Zappanale Festival

Paul Green is a musician, control freak, and founder of school of Rock and PGRA.

In 2009 Green sold the School of Rock to the parent company of the Sylvan Learning Center. He says he got “seven figures” for the School of Rock franchise, which today has more than 100 branches across the country.

That money may run out, but the passion that fueled him never died. So, determined to teach all he’d learned about music, and the business of it, he decided to open a college of rock: The Paul Green Rock Academy.

Lex Bronkowitz was twelve years old when he got infected by the Zappa Virus. The albums „Lumpy Gravy“ and „SheikYerbouti“ opened a new musical universe to the young guitarrist. The complexity and the freedom of Frank Zappa's guitar play were irritation and revelation to him at the same time.

In 2005 guitarist Christian Kuzio and percussionist and drummer Ronny Bruch founded a duo and called it Die Reise. Nomen est omen, and since then the two of them didn't act only as wanderers but also as intermediaries between musical worlds. Meanwhile Die Reise became a trio, and bassist Jan Soutschek isn't only completing the play of the band but he also is bringing forward the acustic possibilities.
Like the founding members he is a seeker, because one thing hasn't changed yet  – Die Reise is playing free music. The band is following the old wisdom of the freedom of the mind, adapting it in its play and is avoiding very beginning to set boundaries. Their focus is placed on live performances which can be seen at the same time as a compositional source. By expressing their feelings and personal concerns directly through their play they are demonstrating their search. Improvisation as well as linking the most different genres, stylistics and song structures are very welcome possibilities to reach the very last corner of mental states. The audience doesn't remain as silent witness of creation and idea but is also participating at the energetic search for the one moment. This moment can only be experienced by those who, like the musicians, get involved with a musical road trip where at the end one might have the answer to a question which wasn't  doubtful before.