9. The viral success of “Melona Coco” marked a new chapter in your career. What was it like transitioning from creating music at home to producing full albums?

Being on stage is always a better feeling for me.

Producing albums is also fun, but it's more like working on a motorcycle.

You check in the evening to see if everything is shiny or if you need to screw and polish it again.

It's more like working, programming. When you're on stage, you've done your work and you let your hair down.

Of course, I've put together a considerable amount of playback material.

I've done a lot of events as a playback singer. People think that playback is always easier, but that's not true for me.

It requires a lot of concentration. In a band, you just start again later. If you miss the cue here, you've messed up.


10. You’ve participated in prominent talent shows like The Voice of Germany and Das Supertalent. What were the most valuable lessons or memorable moments from those experiences?

So if you can't wait, you're in the wrong place. You spend most of your time waiting at these shows. Waiting is the main occupation. For hours on end.

I was very happy with my TV appearance. The only thing that wasn't so good was that it wasn't on TV. Bruce interviewed me and I had the laughs on my side, even from Dieter Bohlen, but of course you couldn't do that.

The audience applause wasn't generated by the pre-clapper either, that was important for me. It just wasn't a cover song. It was called “RTL das Supertalent” and was commissioned by RTL. Maybe they understood the lyrics and that's why it wasn't broadcast. I had to give interviews for at least 6 TV stations, which were then not allowed to broadcast it either.

“There is only one super talent - RTL-Das-Supertalent” is the ending of the song. The song later went viral with the EP “Blitzer”.

Conclusion: All the shows are just about the organizer.


11. In 2024, you joined a Reggaeband after a long tenure with “Vibration Syndicate.” What excites you most about this new project, and how does it differ from your past bands?

As we know, reggae historically came after ska and developed from it. It doesn't happen that quickly. That's exactly what I need now that I'm over 60.

As with “Vibration Syndicate”, the drummer found me. He brought along a very good bongo man and a very good reggae singer.

I asked a guitar virtuoso I knew from the musicians' regulars' table and my son Moritz.

We got together and started playing right away. And it sounded like music. You don't have to explain anything to anyone. The drummer makes sure that it stays reggae and doesn't turn into ska. Just a community having fun together. And where things move.

Our aim is to be ready for gigs in the summer. Of course, “being happy and singing” will not be missing. It's much nicer to make music in a community than always alone.

A good perspective.


12. Looking back on your musical career, from “Fischhaus Combo” to your current Reggaeband, what do you hope listeners take away from your music and journey?

My music and the fun of it.

Everything could have gone better, but it's still early days. Hope dies last.

There's new music from me for now and the next single is in the works.


Zilli

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