Crossing Borders brings Berlin stars to Ithaca - 17 Hippies

Saturday, Sept. 22 @ 8PM

Admission: $15 door (space permitting); Passport holders by reservation only

Crossing Borders LIVE Radio Concert Series on WVBR plunges further into its fourth season with a surprising Ithaca debut, the Berliner group, 17 Hippies. The musical event, described as "top secret acoustic rock from Berlin", is co-presented by WICB's Sonic Planet and takes place LIVE from Crossing Borders' new home, Upstairs at Pancho Villa, 602 W. State Street at 8 pm, Saturday, September 22. Advance tickets are available for $10 at Ithaca Guitar Works, Volume Records, Small World Records and McNeil's Music of Ithaca at theTriphammer Mall. Space is limited, due to the size of the performing group (consisting of 13 musicians). Space permitting, tickets will be available at the door for $15. Crossing Borders 2007 Passport subscription holders are admitted free but should reserve a seat via www.crossingborderslive.org. The performance airs simultaneously on Crossing Borders, 93.5 fm, WVBR, and can be accessed online at the above address or at www.wvbr.com.

The truth is, these multi-instrumentalists are not hippies and there are only 13 of them. (Which, according to rockpaperscissors.com, has caused much consternation with certain meticulous Germans, "You're not hippies!" Response, "Well, the Rolling Stones weren't exactly stones.") But they are called the 17 Hippies, and over the course of several decades, the number in the group has included as many as 20. Double bass, banjo, ukulele and guitar make up the rhythm section, while melody detail goes to violin, accordion, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and cello.

The Berlin-based group emerged after the Berlin Wall fell. "It was like someone had opened a hidden door," explains vocalist and lyricist Kiki Sauer. "New and exciting music from Eastern Europe flooded into town with new grooves. All we could do was listen, learn, and try to find our own musical connections." Thirteen Cds (as many as there are members in the group) have been released, including the brand new 17 Hippies Heimlich. A recent review:

What do you get when you take one ukulele and a Persian hammered dulcimer-played by a former heavy metal drummer-and add that to an acoustic Turkish take of the hip hop classic "Apache?" The latest album by 17 Hippies. It sounds like a joke, but it's true.

The band started with a simple concept, says vocalist and musical mastermind Christopher Blenkinsop. "We said, 'OK, so you play an instrument? Well, don't bring it!'" Christopher picked up the ukulele (after playing bass in rock bands); Kiki, who had been trained on classical piano, took up accordion; Lüül found a misplaced banjo; Dirk, the heavy metal drummer, had always wanted to play guitar; Antje switched to clarinet, after classical flute training; and off they went creating their own sound. Twelve years and 1200 concerts later, this renegade acoustic sound is captured on Heimlich... read more at www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/hippies.

17 Hippies has performed in countless world festivals and across the European continent for over twelve years. The current tour of the US and Canada sandwiches the Ithaca appearance between Montreal and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. within a whirlwind 24 hours. The Crossing Borders audience is limited to the space left over from the number of musicians in the group; therefore tickets are limited. For more information about the group see: www.17Hippies.com.