Katzenjammer (band)
| Katzenjammer | |
|---|---|
 Katzenjammer performing live at the Reeperbahn Festival in Germany in 2009. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Oslo, Norway |
| Genres | Folk music, pop, rock, country, balkan music |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website | Katzenjammer.no |
| Members | |
| Anne Marit Bergheim Marianne Sveen Solveig Heilo Turid Jørgensen |
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Katzenjammer is a Norwegian band from Oslo which was formed in 2005.
The band members are Anne Marit Bergheim, Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo and Turid Jørgensen. Their music mixes genres such as folk music, pop, rock, country and balkan music. Even though the members are from Norway, their lyrics are in English. The four members switch instruments often and have a stated goal of playing instruments they haven't played before.[1] They play more than 25 different instruments, including some which are quite unusual in a band setting, such as accordion, contrabass balalaika, zither, ukulele and melodica. The band collaborates with Mats Rybø, a fifth "phantom member", who has written the bulk of the band's songs.
The band cites many influences including Goran Bregović, Danny Elfman, Django Reinhardt and Knutsen & Ludvigsen. Also, the band states that they are not only inspired by folk but cartoons as well.
In 2008 the band was chosen as one of the finalists in NRK's yearly Urørt competition for unsigned artists, and got a third place for their song A Bar in Amsterdam. The music video of the song was made by Youtube celebrity Lasse Gjertsen.
Their debut album Le pop was released in September 2008 to favourable reviews. The album was recorded at Propeller Recordings, and the band received a nomination in the newcomer of the year category in the Norwegian Grammy equivalent, Spellemannprisen the same year. They also got nominated for Spellemannprisen for "best debut album of the year" in 2008.
On August 4, 2008, they released their single "Play my darling, play". On March 2, 2010. They released their second single for their song "Tea With Cinnamon". Their other singles are "A bar in Amsterdam", "Demon Kitty Rag" and "Hey ho on the Devil's back".
The band entered the studio on September 18, 2010 to record their follow-up to Le Pop. This came as a surprise announcement after their August and September shows were canceled due to illness. The second Katzenjammer album, A Kiss Before You Go, was released in September 2011. It was preceded by the single "I Will Dance (When I Walk Away)".
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[edit] Background
Anne Marit Bergheim, Solveig Heilo, and Turid Jørgensen studied together in a pop University. Solveig Heilo says that their music now has nothing to do with the school. Later, Anne Marit Bergheim asked the group if they would like to play instruments she found in the attic. They wanted to join her. That is how 'Katzenjammer' all started.
The members chose their band's name to be 'Katzenjammer', after the Katzenjammer Kids, which is the oldest comic strip continually in syndication. They chose this comic strip because they noticed that they resembled the characters in it. Literally, the term Katzenjammer is a German loanword and means "lament of a cat". Figuratively, it can be interpreted as "hangover".
[edit] Discography
- Le Pop (2008)
- A Kiss Before You Go (2011)
[edit] References
- ^ Article from Telemarksavisa (in Norwegian)
[edit] External links
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