MUSIC IN THE BLOOD

The Ziller Valley is the most musical valley in the world,” says the band leader of the “Zillertaler Haderlumpen,” Vitus Amor. Who knew that a trio of 16-year old boys having fun with music would eventually turn into one of the most successful folk music groups in Austria?. In August, the Zillertaler Haderlumpen will attract 10,000 fans to the open-air concert in Zell. Our own Vitus Amor shares his story.

In the Ziller Valley, you literally grow up in the folk music tradition, among a happy breed of people who love their customs, play music with body and soul and know how to celebrate life. Here in the valley there are many large and small festivals and so we first called our band the "Three Funny Zillertal Guys.” We are still the original band members with our lead singer Peter Fankhauser on guitar, his cousin Reinhard Fankhauser as bassist and me with the Styrian harmonica. Because there are so many small venues and dance nights in the Ziller Valley, we had a great platform for performances in front of small audiences, and sometimes on difficult stages to find out where we wanted to go musically. We are three contrary types and had wild debates in the beginning, like should we sing "Sierra Madre" as an encore. But then, success came with our own pieces like "1, 2 or 3000 years,” and now we sing "I am a Haderlump" at the end. That's how you grow together.

Authenticity is the Key

As a young person from the Ziller Valley, you also learn another thing from the ground up...that succeeding in business is only one side of success. The key thing is to develop your own style and become your own brand – regardless if you’re a baker, miner, a musician or an hotelier. Here in the valley, you learn how to do your own thing and be authentic, learning from role models who’ve gone before you. That was very important for us as a young band, because the folk music market was flooded when we started out. Everybody (including your audience) feels whether you do something out of pleasure, love and conviction. That's the power, the energy.

A Down to Earth Life in the Big Mountains

A Haderlump is a local boy who always knows where he belongs at the end of the day. That suits the three of us. We appreciate the down-to-earth life above all else which includes our careers and families. I truly enjoy standing in my optics & jewelry store "Amor" and greeting customers with "Please, Thank you, Hello and Goodbye.” That grounds me just as much as when I take off with the touring skis or on my mountain bike in my beloved Zillertal Arena. The feeling up here in the mountains is as tremendous as singing on stage in front of a thousand people. That's why we cut back the number of concerts to 75 a year. It still means countless hours on the bus, but it’s during these trips that we create most of our songs – this is our fun time. And we still have a darn good time together.