3FM Award for Jeremy's, I Kissed Charles, Van Katoen, Wilsum, Pioneers of Love, Tarball, Want Want

Wow, I was very busy for the last couple of weeks, so I won't write about everything.

First of all, the biggest news: Jeremy's (aka THE Jeremy's) just won a 3FM AWARD!!!!
But that's not all; there's more Jeremy's news. They were asked to write the theme-song for a movie called "Hoe overleef ik mezelf". So we went into the studio to record & mix this brand new song called "Take you all the Way". We made two versions: a single version, and a slightly longer (with one extra verse!) version wich is featured at the end of the movie.
The movie is not released yet, but the single was picked up really quick. Really really really quick; it was mastered on a thursday morning, and in the evening it was played by DJ Michiel Veenstra on 3FM!!
The day after they played the single live in Giel's radioshow, and the day after that they won the 3FM Award. That's what I call; "let the good days roll"
BTW: the album sells really well, and will be re-released with an extra bonustrack. (the new single)

More award-winning news: Wilsum's hard-rocking seventies rock ‘n roll is reaching out to you the next couple of months. In LiveXS magazine they won the "Local Hero of 2008" award, wich means that they go an an intensive tour.
An expert jury picked Wilsum, so I guess the Wilsum-crew was giving away lot's of booze that night ;-)
It's good to know that bands without big record deals can win awards like these, wich helps them tour all over the country, and will bring extra attention to the ass-kicking album we made.

Just finished mixing the brand new Van Katoen single. It's a very special song, but I am not allowed to tell you more about it... So it's gonna be a suprise!
Jeps is the new bandmember, and he brings a lot of new sonic-soundscapes to their sound. You will hear what I mean, once the single is released.
VanKatoen= Alternative, loud rock with dutch lyrics! The music of VanKatoen is best decribed as a mixture between punk, rock and metal. They sing/scream in Dutch, not only because Bazz, the singer, isn’t particulary vluently in English, but also because VanKatoen believe that’s the only way they can bring across their socially involved lyrics.

Quick Pioneers of Love update: a couple of record-companies showed interest after they heard the demo tracks I did with these guys. So at the next couple of live shows these hotshots are going to check this young band, and hopefully it will get them a record deal.
Tip: see them live at Melkweg Amsterdam may 9th supporting Chikinki.

WantWant is (also) still talking with labels who want to sign the band. Fokko is not in a rush to sign because the record-deal should not interfere with his other band: Jeremy's

Shooting stars Dolorous Daze signed a record deal with APM. And the first single of the album we did should be released very soon. (I think everything is done except for the artwork)
The band produces nicely arranged, meloncollic pop/rock. Their music is enriched with additional vocals, strings, hammond, rhodes, piano and mellotron. They will use everything that helps to make their songs more colourful.
I will keep you posted on the release date of the first single and the album.

Got to work at the London Calling festival again. For VPRO 3voor12 we recorded 24 bands in two days!!! As you might know, LC is a festival where new talanted UK bands can show why they are going to be the next big thing. Every edition features bands that we will never hear of again, but every edition also has some acts that will grow huge within the next few months. (examples from the past: Blur / Kaiser Chiefs / Franz Ferdinand / The Kooks / Editors).
My personal highlights of these edition were: Blood Red Shoes / Broken Records / The Rascals / Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly / The Metros / Exile Parade

Worked on a 3-track demo with emo-metal-grunge-rock band Tarball.

Changing rhythms and the use of unexpected breaks and sound effects are characteristic to the band's music.

Went to the EP-presentation of a very young and talented band called I Kissed Charles. I mixed their EP full of catchy tunes for Goomah Music. Their performance was very energetic and suited the songs perfectly.
Several DJ's (including Rob Stenders) already played songs of the EP on the radio. And they were also support act for The Long Blondes.
After a recent show Anton Corbijn came to compliment the band on their performance!!! Is that nice or what?
On their MySpace-page you can check out 3 songs of their 5-track EP.

That's all 4 now...
I'll keep you posted!
Gie

Wilsum and Veldman Brothers in charts

Both Wilsum & The Veldman Brothers are in the Lowlands top 25 (that's an album chart). The Veldman Brothers are on top of the list, for the second week in a row now, and Wilsum is number 3 in the list.

So; that's 2 albums I recorded & mixed in the top3. Not bad ;-)

"Floating Forces" ;-)

Newspaper 'De Stentor' wrote a 2 page-special last tuesday about the local music-scene Zwolle/Kampen. Including interviews with Jeremy's, Wilsum... and ehhh... I was also interviewd. That part of the special can be found online HERE. [sorry article in Dutch only]

According to the article I am one of the "floating forces" hehe  ;-) LOL

Hits, TMF awards and other news...

Jeremy's single Saturday is in the charts for the 3rd week now!!!!
Also don't forget to continue voting for them @ TMF awards. All you have to do is go to www.tmfawards.nl and vote. (click on 'STEMMEN' in the upper menu)

Last saturday Wilsum released their self-titled debut album with a nice party & gig at the Hedon venue.

Wilsum is retro; their songs sometimes remind you of the good old days when The Who / Grand Funk Railroad / Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath (and more) were still going strong. These guys are really into vintage equipment, that's why we also used a lot of old techniques, equipment and microphones to capture their sound. So don't expect a smashed-to-death-modern-rock-sound, because that's NOT what you are going to get. What DO you get? Groovy guitar, ramblin'bass, angular drums and screaming vocals combined for a high energy, kick a$$, dynamic, rock&roll overdrive!

And of course it's not only released on CD, but also on vinyl. Check their MySpace page and listen to some songs.

More release party's:

Both Cool Genius and Heavens Devils are releasing stuff on the 19th of october.

Cool Genius will present their debut album ('Maybe you should do that too') in Hedon Zwolle. Heavens Devils are throwing a big party for the release of their EP ('Kings and Killers') in Diana, Assen.

So pick your poison...

V8 recordings, and more

Let me start off by giving you an update on Jeremy's; a very talented punkrock band with a pop-flavour. As you might know I did most of the recordings and mixed all songs for their debut-cd. They are still talking to severel labels as we speak, but there has been a lot of development. First of all: trendsetting 3FM DJ Giel Beelen is very enthousiastic about the band. He not only ranked them as "Most Promissing act" in Hitkrant magazine, but also invited the band to come play live at his populair morning-show.
Second: Other 3FM DJ's are also playing "Saturday" and they also performed that song live in the show that's hosted by Barbara (forgot the name). 3FM added Jeremy's to their "Serious Talent project".

Third: MTV invited the band to come over and have a chat. They want Jeremy's in their "Kweekvijver" ;-)
Fourth: there are already plans for the first video.
Fifth: there is also interest to release the album overseas.

So that's what I call a lot of good news! Check out their MySpace-page to preview 2 songs.

Other bands I mixed at the end of 2006 are also going strong. Both Heavens Devils and Dolorous Daze are talking with labels after A&R's responded positively to their music. Check out their MySpace-pages (by clicking on their names) to listen to their music.

Together with engineer Frank Mathijssen and assisting engineer Frank van Kleef I recorded a Fratellis live show. Brit-award-winning band The Fratellis is from Glasgow and scored a big hit with "Chelsea Dagger". We recorded the concert they gave in Haarlem and they showed that they are a promising act. Let's see if they can forfill that promise this summer playing the Pinkpop festival.

Almost forgot to mention one of the biggest highlights of the last few weeks: recording a live show from The Decemberists. They are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. Their fourth full-length album "The Crane Wife" is their first appearance on a major label and also their first official European release. The band gave a tremendous concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam at wich they showed, that not only they have got some excellent songs, but they also know how to perform them live and create their own unique atmosphere. At times: breathtaking.

I also finished recording The Veldman Brothers. This bluesband features the two brothers Bennie (on Hammond and Mouthharp) and Gerrit (on guitar). Most songs are sung by Gerrit, but Bennie is also featured on leadvocals for two songs. Inspired by the Blues and Rhythm & Blues they play their own material and an occasional cover. All in wich the Hammond, guitar and blues harp play important roles.
Some of you might know Gerrit because he used to play in The Prodigal Sons. Or you saw him on the successful tour with a band called Nexperienced for a Jimi Hendrix Tribute. Thts band even played in the Heineken Music Hall during 'the Night of the Guitar', where Gerrit shared the stage with names like Steve Vai, Steve Lukather and Eric Sardinas.

I just finished mixing the album and the band will try to find a label that will release their debut-cd. BTW: all songs are recorded live in the studio, so you might hear an occasional mistake, but you will also get a lot of pure energy and atmosphere! We all thought the 'feel' of these blues-songs is the most important thing to catch on tape.
Check out their MySpace-page to preview 2 songs.

A lot of people have asked me to make some pictures in the studio while recording.
I finally did! Click here to go to my photo-section, and check out these pictures.

I also just finished the recordings and mix-sessions with retro-rockband Wilsum. A band that combines The Who / Grand Funk Railroad / Led Zeppelin / Black Sabbath (and more) into a great groovin cocktail. These guys are really into vintage equipment, that's why we also used a lot of old techniques, equipment and microphones to capture their sound. So don't expect a smashed-to-death-modern-rock-sound, because that's NOT what you are going to get. What DO you get? Groovy guitar, ramblin'bass, angular drums and screaming vocals combined for a high energy, kick a$$, dynamic, rock&roll overdrive!

All sessions were highly rock&roll, to give you an example: we had pasta that was cooked in a few liters of Bacardi! We also recorded a V8 engine blasting from 0 to 200 it a couple of seconds, wich will feature in one of the songs.

Check their MySpace page. I will keep you posted on any news regarding the release of this album. (On CD and Vinyl!) ;-)

I also made recordings on the last episode of London Calling festival in Paradiso. So maybe I will shine a light on those two days and 22 bands(!) later on...

Please keep rockin'!
Guido aka Gie aka GieSound aka MuteMaster G aka Der MuteMeister ;-)

Happy 2007 (+news)

Hi everybody,

I wish you all the best for 2007 and I like to thank you for the support, inspiration and the trust you gave me in this past year.

Latest news (releases/recordings/sessions. Not everything, just some highlights).

2006 was a very important year for me, because it became clear that I had to focus for 100% on my work in de studio. Mixing, recording, producing and mastering. For the last few years I combined this work with a part-time job for a music-venue (behind the scenes work). But thanks to the conversations I had with inspiring colleagues (like Michael Brauer) at the TapeOp conference in Arizona it became clear that I have to put all my effort into my real passion. So that's what I am doing now full-time.

Therefore I spent a lot of time in studio's for the last few months, and I was enjoying every single minute of it. I had a blast recording a festival like London Calling for VPRO. But it was also an honour to work with a creative and inspiring mind like Mike Patton once again. We recorded his liveshow with (one of his projects) Peeping Tom And there were more projects with well-known names. The highlight of the last few months was Lambchop; they played a magnificent concert with an amazing string-section.

But I also worked with yet unknown talents who still have to prove themselves in 2007: One of them is Jeremy's. A very talented punkrock band with a pop-flavour. Their album will be released somewhere in 2007. Thanks to guitarplayer Fokko, a young talent who writes all the catchy songs, and the strong performance of singer Katelijn this band can reach out to a big audience. Trend-setting radio-dj Giel Beelen ranked them as "Most Promissing act" in Hitkrant magazine. Jeremy's brings you the vitamins you need: energetic, powerful, catchy and fast songs with a sexy sauce of chick-vocals on top of them.

Heavens Devils are bound to do a lot of gigs in 2007; once promoters got to hear their new demo the bookings must be flying in.
The fundaments of this band are of solid Rock and Roll. Four men strong with a clear mission. Driven, passioned and with total dedication these gentlemen play highly energetic RNR you'll never forget. High voltage - Steamy - Razorsharp Rock and Roll with influences from the 70's rock were sparks fly off.
Think 'Danko Jones joined with Bon Scott as a singer'. The Heavens Devils are on fire! The future looks bright for these true rockers!! Known for there solid and audience focussed live shows!

As we speak I am working on a retro-rock cd with a band that combines The Who / Grand Funk Railroad / Led Zeppelin into a great groovin coacktail.

2007 is promissing. First I am working with a Bluesband with an amazing guitarplayer, and there's a lot more on the horizon.

One shocking fact I have to share with you: I am going to mix my first Death Metal cd in 2007!

That’s all for now; I hope to meet you all again. And please: stick out you neck in 2007!

GRTZ
Guido

That's all 4 now! I hope to meet you soon!!

The Junes / Nou En / Greendive etc

Talent?! Yessss that description certainly fits THE JUNES. I started working with them on some songs before my summer holidays. Singer-songwriter-guitarist (the boy does everything except laundry) Bertolf Lentink knows how to write a pop/rock song and is not afraid to show it ;-) All bandmembers are outstanding musicians so working with them was a blast!
I did some pre-production with them, then they started recording when I was on vacation, and I catched up with them when they were 70% done with recording.
Once everything was recorded (including a string section for two songs and some trombone for another) we went to the studio to mix all 7 tracks. Right now we're in the process of talking to recordcompany's and publishers, so i'll let you know when there's news about a release. Be sure to check em out if you like one of these bands: Beatles / Radiohead / Supergrass / Saybia etc. CLICK HERE if you wanne listen to some of these songs.
This weekend I am going to the studio to record, produce and mix a new single by GREENDIVE. I did 2 songs on their debut album, and it's nice to work with them again. I'll tell you more when recording is done.
I told you about the Dutch "power-punk-pop" band NOU EN... (When I translate that in English you will get something like "So What".) The lyrics are in Dutch, so you won't see this release anywhere else in the world, but their music is pretty international: think Blink 182 meets Jimmy Eat World meets Weezer. So loud rockin' guitars and catchy popmelodies.
Finally their first single 'Gothic Meisje' (Gothic Girl) is released. And, believe it or not, TV clipstation TMF is playing their video pretty often (medium rotation) and even some 3FM dj's (Giel Beelen as always the first) played it. CLICK HERE to check their first single: Gothic Meisje.
CLICK HERE to listen to the title-track of the CD Parel voor de Zwijnen
I also mixed two demo-cd's for local acts: WILSUM and SWELTER (formerly known as Lampshade).