Maxi Pongratz - rum & num

With words and music, Maxi Pongratz takes on the big questions of his new tour: How do you become who you want to be? What does folk music have to do with home? And what is home, anyway? Not easy to answer - especially for a boundary-crosser like Maxi Pongratz, who gets around a lot, likes to think around corners and peer beyond the obvious. With a curious eye and open ears, he moves between city and countryside, tavern music and Dadaism, tradition and rebellion, wit and melancholy, poetry and sound, shyness and mischief.

Known for his band "Kofelgschroa", his wry lyrics and his entirely distinctive accordion style, Maxi Pongratz has become a fixture of the German Kleinkunst scene. But this path was far from mapped out: he trained as a gardener, baked apple strudel at the Hofbräuhaus, and prepared the legendary "Kandahar" ski run for the World Cup. Fortunately, he was also making his way with his accordion - first from pub to pub, then from stage to stage - and eventually became a musician after all.

With Kofelgschroa, Maxi Pongratz released three albums, all produced by Micha Acher ("The Notwist"). He appeared with his bandmates in the documentary "frei.sein.wollen" (by Barbara Weber) and can be heard in Josef Bierbichler's feature film "Zwei Herren im Anzug". "rum&num" is Maxi Pongratz's fourth solo album.