Neha Patil (Editor)

Rainer Maria

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Genres
  
Indie rock, Emo


Origin
  
Madison, Wisconsin United States

Years active
  
1995–2006, 2014-present

Members
  
Caithlin De Marrais, Kyle Fischer

Record labels
  
Polyvinyl Record Co., Arena Rock

Albums
  
Look Now Look Again, Past Worn Searching, Catastrophe Keeps Us Together, A Better Version of Me, Long Knives Drawn

Profiles

Rainer Maria is a three piece emo band from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York, originally active from 1995 to 2006. Named after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Caithlin De Marrais, Kaia Fischer and William Kuehn formed the band in late summer of 1995. 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.

Contents

Rainer Maria Polyvinyl Rainer Maria

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 The Black Cat, the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle helped to grow its fan base and fuel album sales.

Rainer Maria Rainer Maria Listen and Stream Free Music Albums New Releases

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:

Rainer Maria Rainer Maria39s 2 NYC shows are this week win tix to Shea
"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.
Rainer Maria tix on sale for Rainer Maria39s NYE reunion show w Moss Icon
"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."

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."

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, and January 1, 2017.

Rainer maria planetary official audio


Band members

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

  • Rainer Maria (EP) (1996)
  • Past Worn Searching (1997) (Polyvinyl)
  • Look Now Look Again (1999) (Polyvinyl)
  • Atlantic (EP) (1999) (Polyvinyl)
  • A Better Version of Me (2001) (Polyvinyl)
  • Ears Ring (EP) (2002) (Polyvinyl)
  • Long Knives Drawn (2003) (Polyvinyl)
  • Anyone in Love With You (Already Knows) (2004) Live CD/DVD (Polyvinyl)
  • Catastrophe Keeps Us Together (2006) (Grunion Records)
  • Other releases

  • Demo tape (1995)
    1. The Argument From Simplicity
    2. E-mail to K M Ley
    3. Song Without Words
    4. Battery Pack
    5. Todd Haynes
    6. I Love You Too
  • New York, 1955 b/w Up Until This Time 7" (Polyvinyl, 1997)
  • Hell or High Water b/w Paper Sack 7" (Polyvinyl, 2000)
  • Life of Leisure (LP version/acoustic version) CD single (Grunion, 2006)
  • VA - Ooh Do I Love You (Core for Care Records, 1996). Track: "I Love You, Too"
  • VA - Direction (Polyvinyl, 1996). Track: "Sooyoung"
  • VA - Post Marked Stamps (Tree Records, 1997). Track: "Pincushion"
  • VA - ReDirection (Polyvinyl, 2001). Tracks: Breakfast of Champions, Artificial Light
  • VA - This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation (Arena Rock Recording Co., 2001). Track: Artificial Light
  • Music videos

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

    Artificial LightA Better Version of Me · 2001
    TinfoilPast Worn Searching · 1997
    Ears RingLong Knives Drawn · 2003

    References

    Rainer Maria Wikipedia