Ralf Weihrauch

Ralf Weihrauch is one of the most unusual Acts on Germany's Folk-Scene. Instead of the common Guitar Bard, the audience gets a thrilling accordion and singer, who manages to make his instrument sound different in each song. The accordion and his voice melt together into a powerful unity. From time to time he accompanys himself on the Bodhran or plays some tunes on the tinwhistle. His repertoire proves his deep knowledge of the musical traditions of Ireland and Britain. The songs and ballads he picks are certainly uncommon for Germany and sometimes even in their countries of origin.

But Ralf Weihrauch is not only a great singer, but a very entertaining performer as well. The audience loves his witty and humorous announcements as much his his songs.

Ralf Weihrauch started singing folk-songs at the age of 14, when he sang three a-capella songs in a local youth centre. He played in a German Irish Band for some time and also performed in the Gelsenkirchen opera-house in a
childrens-play at the age of 17. These days he performs solo and with the Irish-Party Band Crashandoh. Together with Gary Miller, singer and songwriter of the now disbanded Whisky Priests, he recorded the album "Stand Fast, Stand Steady". Together they toured Germany, Austria and Italy and will be playing a tour of Holland and Belgium in September 2008.

Ralf Weihrauch has just released his second Solo-album "Hole In One". Apart from the album with Gary Miller, he released a double live-Cd with the Irish party Band Crashandoh. Their version of "Gl?ckauf, der Steiger kommt", a folk-version of the German Miners' hymn, is so popular, they recorded it as a single with a
police-choir.

Before Ralf Weihrauch relaunched his musical career in 2002, he worked as a music agent for a long time. It all started with a tour for Peter Bellamy in 1984. Later he worked for Martin Carthy, June Tabor, Pyewacket, Barely Works, The Whisky Priests, Peter and The Test Tube Babies, The Meteors and The Selecter, to mention only a few. He also was the first agency to bring the Oyster Band over in 1986. They played at his wedding and are still close friends.

He runs a small record label as well, which put out the complete Whisky Priests-Catalogue, the first Waterson:Carthy-Album and Eliza-Carthy first album.

But even in his agency times he took the accordion out of its case. Ralf Weihrauch played on an album by the German Punk-Band "Schlie?muskel" and on a Heavy-Metal Album by Tom Angelripper which entered the German Charts at number 80!