This Dutch/ Belgian Pop Rock act was founded in 2004 as a home recording project by core members Bouke Zoete (vocals & guitar), Sjors van der Meulen (guitar/ keyboards/ vocals) and Stijn Klaver (drums), with the intent of paying utter importance to “The Song”.
Since releasing their debut album, early last year (review by yours truly posted 07/04/2013), this Dutch Retro Rock trio played at January 2013's Noorderslag festival, and went out to the US in March to do a tour over there (including performances at the renowned SXSW festival in Austin, Texas). While in California, they released the cassette album Down In The City through the local Burger Records imprint (who kept the distribution of the tape to their area only).
It's been 3 ½ years since this Belgian Bluesey Rock band released its self-titled full-length album, of which a review by ours truly was posted on Oct. 7th of 2010. So what has happened with the band since that review (which I still recommend as a reference for the band's history up to that date)?
This Antwerp based band got together in 1992 but, unlike more the more Rock-geared acts of the town in that era (such as dEUS, A Beatband, and Moondog Junior...the latter later transforming into Zita Swoon), and somewhat in keeping with their band's name Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung proposed a slightly different filling of the evening, playing acoustic instrumentals for a kind of emotionally-laden Neo-Folk type of music.
And now, for something completely different...nah, nót the Monty Python's Flying Circus show, but a return to Roots music, more specifically to the Bluegrass music of the Dutch quartet known as Blue Grass Boogiemen, who've actually been at it since 1990, toured both Europe and the US from corer to corner, and back again, and in the process became the “Dutch Ambassadors Of Bluegrass”!
Except for the info released through the label, not a lot is known about this Amsterdam based Neo-Psych band. Failing info sources, I don't even know who's in the band except for Hugo van de Poel, whom writes all his songs in the comfort of his home, records the songs (playing all instruments himself) with his best-friend-since-basic-school, Jacco Gardner, and then plays 'em live on stage with his band (of which I have found no info what-so-ever!).
This band originated as a side-project of Raw Funk 'n' Soul Dutch act Lefties Soul Connection frontman Onno Smit (vocals & guitar) in 2008, when the latter came to this idea to record a solo album without having to spend too much money, by inviting befriended musicians to come and contribute to his recordings in exchange for a copious meal afterward.
Youth of today...they can be a weird lot: give 'em half a chance an they'll be putting down their parents' experiences down as negligible facts...but when music comes into play, some of the dudes will hark back to days of yore and identify with specific genres of “back when”! Which is quite alright, because you know, a funny thing about music, especially when we're talking “Rock” music, is that in due time certain sub-genres will come back for a while.
Anybody ever heard about a Dutch guitarist/ singer/ keyboardist/ songwriter/ producer by the name of Diederik Nomden? If you have, kudos for you. Here are perhaps some details about him you don't know yet!
With Pretenders, Brussels based Tommigun returns with a new batch of their “heartbreak hangover tunes”!
