mei 4, 2013 | Blog, Music
Being on the road with Drums United again, was some I’ve been looking forward to do again, as we haven’t toured for a while. We had to drive all the way to the South of Germany, a few km’s from the Swiss border. Bulu and I left Luca’s place at about 11:00 to pick up our light tech along the road and then drive for another 8 hours before arriving at the hotel in Reutlingen. After checking in, all e had to do was follow Bulu to lead us to a Chinese restaurant. How he does it, we don’t know, I’m not sure he even knows himself, but he always manages to find a Chinese restaurant near the venue! The next day after my morning jog, breakfast and some chilling out, we were off to the theater, which turned out to be a club with a very small stage. Some improvisation was needed to fit all the instruments and still leave some space for the musicians to move around. The show was good, not to many people in the audience, but as usual they were very enthusiastic and an overwhelming applause on the final song made the musicians return for an encore twice. Something I haven’t experienced with this band before. The next day, we had another two hour drive to Waldshut-Tiengen, which was even further South, close to Basel, Switzerland. It was quite a big hall, also used as a sporting facility, so there was no lighting ar audio equipment available. This had to come all the way from Holland which gave us a lot of stress as...
apr 12, 2013 | Blog, Music
Another clinic with Juan van Emmerloot, this time in Rotterdam at Peter Verpuy’s music store. Actually it was more about presenting a new line of low budget cymbals from Paiste, one of Juan’s endorsements. Knowing Juan, of course the audience got more than they bargained for. Again the energy and openness that Juan provides had the audience listening and participating with full attention, also their questions were answered with more than a few words, naturally… Looking back on it, it was another successful mission we accomplished. Another clinic with Juan van Emmerloot, this time in Rotterdam at Peter Verpuy’s music store. Actually it was more about presenting a new line of low budget cymbals from Paiste, one of Juan’s endorsements. Knowing Juan, of course the audience got more than they bargained for. Again the energy and openness that Juan provides had the audience listening and participating with full attention, also their questions were answered with more than a few words, naturally… Looking back on it, it was another successful mission we...
okt 22, 2012 | Blog, Music
FINALLY!!! After two years of draining our creative minds, we finalized the CD Autumn Girl. The songs composed by my cousin Stef and arranged by two good friends Alex and Rob resulted in a statement that I’m very proud of. I can’t recall a single moment of hopelessness or any other negative emotion concerning this project even though it took two years to get the job done. Two years ago Stef and I were in the care as he let me listen to some of his homerecordings. One song in particular drew my attention, this also became the first song on the album. I went to Alex, my partner in crime with whom I run the studio. He also was triggered by Stef’s edgy lyrics and before we knew we found ourselves involved in a project that finally would have an ending instead of just creating beautiful tunes with interesting harmonies, rythms and so forth. As for Stef, he plays guitar and writes lyrics, so in that respect you can call him a singer-songwriter. In another respect he has no theoretical knowledge of music therefore, he’s not restricted to any taught boundaries. It was up to us as musicians with more theoretical knowledge to shape the songs in such a way that the songs became musically acceptable to the broader audience without sanding down the interesting sharp edges. If you listen to the album you will be set on the wrong foot every now and then because of an odd beat here and the in some songs. This was unavoidable as it had to match the lyrics, on the...
jul 3, 2012 | Blog, Music
Final exam Jeroen van Santen After four years of putting up with this big guy, not only in posture, but also at heart, it was time to see what he has learned at the institute where I work as facilities manager. Of course as a drummer you tend to have just a little more interest in your fellow drummers than the other students. No extra privileges towards them against the other students of course, it’s just that you know a little more of what they are made of… As for Jeroen, of course his main subject teachers are some of the best you can get, extreme high level men of their trade and excellent tutors. For this I was not worried that Jeroen would not present himself well enough to show that he’s ready for the big world out there, I was more curious about the concert he was about to give and how he takes care of business as a band leader. Knowing him as the friendly giant, I was overwhelmed by the energy this guy puts out on stage, all positive! He showed a wide variety of styles he could play, very tight on the click track and backtracks he played along with and his sound was huge! Well chosen buildup of the show and choice of musicians. This resulted in a final mark of 9 out 10!!! Jeroen, congrats!!! I hope your time in my home country, South Africa will be as wonderful as the show you gave during your final exam!...
