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The Rasmus

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The Rasmus in 2003.
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The Rasmus in 2003.

The Rasmus are a Finnish band that formed in 1994 in Helsinki, while the band members were still in high school. Before their 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.

Their 2003 hit In The Shadows made them famous outside Scandinavia and received worldwide press attention.

Contents

Career history

The Rasmus formed at the end of 1994 when the band members were still in high school and were initially known as Sputnik, then Antilla, and then simply Rasmus (from the two Finnish words for "trash" and "mosh"). They recorded their first single, '"1st" (released independently through Teja G. Records in late 1995) before signing with Warner Music Finland to release their first album, Peep, when the band members were only aged 16. It went Gold as the band played over 100 shows in Finland and Estonia.

Rasmus released their second album, Playboys, in 1997. This record also went gold in Finland, with the single "Blue". Rasmus' gruelling live schedule included supporting Rancid and Dog Eat Dog and appearing at a Festival on the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. The band would also win a Finnish Grammy Award for "Best New Artist" in 1996.

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

Rasmus became The Rasmus in 2000. In 2001, they released the album Into, which went double platinum in Finland, debuting at #1. The first single "F-F-F-Falling" was #1 in Finland for three months in early 2001. The second single, "Chill", was released in Scandinavia and reached #2 in Finland. The Rasmus toured throughout Scandinavia and Europe, supporting the album, HIM and multi-million selling group Roxette.

The band recorded Dead Letters in 2003 at Nord Studios in Sweden, reuniting with Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen who had produced Into. 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. 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. "Guilty" was the band's second single for the American market. Recently, iTunes Music Store offered the second track on Dead Letters, "In the Shadows", as one of its free singles.

The Rasmus tend to provoke strong opinions in people. They made a notable appearance at the Reading Festival in 2004, where they were pelted with plastic bottles and mud until they eventually walked offstage, immediate medical attention being required for Eero's eye.

The Rasmus also are a part of a three - band community called Dynasty, alongside modern rockers Killer and hip-hop band Kwan. Dynasty also have a studio in Helsinki, where they recruit new Finnish talent. Band members Pauli and Lauri flaunt their loyalty to Dynasty by sporting identical tatoos on their arms.

Their newest album is Hide From The Sun, which was released in 2005. Three singles have been released from it: "No Fear", "Sail Away", and "Shot".

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.

Hide From The Sun will be [released in the US on September 26, 2006] from their new US label, DRT Entertainment.

Band members

Lauri Ylönen
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Lauri Ylönen

Vocals: Lauri Ylönen Guitarist: Pauli Rantasalmi Drums: Aki Hakala Bassist: Eero Heinonen

Lauri Ylönen

The lead singer. He was born Lauri Johannes Ylönen in Helsinki on the April 23, 1979. Lauri is one of the main song writers and has also worked on various collaborations with fellow Finns Apocalyptica. He has also dabbled in the production of music for fellow Dynasty members Killer and Kwan, together with bandmate Pauli. Lauri is probably most revered by his female fans because he wears crow feathers in his hair.

Pauli Rantasalmi
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Pauli Rantasalmi

Pauli Rantasalmi

The guitarist. He was born Pauli Esko Antero Rantasalmi on May 1, 1979 in Helsinki. He produces and manages other bands, such as Killer and Kwan. Pauli also owns a studio called the grotto.

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Aki Hakala

The drummer. His full name is Aki-Markus Juhani Hakala and he was born in Espoo, Finland, on October 28, 1979. He joined the band in 1999, after the former drummer, Janne Heiskanen, left. Aki originally sold band merchandise at their shows and joined the band after "jamming" with Pauli.

Eero Heinonen

The bassist. He was born Eero Aleksi Heinonen in Helsinki, Finland, on November 27, 1979. He practices Sahaja Yoga twice a day. He is the most sensible in the group and often looks after the others, despite being the youngest.

Discography

Albums

Collections

Singles

External links

 

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