Tante Tofu
After the overwhelming success of their play "The Day Bach Met Frank Zappa," the creative minds behind Tante Tofu are returning to their tried-and-true formula. Their new rock opera "SchieLa" is vibrant, flamboyant, and packed with outstanding music, naturally by the master Frank Zappa, but also featuring many original compositions. The well-known Zappa groupie Pamela Des Barres plays a significant role in the new rock opera. Tante Tofu defies easy categorization; their songs are rock, blues, ballads, jazz, prog rock—in short, unmistakably zappaesque.
When Christiane Seebach and Andreas Steinhardt first attended the Zappanale festival in 2009, they founded Tante Tofu, captivated by the fantastic atmosphere and music. Both had been longtime fans of Frank Zappa's music. They gathered other Zappa-loving musicians, actors, and dancers around them, and as early as 2011, they performed their first rock oratorio, "Carl Heinz," at the Zappanale festival. Many more successful performances with varying lineups followed throughout Germany, along with presentations of the band's diverse projects on radio shows in Germany and Austria. For the rock oratorio "Sauerkraut," the choir MitNichten was even founded. Tante Tofu is eager to finally unleash their musical fireworks again at Zappanale.
Christiane Seebach (lead vocals, wind controller) has a background in classical music, medieval folk, and Irish folk, and also comes from a theater background. She has played in countless bands of various genres, was a frequent guest musician, and toured throughout Germany with her successful solo programs, which feature a colorful mix of theater and music.
Andreas Steinhardt (electric guitar, backing vocals) is a multi-instrumentalist, but he prefers playing anything with strings. He teaches guitar and bass to people in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein and has been gracing stages for over 30 years, not only in Northern Germany, as a musician with his many bands.
Christian Frerichs (lead vocals, electric guitar) works as a freelance guitar teacher and musician in Bremen and Oldenburg, as well as throughout Germany, for example as a regular improvisational musician and guest musician with regional and national improvisational theater groups. He is successful with his solo program "Der Tunnel" (The Tunnel), gives songwriting courses, and has practically absorbed Zappa's music from birth. At the Zappanale festival, he has already been admired as the highly musical devil in Tante Tofu's play.
Bernd Matthias (bass guitar, backing vocals) has performed as a much sought-after session and guest musician on many of Germany's major stages. His bass has even been heard in stadiums. Whether soul, pop, rock, or singer-songwriter accompaniment for Jan Degenhardt – he's a master of all genres. Naturally, he loves zappaesque music the most.
Marc Rinderspacher (drums, percussion) has always been Tante Tofu's dream drummer. Now it's finally happened. He's played successfully in a wide variety of bands, such as Skinny Bitch and the magnificent psychedelic prog-rock band Civic Soma, who released two concept albums. No rhythm seems too difficult for him, no challenge too great – a drummer of the highest caliber.
