Let's get things straight from the start: Berlin's 17 Hippies have never been hippies and have never had as many as 17 members. The band was formed by five musicians in 1995 - Christopher Blenkinsop (bouzouki and vocals), Carsten Wegener (bass), Lutz Ulbrich (banjo), Kristin Sauer (accordion) and Reinhard Lüderitz (bagpipes) - and although their number has progressively increased since, they stopped at a dozen members. The band plays exclusively on acoustic instruments - including, besides the above, violin, cello, guitar, trumpet, clarinet and trombone - creating their own characteristic "Berlin style” with a blend of East European, French and American folk music. As the years have passed, their own compositions have played a growing role in their music alongside cover versions, while the band has embarked on more and more adventurous collaborations with the likes of France's Les Hurlements d'Léo, London's Dhol Foundation and American guitarist Marc Ribot. Throughout all this, their music has remained as full of feeling and as heart-warming as ever. The band releases its 13th album under the title Biester in 2014, but at this concert we can naturally also expect to hear the biggest hits from their previous albums such as Sirba, Ifni, El Dorado, and 17 Hippies chantent en français.

Presented by: Palace of Arts