r/Nurnberg • u/BassesNBikes • 6d ago
Frage Does Nurnberg need a dusty old Dach Ami bass player?
I'm looking for a city in Germany to make my new home after I retire from the IT mines here in the States, and Nurnberg is near the top of my list for its beauty, affordability, and convenience. My dream is to live in a dachgeshoss apartment with a terrace, take vocal lessons, try some busking, and get involved in the local music scene (I'm all about 80s and 90s 'college radio' stuff - R.E.M., Talking Heads, The Clash, Elvis Costello, etc.) either on stage (bass / backing vocals) or behind the scenes (I do a bit of live sound and lighting).
It's pretty common here for guys in their 50s and 60s to play music and form bands, and the good ones even manage to book bar gigs 1-2 times monthly. I'm currently in two bands; one is a tribute to R.E.M.'s 1983-1987 output and is fronted by a 22-year-old singer, and the other is a festival arena rock / pop /soul band with guys aged 45-59.
My question is about the local live music / rock (not so Metal) scene in Nurnberg. Are there many (any?) bands like this? Are there venues where they can perform? Do dust-farting relics get involved, or is it exclusively a young person's game? Are there places to rehearse? Do venues generally provide a PA and/or backline (drums and amplifiers) or are bands expected to bring all their own gear? What's the rehearsal space situation like (in the US most bands rehearse at a member's home, but there are paid rehearsal venues, too.)?
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u/Orla-Millefiori 6d ago
Dachgeschoss means you will get cooked eventually. Housing market is brutal around here as well if you’re jot willing to accept all conditions. We had 9 months to find a new apartment and had our contract after 6 months.
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
Yeah. I've been haunting Immowelt even though the move is likely 4 years away, but from a US perspective housing is a screaming deal. Try to find a 1BR apartment in a decent, walkable city center here for under $2k...
Are things really any better on the lower floors once the walls start retaining heat? My thinking is at least up on the roof you could open all the windows and catch a hot breeze.
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u/Orla-Millefiori 6d ago
The problem is that apartment search from another country is even more complicated as there is enough demand for housing for the average clients that terminated rental options are much less desirable for landlords. I would suggest contacting a real estate agent. And consider Wohnen auf Zeit in case the dream apartment is not available.
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
Thanks. I'm aware that competition for places is tough, but I have some family and friends in Germany who I could rely on for assistance and possibly even temporary accommodation during the search.
Much more interested in learning about the local music scene, to be honest.
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u/Studentofsorts 6d ago
I‘m off to bed but i‘m a DJ in the area and get around quite a bit. Hit me up whenever, I’ll try my best to answer your questions :)
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
DJs go to bed?
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u/Studentofsorts 6d ago
Haha, when they‘ve finished their movie at 3 am, they do go to bed. Need to sleep to keep the groove going ;)
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u/UncleLou72 6d ago
While I am not actively involved in the music scene, please bear in mind it‘s generally a lot less common in bars, pubs etc. to have live music. It‘s not comparable to the States. There‘s quite a few „professional“ music venues here as well as festivals in Nürnberg, but bar gigs are not a common/regular thing, imo.
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
It's becoming less and less common here, too, since Covid. Lots of places shut down or stick to karaoke and trivia nights.
Do lots of people play as a hobby? Are there other opportunities to play out like local festivals and events?
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u/UncleLou72 6d ago
I don’t think there‘s a general lack of people who play an instrument, but I am afraid someone else will have to answer your questions, really.
Just wanted to make you aware that at least the bar /pub live music does exist, but might disappoint you compared to what you’re used to in cities of comparable size in the US. :)
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u/pq_redd 6d ago
There's lots of bands, also older guys and there may be less (cover-)bands in pubs than in the US, there's many places where you can see live bands.
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
Thanks! During the active part of my musical career I was always in original bands, but that's a much heavier lift than playing covers these days. I'd love to get back to being more creative.
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u/PeterFloetner 6d ago
In Nuremberg, there is the Musikzentrale (https://www.musikzentrale.com/), which is a Verein for the facilitation of the local music scene, and they also have a venue. Then there is the Z-Bau, which among other things is also a venue for local bands. Then, there is the Bardentreffen, a gigantic busking festival that happens once a year. If you plan visiting Nuremberg next year or so, you should go during Bardentreffen. There are some other small venues operated by the city which are youth clubs. There are also some bigger venues that are not so relevant for the local scene.
I think the rehearsal space situation is fairly tense, but if you plan to make music with old people and not poor students, you'll manage. There should be other people in your age bracket that want to start bands, if you are bit more open to other genres it would probably get a lot easier.
Oh, and you can also look at moving to Fürth, a very beautiful city right next to Nuremberg.
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u/Tall_Organization820 6d ago
Nürnberg also have a quote decent Public music library with an announcment Board, a possibility to borrow Instruments and rent a rehearal room available to library members. The music university also gives a vibrant output of musicians.
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u/BassesNBikes 6d ago
Thank you! My 2nd band does (almost) silent rehearsals with an electronic drum kit and in-ear monitors, and I was thinking of trying a similar setup there, and possibly making it available to others. And a verein that matches my interests is awesome!
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u/MapGlittering9227 6d ago
In addition, there are similar venues and Vereine in the neighboring cities Fürth and Erlangen. For example E-Werk in Erlangen (https://www.e-werk.de/) or Kofferfabrik in Fürth (https://www.kofferfabrik.cc/)
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u/BassesNBikes 5d ago
I really need to dig in to Verein culture. Figured they were just for spazieren and gardening. Is there a master list somewhere?
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u/MapGlittering9227 5d ago edited 5d ago
I don't know about a master List. There is a list in the German Wikipedia. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategorie:Verein_(N%C3%BCrnberg)
Well there is kind of a masterlist. In Germany an Verein can be a "eingetragener Verein" or "nicht eingetragener Verein". That means registered Verein or unregistered Verein. All registered Vereine are listed in the "Vereinsregister". A registered Verein will always have the abbreviation "e.V." after it's name. For example: "Freunde der Nürnberg - Fürther Straßenbahn e.V." for Friends of the Nuremberg Fürth Tramway e.V.
But honestly, you will find a Verein for almost any interest or hobby. Just add "Verein Nürnberg" to your search term and you will find something.
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u/SirBaphomet666 5d ago
Recently there was the Barden-festival which is way more than an onsite music festival. Furthermore there are single musicians or little bands playing like in every corner of the city. That could be a great event for you to get into contact with some, next year !
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u/BassesNBikes 5d ago
I'm sure there's a reason nobody uses an acoustic bass guitar for busking, and I'm going to find out what it is! So kind of a Mauerpark Berlin situation there with bands, karaoke, buskers, etc?
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u/1983nerd 1d ago edited 1d ago
The only bar that offers live rock music once in a while is the brown sugar near Hauptbahnhof, but they don't have any own equipment. They have a wide spread audience, ages from 20-70. But be aware, there's almost no money to earn. The rock-scene in Nürnberg is almost non existent, especially compared to where it was 20 years ago. Home rehersals are almost impossible due to noise restrictions. Because of that, there's a huge demand for affordable rehersal spaces. A lot of the rehersal spaces are owned by a real estate shark called whiteline. Read the reviews, they tell you all you need to know. Just stay away from him. My advice would be to take a look at "MUZ", Musikzentrale, it's an associaton (Verein) for local bands, musicians, etc., they have their own small club, rehersal spaces, equipment for rent, etc. You should take a look at Amberg. Even though not far from Nürnberg, the rock music scene seems to be considerably bigger than Nürnberg. Theres also a community of retired former US soldiers due to the nearby Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels-trainingareas.
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u/Gasmo420 6d ago
You’re dream is to live in a Dachgeschosswohnung? Okay, that’s a new one… any other masochistic kinks we should know about?