Q: Please tell me your band story first.
GC: We are from Dietenhofen. We already made music there. At some point, we wanted to go away. We wanted to take a vacation in France as a four-piece. Since we had no money, we played on the streets in France to finance our vacation. That worked out well. Afterwards, we also played on the streets in Dietenhofen. We already played some of the first songs from Eastern Europe there. That worked well, and we continued with it. Over time, we also played real concerts outside. The people in Dietenhofen eventually told us that it was silly that we only played in France; we should also play in Dietenhofen.
Q: In my eyes, the style you play is very unusual because it has so many influences. How did you come to the style you play? Have you been making music since school?
GC: We always do it this way: wherever we went, wherever we traveled, we took things with us and connected them with where we come from, namely the music from Franconia and the songs we learned there. For example, we brought music from Belgrade. We then connect that with our music because, of course, we can't play it exactly as the people there do.
Q: How did you manage to travel so much around the world?
GC: You just have to get in the car and go... if you have a car. If you don't have a car, it gets complicated, but if you have a car, you just have to load it up and go. Then you can drive to Belgrade.
We went to Belgrade out of desire and whim because we wanted to get away.
Q: When you make an album, how do you decide which song goes on it and in what style?
GC: That's a bit difficult to answer. We do a lot based on feeling. We don't consciously decide but rather follow our feelings and what we are currently playing live. That then goes on the album. However, it is usually thematically curated. The songs that go on the album we have usually played for at least half a year. We then record them and that's it.
Q: I would like to ask you something about Balkanbeat. Balkanbeat is currently very popular. Why do you think that is?
GC: I believe it's because it's folk music. Folk music is rooted in the people and therefore has a very long tradition and is very closely connected to the people. This music goes straight to the blood. You can feel it immediately. It's not something that has been artificially created. This music has developed over a very long tradition.
Balkanbeat comes from Eastern Europe. It is very emotional music. It was something new for us when Balkanbeat came to us 10 years ago.
Q: In Berlin, there have always been parties where Balkan music was played, but it is only in the last two years that Balkanbeat parties have filled large clubs.
GC: We didn't know that at all. We only found out when we played in Berlin for the first time. People approached us and said, "With Balkanbeats, you are totally in the right place here." We didn't know it was so big here. We had sheet music of Bulgarian songs at home, which we now also play here and which we simply played at home before. We didn't think about whether it was a trend or not.
Q: You play three different programs, one for the theater, one for the disco, and one for the street. When do you play what, and how do the programs differ?
GC: We always decide that spontaneously. For the disco, we generally play danceable stuff, including many pieces from our home Dietenhofen. On the street, we play without amplification and just go for it.
Q: Do you still play on the street?
GC: We still do that. Nowadays, not as much, but whenever we have time and the weather is good.
Q: What is more important to you during a performance, the show or the music?
GC: The show is the music, and the music is the show.
Q: You are going on a tour in Ukraine in July. How did that come about, and what are your expectations for the tour?
GC: Someone volunteered to organize this tour for us in Ukraine, and so we are playing it. We are looking forward to the tour. Overall, we probably won't do much differently than what we do here. It worked well in Belgrade, it worked well in Hungary, and so we hope it might work well in Ukraine too. If it doesn't work, we'll just play Ukrainian music.
Q: You can do that too?
GC: Not yet, but maybe we'll find someone to help us with that.
Q: Most of your concerts are in Southern Germany. Don't you like the North?
GC: We come from the south of the republic, which is why we play more in the south. But we also play in Berlin, Leipzig, or sometimes in Dresden. We haven't played much there yet, but what hasn't happened can still happen. We really like the East, but also the North. We enjoy playing in the East; it's also a trip for us to go somewhere else. Southern Germany is our home, and people know us there. We also know the beer there. Elsewhere, the beer is a bit different.
Q: Are the concerts in Southern Germany different from those in Eastern Germany in terms of the audience?
GC: There are no major differences. However, it is true that when we play in smaller towns, we notice that the music we make is not only for young people but also for older people. Our music is also well received by children. We particularly see this at festivals; when we don't play too late, there are always children in front of the stage listening to us. We think it's great that our music is enjoyed across generations.
From 9 to 99 years, music for the whole family, that's Gankino Circus.
Q: You played some concerts with Eläkeläiset in 2012. How do you like the band, and what is different about the concerts compared to when you play alone or as headliners?
GC: We really enjoy playing with the Finns. They are super nice people. They put on a great show. It's a lot of fun to be on tour with them. Through Eläkeläiset, we get into other venues where we don't usually play. It is certainly different because we play shorter sets; we only play about 45 minutes. What we play as the opening act for Eläkeläiset is a bit what is labeled as the "disco program" on the homepage. We play a lot of fast-paced stuff. We play very wild.
If you experience us alone in a small club or theater, there are more stories in between, maybe also something calm played in between that we can play more intricately.
With Eläkeläiset, we do a bit of "Hyper, Hyper," which is also great.
Q: In your current album "Das Potpourri des Baron von Gunzenhausen," you show a lot of sympathy for the circus and for quirky things. What fascinates you about the circus?
GC: It must be said that the circus, where we come from, in Franconia, means something different than here. When someone in Franconia says, "Here is such a circus," they mean, "Here is such a mess." That's where it comes from for us. Some say there is so much chaos here. A lot is referred to as chaos in Dietenhofen that isn't chaos for us at all.
In hindsight, the circus is also fascinating because so much can happen. A lot happens live on stage, and unexpected things occur. Sometimes things that are unexpected for us. Sometimes things we think of just before. We make every concert different. For us, every concert is a new thing we do.
Q: With the music, I thought a lot about the traveling people.
GC: We also travel around.
Q: How did you come up with the story of the Baron von Gunzenhausen?
GC: The story has a true core. We have embellished the story, of course, but there is already quite a bit of background to this story in Gunzenhausen that actually happened. It is now difficult to say exactly what actually happened and what was invented.
It is a sympathetic story, and when you tell stories, you can certainly add a little here and there.
Anyone who enjoys music off the beaten path should definitely listen to GANKINO CIRCUS or attend one of the concerts the band is still playing in 2013. You can find everything about the band at http://www.gankinocircus.de/.
