The Mosel and the Rhine meet in Koblenz. A very beautiful, very German patch of earth, already recorded in the history books back when books were made of stone. For a few years now BLACKMAIL have been walking abroad in this idyll. A small contribution to the public debate on ‘Leitkultur’ (leading, or hegemonic, culture of Germany): the group consists of the Turkish singer Aydo Abay, the two half-Spaniards Carlos and Kurt Ebelhäuser on bass and guitar, and the drummer, Mario Matthias (obviously an honorary Italian). Does this make BLACKMAIL a multi-cultural troupe? Let’s leave it shall we. And yet, BLACKMAIL’s globalised rock music of international calibre has more experience of the world than the two rivers Mosel and Rhine.
BLACKMAIL found each other at the end of 1993 at a time when it still made sense for musicians to advertise for members in the scene’s magazines. In 1997 their self-titled debut album was released on a local label and by February 1999 the band had released the follw-up”Science Fiction”. Both records were suitably celebrated, there were non-stop tours throughout the country and guess what happened? A major label pulled out its chequebook. Consequently, the next two records (“Bliss Please”, February 2001 and “Friend Or Foe”, March 2003) were shipped to the shops, thrashed into the media, hammered to the bill boards and carried into the rock venues of this republic with all the major force of big business. Veritable underground hits (“Same Sane” and “It Could be yours”) emerged and the band continued to play the clubs and festivals. During this time BLACKMAIL proved to be one of the best live bands in the country, a fact not taken for granted by their audience. In 2004 the company in question underwent yet another organizational shake up. The musicians however had long since realised that they didn’t really need the sytem of the multis to do their job successfully – and they separated amicably.
BLACKMAIL – WHO IS WHO:
Aydo Abay: singer, also en-route with his own band project, KEN. Lyrics and the VOICE of the band.
Carlos Ebelhäuser: bass player. No bass on German soil has this edge. BLACKMAIL’s admin board, drive shaft and ministry of economics united in one person.
Kurt Ebelhäuser: a god on the guitar (taste assured). Also (not just) BLACKMAIL’s visionary, arranger, producer and pedant. Apparently the authorities in Koblenz have 60 cases pending against him. We don’t believe a word. See also “Scumbucket”.
Mario Matthias: drummer. The ever constant motor of the whole operation. He does carpentry and bus driving too. Further confirmation of the German saying “a good drummer is worth half the rent…”
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