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Artist
17 Hippies
12+ albums
folkGypsyklezmergermanWorld Music
about
17 Hippies are a band from Berlin, Germany, playing largely on acoustic instruments. Leader Christopher Blenkinsop is originally from Manila, Philippines. Their music is a confection of various folk influences, and is performed with considerable style and energy. They are probably best known for the soundtrack to the 2002 German film Halbe Treppe, released in English as Grill Point. 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 S
