Nachhall #16: Every Song Ever I

Nachhall #16: Every Song Ever I

Paul Wallfisch – Tasten, Stimme, Elektronik
Martin Siewert – Gitarren, Lap Steel, Elektronik
Budgie – Schlagwerk

Guests: Oliver Stotz und Brian Lawlor

Moderation: Astrid Schwarz

“The spectacle of an active mind processing a world in constant flux,” is how Hua Hsu, writing in The New Yorker, describes Ben Ratliff’s remarkable book Every Song Ever. Subtitled Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty, Ratliff’s book is divided into twenty chapters appended by playlists that confound and transcend traditional ways of of categorizing music. David O’Neill found “…the most galvanizing aspect of [Ratliff’s] project is that it leaves room for the DIY spirit to emerge…[Every Song Ever] reignites our sense of longing for connection…”

Collaborating with curator Alisa Beck and my co-conspirator, multi-instrumentalist Martin Siewert, we are indeed inspired to make Ratliff’s surprising and enlightening book come alive for you in four programs throughout 2026 as part of the Nachhall series at echoraum.

For Every Song Ever I, featuring legendary drummer/percussionist Budgie, we will perform selections from the first 4 chapters of the book:

Let Me Concentrate: REPETITION
Past Present Future: SLOWNESS
Draft Me!: SPEED
What If We Both Should Want More?: TRANSMISSION

The music will include our unique arrangements of compositions by Benny Goodman, CHIC, James Brown, Steve Reich, Marvin Gaye, Dmitri Shostakovich, The Isley Brothers, Robert Johnson, D.R.I., Sarah Vaughan, Domenico Scarlatti, Andy Bey and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Plus an improvisatory piece will close out each edition of Every Song Ever.

We look forward to your participation in our Viennese adventure and invite you to help select the repertoire for upcoming programs. Playlists with selections to choose from will be available at edition I.

See you soon!

Paul Wallfisch

Next dates:
22. Mai 2026
Nachhall #17: Every Song Ever II with Emily Stewart

Peter Edward Clarke, known as Budgie, is an English drummer best known for his work in Siouxsie and the Banshees. He is also the co-founder of the Creatures. He was the drummer of the Slits in 1979. He was then a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1979 to 1996 and a member of the Creatures from 1981 to 2004. Budgie worked with other musicians including John Cale, Leonard Eto (formerly of the Kodo Drummers), John Grant and Anohni with Hercules and Love Affair. In 2023, he released the album Los Angeles, in collaboration with Lol Tolhurst and Jacknife Lee. Spin rated him at No. 28 in their list of „The 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music“, writing: „Post-punk introduced a lot of amazing drummers, but none more influential than Budgie. With the Banshees, Budgie didn’t just play rhythms—he played hooks and leads, brilliant parts that set the songs on fire. His tom-tom-intensive approach, [was] enlightened by his awareness of world music“. https://blog.roughtrade.com/gb/in-conversation-with-budgie/

Paul Wallfisch’s music can be heard on countless American TV shows and several feature films. He has performed and/or recorded with Firewater, Love & Rockets, Swans, Little Annie, Angela McCluskey, Syl Sylvain, Stiv Bators, Marissa Nadler, Rose McGowan, Joey Arias and many more. From 2010-2015 Paul was Music Director at Schauspiel Dortmund, subsequently working with acclaimed director Kay Voges at the most important houses in German-language theatre. Paul co-created the musical theatre piece Republic of Wolves (Dortmund/Volksbuehne 2014) and „Dies Irae: An Endtimes Opera“ (Burgtheater 2019), composing and performing the scores live. Paul recently ended his run as Music Director and Curator at  Volkstheater, Vienna where he co-wrote and performed the music to Anna-Sophie Mahler’s production of Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real with the band Calexico. Paul’s music has been released on numerous labels including Mute Records, Trost, Southern and Rent A Dog. https://www.paulwallfisch.com/

Martin Siewert arbeitet als Gitarrist & Improvisator, aber auch als Komponist in akustischen und / oder elektronischen Kontexten; zahlreiche Kollaborationen, und Kompositionen für Theater, Tanz & Film. https://siewert.klingt.org/

Aktuelle Projekte u. Bands u.a.:
RADIAN
DUO CHRISTIAN REINER / MARTIN SIEWERT
ALSO (Duo mit Katharina Ernst)
FÜNF (mit Christian Reiner, Jim Black, Christian Weber, Philip Zoubek)
DUO SIEWERT / KLEMENT (mit Katharina Klement)
DUO BIRGIT MINICHMAYR & MARTIN SIEWERT
DRY THRUST (mit Georg Graewe & Didi Kern)
Duo Reinhold Friedl / Martin Siewert
FAKE THE FACTS (mit dieb13 & Mats Gustafsson)
THE PEELED EYE (mit Boris Hauf, Steve Heather & Christian Weber)
TRAPIST (mit Martin Brandlmayr & Joe Williamson)

Astrid Schwarz arbeitet seit 2003 für das ORF Radio (Fm4, Ö1). Sie hat elektroakustische Komposition an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien und an der Anton Bruckner Universität Linz studiert. Für Ö1 gestaltet sie Sendungen wie Zeit-Ton, Spielräume und Diagonal und ist Producerin des Musik-Radiokollegs. Sie komponiert Filmmusik, zuletzt für Bernadette Weigels Dokumentarfilm “Last of the Wild” und Ebba Sinzingers “Die Kunstkomplizen“(AT). Mit ihren selbstgeschweißten Klangerzeugern untersucht sie das Moment von Materialität eines Instruments, seiner Instrumentalisierung und beschäftigt sich mit der Thematik Komposition als Interface, wie auch mit ihrem Quartett “Steel Girls”. Den Theodor Körner Preis erhielt sie zweimal und 2022 das Österreichische Staatsstipendium für Komposition.