| PRESS REVIEW : Violet Burning
Play the First Day "God is amazing. We are unsure of ourselves and we're often rejected. But God can use us anyway, just as he once used Mary. She was young, unmarried and pregnant. Be honest for a moment - how often do we reject women like that in our churches? Yet God touched the whole world through Mary," Michael Pritzl spoke, almost whispered, to the crowd at Christmas Rock Night 2000. To follow came a special Christmas song that could be titled "Baby Jesus." The atmospheric piece moves everyone present to take Pritzl's emotion to heart. Despite her rejection Mary brings Jesus as a man to the earth. "Baby Jesus" can't be mistaken for a jovial hit. It's really the attempt by Violet Burning's singer to overcome his own experience of rejection and insecurity. The Californian next tells of his love for Christmas songs and starts playing "Little Drummer Boy." And the drum goes pa-rup-a-pum-pum. Again this isn't a drinking song. The traditional story tells of a poor drummer boy who can offer the new born Christ nothing but his drumming. Violet Burning create their own tradition with the song. An abundance of guitar riffs underscoring pa-rup-a-pum-pum. As if she were born for this song backing singer Melissa Barnett supported the leads while accompanying on shaker and tambourine as well. More impressive than the Christmas songs was the prayer said by Pritzl at the beginning of the set. From the start the band made its dependance on God quite clear. The American visitors then opened the show with an address to Germany's capital city. A hommage to the wild days of Berlin and Wim Wender's "Himmel über Berlin": "Please don't let me go. You with your angels in the sky. No one ever let you down. Broke your heart, stole your crown." The Violets remind you of Delerious, U2, The Cure and at times of Radiohead. Yet Michael's high tone voice, the sensitive guitar work, the samples free from hip-hop imitations along with some extraordinary song writing combine to make the band unique. |