Tom Liwa
Encyclopedia
Tom Liwa is a German
singer-songwriter
who has been performing as a solo artist in addition to being a founding member and frontman of the band Flowerpornoes. While his artistic solo output long went unnoticed by German mainstream news sources and radio stations, he was recognised early on for his work with the band. In recent years, he has been receiving increased attention due both to a steady fan-base and various collaborations and contributions, e.g. to Klee's 2006 album Zwischen Himmel und Erde. Liwa has cited Joni Mitchell
's Hejira
as one of his favourite albums and as a major musical influence, and has named Neil Young
as an early idol.
Tom Liwa is married to former fellow Flowerpornoes member Alexandra Gilles Videla, the couple has three children.
__FORCETOC__
In 1986, Tom Liwa was a founding member and became frontman of the band Flowerpornoes in his native Duisburg.
The four albums released during this period mainly featured English lyrics. Liwa has stated that he had in fact already begun writing German lyrics but that at the time German songtexts were considered "unhip". Although his English texts had received praise in music magazines, the later decision to begin recording songs in German rather than English was made in a conscious effort to address what Liwa perceived as a failure to communicate the deeper meanings in his lyrics to an audience beyond music critics.
After unfruitful attempts to score any major popular success and with mounting tensions between the band members and differing artistic visions, the Flowerpornoes disbanded shortly after the release of the 1990 album, As Trivial As Life And Death. Subsequent bids for a contract from a major record label failed, to Liwa's retrospective relief.
After the breakup, Tom Liwa toured with Blumfeld
on their first tour. Other than that, he played only very minor gigs during the time. In his own retrospect account, he states that he considered his career finished at that point.
Flowerpornoes 2
The Flowerpornoes project was revived in 1993, culminating in the release of Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten). Two more albums followed, 1994's Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen and Ich & Ich in 1996, before the band members parted ways again.
From 1995 to 1997, Liwa also contributed to the eponymous first album by the Tim Isfort Orchester project alongside Blixa Bargeld
, Eva Kurowski
, Katharina Thalbach
and others.
Solo career
After the second breakup of the Flowerpornoes, Tom Liwa began work on his first solo album. Due to participation in a number of other projects, it took four years to complete and publish St. Amour in 2000. The earlier Voeding, released in 1998, was a collection of songs released as mailorder only. The final track of St. Amour is a non-musical piece called "Wir haben die Musik" ("we have the music"), spoken by Christian Brückner
whose voice is well-known throughout Germany as the dubbing voice for Robert De Niro
and other actors. Also during the time, Liwa featured on Kevin Coyne
's Knocking On Your Brain, published in 1997.
More solo albums followed since then, 2004's Dudajim being the latest of those that have not been published as mailorder only.
Flowerpornoes 3
On July 25, 2005, the Flowerpornoes performed together for the first time since the 1996 breakup. The occasion was a concert in Cologne
, organised as part of the campaign "nrw retten, taz abonnieren" ("save NRW
, subscribe to taz
") by newspaper die tageszeitung' s North Rhine-Westphalia edition, which at the time was struggling financially.
In 2007, after a hiatus of more than ten years, a new Flowerpornoes album was released, Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut? The album has received considerably greater mainstream attention than any prior work of Tom Liwa.
One of the songs on the album is called "Österreich
", an allusion to the band's website
being located within the Austrian top-level domain
.at
because the German top-level domain URL
(flowerpornoes.de) is registered by someone not related to the band in any form
.
Other featured contributions
gigs
misc
http://www.grauwerte.de/polysensuell/fotografien.php?topic=12
http://www.gebaeude9.de/info01.html
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...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who has been performing as a solo artist in addition to being a founding member and frontman of the band Flowerpornoes. While his artistic solo output long went unnoticed by German mainstream news sources and radio stations, he was recognised early on for his work with the band. In recent years, he has been receiving increased attention due both to a steady fan-base and various collaborations and contributions, e.g. to Klee's 2006 album Zwischen Himmel und Erde. Liwa has cited Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's Hejira
Hejira (album)
Hejira is a 1976 folk/rock/jazz album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. The album title is a transliteration of the Arabic word hijra, which means "journey", referring specifically to the prophet Muhammad's and his followers' escape from Mecca to Medina in 622...
as one of his favourite albums and as a major musical influence, and has named Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
as an early idol.
Tom Liwa is married to former fellow Flowerpornoes member Alexandra Gilles Videla, the couple has three children.
__FORCETOC__
Life and career
Flowerpornoes 1In 1986, Tom Liwa was a founding member and became frontman of the band Flowerpornoes in his native Duisburg.
The four albums released during this period mainly featured English lyrics. Liwa has stated that he had in fact already begun writing German lyrics but that at the time German songtexts were considered "unhip". Although his English texts had received praise in music magazines, the later decision to begin recording songs in German rather than English was made in a conscious effort to address what Liwa perceived as a failure to communicate the deeper meanings in his lyrics to an audience beyond music critics.
After unfruitful attempts to score any major popular success and with mounting tensions between the band members and differing artistic visions, the Flowerpornoes disbanded shortly after the release of the 1990 album, As Trivial As Life And Death. Subsequent bids for a contract from a major record label failed, to Liwa's retrospective relief.
After the breakup, Tom Liwa toured with Blumfeld
Blumfeld
Blumfeld was an indie-pop band from Hamburg, Germany, formed by singer and songwriter Jochen Distelmeyer. The name of the band was coined by the main character of the short story "Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle" by Franz Kafka...
on their first tour. Other than that, he played only very minor gigs during the time. In his own retrospect account, he states that he considered his career finished at that point.
Flowerpornoes 2
The Flowerpornoes project was revived in 1993, culminating in the release of Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten). Two more albums followed, 1994's Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen and Ich & Ich in 1996, before the band members parted ways again.
From 1995 to 1997, Liwa also contributed to the eponymous first album by the Tim Isfort Orchester project alongside Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
, Eva Kurowski
Eva Kurowski
Eva Kurowski is a German jazz musician and singer.-Life:Kurowski's father Walter is a jazz musician and plays in many clubs in the Ruhr Valley, , and therefore his daughter was constantly exposed to jazz from an early age.In 1982 Kurowski began singing and met many musicians, including her...
, Katharina Thalbach
Katharina Thalbach
Katharina Thalbach is a German actress and film director.- Life and work :Katharina Thalbach comes from a particularly artistic-oriented family. Her father Benno Besson was a director, her mother Sabine Thalbach was an actress. Her late husband Thomas Brasch was an author. Her daughter Anna and...
and others.
Solo career
After the second breakup of the Flowerpornoes, Tom Liwa began work on his first solo album. Due to participation in a number of other projects, it took four years to complete and publish St. Amour in 2000. The earlier Voeding, released in 1998, was a collection of songs released as mailorder only. The final track of St. Amour is a non-musical piece called "Wir haben die Musik" ("we have the music"), spoken by Christian Brückner
Christian Brückner
Christian Brückner is one of the most prolific and well-known German voice actors today, as well as a frequent actor.Christian Brückner provides the German voice-dubbing for such actors as Gary Oldman, Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Martin Sheen, Harvey Keitel, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper,...
whose voice is well-known throughout Germany as the dubbing voice for Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and other actors. Also during the time, Liwa featured on Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
's Knocking On Your Brain, published in 1997.
More solo albums followed since then, 2004's Dudajim being the latest of those that have not been published as mailorder only.
Flowerpornoes 3
On July 25, 2005, the Flowerpornoes performed together for the first time since the 1996 breakup. The occasion was a concert in Cologne
Cologne
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...
, organised as part of the campaign "nrw retten, taz abonnieren" ("save NRW
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, subscribe to taz
Die tageszeitung
die tageszeitung , was founded in 1978 in Berlin. It is a cooperative-owned German daily newspaper which is administrated by a workers' self-management...
") by newspaper die tageszeitung
In 2007, after a hiatus of more than ten years, a new Flowerpornoes album was released, Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut? The album has received considerably greater mainstream attention than any prior work of Tom Liwa.
One of the songs on the album is called "Österreich
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
", an allusion to the band's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
being located within the Austrian top-level domain
Top-level domain
A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
.at
.at
.at is the Internet country code top-level domain for Austria. It is administered by .The .at top-level domain has a number of second-level domains...
because the German top-level domain URL
Uniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
(flowerpornoes.de) is registered by someone not related to the band in any form
Cybersquatting
Cybersquatting , according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else...
.
Discography
| Year | Album name | Project | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Make Up | Flowerpornoes | Scratch'N' |
| 1988 | Stardust Kiddies | Flowerpornoes | Scratch'N' |
| 1989 | Pumpkin Tide | Flowerpornoes | Scratch'N' |
| 1990 | As Trivial As Life And Death | Flowerpornoes | Scratch'N' |
| 1993 | Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten) | Flowerpornoes | Moll |
| 1994 | Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen | Flowerpornoes | Moll |
| 1996 | Ich & Ich | Flowerpornoes | Moll |
| 1998 | Voeding | solo | Glitterhouse |
| 2000 | St. Amour | solo | Moll |
| 2001 | Evolution Blues | solo | Normal |
| 2001 | Staefa CH Stäfa Stäfa is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Stäfa has an area of . Of this area, 46.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 34% is settled and the remainder is non-productive... |
solo | Glitterhouse |
| 2002 | Lopnor | with Florian Glässing | Normal |
| 2002 | Two Originals of Tom Liwa (double album with Ich reite ein Pferd auf dem sonst nur Frauen reiten und Nostalgia No Existe) | solo | Normal |
| 2004 | Dudajim | solo | Normal |
| 2005 | Glauberg/California | solo | Glitterhouse |
| 2005 | Ich Könnte Mir Ein Fahrrad Leihen | with Werner Muth | Ludwig |
| 2007 | Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut? | Flowerpornoes | V2/Rough Trade |
Other featured contributions
- He featured as an extra, portraying a musician in the 1999 film Pola XPola XPola X is a 1999 French romantic drama film starring Guillaume Depardieu, Yekaterina Golubeva and Catherine Deneuve. The film is loosely based on the Herman Melville novel Pierre: or, The Ambiguities. It revolves around a successful young novelist who is confronted by a woman who claims to be his...
. - The song Julianastraat from the 2000 album, St. Amour, is featured on the soundtrack for the film The EdukatorsThe EdukatorsThe Edukators is a German-Austrian film made by the Austrian director Hans Weingartner and released in 2004. Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, it stars Daniel Brühl, Stipe Erceg and Julia Jentsch....
. - Among other prominent German-language authors, Tom Liwa contributed to an anthology called texttourimus (the title being a pun on sex tourismSex tourismSex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
). The entire revenue generated by the volume, published in November 2005 in collaboration with UNICEF, was donated to a charitable organisation.
External links
album reviewsgigs
misc
http://www.grauwerte.de/polysensuell/fotografien.php?topic=12
http://www.gebaeude9.de/info01.html
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