JOHNZ LIVE @ SCHLOSSGRABEN FEST DARMSTADT, GERMANY

Last Friday one day after I shot The John Lindberg Trio @ Schlossgrabenfest 2019 in Darmstadt, Germany, I have had the pleasure to shoot JohnZ. One of my best friends and my barber Olli is JohnZ’ Upright Bass player. And it was a great live gig too. It is always the same with the public: if the people hear some pure and plain well done Rock’n’Roll they stop and stay listening, till their feet begin to dance wilder and wilder. This what music is for! This is for what Rock’n’Roll is for!! On the first weekend of July I will be again with the Bend at famous Darmstadt City Party “Heinerfest”. Lazi, Konrad, Tom and Olli, see you at Goldene Krone in three weeks!  #johnzrocks @johnzrock

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JOHN LINDBERG TRIO LIVE @ SCHLOSSGRABEN FEST DARMSTADT, GERMANY

End of last week I have had the pleasure to shoot John Lindberg Trio “JLT” live on stage at Schlossgrabenfest Darmstadt, Germany. It was a blast! So nice to hang around with JLT and JohnZ. JohnZ’ upright bass player Olli The Barber arranged the gig of JLT at Schlossgrabenfest. In March Thiemo Gutfried, one of the organizers of this big party – last year 400.000 people joined the concerts over four days – heard JLT, when he was at Olli’s Barber Shop. A funny story in short: He thought, that JLT was covering songs from JohnZ, but it was just the opposite Olli told him: JohnZ is covering four songs of the Swedish R’n’R trio. Thiemo was excited about JLT’S music and Olli invited John to play at Schlossgrabenfest 2019. Long talk short sense: JLT was booked! It was a great Rock’n’Roll party last Thursday and the audience was so excited about the band. Crowds listened and danced to JLT’s rousing show. The band allowed me to take pictures on stage … this was a new experience for me and I loved it … Hope to see the guys again at Schlossgrabenfast 2020!

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SUPER ANDY WARHOL GLASSES by RETROSUPERFUTURE “THE ICONIC SERIES”

Getting in trouble with all the glasses I wear because of blurring I decided to do a spontaneous check up @ KLAR AUGENOPTIK DARMSTADT. It was time to do this, my buddy AKRAM owner and founder of this nice shop asserted. Okay … new glasses, new frame. It took us just some minutes to do a decision for these wonderful SUPER ANDY WARHOL glasses from their THE ICONIC SERIES. This is what RETROSUPERFUTURE® tells about: “SUPER gives shape to a contemporary interpretation of the iconic style of one of the most influential modern artists – ANDY WARHOL – with an exclusive pair of optical frames. This silhouette is directly characterized by a soft, oval lens and lightweight frame composed of a tinted transparent acetate.” Beside the nice design the fit is also great – love this frame from the first minute wearing. AKRAM gave me also the new KLAR summer 2016 look-book: very well done! Check it. pics | LTG


VOLLS MEN x VOLLS WOMEN | NEW SHOP OPENED BY KLAUS VOLL

He guys, no, i wasn’t @ holidays for 5 weeks, but when I came back, work was, and still is, so heavy that there was time for nothing beside the job. But yesterday evening I had to join a special event. As you know VOLLS is located @ my hometown Darmstadt, Germany. The owner of this great shop Klaus Voll has a new baby: VOLLS WOMEN. Yesterday evening the shop has had its Kick Off with a nice event. I just could stay for a short time while so many people came in to check it. My buddy Klaus and his Team, Burcu & Ann-Katrin, did a really good job and created an awesome shop which will run – for sure. Our city needs such a women shop like this. Klaus – GOOD LUCK. Here just some impressions … pics | LTG

MASUNAGA | OPTICAL FRAMES MADE IN JAPAN SINCE 1905 @ KLAR

when i visited AKRAM founder and owner of KLAR in darmstadt, germany, last week he showed me these nice frames. AKRAM told me that he sells MASUNAGA since 2012 – hm, i did not know this … anyway, now i took notice of this wonderful classic frames which must be made with such a passion and precision – so nice to touch and put it on the nose. great. the look? perfect old school, timeless. MASUNAGA was founded in 1905 by GOZAEMON MASUNAGA in FUKUI, JAPAN where 97% of optical frames were once made. he wanted to produce glasses that are better than the rest of the country. he did: from this time on till today each piece of MASUNAGA eyewear is made by hand. the glasses are made with the finest materials including silver accents and polished japanese acetate.  MASUNAGA  glasses are well known for their details. i am still absolutely hooked by this wonderful simple, classic but modern look. check their website and the actual collections, the optical ones as well as the sunglasses and learn more infos about the brand. and for sure a MASUNAGA will be my next frame. pics | LTG

 

A BAND NAMED “THE JOHNZ” | POWER ROCKAMETALROLLCORE BY OLLI THE BARBER, LAZI, KONRAD & TOM

this week i joined the rehearse of a new band with the working title THE JONHZ. my buddy and barber OLLI THE BARBER is the double bass player of this damn f**ing great rockin’ band. they just did a few rehearsals but it was so powerful and cool – really impressing. TOM (guitar), KONRAD (drums), LAZI (vocals & rhythm guitar) and OLLI will rock the clubs next time  – for sure. they do a kind of let me say rockabilly mixed up with a lot of other elements from hardcore, metal and pure rock’n’roll – it rocks at all. LAZI is a great singer and seems to be the perfect frontman. i am really excited to see their first gig. funny, from 2003 to 2005 i played the drums in the same room with the band called “ARMSTRONG” where OLLI THE BARBER was the singer. long time ago … thx CHRISTIAN GRAU for the great pics! pics // Christian Grau

VINTAGE MILITARY BUTTON SHIRT by LEVI’S VINTAGE CLOTHING

this shirt is from the time when LVC invested much love and time in unique pieces. certainly made in usa! i found this shirt yesterday in a storage box while looking for an old western shirt. i think i bought it about 2002 for my wife and it was so f***ing expensive but special. when i interpret the numbers on the label print correctly the shirt was made in august 2001 (08/01). i remember where i bought it: at HECKMANN in DARMSTADT, GERMANY, who sold a lot of genius LVC stuff at this time. i think to remember some one told me that MADONNA wore this shirt on stage. anyway it is so well done and has so many details to check. wonderful un-countable pearly buttons, push buttons with engraved LS&CO S.F., perfect vintage color irregularities in faded blue, tan, grey and yellow, different sorts of seams in different colors … AWESOME. i think i should frame the shirt and hang it up in my office … beside, my wife never wore the shirt; she thought it was too showy, too crazy.  pics | LTG

 

 

 

 

LTG’S DUPONT LIGHTERS | FROM PAST TO PRESENT

today i got my new CIGAR LIGHTER by DUPONT, PARIS – in bright orange what else?! now when the evenings get warmer there is nothing better than smoking a cigar and drinking a glass of wine while reading the newspaper on the fresh renovated roof-deck over the tops of DARMSTADT city. so i decided to replace the matches by a contemporary lighter. nice to find a DUPONT for an acceptable price. this one is my third DUPONT. my first, the silver one, i got from my parents when i got eighteen … well, long time ago. the second i bought about 15 years ago: a vintage line 2 gold combined with “LAQUE DE CHINE” which is really rare to find and so got really expensive now. it is a pity that both vintage lighter don’t work anymore. they lose gas in between hours and i brought them 2 times to the service but they could not solve the problem. so i am just happy to hear the unique smart snap sound when opening and closing these 2 DUPONTS. if you compare the sounds of a ZIPPO to DUPONT it is like comparing a CATERPILLAR to a CITROEN DS. pics | LTG

L.G.R. X KLAR COLLABORATION | 20 PIECES LIMITED SUNGLASSES EDITION

italian high-end eyewear and sunglasses manufacturer L.G.R. did a collaboration with KLAR, my favorite optician at my hometown DARMSTADT, germany. AKRAM, owner of KLAR, send me a short video teaser of the collab – really interesting! so i did some pics of this special sunglasses handmade in italy. L.G.R. and KLAR did a strictly 20 limited pieces model which has a special color combination just used for this collab. every piece has its own product number from 1 to 20, a special case and a cleaning cloth with a L.G.R. X KLAR print. the glass is made by BABERINI, polarized in grey/blue – one of the best real glasses you can get today. beside these sunglasses KLAR sells certainly other collections from L.G.R. f.ex. the wonderful and although limited SAFARI COLLECTION. pics | LTG




10 MUST-HAVE-X-MAS-PRESENTS | #02 | RANDOLPH ENGINEERING SUNGLASSES

an absolute american classic. love my sunglasses especially the combination of the golden frame with brown glasses. and these are optical ones – perfect fit, perfect watch. RANDOLPH ENGINEERING was founded 1972: “In the late 1970′s Randolph Engineering started manufacturing Mil-Spec Aviator sunglasses for the United States Air Force as a subcontractor producing in excess of 200, 000 sunglasses annually. Led by Jan’s sons, Randolph won the government bid to become the prime contractor in 1982. By the late 1980′s Randolph had expanded into the commercial sunglass market after civilians learned about the quality of its sunglasses and prescription frames through military channels. Today Randolph remains an iconic brand accelerated by a growing demand for genuine,  well-made products with a strong American heritage. Tried and true manufacturing methods are maintained using the machinery and tooling created by the founders. Randolph Engineering, Inc. is still owned and operated by three generations of the Waszkiewicz and Zaleski families along with a highly skilled and dedicated American workforce.” a great product for an affordable price with a lot of different frames and colored glasses. AKRAM owner of KLAR here downtown darmstadt, sold me a classic silver colored frame with optical glasses – no sunglasses, but for daily use. AKRAM has a lot of different models for sale. the price range is from 139,– € up to 196,– € for gunmetal, silver, matte black and gold frames. it depends on the glasses if they are polarized or not. the more expensive ones are made of synthetic the cheaper ones of glass. for sure these glasses don’t just look american, they are made in the USA. you all know the other “wish to be american brand” that is meanwhile made in italy. i prefer the american original. pics | KLAR & LTG

that’s the LIFE TIME GEAR approved RE