It is not uncommon for members of well-known bands to start their own music projects in order to get started solo or in new constellations. It was more by chance than intention Strength club-Guitarist Steffen Israel formed a surprising formation with singer Gwen Dolyn last year – and now the two of them are going with their album “Hair of a Dog” under the duo name tears on tour.
The creation of the project is based on a series of verbal misunderstandings. In the podcast “Radio mit K” with Kraftklub colleague Felix Kummer, Israel incorrectly emphasizes the name Gwen Dolyn and promptly receives a voice message from the Berlin artist that brings the duo together. Initially, Israel only wants the singer in a new edition of the punk number “Duell der Kulturen”. Chaos Z support. But the cover is quickly followed by his own songs until an album is created within a very short time. When Gwen Dolyn misunderstood the name of a band that Israel was talking about on the phone, the idea for her own name, Tears, was born.
This fits well with the themes that the two deal with in their music. “Pain, longing, demons” write tears on Instagram when asked how they would describe their album in three words. Gwen Dolyn conjures up the demons of love with her deep voice in the song “Stures Stupid Heart,” which has now been streamed over 1.5 million times on Spotify. Gwen Dolyn’s lyrics seem cynical, sometimes unfolding with a wink or a side-swipe, such as “When I said a kick, I didn’t mean in the stomach” or “I want you to come, but if you really come then please take me with you .”
The singer shows the courage to be vulnerable not only in her songs, but also on social media. There she writes about the challenges of being a musician who – plagued by depression and endometriosis – has lived just below the poverty line for years. Together with the Toyboys and solo, she devoted herself primarily to the sound of post-punk and grunge and, most recently, increasingly to the Neue Deutsche Welle.
Steffen Israel’s background is influenced by indie, rock and rap with Kraftklub. He enriches the duo with his years of live experience in front of crowds and his distinctive guitar riffs. Together, the two people from Chemnitz create their very own aesthetic – musically and visually. Analogue photos in retro style, pastel-colored lettering, plus Steffen Israel’s dreamy melodies and Gwen Dolyn’s snottiness. What started as a mysterious Instagram profile with no faces has now become a promising band with recognition value, which will play at the sold-out Feierwerk in Munich on their first tour.
Peter Fox and Jan Delay are musicians who enjoy greater fame on their own
Peter Fox, lead singer of Seeed, is coming to the Olympiahalle in September with his new solo album.
(Photo: Daniel Lakomski/Imago/Imago/Jan Huebner)
Steffen Israel is not the first member of Kraftklub to dedicate himself to his own music projects: Felix Kummer recently celebrated his solo success under the pseudonym Kummer, which has since been dropped. And musicians also emerge from other bands, some of whom even enjoy greater fame on their own. Like Peter Fox, lead singer of Seeedwho will be coming to Munich’s Olympiahalle in September with his new solo album “Love Songs”.
Jan Delay will play his “Best of 25 Years” at this year’s Tollwood Festival.
(Photo: Daniel Karmann/dpa)
Or Jan Delay, the one with the hip-hop group Beginner before dedicating himself to new genres and his own career without bandmates. The Hamburg native is playing his “Best of 25 Years” at this year’s Tollwood Summer Festival.
Marsimoto, Marteria’s alter ego, returns to the Tonhalle in November on a farewell tour.
(Photo: imago/Manngold)
In 2007 he was supported on tour by the pitched voice of rapper Marsimoto. Marteria’s alter ego is returning to the Munich Tonhalle on a farewell tour this November with its last album “Keine Intelligence”, which was announced for April. From the Hamburg group 187 street gang Lx and Maxwell isolated themselves for the first time in 2015 and celebrated success with their three “Obststand” collaboration albums. Fans can look forward to the gangster rappers’ visit to Backstage Werk on March 21st.
Both alone and with Plan B and the Orson’s Rapper Maeckes is also shaking up the music scene with a wide range of works. His “guitar album” will be released in March and will be heard live at Feierwerk at the end of the year. It is often worthwhile for members of well-known bands to break away from their origins and explore new avenues.
Tears, “Hair of a Dog”, February 22nd, Feierwerk, Hansastr. 39-41; Lx & Maxwell, “Obststand III”, March 21st, Backstage Werk, Reitknechtstr. 6; Jan Delay, “Best of 25 Years”, July 4th, Tollwood Summer Festival, Olympiapark Süd; Peter Fox, September 13th, Olympiahalle, Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21; Maeckes, November 13th, Feierwerk, Hansastr. 39-41; Marsimoto, “The Last Tour”, November 29th, Tonhalle, Atelierstr. 24