Beatsteaks
Encyclopedia
Beatsteaks are a punk rock
band from Berlin
, Germany
, formed in 1995.
as opening act. This was also the tenth performance for the band.
In 1997 the band recorded its first album 48/49
, named after the number of their rehearsal space. It contains several songs in German, while the more recent albums are in English. In 1999 their second album Launched
appeared on the American punk label Epitaph Records
. Thomas Götz already played the drums at that time. On bass, Torsten Scholz replaced Alexander in 2000. This was followed by tours with Bad Religion
, Die Ärzte
and Die Toten Hosen
, bringing the band to a wider audience.
In 2002, they released their third album Living Targets
from this album Beatsteaks would release their first two singles Let Me In and Summer. At the end of 2002, the band played a concert at the Columbiahalle in Berlin and recorded an EP "Wohnzimmer", each concert ticket holder received a copy of the EP.
Their breakthrough was achieved in Berlin
in 2004 with the album Smack Smash
, especially with the second single I Don't Care As Long As You Sing with which they won the MTV European Music Awards 2004 in the category Best German Act. At the end of 2005 they released the double-DVD B-Seite, which included a self-produced documentary on the band's history, a compilation of several concerts and music videos of the band up to this time. In 2006 they played a short summer tour, consisting of 3 concerts and two festival performances. Following the publication of the preliminary single Jane Became Insane on March 9, 2007 appeared their fifth album .limbo messiah
on 30 March 2007.
On the 7th of June 2007, the band played a concert for a charity foundation, as part of the Deine Stimme gegen Armut (Make Poverty History - literally "Your voice against poverty") campaign in Rostock in front of 70,000 spectators. One month later, on 7 July 2007, they played in the sold-out Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide in Berlin, their then largest own concert in front of about 17,000 spectators.
In 2007 the Beatsteaks were again nominated in the category Best German Act on the EMAs and won the listeners price 1Live Krone for the best LiveAct.
Die Ärzte
mention The Beatsteaks in their song Unrockbar
, which helped increase the reputation of the Beatsteaks suddenly: "How can you keep sitting quietly to the Beatsteaks, when schlager singers let tears come to your eyes?" ("Wie kannst du bei den Beatsteaks ruhig sitzen bleiben wenn dir Schlagersänger Tränen in die Augen treiben?")
On May 2, 2008 the live album "Kanonen auf Spatzen" was released, which includes two CDs and one DVD in the deluxe package or the first CD in an economy version.
Torsten Scholz said in an interview that the Beatsteaks would start writing new songs after the end of their Limbo Messiah tour in August 2008.
The Beatsteaks have completed work on their recent album "Boombox", which was released January 28, 2011. The first single from the album was Milk & Honey released December 2. On December 17, the music video was released for the single.. On 8 April 2011, the second single, Cheap Comments was released. The third single off "Boombox" will be Automatic, which was co-written by famous German singer Peter Fox.
June 2011, the band announced their song House On Fire was going to be featured on the European Soundtrack of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
, started the project NinaMarie. Their first EP was released under the name Scheiss. Taxi - Scheiss. Paris in March 2006.
Another side project of the band, in which all the band members are involved, emerged during the recordings of the album Limbo Messiah, is the cover band Die Roys. With swapped roles for the instrument and under the direction of Roy Baumann (Peter Baumann) they cover known songs, which are, referring to their own statement, "the best songs are already written." The first five songs can be found on the singles Jane Became Insane, Cut Off the Top and Demons Galore.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band from Berlin
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...
, formed in 1995.
History
Peter Baumann, Stefan Hircher, Alexander Rosswaag and Bernd Kurtzke founded the Beatsteaks in 1995. Shortly after Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß joined the band as a singer and additional guitarist. In 1996 the band won a local music competition in SO36 and played a concert in Berlin with the Sex PistolsSex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
as opening act. This was also the tenth performance for the band.
In 1997 the band recorded its first album 48/49
48/49
-Credits:*Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß – vocals, guitar*Peter Baumann – guitar*Bernd Kurtzke – guitar*Alexander Roßwaag – bass*Stefan Hircher – drums...
, named after the number of their rehearsal space. It contains several songs in German, while the more recent albums are in English. In 1999 their second album Launched
Launched
Launched is the second album from German hardcore punk band, Beatsteaks. It was released in March, 2000 on Epitaph Records and follows the band's debut release 48/49 in 1997 on XNO Records. The album contains an interesting half acoustic cover version of a song by heavy metal band, Manowar, "Kings...
appeared on the American punk label Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. Thomas Götz already played the drums at that time. On bass, Torsten Scholz replaced Alexander in 2000. This was followed by tours with Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
, Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte is a punk band from Berlin. Die Ärzte are one of the best-known German punk rock bands and have released over 20 albums. The band consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B. and bass player Rodrigo González...
and Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.The band's name literally means "The Dead Pants" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "nothing going on" or "boring"...
, bringing the band to a wider audience.
In 2002, they released their third album Living Targets
Living Targets
Living Targets is the third album from German punk rock band, Beatsteaks. It was released in August, 2002 on Epitaph Records as was previous album, Launched, in 2000. There was one line-up change from the previous album – Torsten Scholz took over bass duties from Alexander Roßwaag...
from this album Beatsteaks would release their first two singles Let Me In and Summer. At the end of 2002, the band played a concert at the Columbiahalle in Berlin and recorded an EP "Wohnzimmer", each concert ticket holder received a copy of the EP.
Their breakthrough was achieved in Berlin
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...
in 2004 with the album Smack Smash
Smack Smash
Smack Smash is the fourth album from German band, Beatsteaks. It was released in March, 2004 on Epitaph Records as was previous album, Living Targets, in 2002. It aided the band's breakthrough into the mainstream and was simultaneously released on WEA...
, especially with the second single I Don't Care As Long As You Sing with which they won the MTV European Music Awards 2004 in the category Best German Act. At the end of 2005 they released the double-DVD B-Seite, which included a self-produced documentary on the band's history, a compilation of several concerts and music videos of the band up to this time. In 2006 they played a short summer tour, consisting of 3 concerts and two festival performances. Following the publication of the preliminary single Jane Became Insane on March 9, 2007 appeared their fifth album .limbo messiah
.limbo messiah
.limbo messiah, also known as Limbo Messiah, is a 2007 album by rock-punk band Beatsteaks. The album reached the European Top 100 Albums charts.-Track list:All tracks composed by Beatsteaks.# "As I Please" – 2:35...
on 30 March 2007.
On the 7th of June 2007, the band played a concert for a charity foundation, as part of the Deine Stimme gegen Armut (Make Poverty History - literally "Your voice against poverty") campaign in Rostock in front of 70,000 spectators. One month later, on 7 July 2007, they played in the sold-out Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide in Berlin, their then largest own concert in front of about 17,000 spectators.
In 2007 the Beatsteaks were again nominated in the category Best German Act on the EMAs and won the listeners price 1Live Krone for the best LiveAct.
Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte is a punk band from Berlin. Die Ärzte are one of the best-known German punk rock bands and have released over 20 albums. The band consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B. and bass player Rodrigo González...
mention The Beatsteaks in their song Unrockbar
Unrockbar
"Unrockbar" is a punk song by Die Ärzte. It's the first track on CD2 and the first single from their 2003 album Geräusch. It's about a man, whose girlfriend doesn't like rock....
, which helped increase the reputation of the Beatsteaks suddenly: "How can you keep sitting quietly to the Beatsteaks, when schlager singers let tears come to your eyes?" ("Wie kannst du bei den Beatsteaks ruhig sitzen bleiben wenn dir Schlagersänger Tränen in die Augen treiben?")
On May 2, 2008 the live album "Kanonen auf Spatzen" was released, which includes two CDs and one DVD in the deluxe package or the first CD in an economy version.
Torsten Scholz said in an interview that the Beatsteaks would start writing new songs after the end of their Limbo Messiah tour in August 2008.
The Beatsteaks have completed work on their recent album "Boombox", which was released January 28, 2011. The first single from the album was Milk & Honey released December 2. On December 17, the music video was released for the single.. On 8 April 2011, the second single, Cheap Comments was released. The third single off "Boombox" will be Automatic, which was co-written by famous German singer Peter Fox.
June 2011, the band announced their song House On Fire was going to be featured on the European Soundtrack of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Side projects
The drummer of the band, Thomas Goetz, and Marten Ebsen, guitarist of TurbostaatTurbostaat
Turbostaat is a punk rock band, established in 1999 in Husum, now based in Flensburg, Germany.-History:Turbostaat was formed in January 1999 from members of the punk rock bands, Exil, Zack Ahoi and Unabomber...
, started the project NinaMarie. Their first EP was released under the name Scheiss. Taxi - Scheiss. Paris in March 2006.
Another side project of the band, in which all the band members are involved, emerged during the recordings of the album Limbo Messiah, is the cover band Die Roys. With swapped roles for the instrument and under the direction of Roy Baumann (Peter Baumann) they cover known songs, which are, referring to their own statement, "the best songs are already written." The first five songs can be found on the singles Jane Became Insane, Cut Off the Top and Demons Galore.
Albums
- 1997: 48/4948/49-Credits:*Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß – vocals, guitar*Peter Baumann – guitar*Bernd Kurtzke – guitar*Alexander Roßwaag – bass*Stefan Hircher – drums...
- 2000: LaunchedLaunchedLaunched is the second album from German hardcore punk band, Beatsteaks. It was released in March, 2000 on Epitaph Records and follows the band's debut release 48/49 in 1997 on XNO Records. The album contains an interesting half acoustic cover version of a song by heavy metal band, Manowar, "Kings...
- 2002: Living TargetsLiving TargetsLiving Targets is the third album from German punk rock band, Beatsteaks. It was released in August, 2002 on Epitaph Records as was previous album, Launched, in 2000. There was one line-up change from the previous album – Torsten Scholz took over bass duties from Alexander Roßwaag...
- 2004: Smack SmashSmack SmashSmack Smash is the fourth album from German band, Beatsteaks. It was released in March, 2004 on Epitaph Records as was previous album, Living Targets, in 2002. It aided the band's breakthrough into the mainstream and was simultaneously released on WEA...
- 2007: .limbo messiah.limbo messiah.limbo messiah, also known as Limbo Messiah, is a 2007 album by rock-punk band Beatsteaks. The album reached the European Top 100 Albums charts.-Track list:All tracks composed by Beatsteaks.# "As I Please" – 2:35...
- 2008: Kanonen auf Spatzen (live album)
- 2011: Boombox
EPs
- 1998: 6-11-98 Knaack, 6 November; Ticket for a concert in the "Knaack" (Berlin). The EPs (Vinyl) are limited.
- 2002: Wohnzimmer-EP, 21 December; as well limited, Ticket for a concert in the "Columbiahalle" (Berlin).
- 2007: .demons galore. 5 October; 10" vinyl and CD.
Singles
- 2000: "Panic"
- 2000: "Shiny Shoes"
- 2002: "Summer"
- 2002: "Let Me InLet Me In (Beatsteaks song)Let Me In is a song by the German alternative/punk rock group Beatsteaks. It is the second single from their third album Living Targets, released in 2002.- Music video :...
" - 2004: "Hand In Hand"
- 2004: "I Don't Care As Long As You Sing"
- 2004: "Hello Joe"
- 2004: "Loyal To None" (Limited Vinyl-Single)
- 2007: "Jane Became Insane"
- 2007: "Cut Off the Top"
- 2007: "Demons Galore"
- 2007: "Meantime"
- 2008: "Hail To The Freaks" (live)
- 2008: "Hey Du" (live)
- 2010: "Milk & Honey"
- 2011: "Cheap Comments"
- 2011: "Automatic"
DVD
- 2004: Beatsteaks Live (Bonus-DVD, Limited Edition of Smack SmashSmack SmashSmack Smash is the fourth album from German band, Beatsteaks. It was released in March, 2004 on Epitaph Records as was previous album, Living Targets, in 2002. It aided the band's breakthrough into the mainstream and was simultaneously released on WEA...
enclosed) - 2005: B-Seite (2 DVD-set)
- 2007: .demons galore (Bonus-DVD, Limited Edition of .limbo messiah enclosed)
- 2008: Kanonen auf Spatzen (Bounus-DVD)
External links
- The Beatsteaks' official website
- [ allmusic.com write-up on The Beatsteaks]
- Official Beatsteaks fansite (German)