Bernhard Karakoulakis is the man behind the musical project „Boo Hoo“. When the german with greek roots startet recording songs in his bedroom in 2006 nobody would have expected him to become an acclaimed member of the independant music scene in New York 2010.
In order to produce his second album „Afghan Hounds“ the 26 year old Karakoulakis went to New York for two months in early 2010. He worked and lived in the middle of the Antifolk Scene, at „Brooklyn Tea Party“. A remodeled Bushwick industrial-loft to live, record and perform in.
Karakoulakis was welcomed to the Big Apple not only as another musician but also as a friend:
He was following the invitations of Brooklyn and Manhattan musicians, whose shows he had hosted in Frankfurt for several years. The money for the trip was taken from the sales of Boo Hoo's debut album „Hypermarché“, which sold 2000 times since it was released 2008.
For the New York Antifolk Community it was an affair of honour, as well as a matter of course to play and sing on Boo Hoo's songs. So some of the names among the credits of Afghan Hounds are quite well known for their involvement in other musical projects. For example Andrew Hoepfner, leader of the band „Creaky Boards“ and bassist for Darwin Deez and „Saturday Looks Good to Me“, Julie LaMendola, a Vienna Burgtheater opera singer and member of „The Wowz“ and „Ching Chong Song“, or Phoebe Kreutz, a former Sesame Street puppeteer and as a songwriter current Queen of New York's Antifolk scene.
The collaboration with these and many more artists resulted in a pop album, the perfect medium for Karakoulakis' fascinating stories. You can hear trumpets, singing saws, xylophones, accordions and enchanting choir parts. Everytime „Afghan Hounds“ gets another play there will more tiny details and twists be discovered. Like in the „Woody Allen Song“ that describes a beautiful nightmarish setting of a planecrash with Woody Allen, or the subtle melancholic „Cheese on Bread“ that narrates a story of migratory birds and a lost love. Or like in „Autumn, Winter, Spring“, a trumpet based song, that tells the true story of Karakoulakis' grandfather, who secretly shipped himself in a box to escape XYZ and get into american war captivity 65 years ago.
Already the title track of his first album „Hypermarché“ revealed Karakoulakis' fascination for a colorful world of plastic, that peaked on the track „Lady Di“, paying homage to Disneyland. „Afghan Hounds“ moves one step beyond the plastic world and creates a unique parallel universe: Nine stories about Gremlins, Madonna's Greatest Hits, a Pacman highscore and deserted planets similar to the ones in St. Exupéry's „Little Prince“.
Karakoulakis, who already toured with his songs in Greece, Italy, France and Spain, once mentioned the influence of Wes Anderson'smovies. That one of Boo Hoo's New York shows took place just around the corner of the original film location from Anderson's „The Royal Tenenbaums“ can be seen as a symbolic coincidence. The movie is a melancholic but winking story about family with complex characters, peppered with details and a proper dose of New York. Just like „Afghan Hounds“. Boo Hoo is definitely an artist to keep an eye and an ear on!
In order to produce his second album „Afghan Hounds“ the 26 year old Karakoulakis went to New York for two months in early 2010. He worked and lived in the middle of the Antifolk Scene, at „Brooklyn Tea Party“. A remodeled Bushwick industrial-loft to live, record and perform in.
Karakoulakis was welcomed to the Big Apple not only as another musician but also as a friend:
He was following the invitations of Brooklyn and Manhattan musicians, whose shows he had hosted in Frankfurt for several years. The money for the trip was taken from the sales of Boo Hoo's debut album „Hypermarché“, which sold 2000 times since it was released 2008.
For the New York Antifolk Community it was an affair of honour, as well as a matter of course to play and sing on Boo Hoo's songs. So some of the names among the credits of Afghan Hounds are quite well known for their involvement in other musical projects. For example Andrew Hoepfner, leader of the band „Creaky Boards“ and bassist for Darwin Deez and „Saturday Looks Good to Me“, Julie LaMendola, a Vienna Burgtheater opera singer and member of „The Wowz“ and „Ching Chong Song“, or Phoebe Kreutz, a former Sesame Street puppeteer and as a songwriter current Queen of New York's Antifolk scene.
The collaboration with these and many more artists resulted in a pop album, the perfect medium for Karakoulakis' fascinating stories. You can hear trumpets, singing saws, xylophones, accordions and enchanting choir parts. Everytime „Afghan Hounds“ gets another play there will more tiny details and twists be discovered. Like in the „Woody Allen Song“ that describes a beautiful nightmarish setting of a planecrash with Woody Allen, or the subtle melancholic „Cheese on Bread“ that narrates a story of migratory birds and a lost love. Or like in „Autumn, Winter, Spring“, a trumpet based song, that tells the true story of Karakoulakis' grandfather, who secretly shipped himself in a box to escape XYZ and get into american war captivity 65 years ago.
Already the title track of his first album „Hypermarché“ revealed Karakoulakis' fascination for a colorful world of plastic, that peaked on the track „Lady Di“, paying homage to Disneyland. „Afghan Hounds“ moves one step beyond the plastic world and creates a unique parallel universe: Nine stories about Gremlins, Madonna's Greatest Hits, a Pacman highscore and deserted planets similar to the ones in St. Exupéry's „Little Prince“.
Karakoulakis, who already toured with his songs in Greece, Italy, France and Spain, once mentioned the influence of Wes Anderson'smovies. That one of Boo Hoo's New York shows took place just around the corner of the original film location from Anderson's „The Royal Tenenbaums“ can be seen as a symbolic coincidence. The movie is a melancholic but winking story about family with complex characters, peppered with details and a proper dose of New York. Just like „Afghan Hounds“. Boo Hoo is definitely an artist to keep an eye and an ear on!
