3apes band: Convertible Rock
A brief and concise short story.

Our music is convertible rock. Danceable, grounded, authentic, always a bit revolutionary and naughty.


Live @ Polyesterlub, 2006. Photo: Károly Csépke.

Our lyrics are small stories about the daily life and the rise and fall of heros and heroines - cynic and vivid.

They say "music is the most important thing for us". They are right.


Live @ Polyesterlub, 2006. Photo: Károly Csépke.

In 2003 Robert and Robert, who knew each other from their hometown and recently moved to Leipzig, were enthusiastically struggling with the meaning of life.


Robert and Robert lost in Hannover, 2012. Photo: 3apes band.

Having met Christian, it was quite clear that getting together as a trio would make a remarkable band. In the beginning the bandname "The Apes" was chosen, but due to legal reasons we couldn't use it so, "3apes band" was chosen (it was the very next idea) and became quite inconsiderate the official bandname. Inconsiderate because people very ofter thought that the name has something to do with the Japanese "three wise monkeys", who see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. But at the time of our foundation we didn't had them and their meaning in our minds.


Prix du Tacot Special Appearance, Fockeberg Leipzig, 2011. Photo: Daniel Ziegler.

Our first rehearsal room (The Cage I), was in the basement of an small apartment building, just underneath a mortician. So it was super quite at night. Unfortunately there is no space on this this side to write about the second undertaker story we had months later (hashtag schattenwolf).


Live @ Cammerspiele. 2011. Photo: 3apes band.

Somehow, years later the picture became annoying, cause often we were perceived as being far away from evil - as the mystic apes, spreading only happiness. But we've always been rcok'n'roll dudes not only happy monkeys - which led us to write "D-Day" years later). Nevertheless, after the first rehearsals in 2004, which almost happend by coincidence on Ascension Day, we quickly found ourselves in a very productive and creative mode. With simple equipment we built our first rehearsal cage and managed one year later to record "Tidy And Well Dressed Gossip", our first EP.


The Cage II, 2010. Photo: 3apes band.

Again great fortune happend before. Without Sven Rechenberger, drummer of "Heartattack & Wine", we met during an open air gig (where the stage was on a professional truck in a public outdoor pool), the EP would not have come into existence. And so we learned a lot from Sven and his wonderful colleagues Wiebke, Stefan and Karòly and we had great concerts with them (and very wild tours in Berlin later with Karòlys Motorcycle dudes!).


Christian Live @ Victor Jara, 2007. Photo: Alexander Kiel.

In 2006 we applied for the "Courage Zeigen" Contest, a young talent award initiated by Sebastian Krumbiegel. Without any high-end gear and no acutal hope to win, we blew them all away and won the contest with extraordinary performances.


Stage diving @ Anker Leipzig, 2006. Photo: Karòly Csépke.

We met Peter "Cäsar" Gläser (former Renft-Kombo, †2008) during the contest and were supported by him since then. As a result, in the same year the band were supporting with Johnny Winter in a legendary session at the Anker, Leipzig, that was released as the first live album "Live with Winter".


Party audience @ Victor Jara, 2006. Photo: Alexander Kiel.

In 2007 together with MOTTT e.V., Die Kosmonauten and Volly Tanner we celebrated our release party of "Stark Raving Mad 1.0".


Volly Tanner @ Victor Jara, 2006. Photo: Alexander Kiel.

It became a gorgeous show at the Victor Jara Underground Club (Leipzig). The decoration was designed and made by Stefan Schwarzer, a great artist and companion of the band. The artwork of the album was also designed and drawn by Stefan.


Stark Raving Mad 2.0, cover artwork by Syru, 2007.

In 2008 the offical debut album "Stark Raving Mad 2.0" was released with the biggest release party a newcomer band ever had in the Moritzbastei.


Live @ Moritzbastei, 2008. Photo: Károly Csépke.


Live @ Moritzbastei, 2008. Photo: Károly Csépke.


Backstage @ Moritzbastei, 2008. Photo: Károly Csépke.


Live @ Moritzbastei, 2008. Photo: Károly Csépke.

After a great tour, many special appearances e.g. at the Polyester Club, the great recording of "Ringo Said" (with Robert P. Mau on the keys and Wibke "Wonder" Wolter), and a whole galaxy full of weird concerts and weirder partys, uppers and downers, days and nights we fell into an hard episode of lostness in the underworld.


Backstage @ Villa Leipzig, 2008. Photo: Alexander Kiel.


Backstage @ Moritzbastei, 2008. Photo: Karòly Csépke.


Live @ Campusfest Chemnitz, 2011. Photo: SachsenFernsehen.


On tour with Motorcycle Motherfeed, Berlin, 2018. Photo: 3apes band.

In 2011 there was light again. At the Prix du Tacot we promoted our comeback concert in a legendary never seen before tacot performance - live on an evil apish selfmade soapbox. Sponsored by "Ur-Krostitzer" we are the first band ever played live during a Prix du Tacot race on a driving soapbox (round and down hill). That was quite crazy.


Prix du Tacot @ Fockeberg Leipzig, 2011. Photo: Daniel Ziegler.

One week later we performed our comeback concert in the Beyerhaus basement supported by the very legendary Apegirls. This was the only time we had external background vocals on stage. We were doing our own background vocals and only had external singers within studio sessions.


3apes @ LVZ, 2011. Photo: LVZ Online.

With new discopop titles like "A!" an approach to pop music began. Some concerts, campus feasts and cage sessions later we realized that the pop phase is quite peculiar.


Live @ Theaterwerk, 2011. Photo: Sichtkunst.


Robert and Robert, Backstage @ Villa, 2008. Photo: Alexander Kiel.

We played at a bizarre party at Doomsday 21st December 2012. "D-Day" was born, so no more disco, but dark rock almost stoned and a bit doomed. The fun came back and we almost felt aligned again. New titles were written and more shows were played.


Live @ Damenhandschuhfabrik, 2011. Photo: Stefan Kuche.

In 2013 we were chosen to go on tour with the Flying Music Circus. After the tour we were quite irritated and went to cage mode again. One year later we came back with our first German title: "Realität", that was released together with the last-phase-songs in 2015. The last gigs were shady and destroyed a lot in the our band mind. So in 2016 the point of no return was reached and we saw no more headroom to work togehter. The common idea of how the 3apes should sound, where we may go or what is our goal, ... it all fell apart.


Screaming Ape Robert @ Victor Jara, 2007. Photo: Alexander Kiel.

And so we fell apart and disappeared.

3apes band - Who We Really Are!?!!.

During our time we had more than enough experiences, were part of weird situations, had a lot of fame and met crazy people - but now we will spend the rest of our lifes with a lot of contemplation, new projects and philosophies and maybe we find the meaning of life itself. Of course we gather some new strength for coming back louder and prouder than ever – maybe.

That's why we say Adieu, Farewell and Auf Wiederhören. We totally enjoyed every minute of more than 300 concerts and say THANK YOU for being part and present, your loyalty, stamina and for the fact that you have always believed in us.

Goodbye. Robert, Robert, Christian.


More pictures on Facebook.

Backstage

We worked together with KNAGGE Sounds, Neue Musik Leipzig, Sven Rechenberger, Keule Recordings, SAE Leipzig, CASPERHAUSERmusik and more.


In the box @ Knagge Studio, 2013. Photo: 3apes band.

With a simple gear, solid instruments and no pedals (sometimes a wah-wah and (one) distortion) we learned not only to improvise during reheasals. With brave ideas we invigorated our sound and surprised some technicians. Robert (Elektrozoo) almost always played his Fender American Telecaster on his Rath TwisterAmp with 4x10" Rath speakers - a rare and powerful combo.


Sometimes it's not the Telecaster, Elektrozoo, 2009. Photo: 3apes band.

Robert (Plaisancier) mostly played his custom-made fretless bass on his Hartke HA3500 with a 4x10" Peavey TVX 410EX speaker. Christian often played on his classical Ludwig or DW drum set (Zildjian, Sabian).


Live @ Anker, 2006. Photo: Karòly Csépke.

Always great was the work with legend Florian on many gigs at The Anker, all the sessions with Sven "Fuck you box" Rechenberger and the magic moments with DaLi. It always was a satisfying pleasure to have good engineers and technicians around, and yes, there are so many weird dudes and washouts out there.

Set Lenght: From 30 to 140 minutes, we had a variable playlist.


Flexible List. Photo: 3apes band.

Clothing by Zootex - Hemdenmanufaktur
Technik by KNAGGE Studio & CASPERHAUSERmusik
Support by all fans, apes, monkeys and others.


          

created by:


CASPERHAUSERmusik