[2] In 2003 Pete Brough, one of the founder-members of German band Twelve Drummers Drumming, and Ralf Aussem, guitarist from the original 12DD cast, founder and mastermind behind Sun (German band), joined forces with vocalist Carlo van Putten and collectively gave life to Dead Guitars.
In addition to being a principal writer and lead vocalist with German band The Convent, Carlo van Putten also had a flourishing partnership with the late Adrian Borland, mastermind behind the British cult band The Sound, working together under the name White Rose Transmission.
Their music is crafted, not production-line, original, not synthetic, a healthy alternative to the nursery rhymes that currently mob the singles charts.
Songs like “Name Of The Sea” or “Crash” are, unpretentiously post-modern: honest, grounded, rising above the fleeting trends and toe-curling embarrassment that haunts the current “pop idol” generation.The characteristic sound of the band is furthermore described as authentic pop, melancholic ballads, the renaissance of the “wall of sound”, those filigree, towering guitar riffs that make Ralf Aussem such an exceptional guitarist, and the surreal way his licks blend with clear song structures, shattering the listening habits of the pop genre.
Their 2011-long player “Stranger” (silverbird-music) features artists such as Michael Dempsey of "The Cure", Axel Ruhland of "M. Walking On The Water", Colin Drummond (12 DD), I. V. Webb (Adrian Borland), Thomas Kessler (Dissidenten), Crystin Fawn (Hearhear), Suzana Bradaric (Dharma Bums), Georg Sehrbrock (Belgium) and H. G. Haas (Teletunes).