Wino Wednesday: Wino & Conny Ochs, “Angels and Demons” Live in the Czech Republic, 2012
It remains to be seen if we’ll actually get a sophomore album from the collaboration between Scott “Wino” Weinrich and German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs. The Exile on Mainstream labelmates released their debut, Heavy Kingdom (review here), in 2012 and celebrated with a fair amount of touring as a duo in Europe and North America, and they did answer Heavy Kingdom quickly with the Latitudes session, Labour of Love, but a good portion of that was cover material and the mission seemed more about enjoying playing together than actually furthering the writing partnership creatively. Not to take away from that release, since among other things it boasts the only to-date recorded version of Wino & Conny Ochs doing Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young‘s “Find the Cost of Freedom,” and that’s worth the price of admission alone. Still, a second record has proved elusive.
Among the trove of video from those tours, however, there are glimpses of material other than that which was included on Heavy Kingdom or Labour of Love, and whether it was a cut written subsequently, or something pulled from either’s solo catalog, there’s plenty of it taped out there — Wino & Conny Ochs probably makes a relatively easy set to capture, as they’re not likely to blow out the volume on whatever recorder might be used — and it’s from that vast and disorganized archive that “Angels and Demons” comes. Snagged in HD on that European tour in the Czech Republic (I believe) on May 3, 2012, the track originally appeared on Ochs‘ 2012 long-player, Raw Love Songs, and sure enough, he takes the lead on it. Wino adds a bit of ambience to the start, but the track really comes alive later when the two of them lock into a part that, considering it was written before they started collaborating, only emphasizes how fitting a pair they make.
Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:
