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Tokio Hotel Biography
TOKIO HOTEL are Bill Kaulitz (vocals) & Tom Kaulitz (guitar), Georg Listing (bass) and Gustav Schafer (drums), and their story reads like the script for a blockbuster movie...

'... A band from a town in East Germany become the biggest stars of the past 20 years in their native country, charting records at No. 1, playing to ten or 20 thousand each night and being feted with every German industry award. Before long, the four musicians are travelling farther afield, and demand is growing fast - not just from an increasingly manic fanbase, but from the mass media too. Much attention is focussed on the frontman and the guitarist - identical twin brothers with a potent 'fight for your dreams' philosophy. The former is a striking, androgynous-looking performer, pierced & tattooed, an artist effortlessly able to drive his followers into a frenzy, whilst the latter cuts a distinctive dash of his own. They record & release two full albums of memorable guitar-driven anthems, complete with German lyrics, and Tokio Fever rages out of control...'

You can already hear the cameras starting to roll, except...

The script would have to include the fact that two of the TH members were just 13 years old when they made their first record, and they are still only 17 today. So no-one would believe it. No way.

Next!

ACTUALLY, NOT only is the above synopsis free from artistic licence, but if anything it underplays the impact these spirited teens have made on a German market where 'Tokio Fever' is now an epidemic...

Since signing with Universal in May 2005, TH have sold approaching three million records & DVDs in Germany alone, making them the country's most successful band, with a host of domestic awards jostling for space in the collective cabinet (nine platinum/four gold, at last count, plus an additional four platinum awards for sales in Austria & Switzerland). And they played the most successful debut live tour EVER to grace German stages.

The two TH albums - 2005's 'Schrei' ('Scream') and follow-up 'Zimmer 483' ('Room 483'), recently released - have both topped the charts at home, spawning four No.1 singles, and in the case of the former, staying on those charts for 66 unbroken weeks. Meanwhile, the first leg of the European stadium tour in support of 'Zimmer...' (April 3rd - May 14th) will see the group playing in front of young crowds six to twenty thousand strong. All going mad. All of the time. Something underlined in the reddest possible ink by the 'Schrei-Live' DVD, issued in 2006, which has now sold approximately 100,000 copies in Germany, pushing total DVD sales for TH to the quarter million mark...

Put simply, it would be an act of rank foolishness to go toe-to-toe with these guys in terms of statues or stats, with existing records being rearranged as a matter of routine. They're the youngest band to reach the top of their charts at home, for example... and now the highest-placed German act ever in France, where 'Zimmer 483' (the meaning of the title is hidden somewhere in the album!) recently stormed the chart at No.2, turning gold week one.

With French national radio station NRJ reporting more text messages & phone calls for TH than for Madonna, and their supporters laying siege to any hotel they book into, it's clear that this audio/visual fan-driven phenomenon is not constrained by either language or location. France, Austria, Switzerland and most East-European countries are all now making their mark on the gold & platinum scale, paving the way for a co-ordinated leap into the wider overseas market, with the US & UK ridin' high on the 'to do' list.

Central to this, the key moments from both albums are being brought together on 'Scream' - a new 12-track package (set to appear on June 4th) that could already, and quite legitimately, be described as a 'Greatest Hits' release. Complete with specially revised artwork plus newly recorded English vocals (seven songs from the debut outing had to be re-worked three keys lower for Bill, since he was only 13 when he sung the original versions), it will serve as the ideal calling card for those markets yet to experience 'The Fever' at first-hand, with high-profile live & promotional activity due to take place in support.

And just to make the 'script' even more improbable, all of the above (and more!) has been achieved in less than two years - although the speed of this breakthrough should in no way imply either fast-tracking or favoritism. In the world of TH, dues have very much been paid...

BY VISITING the website of their hometown Magdeburg you can see who the town (population 230,000) considers its foremost sons & daughters. Top of the list is Otto von Guericke, inventor of the air pump, born there in 1602, but also on this roll of honour (and destined to knock Otto from his primary perch) are Tokio Hotel. It was in this vicinity, some 405 years later, that the Kaulitz brothers came into the world, Tom 10 minutes before Bill...

For their guitarist stepfather, encouraging the boys' musical instincts seemed the natural thing to do, and by the age of 12, a band had been formed. It was called Devilish, with Georg & Gustav - who had seen the twins play using keyboards rather than live bass & drums - coming on board to add sinew to the spine. Bound together by shared musical likes (and dislikes), the group launched itself onto the clubs & bars of Magdeburg, then booked time in a small budget studio to put the live set to tape. By the end of that session, however, it was obvious to all parties that lack of time, money & experience had taken its toll, leaving the sonics and the songs a little frayed around the edges.

In short, more work was required, and once that work was underway (in conjunction with the producer team: Dave Roth, Patrick Benzner, Peter Hoffmann & David Jost, who had previously worked for Mötley Crüe, Jewel, Faith Hill & Falco, amongst others - they even did remix work for The DOORS), a whole new level of composition was quick to emerge. Sturdy of hook, emotive of vocal and walking a confident middle path between pop sensibility and prime rock rebellion, it was at this point that the TH sound of today began to find its feet. Accessible? Absolutely. Modern? Most certainly. But at no point conceived to fall in line with fashion.

FOR BILL, Tom, Gustav & Georg, this learning curve is something that still gets discussed in (rare) quieter moments; their first time as members of an experienced/extended team, and their first chance to sit in a hi-tech control room, jet-fighter-cockpit-and- bridge-of-The-Enterprise all rolled into one. Out of these early sessions came a selection of songs powerful enough to pull in major industry interest (Universal offered their deal after another label had 'fumbled the ball'), and also to captivate the public in a way that seldom happens, with debut single/video 'Durch Den Monsun' ('Through The Monsoon') leading the charge in spectacular style...

A prime example of restrained drama and telling melody, '... Monsun' charted at No.1 in Germany on August 20th 2005, with Tokio Hotel now the name of the band; by the following week, the track had rocketed to No.1 in Austria as well... which at this point makes 'the script' impossible to put down!

Sure, the song was a hit, and a serious one, occupying the top spot in Germany for seven consecutive weeks and staying in the Top 100 for a further 16. More than that, however, it took a rather large flame to the TH fuse, connecting with receptive hearts & minds on a level that flagged up a healthy future for the group beyond this early assault. It was also, significantly, the 'tipping point' track in France, where radio reticence was finally overcome with an English language version (!)... and now it will be the launch song from the international 'Scream' album, supported by a new video filmed in Cape Town, South Africa with director Daniel Siegler.

FROM THE initial release of '... Monsun' onwards, the words 'Tokio Hotel' and 'major chart success' have never been out of the same sentence, with the next four singles all striking home: 'Schrei' (Top Five), 'Rette Mich' (No.1), 'Der Letzte Tag' (No.1) & 'Ubers Ende Der Welt' (No.1), the latter from 'Zimmer 483'. No great surprise then that the band have been consistently honoured at such high-profile events as the World Music Awards, the Eins Live Krone Awards, the European Borders Breaker Awards and the Echo Awards, where they recently premiered new single 'Spring Nicht' ('Don't Jump') before collecting the 'Best Video' award for 'Der Letzte Tag' ('The Final Day').

With 'Spring Nicht' (also from 'Zimmer...') due out shortly in Europe plus the international release for '... Monsoon' now set at May 7th, 'the script' continues to be a page-turner, with extra cast & crew added all of the time. What there's no need for, however, is a stylist, as right from the start the four - particularly, Bill & Tom - have chosen to explore their own ideas about image, giving an extra-wide berth to convention & conformity (the clip for 'Ubers Ende Der Welt' tackles this subject with non-political aplomb).

There is a story that, when very young, Bill & Tom would wear T-shirts bearing their names so as to stop people mixing them up, but there's no chance of such confusion occurring today...

On one side, there's Bill, almost an anime character come to life with his exotic appearance and shock of hair - a 'live for the moment' personality who basically 'invented' himself when he was six years old. He has since become the biggest and most passionate stage performer in the country.

Tom, on the other hand, favours a different, more urban look, though one that's just as defined - all in marked relief to his brother's tight-fit taste in fashion. Not unexpectedly, their musical leanings are individual too, with Tom's early regard for AC/DC & Aerosmith now giving way to artists such as German hip hop star Samy Deluxe, whereas Bill, if pressed, is more likely to talk about David Bowie or veteran German singer Nena, for whom he's long nursed an affection.

With so much media attention focussed on the pair (the circulation of German youth title Bravo has risen by 22 per cent in the wake of TH's booming popularity), it can sometimes be hard for decisions to be taken with a fully level head. In this respect, the 'two G's' - whose musical loves range from Fall Out Boy & Green Day (Georg) through to Metallica & Foo Fighters (Gustav) - are on hand to provide the more measured view, the calm at the eye of the storm. Actually, make that monsoon...

GIVE ALL of the above a stir, and the result is a young band who pride themselves on playing their instruments since they could walk (Gustav started on drums when he was four) putting on great live shows (they've recently taken delivery of a new all-moving stage-set) and having positive things to say to fans their own age. Yes, their demeanour and their dress have played a significant role in bringing them into the spotlight, and yes, their average age is only 18, but it would be foolish to attribute such dramatic (and fast-growing) success to pin-up power alone. No cheekbones are that sturdily chiselled.

(I thought it may be of some interest for you guys...Hmm.. Tokio Hotel..THE MOVIE!.. )

News, Gossips and Articles!

Creepy fan videos Tom at Studio :

Studio de Tokio Hotel ( Tom Kaulitz )
Uploaded by Camill0u-LSD

On Bushido’s fanboard, he and his crew have joined Tokio Hotel fans in voting for Tokio Hotel as Best New Artist.
Click HERE to check it out!
Very kind of him, I must say...although TH would probably win it anyhow .

THE LEADER OF THE GERMAN BAND HAS RECEIVED HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE AND HAS BOUGHT HIS FIRST CAR...

Bill Kaulitz, he's handsome, he sings well, he's stylish, he's rich, he is...
In short, he lacked nothing, but one thing to complete it all: a car. The problem is, while all the other members of Tokio Hotel have passed the eam, Bill missed his on the first try...

But after a few weeks of additional driving courses, Bill from Tokio Hotel has finally overcome it and got his driver's license two days ago, last Wednesday, on his second attempt.

Once the paper in his pocket, he we left there to choose the equipment of his dreams. Here, Bill opted for a German brand by offering himself a grey convertible BMW (see it here) Price of the jewel? Around 90,000 euros. This is the price he must pay to ventilate his hair with class...
(voici.fr)

Tokiohotelamerica:
Rumor has it Tokio Hotel will be visiting Mexico when they are in North America. The rumor says it will be a private concert for radio and music people. That’s all we know. Don’t go crazy yet. It’s ONLY a rumor.

For any of you who like to run outside and breathe your North American air simply because the band is on the same continent? Well, you can run outside now because rumor has it Tokio Hotel has landed and their takeover of the Americas is beginning.

On the 7th, next Wednesday, in Sayreville, New Jersey, Tokio Hotel's US Tour starts and will end sometime at the end of the month.
A total of 11 concerts in small enclosures, where we can check out the realistic prospect of the band in the US...a musically contradictory country, difficult to win, but essential in a takeoff on a global basis.

The importance of the mini-tour goes beyond what is strictly musical, so much, that the future and planning of future months for the band depends largely on the month of August, which causes us to compare the American cities as a final exam.

The trajectory of the Magdeburg boys could be considered meteoric. That is why, far from lifting the foot off the accelerator, it is precisely now that the Tokio Hotel universe has so much at stake, and will now step on the pedal.

If fans and the American press respond with the same predisposition that they did during TH's promotional tour for "Scream," the management will plan the World Tour's next studio album in many different ways, giving priority to a new market and drastically reducing the dates in Europe (!!!), replacing the flags in Champion League stadiums, accommodating the same number of fans, but fewer dates.

The USA tour plays a role and takes place in reduced enclosures or average-sized ones. We cannot overlook the radical change that this can make in the new continent. Obviously, we talk about the maximum degree which any band can aspire, but let us not forget the harshness that results for most European bands on their first American tour, where they spend a least a couple months and have been everyday in places where flags, cities, fans, food, hotels...virtually everything. The leader of a great and famous Swedish band in the 80s once said that the US was like working in an assembly line of Scania truck company, where employers are happy to be able to work, but then eventually got burned out because America's industrializes through art.

Today, having recognition in the US is like having Harry Potter's wand, and being able to see the rest of the planet's doors open automatically. The Japanese, Australian, and South American markets are waiting...

(destinorock)

Portrait Magazine Article

LadyVamp of Portrait Magazine has written an article all about Tokio Hotel for their August issue.

You’ve heard the screams and witnessed the hysteria that comes in their wake, but just who are Tokio Hotel? It’s no doubt that this little German band has taken the world by storm, covering the music scene in an intoxicating monsoon of giant hair and moving lyrics. You’ve seen the videos and heard the songs, but just who is this quartet of youth and how did this hysteria come about?

Tokio Hotel is comprised of the Kaultiz twins; lead vocalist Bill and Guitarist Tom. The Band also contains drummer Gustav Schafer and Bass player Georg Listing. The Boys musical interests began when they were around seven years of age. Bill and Tom‘s musical interest was sparked by their step father who was a musician himself. The twins started out by playing local pubs in their hometown of Magdeburg, Germany. Bill would do vocals while attempting to play the keyboards and Tom would accompany on the guitar. Bill composed his first song at the age of nine. One night while playing a local club called Gröninger Bad, the twins caught the attention of two young musicians in the crowd. Georg Listing and Gustav Schafer, who knew each other from school, witnessed the twin’s musical abilities and knew they needed their help. “It was obvious that these two guys needed some help, so we talked to them after their gig” Laughs Georg in an interview with PopCultureMadness.com. Tom goes on to joke “Yeah, they actually begged us to join the band - that’s how we got together”.

The band began their early career under the name Devilish. The first gigs they undertook were for no more than five or six people. “Yeah, sometime we have ten or twelve people.“ Bill laughed in an early Devilish interview for a German TV program. Despite their lack luster start the boys soon caught the attention of the record labels in 2001 and began their marathon to fame. After securing their first record deal the boys felt a need for a name change and opted for Tokio Hotel. “After we signed our record deal we thought it was time for a new beginning - we were called Devilish before that. All of us really like big and modern cities. We all think Tokyo is one of the coolest places on earth - and we hope to get there someday soon, hopefully to perform” Tom explains to PopCultureMadness.com. Bill goes on to add, “Yes, and we were also looking for a symbol that would represent our lives from that point on. And because we were living in hotels a lot of the time, the name really seemed to fit”.

In 2003 Bill was a candidate in the first season of “Star Search” (category “Junior”). Bill performed The Whether Girl’s “It’s Raining Men.” But in the quarter-final he was defeated by Oliver Bruton. Bill did not let his “Star Search” experience get him down and in 2005 the band released their first German-language album, Schrei, as Tokio Hotel on Island Records. Schrei sold more than half a million copies worldwide. The album also provided them with four top five singles in Germany and Austria. Their fist album produced their first widely popular single “Monsoon” that has now become a staple in their line of success.
The release of their first album catapulted the boys into the hearts of every German girl who witnessed their image. This overnight success made it difficult for the boys to continue a normal routine, such as going to the store and attending school. The twins for example, where constantly causing massive hysteria at their high school. Very soon the boys were forced to give up on regular classes and finish their degrees online. Bill has been noted as saying that he hated everything to do with school. Don’t we all?

In 2007, the band released their second German album Zimmer 483. The new German album produced three top five singles in Germany. Also in 2007 the guys released their first English album Scream. Together both albums sold over one million copies world wide. Scream produced two singles that reached the top twenty in new territories such as Portugal, Spain and Italy. The new albums also helped the boys land their very first MTV European Music Award for Best InterAct. They also performed their newly translated version of “Monsoon” at the EMA’s. The performance was made especially memorable because of the monsoon produced upon the stage. During the last chorus of the song the stage was engulfed in a downpour drenching our German rockers. The song never waned a minute and resulted in one of the most spectacular performances of the entire night. Their first live album, Zimmer 483 - Live In Europe, was released near the end of 2007.

After their various European tours and domination of their home country, Tokio Hotel was read y to tackle North America. In 2008 the boys played several shows in Toronto, New York and L.A. Each gig turned up a multitude of new fans, surprising the band because their CD hadn’t even been released there yet. Before they could bask in their US debut and return for some more the band suffered a serious set back. Vocalist Bill Kaulitz lost his vocal abilities before several prominent European and US tour dates. At first it was thought his loss of voice was a simple matter of laryngitis. Upon further examination it was discovered Bill’s vocal chords contained a cyst that had been formed through over exertion of his voice. The cyst was removed successfully and after 10 days of silence and weeks of rehab Bill was back on tour once again. The band looks back on the ordeal as a scary time in their career but are glad Bill came through unaltered.

The dates were rescheduled and the band returned to the States for the second time. The guys were especially nervous about coming to the US. While there the boys would be undergoing their first ever completely English tour. They marked their first ever US live television debut on MTV’s TRL. They conducted the entire show in English periodically apologizing for their bad language skills. The boys did a wonderful job conversing with everyone, proving their English is definitely on par. While on the show they performed “Ready, Set, Go” to a hysterical audience and presented a lucky fan with a costume from the actual video shoot. The Boys will be returning to TRL for a whole week as guest hosts August 4th-9th 2008.

Most recently Tokio Hotel attended the 2008 Comet Awards in Germany where they picked up four Awards including the Super Comet Award. More exciting than the new awards was Bill’s unveiling of his brand new hair style. He temporarily ditched the famous Sonic the Hedge Hog main for a darker sleeker look. Don’t worry his hair may be darker but it still has the ability to defy all gravity.

So what’s next for Tokio Hotel? Only time can tell. The band is currently touring the European festival scene and will begin their US invasion in August. With the support of their many eager fans throughout the world there’s nothing these boys can’t do. Now it’s our turn to help them stay on top. Are you ready to “Scream” for Tokio Hotel?
Fun Facts about the Band Members:

Tom Kaulitz:
# Has around 70 caps
# He hates dr. pepper
# Owns a Black Cadillac
# Was born 10 minutes before his twin brother, Bill.
# Hated Subjects in School: Math & Physics
# Favorite music: Hip-hop, especially German.

Bill Kaulitz:
# Was voted “most annoying German in 2006″ by the viewers of TV network ProSieben (27 December 2006).
# Favorite musicians are Nena, Green Day, Coldplay, Keane and Placebo.
# He and his brother, Tom, do not have middle names.
# Pets: A black Labrador named Scotty that he got from a shelter a few years ago, and reportedly a cat named Casimir. (The cat hates Tom)
# Enjoys peppermint tea.

Georg Listing:
# His Idol: Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers
# Favorite Music: Fall out boy, Billy Talent and Yellowcard.
# Favorite songs: “Glamorous” von Fergie und “Golden” von Fall out Boy
# First album he ever bought: “Definitely maybe” from Oasis
# First concert he’s ever been to: Die Ärzte

Gustav Schafer:
# Favorite Subject in School: Sports and Economics.
# Hated Subjects in School: Math and Physics.
# Hobbies: Riding his bike and music.
# His Idol: Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
# Favorite Music/Artists: Metallica

David Jost Talks About Tokio Hotel!

Yam! 8/08 - Exclusive: The manager that volume unpacks!

David, one of the producers of the band has given an interview to Yam about his definitions of success, how he feels about the band’s success, what makes a star and MORE! Thank you to Poppy at the forum for the translation from the German!

The Starmaker

Talent, hart work or luck – what does it take to become really successful? Tokio-Hotel-Producer David Jost has the answer!

He is producer, songwriter and manager of Tokio Hotel. David Jost discovered the band from Magdeburg, built them up and led them to international success. The creative Hamburger is a workaholic always on a tight schedule. Nevertheless the 35-year-old found time for an exclusive yam!-interview and revealed what it takes to be successful as a star over the long run and why will can be more important than talent …

What does it take to become a star?
DAVID: Potential! Most of all a person has to have emotional potential and also enormous will power. If an artist has to offer a lot of both it is very likely that he will succeed.

Does one also succeed having only one of those two?
DAVID: Yes, if this one is highly developed. If one has only talent but not will power he needs to be lucky and find the right people to push him to success. It also works the other way round. Someone with moderate talent but enournous will power and intelligence can be successful as well.

Any examples for that?
DAVID: Madonna! She is not really an extraordinary singer, but she is intelligent. For over 20 years now, she has been one of the top artists worldwide. This is not luck, nobody can be lucky for such a long period. She does not leave anything to chance. Although she performs on stage, she is one of the big players in the music business, one of those people who pull the strings.

What else does it take to become successful and to stay it?
DAVID: One attribute which is also closely connected to willl power is the readiness to make sacrifices to reach one’s goals. For big and long-term success you almost always have to make sacrifices. This does not only apply for the music business. One has to be very lucky and talented to be successful without sacrifieces.

How do you spot a talent?
DAVID: There is no overall rule to this. Most of the time you can feel talent. I generally trust my gut instinct.

And what did your gut feeling tell you, when you saw Tokio Hotel for the first time?
DAVID: I totally went nuts (laughs). It hit me unexpected. At that time I was willing to do anything but work exclusively with one single band. But all my other plans were forgotten when I heard and saw the boys for the first time. Bill was 13 and showed me and my partners the Band-demos, which they had recorded in their tiny studio in Magdeburg. After the boys left I could not stop screaming „Yes“ and „strike“ (grins)

Did you already know, that TH would be internationally successful?
DAVID: No, of course not. I was 100 percent sure, that they would be mega-successful in Germany. I bet the whole music business everything on that. But it would have been very arrogant to assume that there was such an international hype.

What is Tokio Hotel’s recipe for success?
DAVID: The whole music business is full of artists who only succeed because somebody constantly tells them what to do and how to avoid mistakes. One of the reasons why TH are so successful is that they are exactly the contrary.

In what way?
DAVID: To tell Bill what to do against his will – which would be impossible by the way – would make him lose large parts of himself. Bill has to be totally convinced of what he does – to be able to be as good as he can be. Already at very young age he knew exactly what he wants, and even more what he does not want. People can feel this. Bill comprises very large emotional extremes. You rarely find a frontman like this in Germany. The star potential of the band is huge. Even if I had no brain, it would have been impossible to blow it (laughs)

Songwriter or Manager – which is more fun?
DAVID: Writing songs is of course more fun. But managing is also a creative and diverse job. I am very lucky that I am able to work for a band I believe in and who blows my mind every day anew. I could not do the job without this.

Are you and Tokio Hotel already working on the third album?
DAVID: We already begun with the songwriting. Bill is very creative at the moment and constantly comes up with new song ideas.

What is the best song that you ever wrote?
DAVID: I have not written that one yet. My best song is still to come (laughs)!

Hitkrank Magazine

Tokio Hotel is quitting…...for the rest of the year

Exclusive: The last show of the year

After two awesome concert in Holland this year it is becoming quiet around Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav. What will the boys be doing?

The photos you see here are made on 13 July in Belgium. There Tokio Hotel performed at the festival Werchter Boutique. We didn’t want to keep these from you, because it was Tokio Hotel’s last show from there European open air tour en with that also the last show they did this year in Europe.

Off course the boys won’t be twisting there thumbs the rest of 2008 either, they keep being busy. Bill and his boys are leaving in the beginning of Augustus to the United States to give live shows there the rest of the month and with that build a name for themselves in America. Because also America is becoming more and more TH-“minded”.
In May Time Square was already decorated with huge images of Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav that were hanging in the outside of the MTV-studio’s there. There single and album Scream are released there and the fans response is very enthusiastic.

Gone forever?
You can’t off course blame Tokio Hotel for trying to break through in the States; that’s the biggest dream from about any artist. But that doesn’t mean that they are gone forever now. Are you crazy! There are already plans for a new album that will be released in Germany, our little Netherlands and other parts of Europe. That will be the third Tokio Hotel album. Rumours say it will be a German record again. When it will be released isn’t clear yet, but it will probably be somewhere in 2009.

Bill has already started with writing new songs. Everywhere he goes he is writing lyrics. He prefers his laptop but if he doesn’t have it with him he quickly writes something on a coaster or saves it in his phone. Earlier this year the singer has been through some rough times, with problems with his voice and even surgery on his vocal cords. Bill is getting a lot of inspiration out of this difficult time.

Are you Tokio Hotel fan, then you will have to be patient until something new from your german heroes is released. But the good news is: they are working on it!

Tokio Hotel - Fashion Rocks!

Tokio Hotel made it this time into the Fall 2008 issue of Fashion Rocks (supplement to Teen Vogue Fall 2008).

America meet Tokio Hotel.
The gender-bending emo-pop rockers are headed up by eighteen-year-old German twins Bill and Tom Kaulitz, whose looks are identical but whose styles couldn’t be more different. “We hate people telling us to wear this and that,” says guitarist Tom, who favors dreads, baggy jeans, and a carefully skewed baseball cap. “Sometimes at a photo shoot they try to style this hair,” singer Bill says, pointing to his hedgehog-like coiffure, “but no one knows how.” His secret? “Hair spray. A lot.” Between the hair and emotive vocals–not to mention the piercings, tattoos, and rock-chic clothes–it’s easy to see how Bill has become the object of many a teenage crush. And despite their varied senses of style, the Kaulitzes say their twin telepathy provides a shared vision of their goals for the future. “Be successful in America!” Tom says. Adds Bill, with a grin: “And play in Tokyo.”


Wonder Twins
Having already sold more than 5 million albums worldwide, Tokio Hotel is poised to conquer America with their grunge-inflected emo rock (and a whole lot of extra-hold product).

Emo - Russians Will Ban It!

Moscow - Black hair, make-up, piercing and melancholy rock. The "emos" are the same everywhere, but in Russia they've legislated against them."For the school-age young people would be forbidden to appear with the "emo look" in the school, and the petty offences would involve punishments." - said Jevegenij Jurjev, deputy. The bill is supported which would grade the eccentric young people's cult as a "dangerous campaign", because its followers are emblazoning the sociopathic behaviour and the suicide.After Tokio Hotel's appearance, the German sociologists were alarmed as well, but only the British people wanted to antagonize, because the police psychologists suspected emo-influence behind the teen-suicides.The fans of the american emo band, My Chemical Romance, were successful with their demonstration against the discrimination. In Russia, the bands are also challenging."You can't ban the quivering of the spirit!" - said Dimitrij Gilevich, the singer of Maio. Deputys are writing the swan-song of the russian emo?"

Spanish Article!

Growing in popularity, German rock band Tokio Hotel is new to North American fans but all the rage back home.

So when the foursome decided to break into the difficult North American market with its English debut album Scream, the group translated and then performed all of its German songs in English, something that took some time but was worth the work.

"The biggest challenge was to sing for the first time in English because as you can tell my English is not so good," singer Bill Kaulitz says inside a Toronto restaurant. "This is really the first trip that we've spoken English in interviews because we just know some words."

Tokio Hotel, playing the Sound Academy tonight, says translating each song "word by word" was trying.

"I'm a perfectionist, I really wanted to sound natural like I was a native speaker," he says. "That was really, really hard but I hope the fans like it."

"And then they (the words) have to rhyme and still have the same meaning," twin brother and guitarist Tom Kaulitz adds. "We wanted everyone to have a chance to understand what we are saying which was really important."


The band, rounded out by drummer Gustav Schafer and bassist Georg Listing, has made a lot of inroads in a short period of time with singles such as Monsoon and Don't Jump, which deals with suicide, a topic mentioned in some of the fan letters the band received from teens.

But both brothers say the single Ready Set Go! describes how the band members, who got together in 2001, found success at the mere age of 15.

"It was our first single in Germany and it was during our vacation in the summer holidays," Bill says. "It went directly to Number One and after that our whole life changed completely. It was a new life and that was our dream, our dream come true."

The resulting success caused a frenzy that some concert promoters in Germany weren't quite prepared for.

"We were playing a village party, a small festival and there were only 100 or 200 people expected," Tom Kaulitz says. "It was booked six months in advance and we released our first single Monsoon in Germany and we came to that festival."

"There were so many fans and thousands of people, the security was absolutely not ready for that," Bill says. "It was then we knew we had fans. Before it was always five or 10 people in a club just drinking beer and not looking at us."

The toughest thing a new band often has to do is learn how to say no to growing demands. A grueling touring schedule earlier this year left Bill Kaulitz unable to speak for 10 days following surgery to remove a cyst from a vocal chord.

"I was really afraid," he says. "We only played 10 concerts and had to cancel 16 (including a Toronto gig). I was in my hotel room and I looked (at the clock) and I was thinking at this time normally I'm on stage so it was really, really hard."

However, like so many identical twins, Bill had Tom nearby to act as his almost telepathic speaker.

"It's a very cool connection and a very special connection," Bill says of being a twin. "I think nobody else has a connection like that. I had a book and wrote things down (after surgery) but there were some things where I just looked at Tom."

"I always know what Bill is thinking in different situations because I think the same," Tom says without missing a beat. "I had to speak for him for 10 days, it wasn't a great time."

Having an affinity for the cosmopolitan Japanese city, German quartet Tokio Hotel would love to find itself in a Tokyo hotel sometime in the near future.

"We've never been there," guitarist Tom Kaulitz says. "They have a Jacuzzi in the room and you can just lie there."

"And they have the flat screen televisions over your head," bassist Georg Listing adds. "We really want to go but haven't yet."

"I have heard so much about the hotels in Tokyo and how nice they are," Bill Kaulitz says. "So I think that town is really, really crazy and we would love to go there."

While a Japanese tour is still in the works, Tokio Hotel is surprised by their North American fans.

"What we saw the last time is that our fans are so energetic, they are screaming and waiting for us," Bill says.


[ A Japanese (?!?!?!?!) Tour?]

Tu Magazine, Voting, and More

Tu Magazine - Mexico
from www.tokiohotelamerica.com

Tokio Hotel on the cover of Tu Magazine - Tokio Hotel, from Magdeburg for the world. Here is the info from Neelyo on the forum. There is also an interview that does not have a lot of important information but I think it’s awesome that they are on the cover and that they have a 3-page article (with some nice pics). It’s the July issue (July 25, 2008). Right now all I have is the cover but I promise that tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I will have the rest of the scans and the translation of the interview I won’t make you guys wait long. This is really exciting.

Here's the cover of the magazine

We Are VERY Much Liking/Loving Georg's New Hair!!

Pic of the Day

Saki. And some [pretty hot] kid behind him.
LOL.

Voting:

Vote for Monsoon with Best Pop Video at the Video Music Awards in North America here.

And Dont forget to vote on Jetix!....We shall post the link again and talk you through the voting process!
Vote for Tokio Hotel at the Jetix Awards HERE.
Click on: WEITER ZUR ABSTIMMUNG, and then COOLSTER LIVE-ACT, then TOKIO HOTEL and finally VOTE MICH!

[We, of course are winning!...=)]

Tokio Hotel: 'Sex Symbols!

Bill statt Brecht: Tokio Hotel erobern die Welt

In February 2008 the city of New York was once again invaded by hordes of screaming girls and it could mean only one thing – another boy band was in town. This time however there was something different about the whole thing – all the slogans and declarations of love on the T-shirts and posters were not in English, but in German. “Bill, ess briiingt miiiisch oummm,” for example, (“Bill, it’s gonna kill me”) as the line from one of the band’s hits goes. This was also the refrain sung by most of the female fans at the Tokio Hotel gig at the Fillmore NY club – New York’s legendary concert venue that in the past has seen fans reeling in the aisles to such musical greats as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

After taking Europe by storm the band went stateside and – to everybody’s amazement – managed to conquer America, too. At first the media back home in Germany were in some cases more amused than impressed, they did try however to find an explanation for the phenomenon. How could it be that four young guys – in fact, barely-of-age guys – from the town of Magdeburg in eastern Germany had now become icons of global youth culture, or even sex symbols?

Hair Like A Porcupine

Without doubt their look most definitely played a crucial role. The lead singer, Bill, has spiky hair like a porcupine, eyes lined with kohl and he is dressed like a punk, which makes him look like one of those Japanese manga figures. The guitarist, Tom, Bill’s identical twin brother, goes more for shaggy Rasta dreadlocks and the baggy hip-hop look. Fan forums are equally as obsessed with the way the brothers look as they are with the music.

Of course, there is never success without money. Tokio Hotel’s label, Universal, is one of the biggest on the music scene and has spared neither effort nor expense to market the quartet to a young audience via websites, publicity campaigns and magazines. This however is not enough to explain their success, especially when you think that only one tenth of all performing artists manage to bring home a profit for their recording companies. Promoting a new act, as we see, can quite definitely involve quite a few risks, as one of the business’s top dogs found out to its dismay – SonyBMG had signed on Tokio Hotel, but terminated their contract just before their breakthrough in 2005.

By word of mouth on new grapevines

Another vital publicity factor these days is the effect of internet platforms like YouTube and MySpace that enable new trends to spread like wildfire. It is a form of the classic word-of-mouth advertising that uses different channels to not only overcome international barriers, but also linguistic ones. This is in fact what makes the success of Tokio Hotel so surprising – most of the lyrics they sing are in German.

Before Tokio Hotel there were of course other German success stories. Kraftwerk, for example, who, with their song Autobahn, pioneered the myth of fast-lane freedom for fast-lane individuals. Nina Hagen is still a well-known face in the USA, famous for her outrageous performances; the same with Nena who managed get to number two in the US charts in 1983 with her song 99 Red Balloons. Since the end of the 1990s Rammstein has been the most successful musical export in German. With their explosive stage show, brute-force arrangements and their sometimes controversial lyrics the group promotes the cliché of the remorseless, sinister Teuton.

German graffiti in Rome

Tokio Hotel have also pulled off another great feat – they have triggered a huge, new surge of interest in the German language. “German is sexy,” as two female fans at the concert in New York told the German magazine, Focus. “Young Americans and Canadians have started learning German so that they can understand the lyrics better,” says Wolfram Hermann of the Goethe-Institut in Boston. “There has been a huge response,” confirms his colleague in Rome, Elisa Costa. In Italy ten per cent more teenagers between the ages of 11 and 16 have enrolled in German courses. In France, according to information published in the German news magazine, Spiegel, it as many as 25 per cent. On the institute’s website in Italy there was a competition in which you could win 100 Tokio Hotel concert tickets – in two weeks 5,000 people took part in it. They had to answer the questions in German. On the Rome underground graffiti has now appeared exalting the names of the band members and proclaiming in German messages like “ich liebe dich” (I love you) or “du bist mein Engel” (You are my angel).

Another clear sign of the group’s potential is the fact that T-shirts, posters and biographies are available all over the place, whether you are in Palermo or Istanbul, New York or Paris. Tokio Hotel has furthermore paved the way for other young German bands to make it in a big way, for example, Cinema Bizarre or Nevada Tan. This is the reason why branches of the Goethe-Institut in Europe and in North America are planning further online campaigns and cooperation projects with both schools and the press to enhance the spread of the German language.

Young, surprising and sexy

The aim here is to achieve what Hesse, Goethe and Grass, etc, did not quite manage to do. The fans at the Fillmore NY concert all sang in unison “Wir häm unns toadgeliiebt” [LOL...Toad?](We've loved ourselves to death) from the Tokio Hotel song, Loved To Death. It might not sound quite as elegant as Goethe’s Wayfarer's Night Song, “In allen Wipfeln spürest du kaum einen Hauch” (In all the treetops you feel hardly a breath of air) – maybe that is the reason why the quality press and state institutions were initially so reluctant to jump on the Tokio Hotel bandwagon. Can a band with such bizarre hairstyles and lyrics oozing with the Weltschmerz of youth represent a country that is respected as the world’s top exporting nation?

The answer lies with the fans. Not just in Germany, but everywhere the fans camp out for days in all kinds of weather in the hope of getting the best concert tickets – be it in Geneva, Tel Aviv or Moscow. It is hard to put into a nutshell why there is so much enthusiasm for Tokio Hotel. One thing is for sure – they have certainly managed to introduce the world to a new image of Germany – one that is young, surprising and sexy.

Source

Popcorn Article!

Boy of the year!

Not so long time ago we came with idea "Boy of the year“ where you had to vote for your most favorite stars and we promised special material about the winner. Popcorn keep their promise. On first place was Bill from Tokio Hotel and here is some actual special about him and all news around Tokio Hotel. And what will be next time? On the second place is actor Wentworth Miller and you will read something about him in next issue. Beautiful third place has Zac Efron from High School Musical and you will find something about him in other issue.

Tokio Hotel triumph in America!

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles – american teenagers are crushed into Bill and co.! But in their homeland are turning their fans to them by back…

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome Tokio Hotel from Germany!“ You can’t hear anything in the studio because of crazy scream. Girls are screaming, keeping their posters, some of them have tears in the eyes. Conan O’Brien in his Late-Night-Show had never so big happiness for german band. "Unbeliavable,“ mumble for himself and turn his head. Already three days before this show were there fans. There were crowd of fans in front of studio for more than two blocks. But only 120 fans had luck and get inside. America has real Tokio Hotel fever! It can be performance, autogramme session or radio interview – all pictures are the same: everywhere are hysterical fans, closed streets! Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav really made it. Nobody believed it – Tokio Hotel made absolutely storm in America! They are already on titles of some magazines, they have special fans (Jay-Z or Nicole Scherzinger from Pussycat Dolls) and they should have tour with Jonas Brothers on autumn – unbeliavable start in country of all possibilities. Such popularity didn’t singer of band even seen in his dreams. Bill: "A long time ago I sat at home in front of posters of famous stars and I told to myself how it would be if person would be such superstar. But that I could get so far, I even didn’t dream about this!“ But international success has also black sides: in their homeland Germany are loosing Tokio Hotel their popularity and their favor go down. Critics are bigger, many people who supported them showed already to band their backs in anger and first fanclubs are closing. And Tokio Hotel unfortunately are doing nothing to get their fans back. New single or album are not in plan for the soonest future. Instead of that they are playing concerts in abroad like America. New album of TH should be born in the beginning of 2009 – for many fans unfortunately too late!

Bill’s statements!

In german magazine "Vanity Fair“ was really big interview with Bill Kaulitz. Popcorn brings you the most important statements…

"The most hurt me divorce of my parents in my life. I was seven and I really couldn’t understand it. It influenced me really a lot. My biological father is truck driver and live in Hannover.“

"School is too less individual. For what I have to learn math when I know that I will never in my entire life need it? I had always horrible marks from musical lessions because I had to sing horrible folk music. It was horror!“

"Nobody can explain how close we are with Tom. We have the same ideas and we have also many time the same dreams!“

"Bill without make-up is for my like different person. If I wouldn’t so famous I would be also with make-up. It is simply part of me!“

"It is for me really hard to trust somebody and let him be close to me. I didn’t find any new friend in last three years and I even didn’t fall in love!“

"My funeral: I am all in black and I have leather jacket. My last wish would be to let them make me some pretty hair-style. Well, I hope I will have some hair in that time. If not so somebody will have to give me wig!“

"I never dance. I always sit in the corner – only in case I am drunk.“

Bill Lies!....*gasp*...Yes, we all know that last one is not true! Bill never stops dancing!..and we have TH TV proof!

*Sorry guys there was scans to go along with this, but blogger wont let me upload pictures from some reason?, ill put them up as soon as I can

Cosmo Girl Article!

Formerly the group Devilish, Bill, Tom, Gustav, and Georg now make up Tokio Hotel — and the uber-cuties from Germany are taking the U.S. by storm! I caught up with them at their recent New York City show at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza (a venue where most rock legends have performed), where the line to get in was hundreds deep and, according to one fan, people were waiting for hours to get a spot in front of the stage.

Hey, guys! It must be really exciting to perform in New York. Do you love the city?

Bill and Georg:
Very! Yeah, we like it, but we love L.A. too, with the warm weather, sunshine, and big houses.

What’s the difference between your European fan base and your U.S. one?

Bill:
We were really surprised when we came to North America because we expected it to be different than in Germany. We expected people to be calm, laid-back, and checking us out from a distance. But as soon as we got onstage here, everyone got really excited and started to yell and scream the way we were used to from home. We were really surprised. Having fans like that gives us a lot of power and energy when we’re onstage. We love it! It was such a shock that our shows here are selling out. It’s more than we ever expected.

That’s pretty amazing to be selling out shows here in the U.S. on your first North American tour.

Bill:
Yeah. We’re so excited.

So tell me, who were your musical influences?

Bill:
We couldn’t find a single common influence.

Tom:
I influenced them all.

Bill, Gustav, Georg:
Ha!

Bill:
We listen to so many different kinds of music. Tom only listens to German hip-hop, but I listen to a lot of rock, so we couldn’t really agree on one band that influenced us. Everyone brought his own style to the group, even if Georg doesn’t have any style [rest of band laughs]. What we created with Tokio Hotel was just our common ground of liking a variety of bands. We wanted that to influence our music.

How’d you get the name?

Bill:
[Band laughs simultaneously]
The reason everyone laughed is because now you’re getting into the dark past. We used to go by a different name – Devilish, but that was all Bill’s idea. To tell you the truth, Devilish didn’t have any meaning. We tried to remember why we chose that name, but couldn’t. When we started to get deals with record companies, we thought it was time to find a name that fits and one we all liked. We love New York and L.A. because they’re really big cities, and we chose Tokio [the German spelling of Tokyo] because it’s a wicked place. Then we wanted to find a symbol that represented our lives, and we came up with Hotel because we’re living out of hotels these days. Our lives are packed in our suitcases and we always carry them behind us.

How would you describe your personal style?

Gustav:
Well, we’ve got a womanizer, a comedian, a bodyguard… [the whole band starts to laugh]. Actually, no, we’re not about rules – we didn’t want to create one image.

Bill:
Yeah, if we had to do that, Georg wouldn’t even be here today [band laughs]. We’re not about playing any characters — we’re just us, just being ourselves. What you see is what you get. If you look at old pictures of us from when we were called Devilish, you will see how everyone started to find his own style. That’s what we’re about.

What would your advice be to anyone who wanted to get a start in music?

Bill:
We hate to be in the position of telling people what to do because when we started, people who were older and had been in the business a while would tell us how we should act and what we should do, and we didn’t like that. Everyone has to make their own decisions and go through their own experience – find out for yourself. Everyone has to find their way. The only thing I would say is that it’s important to play live, go onstage, and have fun because that’s what it’s all about. And it’s important to make mistakes. That’s what we did and still do. Georg is still making 10 to 15 mistakes every day [band laughs]. Just do your thing!

What’s your favorite thing to do online?

Tom:
[laughing] I’m not sure you want to know! Actually, I basically check e-mail and watch videos.

Georg:
Yeah, I watch videos. I just watched Scream.

Gustav:
I just watch a video where the filmmakers raced an Audi against a BMW. The BMW won.

Tom: Ready, Set, Go video. Check it out!

Click HERE to read some comments!

Twins are Voted Style Icons!

The concert Saturday evening at the Parc des Princes undoubtedly marks the dedication of these young unrestrained rockers: Tokio Hotel has never been so up/on top…. From Trabendo to the Parc des Princes in just two years, only one of many records erupted by Tokio Hotel. Bringing an entire generation to sing along in German, when even Kraftwerk had capitulated there, know how to impose guitars at a time when they are considered to be overtaken by the keyboard, implode all record sales and rekindle the flickering flame of “manias” as in the good old days of the Beatles mania, all this was reached by the kids of Tokio Hotel.

Tokio Hotel defeat Trainer Jogi Löw
17th July 08

Tom and Bill have been voted #1 on Welt Online’s list of the Top 50 Most Stylish German Men.

WELT ONLINE has the style icons choice - and fierce debates among readers triggered. Top 50 German women and men were voted, the displeasure of many commentators Tokio Hotel. Their critics must now brave. And hopefully, with the women’s choice not a problem.

Who does it in style? Who makes the world beautiful, cool, modern? The WELT ONLINE wanted to know, thousands have voted. Men and women of all ages, we had to vote in the Lords about as serious celebrities like Roger Cicero and Wolfgang Joop. Tokio Hotel we had with the recommendation “because hundreds of thousands of teenagers can not be wrong” on the list. And lo and behold: The youth have triumphed, with an enormous lead the Kaulitz brothers landed in 1st place Kajalstift, Stinktiermähne, dreadlocks - as is now so stylish.

(Sorry, it's Google Translated :/ But it's the 'important' Part of the whole article, the rest is boring XD~)

South America and More

South America:

With MTV Brazil playing Tokio Hotel, the band look to be setting their sights on the South of America. On the Mexican Official Site you can enter a new competition for CDs and merchandise by placing a widget on your profiles. Click for more details (in Mexican).

Parc des Princes DVD:

For all that attended Parc Des Princes, or simply those who can't wait to get the DVD, have a look at this sneak preview of what it looks like!



Article:

On livedaily.com, writer TJames Madison talks about the band’s return to the USA and their struggle to achieve popular support in the USA. His blog entry accepts comments if you are so inclined. I will be running over right now to show my support for Tokio Hotel!

Click here to leave a comment.

[article]

Glam-rockers Tokio Hotel have announced dates for a summer headlining run through North America behind the band’s English-language debut, “Scream.”


The German quartet–lead singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schafer and bassist Georg Listing–is making another attempt on American markets this year after canceling its spring tour following an injury to Kaulitz’s vocal chords (and subsequent surgery to remove a cyst).

The group will kick off the upcoming run Aug. 7 in Sayreville, NJ, and plans to visit 11 cities on the trek, which runs through late August. Details are below.

“Scream,” released May 6 in the United States, contains English versions of songs from the band’s previous German-language albums, 2005’s “Schrei” and last year’s “Zimmer 483.” Although the new album–which is sold as “Room 483″ in German-speaking territories, the English translation of “Zimmer 483″–has performed well in Europe, selling more than 600,000 copies to date, the band has struggled to gain popular success in the US, although the group has attracted a ground swelling of support due to its theatrical live act.

Formed in Magdeburg, Germany in 2001, Tokio Hotel has scored four No. 1 singles and two No. 1 albums in its native Germany, and has sold more than 3 million CDs and DVDs combined, according to a press release.

Contest!

A contest for Mexico! As seen on the new Official Mexico page for Tokio Hotel! Pardon our google translation about the contest! “Win incredible t-shirts or discs and support Tokio Hotel in Mexico!

This is your chance to win fabulous t-shirts or discs. All you have to do is install the newTokio Hotel to Widget Mexico to the left and put it in your Myspace page, your home page or any other page want. Then take a screenshot of which put the widget, upload it on this page and enter your details below.

This contest is valid to July 20 and is only for participants from Mexico.
The winner will be notified via e-mail and will receive their prizes by mail as soon as possible.

Click Here to get the Widgit


Quote of the week!

"I never had any idols because I never wanted to live after someone elses’ rules but there’s still a lot of people who have been influencing me… I think all that is happening on a subconscious level"
-Bill Kaulitz

Various! [TH Tickets, Poll, Tokio Hotel in 'Freeway Balconies']

AVAILABLE: BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

• Aug. 7 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
Click Here.

Here's a funny poll for you to vote on:
Who's hotter Bill Kaulitz or Nick Jonas?
(We need not tell you who's winning...)

(The following article isn't really about TH, it just mentions them...)

Tokio Hotel will be in a show called "Freeway Balconies"
by Collier Schorr in Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin. (Museum)

Freeway Balconies ranges in mediums from photography to sculpture and installation to video art. The exhibition explores the performative impulse so operative in today's innovative forms while playing off a pop-infused, contemporary American vernacular. In doing so, Schorr acknowledges a select group of elders that includes Bruce Nauman, Yvonne Rainer, and Adrian Piper. Their deployment of performance and specifically the location of art on the site of the artist's body can be observed in the works of a younger generation of artists represented by Francesca Woodman, Ryan Trecartin, and Aki Sasamoto. Sara Gilbert's intimate photographs of her friend and actor Leonardo DiCaprio taken at an earlier moment of superstardom are joined to the high drama of Rachel Rabhan's anonymous students and Elaine Stocki's curiously choreographed strangers, with Leigh Ledare's poignant images of his almost-famous mother hovering somewhere in between. Schorr shares the pop-punk band Tokio Hotel with Raymond Pettibon and actress Brooke Shields with Richard Prince. Shinique Smith's fan mail to actor Johnny Depp, an attempt at closeness with her object of admiration, finds an analogue in Karen Kilimnik's improvised cosmetic self-improvements to resemble other stars, while Matt Saunders's videos provide yet another take on idol worship. In this arena, Rashawn Griffin's lumbering garbage-bag bear stands a chance against David Altmejd's monumental giant. Sharon Hayes and Adam Pendleton invoke the spirit of 1960s activism and rock 'n' roll, complicated by cultural amnesia as appropriations out of time.

Article...

Glam-rockers Tokio Hotel have announced dates for a summer headlining run through North America behind the band's English-language debut, "Scream."

The German quartet--lead singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schafer and bassist Georg Listing--is making another attempt on American markets this year after canceling its spring tour following an injury to Kaulitz's vocal chords (and subsequent surgery to remove a cyst).

The group will kick off the upcoming run Aug. 7 in Sayreville, NJ, and plans to visit 11 cities on the trek, which runs through late August. Details are below.

"Scream," released May 6 in the United States, contains English versions of songs from the band's previous German-language albums, 2005's "Schrei" and last year's "Zimmer 483." Although the new album--which is sold as "Room 483" in German-speaking territories, the English translation of "Zimmer 483"--has performed well in Europe, selling more than 600,000 copies to date, the band has struggled to gain popular success in the US, although the group has attracted a ground swelling of support due to its theatrical live act.

Formed in Magdeburg, Germany in 2001, Tokio Hote has scored four No. 1 singles and two No. 1 albums in its native Germany, and has sold more than 3 million CDs and DVDs combined, according to a press release.

(Source: livedaily.com)