Jerome Reuter is a driven man, a seeker and stands with his project Rome in a long tradition as a songwriter, somewhere between exile and lonesome cowboy. Whether Brel, Cash, Van Zandt, Waits, Cohen, Cave - architects of melancholy like these are the ones who have left their mark on Reuter's artistic expression. His music combines European and American folklore with chanson and the driven dreariness of English post-punk. And above it all, that unmistakable deep voice that you listen to with reassurance and expectation, because you want to believe it knows about the nature and destiny of human beings. On 11 albums and countless other releases since 2005, the Luxembourg songwriter with Rome has tried to make sense of this world and our history. Postulating the ideal of steadfast restlessness - as the price of inner freedom - faithful to a unique artistic vision, an ambassador of melancholy, of elegiac hymns reminiscent of protest songs. While in the first works of Rome one can still recognize clear influences from the genres Industrial and Darkfolk, the albums Flowers From Exile (2009) and Nos Chants Perdus (2010) at the latest show a change towards French Chanson and American Folk. Rome like to describe their style as "Chanson Noir".
Reuters songs - mostly as parts of genre-spanning concept albums - are able to convince history- and culture-interested people as well as dance-addicted indie rockers. Here, diverse musical traditions intermingle: The chanson of his declared idols Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré, meets cool rock and wave influences such as those of Joy Division and New Model Army. Reuter's love of literature is evident in the lyrics: There are quotes and set pieces from a wide variety of authors: from Brecht to Jünger, from Camus to Celine, from Burroughs to London. Rome does not want to be pinned down to one genre, nor does he want to be pinned down from the outside. Thus, the audience corresponds to a diverse mix of goths and punks, hippies and hipsters of all generations.
Text source and more information about this event: https://batschkapp.tickets.de/en/events/9841-ROME
