In the artist's words:

Starting out in the alternative Cologne carnival as "Jet Jeck", they soon realized that they weren't actually one hundred percent jeck. And because there are so many fun carnival bands in Cologne anyway, they decided to take a different path.

Their singer Stefan Bartsch has always loved to write his songs like "m'r de
Schnüss schwaade wööd", and their hearts beat lovingly for the rock and blues of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

A perfect fit! Doesn't Cologne urgently need a new old-school rock band with Cologne lyrics? Ävver klor endoch! And so the band Bartsch was born.

A synthesis of soulful, thoughtful, often curious stories from real life and musical influences from JJ Cale to Hendrix, Rolling Stones to The Who: Bartsch had found their own mix of styles. Emotional, a little snotty, edgy and authentically Cologne.

Almost as if Jürgen Zeltinger's mother had had a one-night stand in a time machine with BAP's father. Or as if Bob Dülles from Bickendorf and David Gilmowitsch from Südstadt had a one-night stand with the Blues Brothers from Nippes in a Mülheim rehearsal room.

That's Bartsch. Well, or something like that.

Stefan Bartsch is a true Cologne native who plays acoustic guitar, blues harp and sings. Actually, he's been doing it forever, and pretty well.

Oliver Werner shows that electric guitar solos - according to an initially skeptical concertgoer - can still have a real raison d'être in the year 2025.

Markus Pieper is a fan of blues, rock' roll and swing and also plays the drums because that's what he's loved to do since his youth.

Johannes Klein is an immigrant and wanted to move to Cologne when he was 18. As the band's bassist - and despite his fat hands - he is - like his idols Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney - a passionate shortscale player.
passionate shortscale player. They have all been making music in various bands since the 80s. The boys just can't stop.

Now they are Bartsch - together they are already over 200 years old, a kind of Stradivarius of Cologne rock, in any case totally old school, Generation X, Generation Golf, whatever.

But one thing is as certain as the Amen in the cathedral: we still hear about them.