Vote Rammstein!

Is Rammstein Germany's best band? Well, duh! So go and vote. Thanks, Rammstein Mexico.

What's a Combichrist App & Why Should You Care?

The Combichrist app is fairly comprehensive, and well worth getting. It includes music, video (music, live-pro-shot, live-fan-shot, and more), photos, a feed to Joe's tour blog, a feed to their Twitter stream, and other bits and bobs. It costs nothing, gives a lot, and takes up SFA space. Grab it if you have an iDevice, and if you're an Android user keep an eye out for your version in the future. I'll tell you all about it once it's released anyway.

Bottom line: Get the Combichrist app.

Combichrist App

Combichrist have released a free app on the iTunes store, with Android to be serviced soon. As someone who works in a games studio I wish them luck with the Android version. It's incredibly problematic, being such a fragmented platform. I'm just synching now and will update with my thoughts and a run-down on what the app consists of shortly.

Another Black Carpet Interview

BareBonesMusic.Com:



Hey, it turns out the YouTube embed function has just been well-hidden. I'm so blonde. I'll go back and sort out the other videos soon.

Anyway, they talk about the next leg of the LIFAD tour, favouritism, and SFA else. These carpet interviews are necessarily brief.

Golden Gods Interview

Schneider and Lindemann have been interviewed on the 'black carpet' by Metal Injection, and Blabbermouth has the video here. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but will add comments here if I hear anything of note. I just wanted to get it out to you lot.

Update: They were asked how they decide how much is too much with pyrotechnical content in the show. That was down to budget constraints, but as much as possible. Okay, asking if they're happy to be coming back to the US? Duh! The last and most interesting question was regarding videos. Lindemann says they're working again with Jonas Åkerlund (mispronounced - the Å is pronounced as 'or' in Swedish). I'm wondering if this 'best of' project is going to include that, or if there will be another single from LIFAD. No idea at this stage, really.

Petshop Boys & Torsten Rasch

Along with the announcement of their first live album, Concrete, Petshop Boys are releasing their soundtrack for the film, Battleship Potemkin, arranged by Rasch and performed with the Dresdner Sinfoniker, and conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer. This collaboration apparently came about after Petshop Boys heard Rasch's song cycle Mein Herz Brennt:

Astralwerks has also released Pet Shop Boys original music for Sergei Eisenstein’s classic film Battleship Potemkin. The music was recorded in London and Berlin with the Dresdner Sinfoniker in 2004, with orchestrations by Torsten Rasch.

It originally premiered in 2004, when Pet Shop Boys and the Dresdner Sinfoniker played the score to accompany a screening of the film in London’s Trafalgar Square. The free event was presented by the ICA and GLA and attracted 40,000 people. At the time, The Independent noted that “this must be the largest audience for an art movie ever recorded”.

Eisenstein’s film, made in 1925, describes the mutiny of the sailors on the battleship Potemkin in 1905, an event which then linked up with the local population in Odessa as part of Russia’s 1905 revolution. In France the authorities destroyed the film; in Germany it was subject to censorship and in Britain it was banned, apart from club performances, until 1954.

For the film’s Moscow premiere in January 1926, its soundtrack was a medley of existing pieces by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and others, but when the film reached Berlin later that year, it had its first specially-written score, by the radical composer Edmund Meisel. Eisenstein would subsequently acclaim the power of such “unity of fused musical and visual images” in his work and is said to have hoped that a new Battleship Potemkin soundtrack would be written for each new decade.

In April 2003, Philip Dodd, director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, approached Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and suggested that they might write a new score for the film and perform it as a free concert in Trafalgar Square. They wrote the music in the order it would be heard, following the structure of the film. From the beginning they resolved to combine electronic music and strings; the lyrics of the three vocal pieces within it were largely inspired by the film’s original subtitles, though one – After All (The Odessa Staircase) – was also prompted by the role in London of Trafalgar Square as a home of political dissent.

Tennant and Lowe decided to ask Torsten Rasch to orchestrate the work after hearing his song cycle Mein Herz Brennt, a record based on the music of the rock group Rammstein which has sold over two million copies worldwide. Torsten Rasch’s orchestrations were recorded by the Dresdner Sinfoniker, conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer, in Berlin during July 2004. The finished composition – “not so much background music as foreground music”, says Neil Tennant.

Yiddish with a Dash of Pepper

I've been introduced to a new band in my eternal search for Rammstein news. Cultural relevance (which I'm sure is there in spades) aside, Gevolt has so much to offer the world. I found a single paragraph about them here (under Israel), comparing them to Rammstein, and I can see where that came from, but they're a different animal, really, taking an incredibly traditional musical style and turning it utterly upside-down and inside-out. They've basically taken old school Yiddish music and shoved a bunch of pepper up its arse, and it works surprisingly well.

Their album Alef Base is available for free download, but I urge you to pay them if decide to keep it. These guys need to be nurtured.

LIFAD Wants You

LIFAD has issued an order to the USA, Mexico, and Canada. It wants to see its heart everywhere, and has linked to graphical resources on its site for fans to download. You can make of that what you will, but it sounds like a recipe for an impressive display at the upcoming shows, if enough people get into it.

On the Subject of Germany...

TheGauntlet tweeted this mad link today (sound required).

DISCLAIMER: If you're a bit sensitive about the events in the first half of last century you might want to give it a miss (and I have to wonder why you're even reading a site celebrating a pack of Germans), but I think this exactly the sort of levity that is needed. Everyone needs to accept that Germany is now peopled by a nation of new human beings, many of whom are still feeling the need to apologise to the world, despite having had nothing to do with past events, and feel an unwarranted sense of guilt for the crimes of their forebears. Rammstein, for example, is made up entirely of people who did not exist when Nazi Germany collapsed. Celebrate Germany's successes and contributions, mourn the victims of past conflicts, and move on, I say.

Here endeth the rant.

Got Lichtspielhaus?

If you don't and you're interested in why I think you should get it check this preview out. Note that the DVD has subtitle options. It's a great DVD, and has something for everyone, including plenty of behind the scenes stuff.

Also, why are people not allowing videos to be embedded any more? Or is this a new thing with YouTube? It's so counterproductive.




Update:

Mein Teil (Making of Video)

I've seen this, and many of you probably have too, but since it's up on YouTube (appropriately in parts - thanks for the link, Oneon7Billion), and is a good watch, I thought I'd post it.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:

Golden Gods Coverage

Lindemann and Schneider feature (incredibly briefly) in this video article about Rammstein's Best Live Act win at the Golden Gods. Schneider looks about 20 and Till is wearing his best shit-eating grin (such a rare sight), so if you're an OMG-squee-type Rammstein fan it's solid gold. If not it's worth watching for the GWAR shots.

Speaking of GWAR, you'd think they could afford to buy their own drugs...

Update:

Big & Beautiful

I know it's off-topic and a little random but I reserve the right to be both, and post a link to this page. These monuments to Sovietism in the former Yugoslavia have to be the most compelling and evocative pieces of design I have ever seen as a collection. And they are a collection. They were apparently commissioned during the 60s and 70s by the then President of the then nation, Josip Broz Tito, to commemorate sites of World War II battles and concentration camps.

The GWAR Fuck Strategy

Having lost to Rammstein, remarking that at least they didn't lose to Sevendust, the plan from GWAR is apparently to make good on a promise to boff any fan who voted for them. I think I see the flaw in the plan...

Now, if Rammstein had made that same offer it might have worked quite well. I don't know about you guys, but I have seen the internet writings of female Rammstein fans, and I have blushed mightily.

It's Official: Rammstein Are the Best Live Act

The Revolver Golden God Award for Best Live Act has gone to Rammstein by popular vote. That's down to you guys for voting. Good job!

Free Tickets Ahoy!

Well, if you're able to get to Inglewood, CA or Las Vegas, NV and didn't enter you're mad. Four people from my forum are going to be receiving free tickets after this morning's draw. Because I had so few entries there were better odds for each of the entrants winning than these things usually have (a bonus), and I also thought it would make choosing easier having such a small pool of people. It didn't. It was a bit mad. I sat here for ages reading the entrants posts over and over again, stewing, imagining them, agonising, because they all sounded great and shared their passion. I'm ashamed to say that I ended up putting all of their names into a cardboard box, borrowed from a somewhat unimpressed cat I'm staying with at the moment, and drew out four names randomly.

The winners were:

* Eldraug
* wenchithia
* rosenrot1995
* Kadri

I hope They will all have amazing times and come back to LILT to share their experiences with the rest of us.

Something I posted in the contest thread was that one of the winners is assigned to be next to the lovely man who donated these tickets to LILT in the first place. Whether or not he introduces himself is up to him, but I asked the winners to show their enjoyment, so he knows his generosity as not been misused :)

Spinefarm Singles

Spinefarm is releasing some juicy vinyl to celebrate...Record Store Day*:

AS REGULAR manufacturers of vinyl, and proud of it, Spinefarm Records are delighted to be celebrating ‘Record Store Day’ on April 16th 2011 with six 7” singles featuring tracks from some of the key artists on the label.

The Rammstein single (Single 1 - yeah baby) includes Waidmanns Heil and Liebe ist für Alle da.

Thanks to rammsteinbrit for the heads up.

* This caused a WTF moment initially, but I figure it's something those nostalgic for the good old days have dreamt up, and I for one endorse this kind of silliness, so long as it's not taken too far. I love vinyl but lack a turntable. I love browsing music, but just don't find the time. Go the dinosaurs

Seventeen Hours To Go

We're two days into the three day draw for four free Rammstein tickets. If you can get to Las Vegas or Inglewood and want to experience Rammstein (believe me, you do) then check out the draw.

Free Rammstein Tickets

Okay, time to party, thanks to Webby, our kind benefactor. To go into the draw for a ticket to a Rammstein show on either the 20th or 21st of May 2011 please register for my forum, and post to this thread as per the instructions. Note that entry signifies acceptance of the terms and conditions. Entries close in just over 71 hours. Good luck!!

Guitar Con Massachusetts a No-Go

Apparently Rammstein have previously been announced as putting in an appearance at Guitar Con Massachusetts, and they will not be doing so. This is just a heads up, in case any of you were planning to go along to see them.

Unverified but the site seems to bear it out.

LILT Has Rammstein Tickets!

An incredibly generous Australian, who goes by the name Webby, has donated four tickets for two US Rammstein shows to LILT. I am going to give these to you. Well, some of you. I have the following:

1 x LOG6 20110520 @ The Forum, Inglewood, CA.
1 x LOGE11 20110520 @ The Forum, Inglewood, CA.
2 x L115 20110521 @ Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV.

These will be given away individually. Watch this space to find out how to get a chance at one.

Musikmesse Pictures

Rockpictures has photos of this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt. See if you can find any ramming stones in there.

Thanks to Tempelhüter for the link.

A Mexican Call to Arms

Rammstein Mexico represents a body of Rammstein fans almost unequalled in their passion, drive, and community-mindedness, and they're up to something. A note posted to their facebook page calls for Rammstein-like individuals to sign up to participate in the production of a Rammstein fan video. Now, we have seen what those crazy Poles achieved with their video, so I imagine a nation of fans as awe-inspiring as Mexico can pull off something pretty special too. If you're able to partake in the production of this video and bear a resemblance to any of a certain group of German gentlemen, or just want to contribute and help, then contact Rammstein Mexico. I really want to see what comes of this...

I ♡ Mexico.

Caliban Cover Sonne

Caliban's cover of Sonne, to be included in their Cloverfield EP, is sampled in this video. Thanks to James for the link. I thought I had posted the news when this cover was announced, but apparently didn't, a sad failure on my part.

As an aside, I find it incomprehensible that a band's official YT channel administrator would block embedding their videos on other sites, as having your media playing on other sites is a good way to spread awareness, but this is the way Caliban's people do things, so a link it is. Meh.

Lego

There's been this Lego tribute to Rammstein up on YouTube for years, but I haven't seen it since 2009, and Metal Hammer just posted it on their blog, so I thought I would too, in case any of you haven't see it. It's pretty funky:

*Waves*

I was recently asked for a banner to link to me. I'm so damned old school I didn't have any, so I've whipped a few up, and they're now on my network page, right down at the bottom. I don't flatter myself that they'll get huge amounts of use, but if you want them they're there. Feel free to embed them straight off my host, or download them and upload them to your own, if you do.

Rammstein Communities

Community members should be aware by now that the official fan community forum has been exchanged for a community system, which works quite differently to a straight forum. It's been a shock to many, particularly the English-speaking users, who have found that having English and German users combined into one set of boards resulted in the proliferation of discussion in German, and a severe reduction in English threads. This has now been remedied, bringing about a great improvement in user-friendliness, but many English users have stopped visiting before the change. The only way to make the community revive for English-speaking users is to use the community, so I hope those who have faded away will come back and stamp their personalities all over the place, because we all know that Rammstein fans are personality-plus!

One thing I love about the new community is the ability to share media directly against your account, and the main community feed, so you can see where people are active. You can also friend people and filter the community feed to see what your friends in particular are up to. You can also subscribe to sections of the forum, so you get updated directly when people are engaging. It's very different to the old 'Fan Arena' format, but has way more potential for creating a real family of fans.

I for one have had fun visiting using the Chrome browser by Google. It has GLT built in, so you can go into the German section and read what people are saying, by accepting the browser's offer to translate. If you, like me, are trying to learn German, then switching the translator on and off, to see what is posted in both languages, is awesome.

Chrome is my browser of choice. It has issues with some stuff, so I keep my other browsers installed, but I primarily use Chrome, because it is a superior tool, in my opinion. In a multilingual scene, such as that of Rammstein fans, it really comes into its own. I can read Rammstein World and Rammstein Mexico without having to struggle with copying and pasting content into GLT.

Anyway, back on-point, I really hope people give the new community another chance. I had a really good explore last night, and find myself more and more pleased with it, but the lack of participation that has resulted from such a drastic change is not sustainable. We need to engage, support the community, and ensure it continues to improve.

Many of you won't know this, but I am an active campaigner to get Rammstein's fans to unite. Over the past 18 months-plus I have seen change, and more is to come. I hope these changes get the due consideration and support they deserve. The momentum needs to increase, rather than waning, as it has been, due to the ennui and jadedness of the fans.

My goal is to see more fans engaging on fb, Twitter, the official community, and on their own sites. Link to one another, communicate, and cooperate. Follow each other on Twitter, like each other on fb, join the official community, and link to all the other fan communities on your own fan-sites and MAKE it work. It won't happen overnight, as we have witnessed, but nor will it happen properly if we don't partake.

Okay, pep-talk over. Think it over.