| BIOGRAPHY |
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In the end of the year 1999 Julle, the former singer of an infamous country and western band The Lousy Lovers, wanted to form a band around Katja's beautiful voice, which she had discovered in a karaoke bar. In a drunken stupor Salla promised to learn how to play the organ and Joanna traded her violin into guitar. After rehearsing for a few months, Branded Women¹s first drummer Vera joined the band.
They all had an absurd urge to challenge their skills, and the beginning could be compared to losing one's virginity to another virgin: an awful chaos, but something truly unique is shared together. Since they all had different tastes in music, it was also impossible to try and make their music fit into some certain genre. Maybe the mishmash of tastes was the seed to the birth of the peculiar Branded Women sound.
During Winter 2001, Branded Women got their songs included on recordings for the first time when the Danish Bad Afro Records wanted to include "Not a love song" in their compilation. Next Summer, Sportin' Life Records released the band's first 7".
Unfortunately, in Summer 2001 Vera announced that she would have to leave the band in order to pursue her dancing career. It was a sad farewell to but new drummer was found almost immediately: Timo brought both testosterone and groove to band's music.
In the Spring of 2003 producer, Jürgen Hendlmeier took Branded Women into the studio to finally record a full-length album. The recordings were started at Hästholmen and continued at the Kick Out The Jams!-studio in Helsinki, finally getting it all together during February 2004.
The year 2004 was a turning point for Branded Women in many ways. Not only did they sign a record deal with the Finnish Ranch Records, but they also released their first album Velvet Hours - Stolen Moments, an album praised even by the ever-so-cranky journalists of the Finnish rock-mag Rumba!
During the Summer of 2004 the band also made their film soundtrack debut when "Runner" was chosen to play in the trailer of the Finnish hit action movie "Vares". The movie's soundtrack also featured a second Branded Women track, the hit single track "Something to Hold on".
The beginning of 2005 was one big gala event for the band: first they were nominated for "best newcomer" in the Emmas, the Finnish equivalent to Grammys; and later they won the same award in the Femma awards, the Finnish rock n' roll awards! The video for "Something to Hold on" was also nominated for "best Finnish music video" in the Muuvi awards.
On May 25th Branded Women released a new melancholic summer single "Second Best".
Unfortunately, in August 2005, they once again had to say bye-bye to the drummer, for Timo is now serving the music lovers in other way. From now on he can be found at Aron Soitin, a cozy music store located in downtown Helsinki. Needless to say, the band wishes him all the best!
There's no doubt, that one era has reached its end. However, these women are branded as gutsy as hell and they simply refuse to cry after a man. And has it paid off or what! From now on they will be playing in royal company, for King Artemi Remes, the guy behind Club Wipe-Out! and Savage Jungle, has joined BW to be their new drummer. You might also know him from his radio show in Radio Helsinki or from the rock-mags Rumba and Savage Zine. In Stockholm he kept himself busy playing with the bands like TJ & The Lipstix, Hillside Brothers, Martin Savage & The Rock'n'Roll Nurses and Humans. Artemi will play his first show with BW in Germany on October 14th.
THE BEAT GOES ON! |
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