No, it' s not the new album...

Sin Pan Alley [Compilation 2005-2013]

Never meant to do this. Everytime I finish an album, I already work on another one. But 9 digital albums is a lot to listen to these days, so...yes, it's a sort of a favourites album I've put together for iTunes via iMusician Digital. Sure, everyone's got their own faves. It' s just a snapshot, hence the cheesy, rare picture of me (about 10 years old) laying on the couch, relaxing. A lot of songs to choose from. My Tin pan Alley.
But I won't look back!
The real new album is now in its finishing stages. Busy mixing, listening, mixing....update follows.
In the meantime why not have a "nostalgic" listen?
A request for a download anyone? Well, you can always ask me and I'll put a link up here or there...

The most favourite songs of 2013 on Croydon radio London

•  JoosTVD - Stupid Song(s)
• Mad The Martian - Blast Off
• Shake Shake Go - All In Time
• Die Rebellischen Gitarren (The Rebellious Guitars) - When I See You
• Sweet Ambition - I Am Yours - Dance Remix
• NE29 - Return Ticket To Miami
• Five Minute Pop Promo - Brand New Adults
• Karen David - Daydreamer
• Shatoo - Floodlights (Radio Edit)
• David J Caron - Claim Your Victory
• Reburn - No Other Place
• Asian Envy - The Absence (feat. Laura Bee)
• 2KM2 - Whats Comin
• Second Storey Window - Sentiments
• Chloe Collins - Upside Down
• Opinaut - Greyhounds

Chosen from 500 songs, on #15. Well, a stupid song about stupid songs fits right in!
Listen again

Happy 2014!

2013?

2013? Lou Reed is gone. Not a perfect day, but......reminds me how big his influence as an artist is, now even more.

But success in the music business is a very relative thing and Lou did his time in the rodeo.                                             

2013? More and more people decide to try out the bumpy road to fame and fortune. They often wonder why the glamour doesn't happen or... not as quickly and sensational as on TV. You sister says it's good, so.....duh?!

2013? You have to ease down a bit and take a deep breath. I think there's a lot more pros in it for us all in the end.
Yes, create excitement! You can still play the live-circuit and sell a few cd's afterwards, but on top of that-with a little bit of healthy self-reflection and some bold determination-you can get your own fifteen minutes. You can easily spread and share the best(!) of your (musical) works in a digital way (Fandalism, Jamendo, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Youtube) and create your own "fans". If they like your music, they can spread it for you among their buddies. Some of these potentials can become loyal listeners, others will move on. A lot of helpful recourses to try out in your favor, a great one is Tom Robinson's Fresh On The Net.


2013? Nowadays you can bring out a new album without any restrictions of a label. I know it will give the listeners way too much to listen to. But I think the level of musicianship/produktion is so way up high, you can easily filter the bad from the goody, goody stuff.

2013? So glad my humble latest "The Ballooning Brouhaha" has brought me a few more new listeners and podcasters. It got me more feedback, radioplays (Croydon radio London, Tom Robinson's BBC6 Mixtape, Radio 98Eins Germany, got reviews from loyal journalists like Nathan Norgel). Yes, times have changed. Next year there'll be a new one, right on schedule.

1975! Back in the glam/disco/pre-punk days...
As I became such a crazy, curious and fanatic music lover when I was fresh and wet behind the ears, I used to tape every new, exciting tune I heard on the radio. Saved every dime I could to spent it on the new one of Bowie, Roxy Music, Boz Scaggs, Steve Miller, Zappa, John Martyn, Steely Dan and many more just for discovery purposes. I followed and supported their careers, even if the albums got crappier. Expectations. The human factor.
The excitement of discovery. Especially Zappa albums (talking vinyl here!) were unavailable or very expensive, so I was always glad to find one in a secondhand store. I spent hours and hours of magic shopping in Amsterdam (one called Concerto, 4 stores full of rare stuff) and I' m still proud of all those rare, often unknown and often pricey (aargh!) gems I've found there.

2013? Along the years I have created my own "recordstore" (a small music library of about 13.000 cd's, 1500 vinyl). Freedom for my ears, food for the mind & soul and not least inspiration for my own creations. I shall not count a 3TB harddisk full of the rest in mp3 format though. Modern times.

2013? I have never stopped looking for another obscure album.
The discovery is everywhere, not far away, just one mouseclick....voila! Streaming is the new buy.

So here are my most spotified albums of 2013 (very close but no sigar: the magnificent and surprising stragedy (marketing!) aka comeback album of Bowie, the verrrry Beatlesesque album of McCartney or the seemingly interesting Elvis Costello/ Roots combination, all simply great to have back for their age(!), but in my opinion, not all that strong compositionwise, but what do I expect):

Jonathan Wilson- Fanfare

Yes, I don' t like retro! But even if this recalls the seventies, it's is done in a very colourful, loving and organic way. The guest list, Crosby & Nash harmonies deja vuing around beautiful melodies. And there's also excitement in the playing and variety in the arrangements.

Darth Vegas- Brain Washing For Dirty Minds (Ok late 2012 release, late discovery)










10 years after their even crazier debut came this Zappa-esque slapstick rollercoaster of sounds. Full of funny musical surprises. Everytime I laugh my ass off when I play these 2 records. Long live Zappa.

Janelle Monae- Electric Lady











A grower. Had to listen again and again, it just crept under my skin.

 Prefab Sprout- Crimson/Red

          

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

So glad Paddy came out of his cave! No surprises here. Songwriting to the core.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
And for the sensational background information, here's a few books I've read this year. 
As usual, mostly sleezy biographies. Recommended:                                                                                                                                              

Neil Young- Waging Heavy Peace
Nick Kent, Apathy for the Devil A Seventies Memoir

Ryan O'Neal - Both of Us

Victor Bockris- Up-Tight The Velvet Underground Story                                                                        

Marc Elliot- Paul Simon                                                                                                                          

Ray Manzarek- Light My Fire                                                                                                                

Garth Bardsley- Stop The World (Anthony Newley)                                                                                 

Billy James- A Dream Goes On Forever (Todd Rundgren) Vol.1 & 2 

Paul Meyers- A Wizard A True Star (Todd Rundgren In The Studio) 

Al Kooper- Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards 

Bertus Borgers- Ik Hou Van Herman                

What Do Dutch Men Do?

Just a few google search results/ links about the dutch (men' s) behaviour

What is something that only Dutch people do? 
Have a cozy evening together on a comfortable IKEA couch watching the tele I guess. Well, almost. But I don't watch TV anymore.

Stuff Dutch People Like 
Traditions. Well, I have forgotten them

Why do so many Dutch people cycle? 
This is because of a vast network of cycle paths that are clearly marked, with smooth surfaces, separate signs and lights, and wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and overtaking. Sure, but sometimes these paths are so crowded indeed, you don' t see the marks.

50 Things I hate about Dutch people  
50? Well nr 7 is right: They call themselves tolerant, but they are very narrow minded.  
Sorry for this.


10 ways to be polite to Dutch people 
Dutch men don’t hug. Well I do, but I avoid the annoying, meddling human beings.

How do Dutch people meet each other?!
The Dutch are quite direct (can be seen as a bit rude perhaps) but not straightforward at all.
Guess I' m rude sometimes. Although I' m a very private, introverted guy, I often try to break the ice, by teasing a stranger or joking around.

Well, I'm a dutch man, that' s why I ask. But I don' t sing in dutch, I just...can't. Yes I know, I' ve got a thick accent when I use my tongue for english, but what the heck.
Maybe there's a title in there for the new "Vanished Dutchman" album coming up in 2014.
When? I' ll let you know. The finishing of it all is the most intensive of the whole process.
I' ve got 14 songs for ya, chosen from about 30. I just need some smooth lyrics and a very thick accent for 7 of them to get there. Some tunes came very quick, so they motivated me the most to finish. Others need more time and space. But I won' t push.

So, what do dutch men do?

Singalong!

JOOSTVD – Stupid Song(s) on Tom Robinson' s Introducing Mixtape!

A year after "Bomb Won' t Go Off" got airplay on BBC, "Stupid Song(s)" has been chosen by BBC6 DJ Tom Robinson (2-4-6-8 Motorway, War baby, Listen To The Radio). Grateful for this. A little british recognition is always good for a dutch soul!

Freshnet Mixtape info
JOOSTVD – Stupid Song(s) [Starts: 36:33]
https://www.facebook.com/JoosTVDmusic
The last tune we heard from JoosTVD on the Introducing Mixtape was Bomb Won´t Go Off in November 2012. His hard-to-pronounce artist name makes more sense once you realise it stands for Joost The Vanished Dutchman. “Maybe” he confides “it’ s best pronounced like this: Juiced?” Inspired by the likes of Zappa, Todd Rundgren, Miles Davis, Steve Winwood, John Martyn and many others, Joost Van Dinther (JOOSTVD, geddit?) started out as a drummer before turning his hand to writing. This perhaps explains the unerring feel for a killer groove which – together with a well-developed sense of fun – it the trademark of his work. Although most of the recordings are played and produced by Joost on his own, he loves to play live with a band and “give it all” on stage. His latest album, The Ballooning Brouhaha was released in June 2013 and he’s already busy with a followup bunch of tunes coming up in 2014 with distribution by Routenote.

Work in progress, butta, heey, I'm not a Paddy McAloon..

Yes, I've been piling them up. Songs keep flowing in and out of my brains. Grooves and melodies. I'm not the only one of course. Don't want to compare myself with someone I look up to. Next to Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach and John Lennon there is Paddy-Prefab Sprout- McAloon, one of the last great songwriters, who I really admire, who has finally come back with a great new record "Crimson/ Red". Now for those, who've missed the best part of the often called notorious eighties music, listen to some REAL songs here: Prefab on Spotify. He has been piling up stuff for years, but as is common knowledge with all the geniuses, he's such a perfectionist, I don't even come close.....

Glad you're back Paddy!

So here's something I don't do often. Sharing some of the things I've been working on while not finished. Or is it? Knowing that it's not original,  I'd like to step away from the safe tradition that I only want to share my babies, when they are ready to step into the world of streaming pleasure.
This is my addiction to grooves and this funky tune came very quick. It's really about the intensity, I try to capture here. Banging away again on different instruments (piano, organ, bass, guitars), searching for patterns that fit together. Although I started out as a drummer (with an unbeatable Stewart Copeland fixation) and although I can play a saucy groove, I miss the finesses I hear in my head, to play fluent, fitting parts on these songs myself. So I use real, organic drumpatterns and alter, combine them as if  I play them myself. Here's an example of such a groove, but keep in mind: it's not finished yet, maybe I'll decide to throw it away in a moment of fustration, wahahaha....so grab it while it's hot.
Bare with me, to be or not to be consumed.

Listen Buy (Bye Bye) [demo] a song about the consumer & the customer

  Thanks for listening, feedback is always welcome.

No no no....Stupid!

Stupid Song(s) on soundcloud
Here are the lyrics for an upcoming stupidosingalong video of 
"Stupid  Song(s)"   (all different types of letters, colours, graphics included). Do the karaoke, practice till we're stupid!



 


    

                                 

                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                               

          

                         

Not vanished yet...just dreaming

Dressed for the ocasion

Hai there...I almost forgot this blog! No, I still follow everything....sometimes at a distance. Really had nothing to say for a while, I'm a musician, remember?  Networking is just a little part of the "job". Holidays then?


Well, I do enjoy this endless summer we´re having up here in the Lowlands. Took a week off to one of the most beautiful islands in the north of the Netherlands, Terschelling.

To breath in some inspirational winds is comforting, trying to avoid the, mostly drunk, youthful & annoying tourists is another thing for a vanished dutchman. We cycled till land's end and enjoyed the white sandy dunes and the North Sea. I always take my notebook (an e-book & headphones are in the package too) with me to escape my day to day routine. That's what helps to get fresh ideas. Indeed, back home, it all got me in the right musical groove. O, I really feel some sort of happiness in the flow of the moment when inspiration strucks! Time doesn't excist for a creative dreamer. But it´s not like that everyday....
Yes, I'm back in the race. New stuff in the works. I just don´t want the patchy expanded album pattern anymore. If I have about 12, 13 GREAT different songs, that will be enough every year. It just takes too long to handle it on my own. Got a lot of ideas already on the harddisk, so I don´t worry.
My latest effort "The ballooning Brouhaha" does pretty well on the streaming front (streaming IS the future, that IS now, cd is out) and on the radio. Croydon Radio (London) spreads my stuff on a regular basis. I love feedback. More potential listeners for me. Aaaah, it's free anyway....CU!

By the way....on the front news, the list of favourite dead musians grows a lot faster now... (a lot of babyboomers from after WW II), fortunately you can still check them out, the music, the image stays forever:
Kevin Ayers (Soft Machine), Alvin Lee (guitar virtuoso, Woodstock), Peter Banks (ex-Yes), Hugh McCracken (Session guitar player), Phil Ramone (Producer, recording engineer), Andy Johns (sound engineer), Storm Thorgerson (graphic designer), Richie Havens (Woodstock), Alan O´Day (songwriter), Ray Manzarek (Doors), Trevor Bolder (bassplayer), Bobby Blue Bland (blues singer), George Duke (piano wizzard) and a big inspiration on my songwriting and playing, the great laid back man, we call him the breeze: J.J.Cale. All inspirational in some kind of way. RIP.

Alvin Lee

Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers

What and who is this blog for?

Well, it's nothing more than the humble (I ain't an artist, I'm a musician!) sharing of my narcistic, ego-caressing creations. I don't need Pitchfork to review the stuff, because I ain't hip enough for these times. And I'm not obscure, but I ain't straight (conservative) either! Anyway, I really don't give a damn. You're hip today and tomorrow, it's another fool's turn....
But...I know there are these precious few that are in for a listen. and it's so easy. I know that a couple of spotify streamings will never going to make me rich, but it sure feels good if you do! Well, that's good enough for me. I love feedback though, so feed me.

Anyway, I just found out that a lot of links are not working (from 2005 until 2011), so here's a huge update for anyone who's interested. And...these are the full versions, not to be found on Jamendo or Bandcamp. You can find them all in the Grabbelton (grab!) on the right, but for the sake of the art, here's the full list (by the way: my godddd, it's hottttttt in the lowlands, I'm glad the shower is working!), so enjoy and keep it slippery wet:

                                           JoosTVD Discography

Beware, Rare The Songwritings 1 [1998-2001]

Beware, Rare The Songwritings 2 [2002-2004]

Gift Shot [2005]

Volumed 10 [2007] 

Hey José [2008]

You Know Your Dad [2009] 

When The Left Foot Fits The Right Shoe [2009]

The Vanished Dutchman [2010]

Orson Nietes [2011]

Art Decoy The Bluebeard Boy [2012]

The Ballooning Brouhaha [2013]

But don't forget: all the stuff between 2005-2013 is available at the online stores like Amazon, iTunes, Emusic and streaming services like Spotify and Deezer. 

Sure you can follow or swallow me! Run! Chasebook
Enjoy your summers and thanks for your support!