Rainer Maria
Rainer Maria performing in 2006
Rainer Maria performing in 2006
Background information
OriginMadison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Genres
Years active1995–2006, 2014-present
Labels
MembersCaithlin De Marrais
Kaia Fischer
William Kuehn

Rainer Maria is an American emo band from Madison, Wisconsin,[1] later residing in Brooklyn, New York. The band was originally active from 1995 to 2006[2] and reunited in 2014.

History

Caithlin De Marrais, Kaia Fischer and William Kuehn formed the band in late summer of 1995 and named it after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke.[3] They released five full-length albums, a live DVD, numerous live recordings, and EPs. In its earlier days, the band had a dual male and female vocal line-up; later, De Marrais would become the lead vocalist in a majority of their songs. The gender ambiguity of the name Rainer Maria paralleled this and was one of the reasons it was selected as the band's name.

The band's many tours and intimate live shows at venues such as Brooklyn's North Six (which lead singer Caithlin De Marrais referred to as "home" during her final show because it also served as the band's rehearsal space), Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat, the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle helped to grow its fan base and fuel album sales.

On November 6, 2006, the band announced, through Pitchfork Media, that the December 16th show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom would be their last. It was accompanied by this statement:

"We are grateful to our new listeners and especially our longtime fans for their endless support and attention. We feel incredibly fortunate to have come up during a unique time in rock music, in a community that grew with us from the Midwest to Brooklyn and beyond. Making records has always been a revelation, and walking onto stage together we found a vision we could share.
"For us, this transition can be nothing short of heartbreaking. But for reasons both musical and personal, the three of us have chosen this time to move on."[4]

The band played their last show on December 17, 2006, at North Six in Brooklyn. They opened with "Artificial Light" and closed with a lengthy version of "Rise." Referring to the intensity of the show and the enthusiasm of the crowd, guitarist Kaia Fischer at one point remarked jokingly in-between songs "we should break up every night."

Reunion

The band played a reunion show at the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan on December 31, 2014; additional shows were added for February 14, 2015, at Lincoln Hall in Chicago; April 18, 2015, at Union Transfer in Philadelphia; and July 10–11, 2015, in Brooklyn.

They played again in Brooklyn on December 31, 2016,[5] and January 1, 2017.[6]

The band released S/T, their first album in 11 years, in August 2017.[7]

Band members

Caithlin De Marrais performing in 2006
  • Caithlin De Marrais — bass, vocals
  • Kaia Fischer — guitar, vocals, synths
  • William Kuehn — drums, percussion

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

  • "New York, 1955" b/w "Up Until This Time" 7" (1997) (Polyvinyl)
  • "Hell or High Water" b/w "Paper Sack" 7" (2000) (Polyvinyl)
  • "Artificial Light" (2001) (Polyvinyl)
  • "Ears Ring" (2002) (Polyvinyl)
  • "Catastrophe" (2006) (Grunion)
  • "Lower Worlds" (2017) (Polyvinyl)

Compilations

  • Rainer Maria (2011) - collecting the Rainer Maria, Atlantic and Ears Ring EPs

Other releases

  • Demo Tape (1995)
  • Anyone in Love With You (Already Knows) (2004) - live CD/DVD (Polyvinyl)
  • Life of Leisure (LP version/acoustic version) - CD single (Grunion, 2006)

Music videos

  • "Catastrophe" (2006, directed by David Ahuja & Claire Carré)
  • "Ears Ring" (2003, directed by David Ahuja)

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Rainer Maria". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Beaujon, Andrew (March 2001). "Rainer Maria: A Better Version of Me". Spin. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (13 April 2006). "Rainer Maria: A Not-So-New Band With a New Sound". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Articles: The Year in News 2006: Part 2". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "TicketFly: Rainer Maria, Snail Mail".
  6. ↑ "TicketFly: Rainer Maria, Olivia Neutron John".
  7. ↑ "Review: Rainer Maria, 'S/T'". NPR.org. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
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