Guano Apes

Biography

Guano Apes is a German rock band formed in 1994 in Göttingen. The band consists of Sandra Nasić (vocals), Henning Rümenapp (guitars, backing vocals), Stefan Ude (bass, backing vocals), and Dennis Poschwatta (drums, backing vocals).
AllMusic calls the quartet alt-rock and their sound a fusion of metal, pop, and rap. They have released five studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, and five video albums.

Formation and Proud Like a God (1994–1999)

Guano Apes was formed in 1994 in Göttingen, Germany, by guitarist Henning Rümenapp, bassist Stefan Ude, and drummer Dennis Poschwatta. Female lead singer Sandra Nasić joined the band later that same year.

The band's career took off in 1996 after they won the "Local Heroes" competition held by VIVA, beating out over 1,000 competitors with their song "Open Your Eyes×Open Your Eyes25 August 1997 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Open Your Eyes3:092Open Your Eyes (X-tended club mix)4:58". The song was their first and most successful single, followed by the release in October 1997 of their debut album Proud Like a God×Proud Like a God6 October 1997 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Open Your Eyes3:112Maria3:483Rain4:394Lords of the Boards3:445Crossing the Deadline3:286We Use the Pain2:347Never Born5:208Wash It Down3:089Scapegoat3:2510Get Busy3:2511Suzie2:5712Tribute9:12 on BMG and GUN/Supersonic Records. The album peaked at number 4 in Germany and was certified platinum. The songs "Lords of the Boards×Lords of the Boards7 September 1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Lords of the Boards3:432Crossing the Deadline (live)3:313Get Busy (live)3:174Lords of the Boards (video)" and "Rain" were also issued as singles, with the former being specifically commissioned for the 1998 European Snowboarding Championship.
The release of their debut album was followed by an 18-month tour of Europe and the United States. "Open Your Eyes" appeared in the Warren Miller movie Fifty (1999) and Crusty 2000: The Metal Millennium (2000). The non-album single "Don't You Turn Your Back On Me" was contributed to the Meschugge film soundtrack in 1999.

Don't Give Me Names and Walking on a Thin Line (2000–2005)

In November 2000, Guano Apes released their second studio album, Don't Give Me Names, on BMG and GUN/Supersonic Records. The songs "Big in Japan×Big in Japan2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Big in Japan2:512Gogan2:493I Want It3:204La Noix2:215Big in Japan (Space Jazz Dubmen mix)4:33", "No Speech×No SpeechJune 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1No Speech3:312Open Your Eyes (live)3:203Mine All Mine (live)3:484No Speech (live)3:505No Speech3:356No Speech (live)3:487Open Your Eyes (live)2:43", "Living in a Lie×Living in a LieOctober 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Living in a Lie (radio edit)3:412Rain (live)5:073Don't You Turn Your Back on Me3:474Living in a Lie (album version)4:36", and "Dödel Up×Dödel Up2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Dödel Up (single edit)3:242Cuts3:343Candy Love3:334Dödel Up (Kukliczi mix by DJ Tomekk)4:165Dödel Up (album version)3:406Multimedia Part for PC + Mac" were issued as singles. "Big in Japan" (an Alphaville cover) and "No Speech" received a lot of airplay and the album was certified gold in Germany. A concert at Paradiso, Amsterdam was filmed and released on VHS and DVD, also called Don't Give Me Names.
In 2001, Guano Apes collaborated with German comedian Michael Mittermeier on the song "Kumba Yo!×Kumba Yo!26 March 2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Kumba Yo!3:222Kumba Yo! (acoustic version)3:173Kumba Yo! (Easy Buzz remix)2:584Kumba Yo! (karaoke version) / Hidden Kumba / Kumba Yah My Lord4:57", which reached No. 3 on the German charts. Also, Sandra Nasić contributed vocals and lyrics to the song "Path Vol. 2" by Finnish cello quartet Apocalyptica.
Guano Apes' third studio album, Walking on a Thin Line×Walking on a Thin Line3 February 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1You Can’t Stop Me3:112Dick2:433Kiss the Dawn5:204Pretty in Scarlet4:065Diokhan3:346Quietly3:387High3:248Sing That Song3:039Scratch the Pitch3:4710Plastic Mouth4:0411Storm3:4712Sugar Skin4:13, was released in March 2003 on BMG and GUN/Supersonic Records. It reached number one on the German album charts and, just like its predecessor, was certified Gold. The album was supported by the singles "You Can't Stop Me", "Pretty in Scarlet×Pretty in Scarlet2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Pretty in Scarlet (single version)3:392You Can’t Stop Me (G-Ball remix)4:593Pretty in Storm (G-Ball remix)3:464Pretty in Scarlet (album version)6:33", and "Quietly×Quietly21 July 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Quietly3:352You Can't Stop Me (live)3:183Pretty In Scarlet (live)4:02".
In November 2003, Guano Apes released the album Live, which was recorded during a concert in Cologne earlier that same year. The limited edition contained a DVD with video footage of the entire concert.
In November 2004, the best of album Planet of the Apes was released, which included the new single "Break the Line×Break the Line2004 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Break the Line3:342Quietly3:343Pretty in Scarlet3:544You Can’t Stop Me3:075Lord of the Boards3:386Maria3:387Never Born5:158Dick2:409Open Your Eyes3:0510Diokhan3:2911Get Buzy3:1812Crossing the Deadline3:2213Innocent Greed3:4814Rain4:3415No Speech3:2916Money & Milk2:3417High3:1718Plastic Mouth4:0119Too Close to Leave3:3220Living in a Lie4:3121Sugar Skin4:0622Big in Japan2:46". A DVD by the same name was released in February 2005, containing a documentary, concert footage, and several music videos, among other things.

Breakup and new projects (2005–2009)

Due to escalating personal differences among members, Guano Apes planned a farewell tour in February 2005 and subsequently disbanded. Dennis Poschwatta gave more details on the reason for their breakup in an interview:

"Basically, it was all about money. That is the most common problem that bands break up over. If someone thinks he is a born rock star or whatever, if you just lose your footing - that's what I could call it now. It was also not possible to bring Sandra back down to earth. And if your environment and lawyers encourage stupid opinions or actions, it becomes difficult. It's like a marriage or a relationship - at some point there's a fight, then it just doesn't work anymore."
Poschwatta subsequently focused on his band Tamoto, in which he played guitar (and drums while in the studio) and shared vocal duties with Markus Gumball, a.k.a. G-Ball. Tamoto released the album Clemenza in August 2005, which was supported by the singles "Beware" and "On My Mind". Stefan Ude and Henning Rümenapp were among the musicians who participated in the recording of the album. In 2007, Tamoto released the mini album Crudezza.
In 2006, Rümenapp, Ude, and Poschwatta formed a new band named IO, together with American singer Charles Simmons. IO went on the road several times and released their debut album, For the Masses, on 1 August 2008. The project was put on hold after Guano Apes reunited in 2009.
In December 2006, GUN Records released the compilation album Lost (T)apes×Lost (T)apes1 December 2006 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Your Song2:302Hanoi2:083Maria3:114Diokhan2:445Open Your Eyes3:266Get Busy2:517Ignaz2:348Rain4:179Wasserfliege3:3010Come and Feel4:3711Running Away3:4012Dreamin’3:47, which contains a selection of previously unreleased demo tracks recorded in 1994 and 1995. Lost (T)apes was also released as part of the 2CD package The Best and the Lost (T)apes.
In October 2007, Nasić released a solo album titled The Signal.

Reunion and Bel Air (2009–2014)

In 2009, Guano Apes reunited and played a string of concerts in Europe, starting in Sofia, Bulgaria, and also including Braga, Portugal, Nickelsdorf, Austria, Przystanek Woodstock, Poland, and Rock im Park, Germany, and Bucharest, Romania. In Bucharest, the band announced they were working on a new album.
In April 2011, the group released their fourth studio album, Bel Air×Bel Air1 April 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Sunday Lover3:582Oh What a Night3:123When the Ships Arrive4:054This Time3:525She's a Killer3:166Tiger2:337Fanman3:528All I Wanna Do3:069Fire in Your Eyes4:3810Trust7:08, on Columbia Europe. The album entered the German album charts at number one. They released four singles from this record: "Oh, What a Night", "Sunday Lover×Sunday Lover8 June 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Sunday Lover (Radio Edit)3:332Fire3:463Staring At the Sun3:124Sunday Lover (Video)3:325Sunday Lover (Making of Video)4:39", "This Time×This Time2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1This Time3:512Carol and Shine3:253This Time (video)3:48", and "When the Ships Arrive".
Sony Music released the DVD Live @ Rockpalast in 2012. It contains footage of two concerts from 1997 and 2011, both recorded for the long-running German TV show Rockpalast.

Offline and Proud Like a God XX (2014–2017)

On 28 February 2014, Guano Apes released their first single in two years, titled "Close to the Sun×Close to the Sun28 February 2014 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Close to the Sun3:44", as well as a teaser trailer for their fifth album, titled Offline×Offline30 May 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Like Somebody4:542Close to the Sun3:423Hey Last Beautiful3:264Numen4:075Cried All Out4:086It's Not Over3:457Water Wars3:588Fake2:569Jiggle3:3810The Long Way Home3:5811Cried All Out (Sola Plexus remix)4:06, and confirmed that the record would be released on 2 May 2014. A music video for "Close to the Sun" was released on 2 April. Later that month, it was announced that the release of Offline had been pushed back to 30 May.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Proud Like a God, Guano Apes released Proud Like a God XX on 6 October 2017. The album contains newly mixed versions of ten songs that appeared on the original album, plus the previously unreleased track "Score". The deluxe edition comes with a bonus CD containing reworked "2017 versions" of six songs from Proud Like a God (with a guest appearance by Danko Jones on the 2017 version of Open Your Eyes), as well as three cover songs, including the first single, "Lose Yourself×Lose Yourself15 September 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Lose Yourself2:50" (originally performed by Eminem). Music videos for "Lose Yourself" and the 2017 version of "Suzie" were released on 6 October and 10 November 2017, respectively.