BLUES IN BRITAIN #284, August 2025

Behning/ Fyson/ Homburger – Lieder Und Songs (EP)

Homburger / Ufer

Jug bands have always been a little idiosyncratic within the blues, and Notty’s Jug Serenaders are among the most idiosyncratic of them all. Located in the Lake Constance area on the German/ Swiss border, they convincingly blend hard blues with the folk-songs and -dances of their local area, and sung in dialect.

Notty is singer/ guitarist Notker Homburger, who met husband and wife duo Heather Fyson and Alex Behning and this seven track, 25 minutes long CD EP is the result. It is a bluesy, folky release, leaning towards Americana, with hints of early Bob Dylan, and an English folk tune in the pure-sounding ‘The Kind Country Lovers’ – “pure” maybe, but I also know it as ‘Lavender Blue’ in which form it was a Leiber and Stoller produced US R’n’B hit for Sammy Turner in the late 50s. Notker’s own ‘Gell, Etz Wundersch Di’ sounds like a vintage East Coast fingerpicking blues classic rendered in German - there is even a quote from Elizabeth Cotton in the accomplished guitar work - and ‘Auf ‘M See’, previously recorded by Notty, is a beautiful acoustic guitar instrumental.

The set closes in fine fashion with a strong version of Leadbelly’s venerable ‘Irene’ (sung in English). 

Norman Darwen

FOLKER – SONG, FOLK & WORLD #151 (2.25) Juni 2025   

Behning – Fyson – Homburger

Lieder und Songs (UFER RECORDS)

Standarddeutsche, bodenseealemannische und englische Lieder von Alex Behning, Heather Fyson und Notker Homburger aus dem Konstanzer Land.

Teils eigene, teils traditionelle, teils auch vorher schon veröffentlicht.

Allemal angenehm zu hören!

mas

Robert Crumb (Brief an Homburger, 20. März 2025):

“… I just now took a listen to the compact disc you sent, ‘Behning-Fyson-Homburger’. Nice playing and singing all around. I like the guys’ singing style, but my most favorite track is the instrumental by you; very very fine guitar work, mein Herr, and nice tune …”