Stanfour are a German rock band who formed in 2004. The band was founded on the German island of Föhr where the four core members live. Already prior to the band's formation, brothers Alexander and Konstantin Rethwisch spent years in Los Angeles working closely together with a producer of film music. This is one of several reasons for the band's American style of music.

Stanfour
Background information
OriginWyk auf Föhr, Germany
GenresPop rock, Alternative rock, Pop punk
Years active2004–present
LabelsVertigo Berlin
MembersAlexander Rethwisch (vocals, keyboard)
Konstantin Rethwisch (vocals)
Christian Lidsba (guitar)
Live and session support:
Christoph Spangenberg (keys)
Heiko Fischer (guitar)
Daniel Stritzke (bass)
Paul Kaiser (drums)
Past membersEike Lüchow
Websitewww.stanfour.com

History

edit

The name Stanfour was also created in the US, when the four musicians frequented a café. On Konstantin's cup was written "Stan" (abbreviation of his name). After a conversation with the waitress, the latter suggested Stanfour as a band name and as the group did not have a name at the time, they accepted it and have since kept the name Stanfour.

In September 2007 they released their debut single "Do it all" which entered the German charts at No. 46. Their second single "For all Lovers" was chosen as theme song for the Sat. 1 TV show Nur die Liebe zählt and stayed in the German charts for 18 weeks. The third single is called "Desperate". Their first album Wild Life was released on 29 February 2008. It was mainly recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, and in the band's studio on Föhr, but also in Los Angeles.

Stanfour toured with John Fogerty and the Backstreet Boys and played on shows with Bryan Adams, Daughtry and OneRepublic. In September 2008 a club tour was started in Germany. In November 2008 they were nominated in the "Best Newcomer" category for the EinsLive Krone music award in Germany.

During October and November 2009 they toured through Germany as opening acts for a-ha's Foot of the Mountain tour. In December 2009, the second album Rise and Fall, produced and recorded entirely by Stanfour, was published. The band has grown and their sound has become slightly more electronical and lighter. The first single "Wishing you Well" from this album reached No. 10 of the German charts. The title "Tired Again" is also featured in Til Schweiger's 2009 film Zweiohrküken.[1]

In 2010, the album Rise and Fall reached gold status in Germany for 100,000 shipped copies.[2] Stanfour represented Schleswig-Holstein with their song "Sail on" in the 2010 Bundesvision Song Contest and reached rank 7 in the competition.[3]

In November 2011, founding member Eike Lüchow left the band to focus on other musical projects.[4]

Stanfour released a new single entitled "Learning to Breathe" on 27 April 2012.[5] Their third studio album October Sky was released in Germany on 11 May 2012. It is more electronic and experimental than the band's earlier works[6] and has been compared to the music of Coldplay.[7]

Stanfour are featured on the ATB song "Face to Face" which is on his 2014 album Contact.

Discography

edit

Albums

edit
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
GER
[8]
AUT
[9]
SWI
[10]
Wild Life 53 92
Rise and Fall
  • Released: 4 December 2009
  • Label: We Love Music (Universal)
  • Format: CD, Digital download
9 36 20 GER: Gold[2]
October Sky
  • Released: 11 May 2012
  • Label: We Love Music (Universal)
  • Format: CD, Digital download
9 49 36
IIII
  • Released: 28 August 2015
  • Label: We Love Music (Universal)
  • Format: CD, Digital download
36
"—" denotes a recording that failed to chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

edit
Title Album details Peak chart positions
GER
[8]
AUT
[9]
SWI
[10]
Fireworks-Best of Stanfour
  • Released: 23 September 2016
  • Label: We Love Music (Universal)
  • Format: CD, Digital download
"—" denotes a recording that failed to chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

edit
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
GER
[8]
AUT
[9]
SWI
[10]
"Do It All" 2007 46 Wild Life
"For All Lovers" 24 62 94
"Desperate" 2008 55
"In Your Arms" (featuring Jill) 14 26 21
"Wishing You Well" 2009 10 31 48 Rise and Fall
"Life Without You"
(featuring Esmée Denters)
2010 25 51 58
"Wouldn't Change a Thing"
(Demi Lovato) featuring Stanfour[11]
28 36 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Soundtrack
(German edition)
"Sail On" 52 Rise and Fall
"Learning to Breathe" 2012 45 October Sky
"Power Games"
(featuring Natasha Bedingfield)
2015 IIII
"—" denotes a recording that failed to chart or was not released in that territory

References

edit
  1. ^ "Zweiohrküken" (in German). Stanfour. Archived from the original on 2010-03-07.
  2. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Stanfour; 'Rise & Fall')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  3. ^ "Bundesvision Song Contest 2010" (in German). BRAINPOOL Artist & Content Services GmbH. Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  4. ^ "Eike Lüchow's Facebook page" (in German). Facebook. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Amazon.de: Learning to Breathe (2-Track)". Amazon.de. 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
  6. ^ "Stanfour – October Sky" (in German). BB Radio. 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  7. ^ Genzel, Christian. "Stanfour – October Sky". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Offizielle Deutsche Charts: Stanfour". GfK (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c "Stanfour in der österreichischen Hitparade". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  10. ^ a b c "Stanfour in Swiss Charts". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  11. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts: Demi Lovato feat. Stanfour". GfK (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
edit