Gisbert zu Knyphausen and Nils Koppruch form a band called Kid Kopphausen and their first album "I". Everything else is mysterious, but thanks for asking.
It’s nothing new for two glorious rogues to team up for a common cause. Think of Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid, Gilbert & George, or Max & Moritz. But two singers and songwriters of similar stature bonding through a band – when has that happened before? Okay, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan recorded two dozen Cash and Dylan songs together in 1969, but except for one, they were never officially released. And otherwise? Yes, it’s strange, but there isn’t much. Gisbert zu Knyphausen and Nils Koppruch are essentially entering uncharted musical territory, and not only is the constellation remarkable, but so is the music.
Background
Gisbert, hailing from the Rheingau, moved with his guitar from Nijmegen, Holland to Hamburg six years ago and immediately stood out with his songs. Nils Koppruch, who had just buried his legendary band Fink and released his first solo album, invited the newcomer to open for him. It was a good fit: the introverted emotional poet from the countryside before the urban cowboy, who is responsible for the fact that in Americana with German lyrics, no one thinks of truck drivers anymore but rather of Nils Koppruch and his stories. Gisbert recorded two albums, became famous, and likely saved a life or two with his songs. Nils released the stunning "Caruso" and continued painting as SAM, creating images that look like his lyrics sound: mysterious, casual, full of wit and worldly wisdom. They toured together, hung out in each other’s rehearsal spaces, and released a split single titled "Die Aussicht / Knochen und Fleisch". Then came the idea to do something together. Usually, such things fade away, disappearing with the hangover the next day. But here now:
KID KOPPHAUSEN
...is, to make it clear, a band. Not a project, not an experiment, but a strange creature, a puzzling bunch, a pressing organism, a gang of outlaws searching everywhere and constantly laying false trails. Koppruch and Knyphausen sing and play, flanked by Alexander Jezdinsky (drums), Felix Weigt (bass, piano), and Marcus Schneider (guitars), thirteen songs they have written and recorded together. Who sings what was basically drawn by lot, and sometimes they sing together. The album produced by Swen Meyer starts loud, rocks, quiets down, almost becomes solemn, rises again, twitches and shakes, has hits and hooks, and is likely to excite and confuse fans of both Koppruch and Knyphausen, as it’s never really clear who is responsible for what, yet somehow it is, or is it? – as if the two have lifted each other up, toasted, and intertwined. Something has emerged from the roots of the works of two originals, and that is, of course, a stroke of luck, because now you get the Koppruch and the Knyphausen and something entirely new. The palette of sound colors is correspondingly large, categorization is difficult, let’s call it organic music that wants to move forward and bridges the gap from the America of the storytellers to the present. And now the lyrics – stories, images, inside and outside. Moses takes off his shirt, knee-deep in the dirt, pockets full of gold, in a field of stones, words like black confetti. All hands on deck, because life waits behind wrapping paper that you first have to tear apart. Love songs, life songs, songs like adventure films that no one has yet filmed, and above all the question: Who am I?
Producer Swen Meyer on Kid Kopphausen:
Occasionally, people are suddenly seized by the urge to become someone entirely different. Within everything familiar and just before the repetitive becomes repetitive again, a noteworthy world hides. In it lies a piece of land that silently and timelessly holds our breath. Kid Kopphausen is a group of traveling trail seekers, hunters, and trappers who have set out to explore this world. Change has long since become their friend. No one knows if they will ever return. But if we pause, we can hear them. They ride unrestrained alongside the herds and sing their futuristic HOWDY.
Alexander Jezdinsky (drums, percussion, glockenspiel, choir)
Felix Weigt (bass, piano, organ, choir)
Marcus Schneider (guitars, bass harmonica, autoharp, choir)
Gisbert zu Knyphausen (guitars, piano, harmonica, vocals)
Nils Koppruch (guitars, banjo, vocals)
All songs by Gisbert zu Knyphausen & Nils Koppruch
Produced by Swen Meyer & Kid Kopphausen
Mastering: Michael Schwabe, Monoposto Mastering
Tracklisting:
01. Here I Am
02. Step by Step
03. The Easiest Thing in the World
04. Nothing New in the West
05. So Long
06. My Sister
07. When I Find You
08. Take Off Your Shirt Moses
09. House Full of Larks
10. When the Wind Blows Over the Roof
11. Murder Ballad
12. Every Monday
13. Just a Sentence
KID KOPPHAUSEN - " I " Tour 2012
presented by
ByteFM, FastForward Magazine, Kulturnews,
Rolling Stone, Rote Raupe, taz pop-blog
11.09. Munich - Ampere
12.09. Frankfurt – Das Bett
13.09. Cologne - Kulturkirche
14.09. Cologne - Kulturkirche
16.09. Berlin - Heimathafen
17.09. Hamburg - St. Pauli Theater
27.10. Magdeburg, Moritzhof*
28.10. Leipzig, Werk 2*
29.10. Göttingen, Musa*
30.10. Hanover, Warenannahme*
31.10. Osnabrück, Rosenhof*
01.11. Aachen, Musikbunker*
03.11. Düsseldorf, Zakk**
04.11. Trier, Tuchfabrik**
05.11. Erlangen, E-Werk**
06.11. Wiesbaden, Ringkirche**
07.11. Karlsruhe, Tollhaus**
08.11. Freiburg, Waldsee**
09.11. Stuttgart, Liederhalle**
10.11. CH-Zurich, Papiersaal**
12.11. A-Vienna, Stadtsaal***
14.11. Augsburg, Ostwerk***
15.11. Erfurt, HSD Gewerkschaftshaus***
16.11. Potsdam, Lindenpark***
17.11. Weißenhäuser Strand, Rolling Stone Weekender
* Special Guest: Tino Hanekamp (reading)
** Special Guest: Pascal Finkenauer
*** Special Guest: Nicolas Sturm
Booking: Kumpels & Friends, in cooperation with Trocadero
Video:
Album video trailer:
http://youtu.be/0ZuY2Kl7hh0
Web:
www.kidkopphausen.de
www.facebook.com/pages/Kid-Kopphausen/394036187313778
