17 Hippies

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17 Hippies
17 Hippies performing in Salamanca in September 2006.
Background information
Origin	Berlin, Germany
Genre(s)	Pop, folk
Years active	1995–present
Label(s)	Hipster Records, Berlin Buda Musique, Paris
Website	www.17hippies.com
Members
Antje Henkel Carsten Wegener Christopher Blenkinsop Daniel Friedrichs Dirk Trageser Elmar Gutmann Henry Notroff Kerstin Kearnbach Kiki Sauer Lutz 'Lüül' Ulbrich Rike Lau Uwe Langer Volker 'Kruisko' Rettmann

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.

1 History
2 Style
3 Sideline projects
4 More Members
5 Former members
6 Discography
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

The band was founded 1995 in Berlin by Christopher Blenkinsop (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 (Secret) 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 Propper Records, a second US tour took place, and they played festivals in Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland, Greece, and Algeria.

[edit] 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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Sideline projects

[edit] Sexy Ambient Hippies

Since 1997 the 17 Hippies occasionally play with DJ’s and electronic musicians as the “Sexy Ambient Hippies”, with major concerts in Paris, Berlin and Munich. 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.

[edit] Hardcore Troubadors

Together with Les Hurlements d’Léo 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.

[edit] 17 Hippies Play Guitar

On 19 December 2004, a concert given for German national radio WDR in Cologne, featuring the two electric guitarists Marc Ribot and Jakob Ilja. It was recorded and released on CD in 2006.

[edit] More Members

Alexander Roesler (viola), Bernhard Kruppke (violin), Frank “El” Schneider (balalaika), Jakob Ilja (mandolin, guitar), Johannes Kevenhörster (clarinet), Jürgen “Meduli” Michelly (fiddle, thumbass), Jürgen “Speedy Schäfer” (bass, mandola), Michael “Moe” Jaksch (bass, zither), Petra Rosemann (viola, flutes, hurdy gurdy), Reinhard “Koma “ Lüderitz (bagpipes), Silke “Frau Schmitt” Volland (violin),

[edit] Former members

Andrea “Andreschka” Großmann (trombone), Anja Gürke (violin), Anna-Katharina Kaufmann (violin, viola), Guido Kensbock (guitar), Harald Großkopf (percussion), Jens Domberg (trombone, trumpet, tenor horn), Katja Bruisch (violin), Niall Keppie (saxophone), Ulla Beneke (clarinet), Werner Lützow (trombone, euphonium, tuba)