The Rasmus

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Rasmus

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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Helsinki, Finland
Genre = Alternative rock,experimental rock
Years_active = 1994 – Present
Label = Playground Music
DRT Entertainment
Associated_acts = Hay and Stone
Killer
Kwan
URL = [http://www.therasmus.com www.therasmus.com]
Current_members = Lauri Ylönen
Pauli Rantasalmi
Aki Hakala
Eero Heinonen
Past_members = Janne Heiskanen

The Rasmus is a Finnish rock band that formed in 1994 in Helsinki while the band members were still in high school.Main source of the band's history: Åsa Werner and Mia Lindqvist, [http://www.rednora.com/TRs/theband/history.htm The Rasmus history at www.therasmus.se] ] The original band members were Lauri Ylönen (lead singer/songwriter), Eero Heinonen (bass), Pauli Rantasalmi (guitar) and Janne Heiskanen (drums). Heiskanen quit the band in 1998 and was soon replaced by Aki Hakala.

Before releasing their fourth studio album "Into" (2001), they were simply known as "Rasmus", but changed their name to "The Rasmus" in order to avoid being confused with a Swedish DJ of the same name. They gained international fame with their 2003 album "Dead Letters", accompanied with the single "In the Shadows" which reached number 1 in several countries.

The band is one of Finland's most successful bands with more than 3.5 million sold albums worldwideFact|date=November 2007, eight gold awards and five platinum awards. [ [http://therasmus.com/a_bio_bio.htm The Rasmus.com - Official band biography] Retrieved on 2005-09-18] They have released six studio albums, one compilation album and 21 singles. Some of the band's most famous songs are the singles "Liquid", "F-F-F-Falling", "In the Shadows", "First Day of My Life", "Funeral Song" , "No Fear" and "Sail Away". The band has recently announced another album, titled "Black Roses" which will go on sale on 26 September. Notably, production help from Desmond Child and the first single Livin' in a World Without You will headline the album.

History of The Rasmus

"Peep" (1995-1996)

In 1995 they met their first manager and record producer, Teja Kotilainen, who saw them perform at Oranssi Club. He wanted them to record a few songs, and the band did. Soon they released their very first EP-single, "1st". It was originally released independently through Teja G. Records in late 1995 before signing with the record label Warner Music Finland. Rasmus and Teja Kotilainen kept on making songs and on September 23, 1996 they released their debut album, "Peep". It went Gold as the band played over 100 shows in Finland, Russia and Estonia. Later in 1996 they won an EMMA (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy) for Best New Act of 1996. They also released two more singles from the album: "2nd" and "3rd". "3rd" was the first single to hit the chart lists - it went to #8 at the Finnish Singles Chart.

"Playboys" (1997)

Rasmus released their second studio album, "Playboys", in August 1997. This record also went gold in Finlandref] , along with its single "Blue". The album was quite similar to "Peep", but with additional musicians including saxophones and trumpets. This gave the album a mixed genre of rock, funk and ska. It was not produced by Teja Kotilainen. Their new producer was named Illka Herkman. Rasmus' grueling live schedule included supporting Rancid and Dog Eat Dog, and appearing at a festival at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in front of a crowd of 40 000 and on national television. They released a music video to the single " Playboys" which was directed by themselves and Illka Herkman.

"Hell of a Tester" (1998-1999)

The band's third studio album, "Hell of a Tester", was released in 1998 with a video for the single "Liquid". It was in the Top 40 on Nordic MTV and was voted Song of the Year by Finnish music critics and fans. The band achieved further recognition supporting Garbage and Red Hot Chili Peppers when they toured Finland.

"Into" (2000-2002)

Rasmus became "The Rasmus" in 2000, after replacing drummer Janne Heiskanen with drumming merchandise-seller Aki Hakala. In 2001, they signed to Playground Music Scandinavia and took on Seppo Vesterinen as their new manager. They released the album "Into" in Finland, where it went double platinum, debuting at #1. This was their first album to be produced by Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen at Nord Studios in Stockholm, SwedenFact|date=November 2007. Nord and Andresson also produced their next two albums. The first single from the album "F-F-F-Falling" was #1 in Finland for three months in early 2001. The second single, "Chill", was released in the Nordic countries, and reached #2 in Finland. "Into" was soon released in other European countries, including Germany, Italy, France and Spain. The Rasmus toured throughout Europe, promoting the album, and being the supporting acts to bands HIM and Roxette.

"Dead Letters" (2003-2004)

The band recorded "Dead Letters" at Nord Studios in Sweden and it was released in Europe in early 2003, reaching the top of the album charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as in Finland. Its European success led to the release of the album in other parts of the world and the album has sold 1.5 million copies worldwideFact|date=November 2007. "Dead Letters" went Top 10 in the UK, and its first single, "In the Shadows", went Top 3. Both also went Top 50 in the Australian ARIA charts in 2004, as well as topping the New Zealand singles chart. The single also reached the Top 20 of the American Billboard Heatseeker charts. "In the Shadows" gained Top 10 chart placings in eleven countries. Recently, iTunes Music Store offered the second track on "Dead Letters", "In the Shadows", as one of its free singles. "Guilty" was the band's second single for the American and British market. The Rasmus' previous discography was released internationally too. The band toured a lot in 2004 and early 2005 before taking six months off to record their next album.

"Hide from the Sun" (2005-2007)

Their latest album is "Hide from the Sun", which was released in 2005. Three singles have been released from it: "No Fear", "Sail Away" and "Shot". "Hide from the Sun" was [http://www.drt-entertainment.com/news.php#news-29 released in the U.S.] on October 10 2006 from their new U.S. label, DRT Entertainment. In 2005, they won Best Nordic Act at the MTV Nordic Awards and at the NRJ Radio Awards and Best Finnish Act at MTV Europe Music Awards. They have toured with Lostprophets and Negative. On April 28, 2006 they received an exclusive statue at the ESKA Music Awards in Poland (it is their second ESKA statue, the first being in 2004) for the category Best World Rock Group.

"Black Roses" (2008-Present)

The band announced that they had begun work on a seventh studio album "Black Roses" on September 19 2007, announcing the name of the album and naming the co-producers as Desmond Child and Harry Sommerdahl [ [http://www.therasmus.com/a_news_news.php?news_id=101&lang=en&pOffset=0 "Black Roses" with Desmond Child] ] . Originally planned for release in March 2008, a delay until after the summer was confirmed on February 27, 2008 [ [http://www.therasmus.com/a_news_news.php?news_id=102&lang=en&pOffset=0 Black Roses out after the Summer] ] and later detailed to be released in 26 September in Germany and 29 September in the UK. The first singles are "Livin' in a World Without You" and "Justify".

Five of the songs have appeared live: Ten Black Roses, "Livin' in a World Without You", Justify, Ghost of Love and Live Forever. A small part of You Got It Wrong is also found on the Internet.The band created a new style in this new album: "Death Pop".

The name of the band

The name "Rasmus" does not actually mean anything; the band has said in interviews that they chose it because it sounds Finnish and is easy to remember. However, bassist Eero Heinonen said in a Swedish interview that it came from the words "trash" and "mosh". It was the ex-drummer Janne Heiskanen who came up with the name.Fact|date=November 2007

Music videos

:"For a complete list of the band's music videos, see The Rasmus discography."The Rasmus have released a total of sixteen music videos (including three different versions of "In the Shadows"). Niklas Fronda & Fredrik Löfberg of Baranga Film have directed three of the band's videos, all from the "Dead Letters" album. "Dead Letters" is the album with most music videos: seven videos have been released from that album, including three versions of "In the Shadows". The first video they ever made was the one to "Funky Jam", 1996.

Band members

Awards

Dynasty

The Rasmus were part of a brotherhood of Finnish bands known as "Dynasty", along with the hip-hop band Kwan and the now-separated modern rock band Killer. Dynasty also have a studio in Helsinki, where they recruit new Finnish talent. Several members of Dynasty have tattoos with the Dynasty text; one can be found on Pauli's left and Lauri's right arm. Pauli and Eero also have instruments and gear bearing the Dynasty logo. Pauli has helped with the production of Kwan, winning an EMMA for Producer of the Year in 2001.

ee also

*Timeline of alternative rock

ources

References

External links

* [http://www.therasmus.com The Rasmus.com] - Official band website
* [http://www.playgroundmusic.com Playground Music Scandinavia]
*MySpace|therasmus|The Rasmus
* [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:11dqoa8auijb The Rasmus] at Allmusic
* [http://www.therasmusforum.com The Rasmus] - International band forum