RIFF RAFF – A BAND WITH A HISTORY
1997 – 2000 Formation & the early years:
It's January 1997, early in the evening in a band practice room in Berlin Schöneberg. Two musicians are sitting at the band bar. Excited, rocked, the long blond-haired Ricky Grasser on his chair; he had an idea to propose to drummer Andreas "Schulle" Schulz. Sitting, arms folded, he said: "I wanna ground an AC/DC cover band, are you with me?" The foundation stone was laid and the history of the band began! After intensive searching, they eventually found the U.K. born "rake" (Stephen Anthony Betteridge) who very quickly became the second front man on stage. Along with Jörg Zimmerman (Graaf, Ansoticca) on bass and Karsten Brüggemann on rhythm guitar it was decided (considering that AC/DC cover bands were few and far between) to introduce an electrifying AC/DC experience to the stages of Germany and later Austria, France and Switzerland. It proved to be worth the effort: the demand for the 'Riff/Raff experience' was immense and pretty soon the band was playing 30 – 40 gigs a year, in Germany and other parts of Europe.
2000 – 2004 Riff Raff "The coming of age":
Three years after the foundation of the band problems arose. Steve's excessive indulgence in drugs and alcohol caused the band to split up. However, after a long break, a few months rehab' for Steve and replacement on rhythm guitar ("Zoltan Berta") and on bass ("Andreas (Hampy) Körper") the band started up again, better than ever and determined to rock the millennium!
2004 -2010 New direction - Riff Raff breaks away from the "tribute band" scene:
Due to the increasing amount of AC/DC cover bands in Germany and because the musical potential of the band had much more to offer than "just" covering AC/DC songs, the band embarked on a new direction. In 2004, Riff Raff produced their first CD, "Eat The Beat", an album full of their own songs, all in the style of AC/DC. The "Rock'n'Roll Mutation" series followed in 2006 and success seemed to be lingering just beyond the horizon. The first album from this series, "Rock'n'Roll Mutation Vol.I" (ABBA songs in the style of AC/DC), seemed to be a much desired CD before it was even released. Unfortunately, however, due to a "no-no" from Sweden, permission for a release was not given. The band put this set-back quickly behind them and in 2007 they released "Rock'n'Roll Mutation Vol. II" (Christmas songs in the style of AC/DC… Christmas songs you can even listen to in summer!) which also proved to be very successful. At Christmas time it's played on many radio stations, not only in Germany, but also right across Europe.
2010 -2012 "The missing link":
After repeatedly restaffing on bass, (Henning Menke - "Der W" & "Skew Siskin" and Stefan Machalitzky - "The Voice Of Germany") over the last few years, Riff Raff is now complete after its recruitment of Andreas Schwacke in 2010. Since its formation, Riff Raff has shared the stage with Bands like Motörhead, Bonfire, Sweet, Roger Chapmann, Wolf Maahn, Whitesnake and Slipknot.
2012 „Emancipation":
Now the time has come. Riff Raff is leaving home, leaving D.C. The new Riff Raff CD, with new logo, modern sound and new image is pricking up the ears of all Riff Raff fans. This CD offers all AC/DC and rock fans a great range of Rock'n'Roll. Parallel to the AC/DC Experience, Riff Raff now offers The Riff Raff "Original Experience" on this CD: Steve sings like Steve, Ricky plays like Ricky and the songs sound distinctly like Riff Raff. If AC/DC has been home for Riff Raff over the years, well, they just moved out. The band has ultimately come of age and struck out from the nest, but it's plain to see where they come from. If asked to describe the sound of the 'new' Riff Raff, it's really quite simple:
A 120 decibel smack in the face!
NEW CD, NEW IMAGE, NEW RIFF RAFF.
