Grobschnitt

Grobschnitt
Grobschnitt in 1974: Lupo, Eroc, Wildschwein, McPorneaux, Mist, and Toni Moff Mollo
Background information
Origin	West Germany
Genres	Psychedelic rock Progressive rock NDW (1980s) Pop rock (1980s)
Years active	1970–1989, 2007–present
Labels	Brain Records
Associated acts	Eroc
Website	http://www.grobschnitt-band.de
Members	Milla Kapolke Manu Kapolke Demian Hache Deva Tattva Toni Moff Mollo (Rainer Loskand) A.T.S. (Admiral Top Sahne) Nuki Willi Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak)
Past members	Eroc (Joachim Ehrig) Lupo (Gerd Otto Kühn) Mist (Volker Kahrs) Willi Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak) Popo (Wolfgang Jäger) Toni Moff Mollo (Rainer Loskand) Milla Kapolke

Grobschnitt was a West German rock band which existed between 1970 and 1989. Their style evolved as time passed, beginning with psychedelic rock in the early 1970s before transitioning into symphonic progressive rock, NDW and finally pop rock in the mid-1980s. Grobschnitt, unlike other bands, utilized humor in their music in the form of unexpected noises and silly lyrics and concepts.

As was common with many German bands of the time, Grobschnitt sang in English until the early 1980s, despite touring exclusively in West Germany. The band accrued a loyal fan base through its live performances which included pyrotechnics and German comedic sketches. Highlight performances include Solar Music, an extended mostly instrumental piece which lasted up to an hour. Grobschnitt were also known for their stamina on stage, frequently performing shows in excess of three hours.

Grobschnitt formed in 1970 from the ashes of The Crew, a psychedelic rock band led by drummer Eroc (Joachim Ehrig). Their new name meant "rough cut", in reference to the style of tobacco.

Originally an eight-piece band, Grobschnitt released their self-titled album on Brain Records in 1972 before paring down into their standard five-piece unit. Their first record is stylistically very different from the symphonic sound that became their hallmark.

Ballermann, released in 1974, featured new classically trained keyboardist Mist (Volker Kahrs). Released as a double-album, Ballermann featured humor and silly songs which followed from their entertaining live shows. The second record contains the first released version of "Solar Music", an extended instrumental suite with origins in a piece by The Crew in the late 1960s. "Solar Music" would see frequent performances throughout the band's career as well as being released in two more versions during the band's existence.

By 1975, Wolfgang "Popo" Jäger joined Grobschnitt as a bassist and the group released Jumbo.Jumbo fully realized the symphonic style the band had developed, featuring lush keyboard usage. 1977 saw the release of Rockpommel's Land after a German lyric release of Jumbo in 1976.Rockpommel's Land would prove to be Grobschnitt's first commercial success, despite the waning appeal of progressive rock.