17 Hippies

17 Hippies
17 Hippies performing in Salamanca in September 2006.
Background information
Origin	Berlin, Germany
Genres	pop, folk
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Hipster Records, Berlin Buda Musique, Paris
Website	www.17hippies.com
Members	Antje Henkel Christopher Blenkinsop Daniel "Danda" Cordes Daniel Friedrichs Dirk Trageser Elmar Gutmann Henry Notroff Kerstin Kaernbach Kiki Sauer Lutz 'Lüül' Ulbrich Rike Lau Uwe Langer Volker 'Kruisko' Rettmann

17 Hippies is a band from Berlin, Germany, playing largely on acoustic instruments. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native Germany and France.

The band was founded 1995 in Berlin by Christopher Blenkinsop (bouzouki, ukulele & vocals), Carsten Wegener (bass), Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich (banjo & guitar), Kristin "Kiki" Sauer (accordion & vocals) and Reinhard "Koma" Lüderitz (bagpipes). They first used the name 17 Hippies in the fall of that year.

In 1996 they began to organize their own series of free concerts called Hippie Haus Tanz (Hippie House Dance). At this time Antje Henkel (clarinet), Elmar Gutmann (trumpet), and Ulrike "Rike" Lau (cello) joined the band. In 1997 Henry Notroff (clarinet) and Dirk Trageser (guitar & vocals) also were added, and live recordings of different concerts and rehearsal room sessions were compiled into their first CD Rock'n'Roll 13. In 1998 they played at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and then toured in Texas and Louisiana. Later that year Uwe Langer (trombone) joined the band and they played in Paris for the first time.

They established their own record label and in 1999 released their second CD Wer ist das? (Who is that?). The French label Buda Musique released a compilation of both CD’s called Berlin Style, which was then also released in Italy. Volker "Kruisko" Rettmann (accordion) joined the band.