Styrian rockers in the footsteps of Elvis Presley

Jet lag is still lingering in their necks and their heads are buzzing with memories of the trip of a lifetime. Pretty much best friends Illy König from Bad Aussee, Clemens Stockner from Weiz, Julian Pirchheim from Passail and Jürgen Ofner from Hirschegg have dedicated themselves to country music as the band "Schåttensprung". The tight-knit group meets weekly in the Graz studio, where they meticulously hone their rockabilly sound. "We are the only ones in Austria who play the distinctive rockabilly instruments. We don't want to be a cheap copy of this music," says singer Jürgen (34), swearing by the music of the 1950s.

A lifelong dream realized
What could be more obvious than a trip to the center of the country universe - Tennessee. "We've been vacationing together for years. This time we realized two lifelong dreams." Namely to sing in the legendary Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley recorded his first records.

A small studio in Memphis that is significant for music history, where the spirit of the King of Rock'n'Roll can be felt in every corner. The Styrian musicians gather around the microphone placed in the middle of the room, into which Elvis roared "That's alright Mama", in great reverence.

Wedding bells instead of Elvis sound
But they were unlucky with their fixed recording date in the venerable studio: "Shortly before our appointment, the studio manager quit and we could no longer produce there, we could only visit." The annoyance of the shattered dream was over when the wedding bells rang for Jürgen and his Lisa.

"Right after the proposal, it was clear that we wanted to get married in Nashville," he recalls. A wedding planner took over the organization of the dream wedding in an ancient mansion. "Nothing works in the USA without a wedding planner," says the newlyweds, who celebrated their marital bliss like real stars with a dozen guests on Broadway in Nashville until the early hours of the morning.

Wedding date like Elvis
They deliberately got married around May 1st, the same date that Elvis got married. The emotional icing on the cake was a visit to Graceland, Elvis Presley's former home, which is now a multi-storey museum. "You can see everything about Elvis there. From the private jets to the extravagant stage costumes of the style icon," enthuses the newlyweds.

Bride Lisa also had a special encounter in Nashville - with "Bares für Rares" presenter Horst Lichter: "It was a happy coincidence. He was on his motorcycle in Tennessee and happened to come to the rockabilly bar where we were celebrating that evening.

These memories will last a lifetime and could be preserved on the next "Schattensprung" album - the latest single "Nacht in Mexiko" will be released on May 25. "I really hope that my wedding ring doesn't hurt too much when I play the guitar," smiles new husband and musician Jürgen Ofner.

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