Markus Rill

Since 1997, Markus Rill, born in Würzburg, has been proving that you don’t necessarily have to have American roots in your genes to be able to write and sing authentic folk & country songs as a true Bavarian.

In addition to countless live concerts in Germany and beyond, there is practically no long break in publication in his extensive back catalogue. In 1999, with his second album The Devil and the Open Road, he joined the team from the German Americana label Blue Rose Records, which subsequently released most of his other albums to date. So did the trilogy Hobo Dream (2004), The Price of Sin (2006) and The Things that Count (2007), recorded entirely in Nashville with top local musicians; or the gritty Americana & singer/songwriter effort Wild Blue & True (2011); and in early 2013 the band’s major album My Rocket Ship with the Troublemakers.

Americana-Musik, Rock’n’Roll, Country and Folk

With Dream anyway, Markus Rill made a real quantum leap in 2016. This little masterpiece was extremely versatile, sounded simply superb and presented a mature musician between song depth and rock’n roll appeal at the zenith of his work so far! Getting into Trouble was released in early 2018 as a kind of inventory for the 20th anniversary, a double CD with half new material in Acoustic Americana mode and a compilation of rare tracks from self-releases. “Songland” from 2019 seemed less extroverted and (Heartland) rocky, but was much more text-oriented and musical with an enormous range of folk roots, country rock, Americana, some rock ‘n’ roll and this time plenty of southern soul in the spirit of the eternally young Equipped with Muscle Shoals and Memphis sound.

“New Crop” was released just before Christmas 2020 and offered all of Rill’s strengths – varied Americana music, rock ‘n’ roll, country and folk with strong lyrics – in a fresh acoustic sound robe, which the multi-stringed Robert Hasleder as accompanying musician tailored to fit Has. Finally, the 14th album “Everything we wanted” from 2022 is actually a highlight and culmination in the work of the singer-songwriter with the hoarfrost voice.

In Germany, probably in the whole of Europe, there is no one who is closer to Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Mellencamp, Tom Petty, no one who does his roots rock thing more authentically than the 52-year-old native of Frankfurt.

The Band

• Markus Rill – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
• Maik Garthe – Electric Guitar, Vocals
• Daniel Feldmeier – Percussion