photos by Frank Embacher
“…a warm and gentle song that evokes singer/songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt…” – Treble
As Exile On Mainstream Records prepares to release Troubadour, the intimate new LP from wandering German singer/songwriter CONNY OCHS, Treble presents an exclusive premiere of the album’s second single, “Trouble Me.”
Since 2010, CONNY OCHS has been capturing the hearts and minds of curious music fans around the globe through his expressive and emotive songcraft. Through eight full-length releases – including two collaborative albums with Scott “Wino” Weinrich of Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, and more, and not to mention his work in Trialogos and other projects – OCHS has expanded his sound from stripped-down singer/songwriter anthems based almost entirely on guitar and vocals into more rock-infused creations with a more standard rock backline with drums and more.
Almost to the date one year after his Wahn Und Sinn LP, sung completely in German, CONNY OCHS now unveils his new studio album Troubadour, which marks his return to the English language and the very roots of his music, in a very naked approach to the essence of his craft. Here, the soloist delivers an album that feels more akin to his 2010 debut album, Raw Love Songs, yet with a more refined and polished sound and approach, adopted naturally through the years of hard work since the first album.
With eleven heartfelt new songs, CONNY OCHS delivers some of his most melancholic yet optimistic anthems yet on Troubadour, which sees the artist performing all vocals, guitars, piano, and more, the record’s sole guest appearance made by his Trialogos bandmate Sicker Man with whom OCHS co-wrote the string arrangement for the song “Edge Of Love”, and who also performed the actual recording of the cello tracks. Troubadour was recorded with OCHS’ trusted studio cohort Thommy Krawallo at Kabumm Studio who also handled mixing and mastering. The cover photo was taken by Klaus Nauber, and the inlay art was created by OCHS himself.
The video for ”Trouble Me” was directed by Pietro Bondi. OCHS reveals, “‘Trouble Me’ is about all that you can’t leave behind. Playing all your best tricks, and knowing all escape routes, still you carry your ghosts, your love, and your longing with you. I was intrigued to reflect on both parts of that model: You cannot shake the struggle, that is what you are made of, even if you try your hardest, but you will also never fall off the wagon that carries your visions, your love, and your dreams. To me, that duality is somehow captured in this song, and the universality I feel when I play it is something I wanted to share with the audience right away.”
Treble, who recently included CONNY OCHS in a feature on the late, great Townes Van Zandt, describes the new song as, “a soulful and bluesy ballad that reflects more of his folk and country influences. It’s a warm and gentle song that evokes singer/songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt, whom Ochs spoke to us about earlier this year.”
Watch CONNY OCHS’ “Trouble Me” video first at Treble RIGHT HERE.
Troubadour will be released on Black Vinyl LP with a bundled CD, and digitally, on October 25th. Physical preorders are live at the Exile On Mainstream webshop HERE, digital preorders are up at Bandcamp where “Holy Motors” is streaming HERE, and digital presaves can be found HERE.
Never one to remain idle, CONNY OCHS is booking new live performances to support Troubadour, having already performed two pre-release shows for the album as part of Haarlem Vinyl Festival in recent days. A batch of new tour dates has just been confirmed, with shows scattered between late October and March of next year, including an album release show in Paris on the day of the record’s release. See all currently confirmed dates below and expect additional dates to be posted over the weeks ahead.
CONNY OCHS Tour Dates:
10/23/2024 Falegnameria – Longiano, IT
10/25/2024 Croic de Chaveaux – Paris, FR *Record Release Show
10/31/2024 Galvanik – Zug, CH
11/01/2024 Delinat – Olten, CH
11/02/2024 Folk Café – St. Gallen, CH
11/09/2024 Kosmo Provinsk – Mylau, DE
11/10/2024 Gute Stube – Darmstadt, DE
11/09/2024 Macello – San Marino, IT
12/26/2024 Sidro – Savignano, IT
3/22/2025 Objekt 5 – Halle/Saale, DE
“Every year, music connoisseurs hope to find undiscovered hidden gems of true greatness.” – Americana Highways
https://www.connyochs.com
https://www.facebook.com/conny.ochs
https://www.instagram.com/connyochs
https://connyochs.bandcamp.com
http://www.mainstreamrecords.de
https://www.youtube.com/@exileonmainstream3639