with Popol Vuh:
1973 Hosianna Mantra : electric & 12-string guitar
1974 Seligpreisung : electric & 12-string guitar
1983 Agape Agape Love Love : guitar
1985 Spirit of Peace : electric guitar
other:
1971 Gila - Free Electric Sound
1973 Gila - Bury my Heart at wounded Knee
1974 Joined Amon Düül II for their tour in France; followed by tour with Guru Guru
1985 Coney Island - Dream Walker / We are closing soon
198? Coney Island - Undertown / Misfitz
1999 Gila - Night Works
*
Conny Veit from Stuttgart founded his band Gila in 1969. In his book ‘Der Pate des Krautrock’ Gerhard Augustin, working for United Artists in the 70s, makes mentioning of Conny Veit visiting him - with demotape - in Munich april 1970. The first album of Gila however was released one year later on BASF.
In 1972 Veit returns to Munich again, but with another motive now :
“As for myself, in 1972, aged 21, I decided to move to Munich, because Popol Vuh’s Florian Fricke had invited me to collaborate on his new lp ‘Hosianna Mantra’. I had accepted the offer, yet I didn ‘t want to leave Gila because Popol Vuh was, and still is, a pure studio project. Anyway for me, it was not until I took that step that my life as a professional musician began.” (from: Booklet - cd ‘Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, Garden Of Delight, 2000)
Interviewed by Gerhard Augustin in 1996 Florian Fricke says the following on how he met Conny Veit:
Gerhard Augustin: In HOSIANNA MANTRA there are some new personnel, such as Conny Veit and Djong Yun. How did you meet them, and how did you come to play with them? Let's first talk about Conny Veit. How did you meet him?
Florian Fricke: Actually, most of the musicians have always sort of found their way to me to play with me. I met Conny Veit at United Artists, my record label at the time, in the office of somebody I knew there (actually Gerhard Augustin himself).
Gerhard Augustin: But this is how Conny started playing with you, he came to your house and you guys just sat down and played?
Florian Fricke: Yes, and he has done this every day. And that is how we actually prepared for almost half a year to record the album HOSIANNA MANTRA.
(See: http://www.eurock.com/features/florian.aspx)
Gila: Danny, Sabine, Conny, Florian
At United Artists Veit probably also met Sabine Merbach who worked there. She was to become his girlfriend and she sang on the album ‘Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee ’.
“While working together with Popol Vuh, I came into touch with Amon Düül II, at that time at the height of their career. They were one of the few German bands who kept to the principle of the commune, living together in a big house near Landhut generally known as Kronwinkel. There, I made the acquaintance of Daniel Fichelscher, Amon Düül’s second drummer besides Peter Leopold. I was very often a guest at Kronwinkel and was immensely impressed by Daniel Fichelscher as a drummer, by the ease of his playing, his capacity for enthusiam, his effervescent personality and almost blind understanding in the jamming. So much was clear: this was the man I wanted to win over for Gila as our drummer. Though at the time, what was left of Gila was me, no-one else. ‘Hosianna Mantra’was finished and my collaboraration with Popol Vuh had ended for the time being. I began to think about what Gila’s future might look like. Today it’s no longer difficult for me to admit that I learned a lot from Florian Fricke, perticularly his way of elaborating a musical theme. During the long period of preparing ‘Hosianna Mantra’ - almost half a year or so - I was able to develop a closer relationship to classical music, which had always been foreign to me up until then. Florian had been to a conservatory and was a disciple of Hindemith. No doubt that there were some domains where he was far ahead of me.” (from: Booklet - cd ‘Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, Garden Of Delight, 2000)
After the intensive work for ‘Hosianna Mantra’ Conny Veit toured in France with Amon Düül II during the winter of 1973-1974 with Chis Karrer, John Weinzierl, Peter Leopold, Ncik Woodland, Andy Vix and Jutta Weinhold.
According to the 'Blatt'-magazine Gila was programmed on a benefit-concert for the north american indians, on april 7th, 1974 in Munich:
Unser schon lange angekündigter concert für Wounded Knee geht endlich über die Bühne. Am Sonntag den 7. April 1974 um 19.30 Uhr im "Theater der jugend"in der Reitmoorstrasse 7. Es spielen die Rock-Gruppen 'Gila'und 'Sparifankal', der indianische Blues Sänger Jack Grunsky (Canada) und Jan Ince (England). Zudem zeigen wir "The Ballad of Crow Foot"., einen preisgekrönten Kurzfilm des MicMac-Indianers Willy Dunn, einem Sänger und Filmemacher aus Canada. (from: Blatt, nr.20, 1974)
In the summer of 1974 Gila split.
