Team Stereo Smells Like Team Spirit - CD (2011)

Christopher Mabey and Sally Caird name six criteria that define a team – these of course do all fit to TEAM STEREO, otherwi- se the band would not have chosen this name.

1) “It has two or more members”
TEAM STEREO has even five: Kai, Önder, Markus, Chrisse, and Alex. They are possibly known from other bands, for example THAT VERY TIME I SAW, PHONEY 14, ALOH JET, or GUNS VS. TELEKINESIS and they love “Emo-stuff from the nineties” or Dave Grohl.

2) “Its members contribute their respective competences, within interdependent roles, towards shared goals”
Chrisse sings and works for a well-known music distributor. Önder plays bass and is the resident DJ at Ratinger Hof in Düsseldorf. Markus can be located behind the drums and is owner of a small recording studio. Alex and Kai both play guitar and founded Redfield Records over ten years ago.

3) “It has a team identity, which is distinct from its members' individual identities”
TEAM STEREO do not produce that highly polished 5.1-Dolby-Surround- Sound but it is also not a one-dimensional clash that will find your ears. It is just good music. Loud and fast, nice and gentle, major and minor and of course it comes in STEREO.

4) “It has established ways of communicating both within the team and with external teams and groups”
“We play music and talk in equal parts”, TEAM STEREO describe their way of working. They do that in Kais basement “surrounded by big and small rodents”. Who is going to join in this conversation has to listen to their mini-album first.

5) “Its structure is explicit, task and goal oriented, organized and purposeful”
Up to now TEAM STEREO only played about ten shows, but collectively all band members have a good few hundred shows under their belt. Trial of efficiency passed with flying colours.

6) “It periodically reviews its effectiveness”
Even though Kai, Önder, Markus, Chrisse, and Alex are 30.8 years old on average and make their money out of other things, they are not a rock’n’roll-retirement-club that meets every now and then at the weekends, to make music without professional drive just for its own satisfaction. “Our ambitions don’t go down. People might think that guys like us have some better things to do, than meeting regularly in a rehearsal-room, working on our own songs and criticise each other. But when you are on stage, sweating with your friends, you know that it was worth it.”

So even TEAM STEREO lack a coach, they are committed, highly motivated and with their debut definitely on a winning streak. How did basketball legend Michael Jordan say?
“There is no ‘I’ in team but there is win.”

Go TEAM STEREO!

Track List:
1. Reminder
2. Hospital Party 3. The Ocean
4. Soaps
5. Trial & Error