Songlines mit Sebastian Sturm & MätSāNiksen

Sebastian Sturm
Sebastian Sturm is, to quote his poetic self-promotion, the product of a cross-border love affair. He was born in 1980 to an Indonesian mother and a German father and grew up near the Dutch and Belgian borders. The diversity of cultures is laid in the boy's cradle.

In March 2021, Sebastian Sturm releases his excellent album "Echoes", which goes a few steps further in terms of time travel and authentic reincarnation of the 60s/70s. Sturm's music is stuck in its niche existence precisely because it sticks so purely to tradition. While more and more reggae is popping up digitalized, message-empty and auto-tuned all around, the man from Aachen stands against it.

MätSāNiksen
Matt Sonnicksen has been on the road as a guitarist for over 25 years. In the US, he was lead guitarist for the pop-rock band "Y-O-U," sharing the stage with Rooney, Black Eyed Peas, Jet, Kings of Leon, B-52's, Bob Dylan, and Sheryl Crow. As a session guitarist, he recorded with platinum producers like Butch Walker (Avril Levine, Pink) Clay Cook (John Mayer), Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley & Cee-lo), Don McCollister (Indigo Girls), and Johnny Colt (Black Crowes, Train, Lynard Skynard). Two of his solos can be heard on "Guitar Hero II" and "Guitar Hero Rock the 80's".

His own music encompasses his Midwest country, soul, and pop influences. He combines and embellishes the tunes with his even Oxford educated storytelling. On his solo album he composes all the songs and plays all the instruments. Sometimes, however, he has a hard time finding matching socks.

He lives in Bonn since 2006, played for a while with the Heart & Soul Blues Brothers Revue. Nowadays he is the frontman of The MadSonix, who play rearranged hits from movies and TV. He also works as a guitarist and bassist with Marley's Ghost (as a substitute), Midwest Soul Connection, Tippaman, Jambalaya and others.