Kettcar

Kettcar is an indie rock music band based in Hamburg, Germany. The band has released five studio albums so far. The band released their fourth album, Zwischen den Runden, in 2012. Their fifth album, Ich vs. Wir, was released in October 2017. The band name is derived from the Kettcar, a riding toy produced by Kettler since 1962.[1]

Kettcar
Background information
OriginHamburg, Germany
GenresIndie pop, indie rock
Years active2001 – 2013; 2017 – present
LabelsGrand Hotel van Cleef
Associated acts...But Alive, Rantanplan
Websitewww.kettcar.net
MembersMarcus Wiebusch
Reimer Bustorff
Erik Langer
Christian Hake
Lars Wiebusch
Past membersFrank Tirado-Rosales
Kettcar, 2018

History

In 2001, Marcus Wiebusch of ...But Alive and bass player Reimer Bustorff, who were both members of the ska band Rantanplan, decided to break away from punk's and ska's traditions of aggressive, political lyrics in favor of developing a more emotional, laid-back style. Together with Erik Langer (guitar), Frank Tirado-Rosales (percussion, also a former member of ...But Alive) and Marcus' brother Lars Wiebusch (keyboard), they formed Kettcar to experiment with a different sound and address more personal issues in their lyrics.

When they failed to find a label for the release of their first album, Du und wieviel von deinen Freunden ("You and how many of your friends", a quote from the 1985 movie The Breakfast Club), Wiebusch and Bustorff banded together with Tomte frontman Thees Uhlmann and formed the independent music label Grand Hotel van Cleef. In early 2002, Du und... became the first record to be released via the new label. Its success, while still moderate, exceeded expectations by far and Kettcar became darlings of the German music press. In March 2005, Kettcar released their second album, Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen ("Of sparrows and pigeons, rooftops and hands"), which peaked at number 5 of the German album charts and is sometimes seen as their final breakthrough. The album title is a play on a German proverb, English equivalent of which would be "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".

Kettcar's third album, Sylt (named after the German island in the North Sea), was released in April 2008 and debuted at number 5 of the German album charts. In August 2008, Kettcar played an acoustic concert at the club Kampnagel, supported by a string quartet. In November 2009, Kettcar continued this program and played six concerts with the orchestra Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt supporting them. A recording of the concert in the theatre Fliegende Bauten was released in January 2010 on the eponymous live album. In June 2010, Frank Tirado-Rosales announced that he was leaving the band in order to pursue other projects. His successor is Christian Hake, who was already a drummer for the band Home of the Lame and the artist Olli Schulz. On February 10, 2012, the band released their fourth studio album, Zwischen den Runden ("Between rounds").

The band went on hiatus from April 2013 until July 2017. In August 2017, the band released their first single in five years, "Sommer '89 (Er schnitt Löcher in den Zaun)". The song describes an escape from the GDR and is understood as a statement regarding the European migrant crisis. Their fifth album, Ich vs. Wir, was slated for release on October 13, 2017.

Musical style

Kettcar's musical style is usually classified as indie rock or indie pop. The band is also often associated with the musical current Hamburger Schule. Marcus Wiebusch himself does not consider the band to be part of the current, stating that Hamburg is their personal origin only. Reimer Bustorff simply called their style guitar pop. Their newer albums, especially Zwischen den Runden, added strings, winds and pianos to the instruments used.

Discography

Kettcar discography
Studio albums5
Live albums1
Music videos10
Singles10

Studio albums

Year Album details Chart peaks Certifications
(sales thresholds)
GER
[2]
AUT
[3]
CH
[4]
2002 Du und wie viel von deinen Freunden
  • Released: October 28, 2002
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
2005 Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen
  • Released: March 7, 2005
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
5 49
2008 Sylt
  • Released: April 28, 2008
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
5 12 78
2012 Zwischen den Runden
  • Released: February 12, 2012
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
5 15 40
2017 Ich vs. Wir
  • Released: October 13, 2017
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
4 11 27
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Live albums

Year Album details Chart peaks Certifications
(sales thresholds)
GER
[2]
AUT
[3]
CH
[4]
2010 Fliegende Bauten
  • Released: January 22, 2010
  • Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef
  • Format: CD, Vinyl
32
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Singles

Year Title Album chart peaks
GER[5]
2003 Landungsbrücken raus
  • Released: February 10, 2003
Du und wie viel von deinen Freunden
2005 48 Stunden
  • Released: February 14, 2005
Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen 45
Deiche
  • Released: May 9, 2005
Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen 69
Balu
  • Released: September 12, 2005
Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen
2008 Graceland
  • Released: March 28, 2008
Sylt 57
Nullsummenspiel
  • Released: May 30, 2008
Sylt
Am Tisch
  • Released: August 29, 2008
Sylt
2010 Money Left To Burn (live)
  • Released: January 8, 2010
Fliegende Bauten
2012 Im Club
  • Released: February 3, 2012
Zwischen den Runden
2017 Sommer '89 (Er schnitt Löcher in den Zaun)
  • Released: August 11, 2017
Ich vs. Wir

References

  1. kettler.net Product: KETTCAR
  2. "Musicline Longplay Chart Tracking - Kettcar". musicline.de. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  3. "Austrian Charts - Kettcar". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  4. "Swiss Charts - Kettcar". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  5. "Musicline Singles Chart Tracking - Kettcar". Musicline.de. Retrieved 2017-08-07.

Further reading

  • Astrid Vits: Du und viele von deinen Freunden. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag 2004. ISBN 3-89602-621-6
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