17 Hippies
Encyclopedia
17 Hippies is a band from Berlin
, Germany
, playing largely on acoustic instruments. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native Germany and France.
(bouzouki
, ukulele
& vocals), Carsten Wegener (bass
), Lutz “Lüül” Ulbrich (banjo
& guitar
), Kristin “Kiki” Sauer (accordion
& vocals) and Reinhard "Koma" Lüderitz (bagpipes
). They first used the name 17 Hippies in the fall of that year.
In 1996 they began to organize their own series of free concerts called Hippie Haus Tanz (Hippie House Dance). At this time Antje Henkel (clarinet
), Elmar Gutmann (trumpet
), and Ulrike “Rike” Lau (cello
) joined the band. In 1997 Henry Notroff (clarinet) and Dirk Trageser (guitar & vocals) also were added, and live recordings of different concerts and rehearsal room sessions were compiled into their first CD Rock'n'Roll 13.
In 1998 they played at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas
and then toured in Texas
and Louisiana
. Later that year Uwe Langer (trombone
) joined the band and they played in Paris
for the first time.
They established their own record label and in 1999 released their second CD Wer ist das? (Who is that?). The French label Buda Musique released a compilation
of both CD’s called Berlin Style, which was then also released in Italy. Volker "Kruisko" Rettmann (accordion) joined the band.
In 2001 the band wrote the score for the German movie Grill Point
(Halbe Treppe) by Andreas Dresen
and they performed in a cameo role in the film. A tour of Budapest
, Prague
, Vienna
and France
took place, and the second French album Sirba was released, featuring their first radio hit "Marlène". Kerstin Kaernbach (violin
) also was added to the band lineup. Their first studio album Ifni was released in 2004. An extensive tour of Germany, Switzerland
, the Netherlands
, Belgium
, Hungary
, the Czech Republic
, Morocco
and France ensued. Daniel Friederichs (violin) became the last member to join the current lineup. In 2006 the band made a tour of Japan
and Spain
and composed the music for the play Kasimir and Karoline, staged at the Deutsches Theater
in Berlin.
In 2007, a second studio album Heimlich (Secretly) was released in Europe and North America. In September they embarked on their first US tour, playing in Chicago, New York, Washington and Bloomington. In December they played at the Olympia in Paris. In 2008, their earlier albums were released in the UK by Proper Records, they toured the US twice, and they played festivals in Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Greece, and Algeria.
In 2009 they released their third studio album El Dorado, the first of their albums to be released worldwide. Again the band went on an extensive world tour, that took them to 14 countries including China, the US, Israel
and Jordan
. Concert highlights included appearances at WOMAD in Charlton Park (UK), and a sold out show at the Théâtre de la Ville
in Paris. In 2011 they performed a concert at the WOMAD New Zealand, in Taranaki, New Zealand, which a one hour broadcast was later played on Radio New Zealand National on 1 July 2011
. Among the featured artists are Carsten Dane from Hamburg
, and Robert Cummings from Canada
. The concert at the Pop d’Europe festival in Berlin on the 31st August 2002 was recorded, and released on CD in 2003.
from Bordeaux
, they recorded an EP
with six songs. After giving concerts in Moscow
, and going on a French tour, the album was released in France by Wagram Music in 2004.
, featuring the two electric guitarists Marc Ribot
and Jakob Ilja, was recorded and released on CD in 2006.
of the Dhol Foundation
in London to play with them. A first concert was given on September 12 in Dortmund
, Germany and was broadcast live by German public radio WDR.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, playing largely on acoustic instruments. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native Germany and France.
History
The band was founded 1995 in Berlin by Christopher BlenkinsopChristopher Blenkinsop
Christopher Blenkinsop is an English-German writer, composer, musician and producer, and a member of the band 17 Hippies.-Biography:...
(bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
& vocals), Carsten Wegener (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Lutz “Lüül” Ulbrich (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
& guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Kristin “Kiki” Sauer (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
& vocals) and Reinhard "Koma" Lüderitz (bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
). They first used the name 17 Hippies in the fall of that year.
In 1996 they began to organize their own series of free concerts called Hippie Haus Tanz (Hippie House Dance). At this time Antje Henkel (clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
), Elmar Gutmann (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), and Ulrike “Rike” Lau (cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) joined the band. In 1997 Henry Notroff (clarinet) and Dirk Trageser (guitar & vocals) also were added, and live recordings of different concerts and rehearsal room sessions were compiled into their first CD Rock'n'Roll 13.
In 1998 they played at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and then toured in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Later that year Uwe Langer (trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
) joined the band and they played in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for the first time.
They established their own record label and in 1999 released their second CD Wer ist das? (Who is that?). The French label Buda Musique released a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of both CD’s called Berlin Style, which was then also released in Italy. Volker "Kruisko" Rettmann (accordion) joined the band.
In 2001 the band wrote the score for the German movie Grill Point
Grill Point
Grill Point is a 2001 German drama film directed by Andreas Dresen. Its original German title is Halbe Treppe, which means "Halfway up the Stairs" in English, and was the real-life name of the snack bar shown in the film....
(Halbe Treppe) by Andreas Dresen
Andreas Dresen
Andreas Dresen is an award-winning German film director. His directing credits include Cloud 9, Summer in Berlin, Grill Point and Night Shapes. His film Stopped on Track premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prize of Un Certain Regard...
and they performed in a cameo role in the film. A tour of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
took place, and the second French album Sirba was released, featuring their first radio hit "Marlène". Kerstin Kaernbach (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
) also was added to the band lineup. Their first studio album Ifni was released in 2004. An extensive tour of Germany, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and France ensued. Daniel Friederichs (violin) became the last member to join the current lineup. In 2006 the band made a tour of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and composed the music for the play Kasimir and Karoline, staged at the Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
in Berlin.
In 2007, a second studio album Heimlich (Secretly) was released in Europe and North America. In September they embarked on their first US tour, playing in Chicago, New York, Washington and Bloomington. In December they played at the Olympia in Paris. In 2008, their earlier albums were released in the UK by Proper Records, they toured the US twice, and they played festivals in Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Greece, and Algeria.
In 2009 they released their third studio album El Dorado, the first of their albums to be released worldwide. Again the band went on an extensive world tour, that took them to 14 countries including China, the US, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. Concert highlights included appearances at WOMAD in Charlton Park (UK), and a sold out show at the Théâtre de la Ville
Théâtre de la Ville
The Théâtre de la Ville is one of the two theatres built in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann at Place du Châtelet, Paris; the other being the Théâtre du Châtelet...
in Paris. In 2011 they performed a concert at the WOMAD New Zealand, in Taranaki, New Zealand, which a one hour broadcast was later played on Radio New Zealand National on 1 July 2011
Style
Their style is a unique mix of Eastern European melodies and rhythms, with French chanson and American folk music. They sing mainly in German, English and French. In France their music is known as Berlin Style.Sexy Ambient Hippies
Since 1997 the 17 Hippies occasionally play with DJs and electronic musicians as the “Sexy Ambient Hippies”, with major concerts in Paris, Berlin and MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. Among the featured artists are Carsten Dane from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and Robert Cummings from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The concert at the Pop d’Europe festival in Berlin on the 31st August 2002 was recorded, and released on CD in 2003.
Hardcore Troubadors
Together with Les Hurlements d'LéoLes Hurlements d'Léo
Les Hurlements d'Léo is an alternative rock band from Bordeaux in France. Currently an eight-piece, they have been influenced by the likes of Les Négresses Vertes and combine traditional French sounds with sounds of gypsy, Latin, ska, punk and energetic rock.-History:* The story began in Bordeaux...
from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, they recorded an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with six songs. After giving concerts in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and going on a French tour, the album was released in France by Wagram Music in 2004.
17 Hippies Play Guitar
On 19 December 2004, a concert for German national radio WDR in CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, featuring the two electric guitarists Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
and Jakob Ilja, was recorded and released on CD in 2006.
17 Hippies & the Beat
In September 2008 they invited the percussionist Johnny KalsiJohnny Kalsi
Johnny Kalsi is a British Indian dhol drum performer residing in London. He rose to prominence as a former member of Transglobal Underground and the founder of the Dhol Foundation. He also performs with the Afro Celt Sound System and The Imagined Village....
of the Dhol Foundation
Dhol Foundation
The Dhol Foundation is both a dhol drum institute in London and a musical group playing bhangra music. The dhol school was founded in 1989 by former Alaap member Johnny Kalsi when several musicians asked him to be their teacher, and a first album was released by Kalsi and his students in 2001...
in London to play with them. A first concert was given on September 12 in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Germany and was broadcast live by German public radio WDR.
Discography
- Rock’n’roll 13 : 1997 | CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, Rent a Poet - Texas Radio : 1998 | MCCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, Rent a Poet - Wer ist das? : 1999 | CD, Rent a Poet
- Sirba : 2002 | CD, Buda Musique
- Soundtrack for the film Halbe TreppeGrill PointGrill Point is a 2001 German drama film directed by Andreas Dresen. Its original German title is Halbe Treppe, which means "Halfway up the Stairs" in English, and was the real-life name of the snack bar shown in the film....
: 2002 | CD, Rent a Poet - 17 Hippies play Sexy Ambient Hippies : 2003 | CD, Rent a Poet
- Ifni : 2004 | CD, Rent a Poet
- Live in Berlin : 2005 | DVD, Rent a Poet
- 17 Hippies Play Guitar : 2006 | CD, Hipster Records
- Live in Berlin : 2006 | CD, Hipster Records/Proper Music
- Heimlich : 2007 | CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music
- El Dorado : 2009 | CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music
- Phantom Songs : 2011 | CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music