Placebo

September 5th, 2007

Term “Placebo” was legitimated in medicine in 1894. It means the medication wittingly not owning any healing power, but physicians found out that many outpatients felt better after taking these bolus. Medical men seriously took an interest in phenomenon of placebo. But not only were they!
 

The effect “Placebo” has functioned totally unexpected upon music lovers, but it has happened sometime latter – in 1996.  At that time its first album has released the trio, witch is now the most interesting and perspective band of European alternative wave.


Placebo is called the British band, cause they met each other in London in the same place they live and record their striking songs, in which we can hear something from David Bowie, something from Sonic Youth, The Cure and even Pink Floyd. In spite of the British origin the staff of the band is highly international, so let’s see the members more intimate.


 Brian Molko (vocal, guitar, bass) was born in 10 of December 1972 in Brussels, but he has been traveled a lot since childhood: now here in USA, now there in Liberia. Brian has a dual citizenship - Anglo-American, his father is Franco-Italian and mother’s Scotswoman. As one Placebo’s fan used to say: “for understanding the texts of his songs, it’s necessary to have the same gene pattern, to be born in one place and study in another, to live in third and to have the citizenship in forth”.  Brian’s parents got divorsed when ha was a child. He sad that it’s strongly affected on him, including his sexuality (?). IAE Molko liked to change women’s clothes since childhood. Brian made up his mind that he was gay and became await this bright moment, when he would fell in love with a nice guy. With boys it hasn’t layed together, cause our hero felt painstaking in love with girls at the same time feeling himself… almost the same girl. As well as he stayed “a lesbian in the man’s body” how used to say some observers. He looked up to unseemliness effeminate: wore dresses, had a bright make up and long hair.
 
Stefan Olsdal (bass guitar, keyboard instruments) was born in 31 of March in 1971, Swede. He studded the same private school as Brian, but at that time boys didn’t consort with each other. His musical career Stefan became in the school orchestra as a drummer. However it’s bored him quickly: Olsdal dreamed about the stage’s rays and on one’s way the glory. So glory has come but a tiny bit later.

Steve Hewitt (percussions) was born in 22 of March 1971 not far from Manchester in a small town Nortwich. He is the single English by birth in this British band. Hewitt worked as apprentice in “Williams”, in passing trained as a drummer in some crude bands, which were established in the tight group of admirers. He is married and dotes upon his little daughter


It was a prehistory, the main story begun when 17year old Brian arrived in London to subdue the theatre stage. He entered the famous Goldsmith’s college to study the acting technique, but this couldn’t be so. Two years he lived on dole and was everywhere recognized as a girl. In the Londons underground, at the South Kensington station he happened upon his last classmate Stefan who acquainted Brian with his friend Robert Schultzberg. So the band Placebo was born.
The first album of this band was released in 1996 and aroused some resemblance of local public excitement, but couldn’t bring the world’s glory to our trio. However track “Nancy Boy” got to the hit parades. Then became world’s tours and critics spoke well of the album. But it steal was not  todays Placebo.

At the space between albums Brian argy-bargyed with Schultzberg and Steve Hewitt came into his place. Now Molko likes to say: “ Steve and Stef like wives for me”.

In 1998 was
released the second album “Without You I’m Nothing”, which brought tem success and world’s glory. The confirmation of this were the frantic circulations, steady positions in world’s charts and global tours with the stars David Bowie and Merilyn Manson.


  The third album is expected from week on week and the main single “Taste In Man” you can hear on every radio station.

 

 

Fergie

August 20th, 2007

“Big girls don’t cry” out of every dynamic and you fall into a reverie… Only you and memorized words, you and this tuneful voice. Who’s this girl from the video?

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born in 27 of April 1975 in Hacienda Heights, California. She leaved Glen A. Wilson High School in her native town (graduated in 1993).

Ferguson’s family with a head of Terry and Pat had been wondering their daughters Stacy and  Dana to make a career in show business since 90’s. So, the commencement of Stacy’s highway was 1983, when she took part in postscoring of personage Sally Brown in morning kids cartoon serial about Charlie Brown. (“The Charlie Brown and Snoppy Show”, 1983, “It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown”, 1984 and “Snoopy’s Getting Married, Charlie Brown”, 1985).


From 1984 she took part in shooting TV show “Kids Incorporated” with Jennifer Love Hewitt and gothic-pop princess Martika. In 1986 she acted in comedian scary film “Monster in the Closet” and in 2 particularized musical TV shows Kids Incorporated: Chartbusters” and  “Kids Incorporated: Rock In the New Year” at once.  

She left the soffit light in 1989 and begun a normal adolescent’s life. But music was always her passion, so she founded a music band Wild Orchid with her partners from “Kids Incorporated”. In 1999 they even had their own Saturday show on FOX channel. In 1997 group released its first album “Wild Orchid” and practically at the same time the second - “Oxygen”. They didn’t expect huge success, but their track “Declaration” was heard in episode of “ Beverly Hills, 90210” serial.

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Tokio Hotel

June 4th, 2007

Today we are living in an emotional and bright era of gaudy individuality, flashy sound and infantile texts of the songs The teen band Tokio Hotel is enjoying dizzy success in BMW’s motherland. Such a fast and furious start of 4 guys from Magdeburg was never expected.

TokioHotel

The style of the band was at once recognized different from the all usual limits. Its sound is harmonious and appearance – mystical and inimitable. Texts of the songs of Tokio Hotel couldn’t leave people indifferent as they are a harmonious unite in a single whole with an energetic, designing sound.No doubt that these guys couldn’t help grabbing all German public attention. Nowadays the singer Bill Kaulitz and his twin Tom (born September 1, 1989) are almost the same idols for girls all over the world, like Beatles once were for their grannies. Music has ringed in future rock stars since childhood. Soloist and author of songs Bill started to compose and sing as early as 10 years old. His brother Tom’s been playing the guitar since he was 6. When they were 10 they started take up music professionally and in 2001 at the native Magdeburg the twins met Gustav Schafer (September 8, 1988) and Georg Listing (March 31, 1987). Together they formed the band Devilish and started to perform at the local clubs.

In 2003 this band was discovered by famous musical producer Peter Hoffmann and shortly after their meeting guys signed a contract with an internal subdivision of Universal Music in Hamburg. Since that time they are known as ‘Tokio Hotel’. Best professors of vocal had been grounded with them and in 2004 boys started to record the firs album «Shrei!» Since signing with Universal in May 2005, Tokio Hotel have sold approaching three million records & DVDs in Germany alone, making them the country’s most successful band, with a host of domestic awards jostling for space in the collective cabinet (nine platinum/four gold, at last count, plus an additional four platinum awards for sales in Austria & Switzerland).

The reactive jerk from the nobody, from the absolute zero straight to the top of the single-charts, in which composition “Durch den Monsun” for a few weeks was at top-1, a lot of awards in Austria  and Germany, nominations in premium Comet, Echo Award and 1Live Krone for the best debut, large in number positive responses of critics – this was the start of Tokio Hotel. The two TH albums – 2005’s ‘Schrei’ (‘Scream’) and follow-up ‘Zimmer 483’ (‘Room 483’), recently released – have both topped the charts at home, spawning four No.1 singles, and in the case of the former, staying on those charts for 66 unbroken weeks.

The band without any doubts initiates the new movement in German musical industry and showbiz. When indices of  sales of the first album of unknown schoolboys from Magdeburg “Schrei”  surpassed all expectations, musical producers considered their success a handbook to further effect, so now Tokio Hotel could be named the band which broke previous stereotypes of  evolution musical bands in German… and may be in the whole world, who knows…