BONFIRE
“One Acoustic Night - Live At The Private Music Club”
(Doppel-CD)

Music Style: Hard Rock

Tracklisting:
CD1: 1. Free - 2. What About Love - 3. Hot To Rock - 4.  Don't Touch The Light - 5.  Who's Foolin' Who - 6. Give It A Try - 7. S.D.I. - 8. Proud Of My Country - 9. Under Blue Skies

CD2: 1. American Nights - 2. Friends - 3. Give A Little - 4. Rock 'N' Roll Cowboy - 5. I Need You - 6. Hard On Me - 7. Ready For Reaction - 8. You Make Me Feel - 9. Sweet Obession - 10. Sweet Home Alabama - 11. Song For Asia (Rock 'N' Roll Cowboy 2005) - 12. Song For Asia (Rock 'N' Roll Cowboy 2005) (German version) - 13. 12. Song For Asia (Rock 'N' Roll Cowboy 2005) (Spainish version)

BONFIRE
“One Acoustic Night - Live At The Private Music Club”
(Doppel-DVD)

Tracklisting:
DVD1: 1. Free - 2. What About Love - 3. Hot To Rock - 4.  Don't Touch The Light - 5.  Who's Foolin' Who - 6. Give It A Try - 7. S.D.I. - 8. Proud Of My Country - 9. Under Blue Skies - 10. American Nights - 11. Friends - 12. Give A Little - 13. Rock 'N' Roll Cowboy - 14. I Need You - 15. Hard On Me - 16. Ready For Reaction - 17. You Make Me Feel - 18. Sweet Obession - 19. Sweet Home Alabama

DVD2: u. a. Schlagzeug-Solo, Interview, Behind The Scenes, Auftritt beim „Rock For Asia“ Charity-Event

Line-Up:
Vocals, Guitar: Claus Lessmann
Guitars: Hans Ziller
Bass: Uwe Köhler
Drums: Jürgen „Bam Bam“ Wiehler

One Acoustic Night – Live at the “Private Music Club“

So here they sat on their comfortable stools, surrounded by soft sofas and cosy candlelight. After almost two highly successful decades in the music business, Bonfire, one of the most famous hard-rock acts in Europe were readying themselves to step once more into the breach. For weeks the band concentrated on reworking their biggest hits and their new material. Bonfire presented these new versions at a small venue, accompanied by a selection of fans and supporters to infuse a sense of intimacy and authenticity to the project. On stage, unplugged in a very impressive acoustic mode.  Both founders of the band, lead singer Claus Lessmann and lead guitarist Hans Ziller, together with their band members, Uwe Köhler (Bass), Jürgen “Bam Bam” Wiehler (Drums), Chris “Yps” Limburg (Guitar) and Thomas “Strecki” Streck (Keyboards) were in great shape and gave a remarkable performance for over two hours. The crowd was going wild and just couldn’t get enough of their songs. The band was ”allowed” to leave the stage only after a couple of encores. Still, every good thing must come to an end but this time only temporarily. Bonfire is back on stage with “One Acoustic Night – Live at the “Private Music Club”” for all fans out there. Listen to them on the newly released double-CD or watch it on their jam-packed double DVD! This release represents another peak within their turbulent, yet always successful career.

By the mid-eighties Claus Lessmann and Hans Ziller had already achieved a respected status in the genre of German hard rock with former their band Cacumen, whose albums have only recently been released on CD for the first time. But they were never ones to rest on their laurels. They wanted to carry their music over the borders to other countries and they wanted to achieve this with a catchy international name. Quickly, Bonfire was agreed upon and their highly successful band had begun in earnest. Together with producer Dave Hutchins they recorded the first Bonfire piece “Don’t Touch The Light” (1986) in the world-famous Dierks Studios. The big experience of Claus and Hans can be found in this surprisingly mature album, which included the often played live hits “Hot To Rock”, “SDI”, Don’t Touch The Light”, and of course,  “You Make Me Feel”, a highly emotive and poignant ballad. News of these new, talented hopefuls from the Bavarian Ingolstadt soon spread and it wasn’t long before their reach extended beyond the confines of their rehearsal room and local venues. They went on to do a very successful European tour with ZZ Top, in which they sometimes overshadowed even the headliners. At this point, wishing to expand the already international flavour of their group, the band went to the U.S. to work with star producer Michael Wagener on their second album “Fire Works” (1988).   Through a series of brilliant group performances, they produced an album of rare harmony and musical artistry, destined to become a classic, not only throughout Germany, but also in many parts of Europe and the world. Hits like “Ready 4 Reaction”, “Never Mind”, “Sleeping All Alone”, “Champion”, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “American Nights” paved the ways towards a myriad new possibilities. Now Bonfire staged their own sold-out tour, closely followed by an European tour as a special guest for Judas Priest and also several very successful concerts in North America.

Another power-ballad named “Give It A Try” extended Bonfire’s appeal to a wider audience. So great was their appeal that the sales of their album “Fire Works” earned Claus Lessmann and Hans Ziller a Golden Record at the end of 2003, for sales in excess of 250.000 copies in Germany alone.

After finishing their “Fire Works” tour, Bonfire returned to Los Angeles to begin work on their 3^rd album, “Point Blank”, again enlisting the producing skills of Michael Wagener. Their distinctive sound effortlessly blended contemporary American rhythms with conspicuously European roots. “Bang Down The Door”, “Hard On Me” and “Who’s Foolin’ Who” catapulted Bonfire once again to the top of the German charts. Worth mentioning that the song “Sword And Stone”, co-written by Paul Stanley of Kiss and the world famous songwriter Desmond Child, appeared on the soundtrack of Wes Craven’s movie “Shocker”. However, Bonfire’s fortunes soon took a turn for the worse. Ongoing creative and personal difference resulted in an apparently irreconcilable rift between Hans Ziller and the other band members and they soon parted company. After finishing the “Point Blank” tour in Europe, the remaining Bonfire members worked with Queen-producer Mack on another Bonfire-album, “Knock Out” (1991). This album included a successful cover of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke”, as well as another ballad masterpiece “Rivers of Glory”. However, it was impossible to disguise the creative absence of Hans Ziller, so evident in their past work. Consequently, Claus Lessmann also parted company with the band. All that seemingly remained was the CD “Live … The Best” (1993), an impressive document of the “Point Blank” tour.

Some time was to pass before Claus Lessmann and Hans Ziller were to work together again. In the meantime, Bonfire appeared on “Kuschelrock”-samplers. Ballad-compilation albums, whose sales numbered in their millions in Germany. The old maxim, “time heals all wounds” proved true and Lessmann and Ziller re-united. First they were involved in a few projects in the German language. With renowned musicians like Curt Cress, Pino Paladino or Ken Taylor they recorded the EP “Glaub Dran” (1993), as well as the title song for the Joseph Vilsmaier- movie “Charlie & Louise”.

But the fans’ never ending request for their main band “forced” Claus and Hans to their next step. A new Bonfire-record. The comeback-album “Feels Like Comin’ Home” (1996) already represented a big step in the right direction but more or less it was “just” a project played under the “Bonfire”-banner. With “Rebel Soul” (1997) , the first “real” album of the newly reformed band, their history of success was about to continue. Large concert turnouts and some very memorable festival-appearances did not go unrewarded. A lucrative new deal with a major label culminated in the brilliant new album “Fuel to the Flames” (2000). A highly successful chart-Album, which definitely brought Bonfire back into the minds and hearts of their fans. The song “ Proud Of My Country” gave them the possibility to perform before a large crowd at “Rock gegen rechte Gewalt” “(Rock Against Right Wing”) festival in Leipzig, which was presented by the famous German singer Udo Lindenberg.

The following studio album “Strike 10” (2001) was another landmark for Bonfire. They continued with fantastic concerts, high chart positions and the promise of good things to come. The band celebrated their 15^th birthday with the release of a compilation-double CD named “29 Golden Bullets” (2001), the DVD “Golden Bullets” (2001) followed by the live CD “Golden Bullets: Live Over Europe!” (2002). Only a few knew at that stage that the band was about to go one step further to improve their creativity. The song “Tell Me What U Know”, co-written by Hans and Claus together with the hitmakers Marcus Black and Winston Sela from Sweden was only a taste of things to come. The album “Free” which was released after their successful tour in Europe as support for Whitesnake and marked yet another milestone. With this exceptionally well crafted and highly and competently arranged piece of music Bonfire once again reached the German charts. “Free” marked a new departure in terms of musical creativity coupled with an unrestrained leaning towards the experimental.

And now there is “One Acoustic Night - Live at the “Private Music Club””. A clear statement and a little breath of fresh air before Bonfire are going to continue with a brand new studio album.

The songs of Bonfire appeared on over 6 million records sold worldwide and Bonfire were nominated for the German “Echo”-price for their impressive homepage www.bonfire.de in 2003. The unrelanting group combined the work on their latest CD and DVD with a big “power drive”. Claus Lessmann and Hans Ziller acted straight away after the catastrophe in Asia with the charity concert “Rock For Asia” at the end of January 2005. Over 100.000 Euro have been raised  through this event which took place in Ingolstadt. But the plan is to expand this idea even more. In addition to this Bonfire spontaneously recorded a new version of their well known anthem under the new title “Song for Asia” (Rock ‘n‘ Roll Cowboy 2005)” which will be included as a bonus track on the “One Acoustic Night – “Live at the “Private Music Club” as well as a Spanish version of “Rock ´n´ Roll Cowboy”. This version will definitely reinforce Bonfire’s international appeal. Just recently the band played highly acclaimed and sold-out concerts in Spain as well as in Greece.

There is no doubt. Bonfire still have a lot to offer and even after 1.200 performed concerts they continually strive to produce genuine, honest and very “real” music that is quintessentially ROCK. It’s just great that these Rock ´n´ Roll Cowboys are still around!

Last Update: Sunday, 27. February 2005
created in September 2002 © by Sonny