Don't Mind The German Blues

Well, I had a lot of ear pleasing fun yesterday evening. It was melting hot, but that didn't bother me at all. I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for that airplay Nathan had promised me.
Nathan Norgel (Bluespfaffe) is a german journalist who in 2010 discovered JoosTVD on Jamendo and gave such a rave review of my album "The Vanished Dutchman", that I had to read it over and over again to believe it was for real. Ok, my german knowledge is not as high-standard to understand it all, but that was because his use of words were not standard. Here's a journalist at work and I guess he must know his trade and that pleased me even more. Since then, he has reviewed every single album I've thrown on www for his cultural internet magazine Wasser-Prada. His favourite music genre is- I guess Blues- but with a lot of different styles (soul, funk, rock, R&B) dipping in the mix.

The last few weeks, I was eagerly waiting for his approval of my latest effort (Brouhaha), till.....yesterday that snowbal of verbal pleasure caught my hungry eyes. Facebook has the advantage of keeping you updated with the news and to chat while reading. So I got a message from Germany. Next to his writing, on tuesday evening Nathan shows his love for the blues on the radio called 98Eins and next to some famous souls, supports a few unknown talents too. Old fashioned radio on the web. Yeah, the intimate, rootsy sound fitted well with the clammy evening. Some sweaty, dirty delta blues stuff cracking through my speakers. Well and Nathan can talk! Told much about the music in between the songs. He even took the time to chat with me all the way through the program. And then my moment came, introduction. Two, the more rootsy songs, were chosen: first "Big Bad Boy" and at the end of the show, just after Beth Hart & Bonamassa(!), who did an inspired version of Strange Fruit, my version of the blues "Don't Mind The Blues". Such a tough act to follow, but I didn't mind the blues! Took it as a compliment. And with a few friends and family gathered together (chatting), well what more does a dutchman needs?
Ok, ok, settle down, life goes on. I've got a few more songs in the can. Maybe I'll try to do a german version of JoosTVD: der Verschwundenen Dutchman. Freunde, bis zum nächsten mal!
Maaaannn, it's hot today...relax
                                                    

Yes I love this review

So glad with these colourful words!

In german:

„Don‘t mind the blues“ meint Joos The Vanished Dutchman in einem Titel seines neuen Albums. Hardcore-Bluesfans sollten das als ernste Warnung auffassen und mit Lesen der Rezension und dem Anhören der Scheibe äußerste Vorsicht walten lassen. Ansonsten gilt: Mit „The Ballooning Brouhaha“ hat die niederländische One-Man-Band Musik so richtig passend zum beginnenden Sommer mit Jazz, Funkgrooves, Rock und einer gehörigen Dosis Humor.

Ein Aufruht beim Ballonfahren? Aufrührerische Ballons? Oder die Empörung über die Ballonsportler? Mit dem Albumtitel kommer ich schnell an die Grenzen meiner Englischkenntnisse. Aber der Titelsong und Opener des aktuellen Albums von Joost Van Dinther erzählt rein musikalisch (wenn man von den paar „Haha“-Rufen absieht) eine Geschichte, die all das sein könnte - oder was ganz anderes. Und schon sind wir bei dem Problem, was man unwillkürlich hat, wenn man sich Songs dieses Niederländers anhört: Man muss ich das Lachen verkneifen. Und man erwischt sich immer wieder dabei, das Wort „zappaesk“ verwenden zu wollen.

 

Dabei könnte man ebenso auch Verwandschaft zur Musik etwa von Steely Dan, der mittleren Schaffensperiode von Stevie Wonder und anderen finden. Nur eben waren die niemals so voller Humor, Sarkasmus - und Selbstironie. Wer nennt einen Titel schon freiwillig „Stupid song(s)“, der dann auch völlig albern daherkommt wie für die Welttournee von Ralf Sögel direkt am Casio geschrieben und dann noch mit Bläsern aufgemotzt? Das ist einfach zappaesk. Und natürlich großartig. Dann folgt noch ein „Disco Scream From The Sinking Loveboat“, eine Tour mit dem „Sunday Train“ oder ein Trip durch einen schweigenden Dschungel. Meist humorvoll, oft auch plötzlich von einer Melancholie eingetrübt, dass man gleich nochmal aufmerksamer hinhört, um festzustellen: Joost ist ein verdammt guter Songschreiber und keine wandelnde Comedy-Attraktion. Und auch das hat er mit dem verstorbenen Gitarren- und Kompositionsmeister mit dem berühmten Klofoto gemein. Wer mir das nicht glaubt, sollte auf diversen Online-Plattformen wie Jamendo nach dem kostenlosen Download von „The Ballooning Brouhaha“ suchen und mir erst danach widersprechen.

In English (google-translator):

"Do not mind the blues," said Joos The Vanished Dutchman in a title of his new album. Hardcore blues fans should take that as a serious warning and exercise with reading the review and listening to the disc extreme caution. Otherwise: With "The Ballooning Brouhaha" the Dutch one-man band music really match the beginning of the summer with jazz, funk grooves, rock and a good dose of humor.
One rests in ballooning? Riotous balloons? Or the outrage over the balloon athlete? With the album title, I commer to the limits of my knowledge of English. But the title track and opener of the new album by Joost Van Dinther told musically (apart from the few "haha"-Call) is a story that could be all that - or something completely different. And already we are in the problem, which he automatically when you listen to this song Dutchman: Man I need help laughing. And you get caught again and again going to want to use the word "zappaesk".
It could also find some affinity to the music of Steely Dan, the middle period of Stevie Wonder and others. Only just were never so full of humor, sarcasm - and self-irony. Who calls a title already voluntarily "Stupid song (s)", which then comes as quite silly for the world tour by Ralf Soegel written directly on the Casio and then beefed up even with horns? This is simply zappaesk. And of course, great. .
 Then follows a "disco Scream From The Sinking Loveboat", a tour with the "Sunday Train" or a trip through a silent jungle. Most humorous, often suddenly clouded by a melancholy that is the same again attentively listens to determine: Joost is a damn good song writer and not changing comedy attraction. And also that he has in common with the late guitar master and composition with the famous Klofoto (Zappa). If you do not believe me, should look at various online platforms such as Jamendo for the free download of "The Ballooning Brouhaha" and disagree with me afterwards.

Yes! JoosTVD tonight on german radio

For our german friends:
Einen musikalischen Roadtripp unternehmen wir am 18. Juni in der nächsten Ausgabe des Crossroad Cafe: Americana und Bluesrock aus Paris oder Kansas, Soul aus Großbritannien und Chicago, britischen Akustikblues und zappaeske Klänge aus den Niederlanden ergeben eine knallbunte Mixtur, die hoffentlich zum Sommerabend passt.

Ok here's the english version:
A musical RoadTripp we take 18 June in the next edition of the Crossroads Cafe Americana and blues-rock from Paris or Kansas, Soul from the UK and Chicago, British acoustic blues and zappaeske sounds from the Netherlands give a gaudy mix which hopefully fits the summer evening.


Playlist:

The Communal Well The Road
Moreland & Arbuckle Road Blind
Moreland & Arbuckle Quivira
Gwyn Ashton Take You Home Tonight
James Boraski & Momentary Evolution Who (Told Ya)
James Boraski & Momentary Evolution Sensitive Kind
Anthony Gomes Old Ten Wheeler
Anthony Gomes Let's Fall In Love
Poplar Jake Sweet Marianne
Poplar Jake Whipping Boy
Big Frank Mirra Ferryboat Blues
Homemade Jamz Blues Band Nothing Stays The Same
Homemade Jamz Blues Band Ain't No Sunshine
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa Miss Lady
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa See Saw
James Hunter Six The Gipsy
James Hunter Six Heartbreak
Lonnie Lester So This Is Love
Lonnie Lester Ain't That A Shame
JoosTVD Big Bad Boy
The Communal Well Scratch My Back
The Communal Well Mexico
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa Strange Fruit
JoosTVD Don't Mind The Blues

Live stream on german radio 98eins 20:00 tot 22:00

Yes, first on BBC6 radio with Tom Robinson and here I'll go again (with some blues gigants) on the other side of the Netherlands. Thanks to that german journalist Nathan Nörgel who already reviewed a few of my albums. I hope he'll do my latest too..

Search the balloon, grab!

 

Yes it's (free) in there....

For the buyers: Brouhaha at eMusic

The Ballooning Brouhaha: Songguide (secret messages?)

Every year I've got a brand new batch of songs that reflect my state of affairs, my moodswings, frustrations, tribulations and the lot of everyday life. Here's the story, the inspiration behind them.
I don't want to explain what the lyrics are about though,
I'll leave that open for interpretation.

"Is there a important message, theme in there then?" I hear you ask.
Maybe. Look at the cover, you can say that the balloon with the printed world stands for the bloated, forced way people treat the earth and eachother (I'm no exeption). Blowing it up. Well, what´s the brouhaha of it all?


And you see me just letting it go. Letting the world pass me by or trying to catch it with irony in 13 songs.


Well, here we go!


                                                                            1.Brouhaha!

I didn't intend to leave it as an instrumental, as I found this funky chord progression easy to work with vocalwise. I just found some melodies on the keyboard. "Brouhaha", a word you hear me shout, I used to hear it in my youth, whenever someone in my neighbourhood did his hoopla (dutch=heisa) trick: "well, what´s the hoopla/ brouhaha all about boy?"



2.Stupid Song(s)                  

The irony. The (s) gives the songs a double meaning. I always like to play the joker. I work at night, where they always turn up the wrong station on the radio. With stupid songs creeping into my ears. Couldn´t resist to write something...stupid.
This is one of the 2 songs Wijnand Brant got his sologuitar on. At the end you hear him duel with himself. Fire!

3.A Trip Together

Wrote this one very quick on guitar, sang the melody spontanuously on top of it. One of those that wrote itself. I think it works well, because there´s a intensity and balance between the groove and the melody, a tension I often go for. You can dance to it too.

4.Talkwalk (Looking For The Boz)
                                                             

Boz, we all know of Scaggs, don´t we? Wel he´s an old hero of mine. Sophisticated, cool shades. This is a musical wink, tribute  to his work of the seventies. Notable is the obvious similarity in arrangement feel between his "Lowdown" and this song, but I did it all in the name of inspiration. Yeah, really.

5.Here She Goes Again (Yo Mama)  

 
The old rock´n roll feel in this song has to do with my mother. She used to drive us kids nuts with that volume knob, when she turned up a new album she´d just bought. Loud! I mean loud. She angrily turned it off when she found out that the song she was after (but didn´t know the title of),wasn´t on it. A very intense woman with a deep rooted bluesattitude, that´s why....
Meanwhile, I played drums in the loft and my older brother played his Hendrix licks for hours in his room underneath. I mean loud!

6.Sunday train

Wrote this on piano and although I'm not classically trained, I've got just enough fingers to handle a few keys to come up with a few tunes. Couldn't do it in one take, so I rehearsed the hell out of it. Challenging stuff for me to sing it with the right power and dynamics.


7.The Route Through The Quiet Jungle 

Melody, breaks combined with a steady groove and city noises, that's it.



8.Don´t Mind The Blues

Guess I don't mind that much, but blues singing especially comes from my gut. It's always a challenge to find a fresh topline to keep that blues alive. This song brought that to me.

 9.Big Bad Boy

Variation in style. Never dipped in this one, but a little country keeps me upbeat. Yie-haa!

10.familiar Lines

Yes, the thin line between love and hate. I hear The Metropole Orchestra (if they ever hear this...call me) behind this, just like they did with Todd Rundgren. I play most of the orchestral stuff, except for a few sampled violins that suited and complemented the basic arrangements. Majestic.

11.Disco Scream From The Sinking Loveboat

Instrumental disco. Whatever happened to the (seventies TV) loveboat.....? As a variation of the excisting instrumental melody Wijnand Brant goes in overdrive with his guitarsolo. I had to edit and alter his stuff in order to make it a totally. To round it off I put a titanic and desperate scream for dramatic effect.
Nope, it's not the wife..




12.Social Spy

The obsession for social media transmitted to an intense funky groove.

13.I Am Older Now

Ballad of the old kid. Sounds a bit desperate, but it expresses my lack of self confidence that sometimes bothers me. Guess it happens to most of us.

So listen carefully...

Ballooning on Jamendo

Brouhaha here!

JoosTVD's 2013 release party of The Ballooning Brouhaha (afspeellijst)

Youtube Promo 2013: Brouhaha!

Teasing Snippet

Ok, full version: Brouhaha! on Soundcloud

Listening Party: Deezer

Listen to Brouhaha on Deezer










Ok. Next? More buylinks like. iTunes, eMusic, Amazon....
Streaming is the new hype, go with the flow then!

Btw, I'm still busy conceiving my next blog, The songguide. Promovideo, alternative platforms like  Jamendo, Noisetrade, Bandcamp will follow soon.
I'll Keep you posted. Hope you like the new stuff.

That's quick!

 Thanks again Routenote for the quick delivery!

Up here
The Ballooning Brouhaha on Spotify!