LARS KUTSCHKE IS A BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE! HIS WARM AND ROUND TONE COMBINED WITH A BRILLIANT TECHNIQUE AND INVENTIVE SOLOING MAKES HIM A PERFECT ANSWER TO THE HAMMOND ORGAN.” - JOEY DE FRANCESCO
“LARS’ PHARASING AND NOTE CHOICE ARE IMPECCABLE AND HE STRETCHES WAY OUT WITHOUT EVER ABANDONING THE GROOVE…HE’S WELL VERSED IN ALL TYPES OF AMERICAN MUSIC BUT COMES TO IT WITH A CONTINENTAL FLAIR THAT’S HYPNOTIC AND INTRUIGING” - MIKE O’CULL, ROCK & BLUES MUSE
“ SOULFUL BLUES SONGS WITH INCOMPARABLE GUITAR PLAYING BY LARS KUTSCHKE” - BLUESMAGAZINE.NL
Help us get the new EP out! 5 tracks to be released, plus 4 videos that were shot live in the studio.
News!
We got into the studio recording tracks that I wrote especially for the occasion. The band is featuring drummer Chris Coleman, bassist Tom Götze & my long time collaborator Till Sahm. We threw in strings and horns for a healthy measure and cannot wait to present the results. While mixing and editing is happening, I kindly ask for Your support so we can get this underway! Below You find the link to my crowdfunding campaign.
upcoming shows summer/fall/winter
15/08/24 Brașov Jazz&Blues (RO) - Sharrie Williams
15/08/24 Brasov, Deane’s Grill (RO) - Late Nite Jam w/ LK Band
16/08/24 Brașov Jazz&Blues (RO) - LK Band feat. Nicu Patoi & Berti Barbera
16/08/24 Brasov, Deane’s Grill (RO) - Late Nite Jam w/ LK Band
17/08/24 Brasov, Deane’s Grill (RO) - Late Nite Jam w/ LK Band
18/08/24 Brașov Jazz&Blues (RO) - Sharrie Williams
23/08/24 Weimar, DNT (DE) - Ramba Zamba Bar
24/08/24 Schwedt, Jüdisches Museum (DE) - Ars Musica Elletricca - Music of Heinrich Schütz
25/08/24 Batzdorfer Barockfestspiele (DE) - Ars Musica Elletricca - Music of Heinrich Schütz
30/08/24 Dresden, Junge Garde (DE) - Olaf Schubert Jubiläum - mit Annamateur
01/09/24 Dresden, Kultur Am Pavillon (DE) - LK w special guests
07/09/24. Wernigerode, TBA (DE) - Keimzeit
11/09/24 Weimar, DNT (DE) - Across the Universe
22/09/24 Weimar, DNT (DE) - Across the Universe
27/09/24 Magdeburg (DE) Keimzeit
28/09/24 Lübeck (DE) Keimzeit
04/10/24 Batzdorf, Jazz Feudal (DE) - Soundsville (LK, Alberto Marsico & Luca Guarino)
06/10/24 Batzdorf, Jazz Feudal (DE) - Isabella Lundgren , Matthias Eichhorn & Lars Kutschke
10/10/24 Bad Köstritz (DE) - Ars Musica Elletricca - Music of Heinrich Schütz
11/10/24 Potsdam, Lindenpark (DE) - Keimzeit
12/10/24 Torgau, Kulturbastion (DE) - Keimzeit
13/10/24 Hannover, Jazzclub (DE) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
15/10/24 Bern, Marian’s Jazz Room (CH) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
16/10/24 Bern, Marian’s Jazz Room (CH) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
17/10/24 Bern, Marian’s Jazz Room (CH) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
18/10/24 Bern, Marian’s Jazz Room (CH) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
19/10/24 Bern, Marian’s Jazz Room (CH) - Soundsville feat. Lucy Woodward
20/10/24 Weimar, DNT (DE) - Across the Universe
26/10/24 Cottbus (DE) - Keimzeit
27/10/24 Pesterwitz, Pesterwitzer Konzerte (DE) - Ars Musica Elletricca - Music of Heinrich Schütz
01/11/24 Finsterwalde (DE) - Keimzeit
02/11/24 Annaberg/Buchholz (DE) - Keimzeit
07/11/24 Dresden, Blue Note (DE) - LK International Band
04/12/24 Hamburg, Markthalle (DE) - Keimzeit
05/12/24 Rostock, MAU Club (DE) - Keimzeit
06/12/24 Leipzig, Anker (DE) - Die Zöllner
07/12/24 Leipzig, Anker (DE) - Keimzeit
18/12/24 Berlin, Kesselhaus (DE) - Keimzeit
19/12/24 Berlin, Kesselhaus (DE) - Keimzeit
20/12/24 Jena, F Haus (DE) - Keimzeit
21/12/24 Freiberg, Tivoli (DE) - Keimzeit
22/12/24 Dresden, Tonne (DE) - The Shouting Men & LK international Band
15/01/25 Dresden, Blue Note (DE) - LK international Band
16/01/25 Dresden, Blue Note (DE) - LK international Band
While We’re Here
The 2022 release features various guests from the international Blues and Jazz scene. the music ranges from lush & soulful tracks with strings and a horn section to bare-bone trio pieces.
“ A deliciously mixed bag of upscale roots music with the help of special guests including vocal powerhouse Tad Robinson, guitarist Kirk Fletcher, and organists Simon Oslender and Alberto Marsico.” - Mike O’Cull, Rock&Blues Muse
Right Here Right Now
Kutschke’s debut “Right Here Right Now” was recorded over the course of 2 days at Fuzz Factory Studios, Berlin. It features long time-comrades Till “Sjan Sahm” (keyboards) , Tom Götze (bass) and Chris Coleman, drummer for Israel & New Breed, Prince & Beck. Lars Kutschke’s friend and musical mentor Sharrie Williams is guesting on one track. Most of the material was written on tour, reflecting places visited and the changing moods of life on the road.
Who?
Lars Kutschke's work as a guitar player and composer spans many styles of music and has taken him around the globe a couple of times. He started writing and performing songs and playing music for a living in the mid-90s, which included playing every gig from weddings to TV Shows and musical productions. He studied Jazz Guitar in his Hometown Dresden and won a DAAD scholarship to continue at Rotterdam’s Conservatory in the Netherlands.
Kutschke met Michigan-based Gospel/Blues singer Sharrie Williams in 2001. Williams invited him to join her band, which provided the young guitar player with pricelesss first-hand experience: getting thrown into cold water playing clubs and festivals along the American east coast and Midwest. first gigs included opening up for Buddy Guy at his club “Legends” and playing the Chicago Blues Festival. Kutschke cut his teeth touring close to 40 countries as musical director of Sharrie’s band. Sharing bills with legends like Mavis Staples, The Holmes Brothers, Van Morrison, Ike Turner, Hubert Sumlin, Taj Mahal, Lucky Peterson, Lurie Bell, Larry McCray and Robert Cray provided profound lessons and left him with an ever-growing love and respect for American roots music that is reflected in his playing and writing.
He co-wrote and co-produced 3 albums for Sharrie - all of which were nominated for the American Blues Music Awards (BMA). Festival appearances include North Sea Jazz Festival (NL), Jazz A Juan Antibes (F), Chicago Blues Festival (U.S.A.), Burghausen Jazz Festival (GER), Sziget Festival (HU), EFES Blues (Turkey & Russia), Colne Blues (U.K.), Blue Seas Festival (Curacao, Antilles), Cathage Jazz Festival (Tunisia), Dubai Jazz Festival (UAE) - just to name a few.
Kutschke recorded two albums with Italian Organ Maestro Alberto Marsico and drummer Gio Rossi under the name Soundsville. The Trio toured clubs and festivals throughout Europe.
Connections in the Blues circuit also lead to performing with other artists of the genre, including Bettye Lavette, Lucy Woodward, Tad Robinson, Sax Gordon, Alex Schultz, Kirk Fletcher and others.
Inbetween Kutschke took gigs touring Europe, China and Thailand with a Musical company, performing with Orchestras Dresdner Sinfoniker, WDR Sinfonieorchester and Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2008 he performed a Concert for Electric Guitar and Orchestra written by composer Michael Fuchs and a John Dowland programme with Ingolf Seidel, Baritone of RIAS Kammerchor. In 2010 he played guitar in German Rapper Sido’s MTV UNPLUGGED concert.
Lars Kutschke joined German Indie-band Keimzeit in 2019. His work in Germany includes teaching at HMT Leipzig as well as performing with household artists Die Zöllner, Alphaville, Dota Kehr, Uschi Brüning, Günther Fischer, Barbara Dennerlein and many others. He worked for German band Rammstein, arranging for their “XXI Notenbuch Klavier”. Kutschke wrote music for theatre and film and currently performs in theatre productions at Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Schauspielhaus Leipzig and Staatsschauspiel Dresden.
Discography (selected):
Soundsville: “Soundsville” w/ Alberto Marsico & Gio Rossi, 2006, Organic Records
Sharrie Williams: “Hard Driving Woman” , 2006, Crosscut Records
Sharrie Williams: “Live at Bay Car Blues”, 2007, Crosscut Records
Sharrie Williams: “Here To Stay”, 2009, Electro-Fi Records
Soundsville: “Blues For Alice In Wonderland”, 2010, Organic Music
Sido: “MTV Unplugged, live aus’m MV”, 2010, Universal Music
Lars Kutschke: “Right Here Right Now”, 2012, Soundso Music
Sharrie Williams: “Out Of the Dark”, 2013, Electro-Fi Records
Keimzeit: “Auf einem Esel Ins All”, 2013, Comic Helden
Lars Kutschke: “While We’re Here”, 2022, Timezone Records
Keimzeit: “Kein Fiasko”, 2022, Comic Helden
Sharrie Williams: “The World Is In Trouble”, 2023, Faith Records