Rainer Maria

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For the poet, see Rainer Maria Rilke.
Rainer Maria

Rainer Maria at their farewell show, December 16, 2006, at the Bowery Ballroom
Background information
Origin Madison, Wisconsin
United States
Genres Indie rock, emo
Years active 1995–2006
Labels Polyvinyl, Arena Rock Recording Co., Grunion Records, Artificial Light
Past members Caithlin De Marrais
Kyle Fischer
William Kuehn

Rainer Maria was an emo band originally from Madison, Wisconsin,[1] later residing in Brooklyn, New York.[2] Named after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke,[3] they formed in the late summer of 1995 and released five full length albums, a live DVD, numerous live recordings, and EPs. In its earlier days, the band had a dual male and female vocal line-up; later, Caithlin De Marrais took over most singing. The gender ambiguity of the name Rainer Maria paralleled this and was one of the reasons it was selected as the band's name.[citation needed]

The band's many tours and intimate live shows at venues such as Brooklyn's North Six (which lead singer Caithlin De Marrais referred to as "home" during her final show because it also served as the band's rehearsal space), Washington, D.C.'s The Black Cat, the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle helped to grow its fan base and fuel album sales.

On November 6, 2006, the band announced, through Pitchfork Media, that the December 16th show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom would be their last. It was accompanied by this statement:

"We are grateful to our new listeners and especially our longtime fans for their endless support and attention. We feel incredibly fortunate to have come up during a unique time in rock music, in a community that grew with us from the Midwest to Brooklyn and beyond. Making records has always been a revelation, and walking onto stage together we found a vision we could share.
"For us, this transition can be nothing short of heartbreaking. But for reasons both musical and personal, the three of us have chosen this time to move on."[4]

The band played their last show on December 17, 2006, at North Six in Brooklyn. They opened with "Artificial Light" and closed with a lengthy version of "Rise." Referring to the intensity of the show and the enthusiasm of the crowd, guitarist Kyle Fischer at one point remarked jokingly in-between songs "we should break up every night."

Band members

Caithlin De Marrais
  • Caithlin De Marrais — bass, vocals
  • Kyle Fischer — guitar, vocals, synths
  • William Kuehn — drums, percussion

Discography

Albums

Other releases

  • Demo tape (1995)
  1. The Argument From Simplicity
  2. E-mail to K M Ley
  3. Song Without Words
  4. Battery Pack
  5. Todd Haynes
  6. I Love You Too
  • New York, 1955 b/w Up Until This Time 7" (Polyvinyl, 1997)
  • Hell or High Water b/w Paper Sack 7" (Polyvinyl, 2000)
  • Life of Leisure (LP version/acoustic version) CD single (Grunion, 2006)
  • VA - Ooh Do I Love You (Core for Care Records, 1996). Track: "I Love You, Too"
  • VA - Direction (Polyvinyl, 1996). Track: "Sooyoung"
  • VA - Post Marked Stamps (Tree Records, 1997). Track: "Pincushion"
  • VA - ReDirection (Polyvinyl, 2001). Tracks: Breakfast of Champions, Artificial Light
  • VA - This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation (Arena Rock Recording Co., 2001). Track: Artificial Light

Music videos

  • "Catastrophe" (2006, directed by David Ahuja & Claire Carré)
  • "Ears Ring" (2003, directed by David Ahuja)

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Rainer Maria". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 
  2. ↑ Beaujon, Andrew (March 2001). "Rainer Maria: A Better Version of Me". Spin. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 
  3. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (13 April 2006). "Rainer Maria: A Not-So-New Band With a New Sound". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 
  4. ↑ "Articles: The Year in News 2006: Part 2". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 

External links

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