Impression from BogBlues
Veendam, The Netherlands - August 9th, 2014
Pictures by Peter van Dijk (except the promo pics)
Original Dutch presskit by Bé Wever
by Johanna B. Bodde
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Impression from
BogBlues
Veendam, The Netherlands - August 9th,
2014
Pictures by Peter van Dijk
(except the promo pics)
Original Dutch presskit by Bé
Wever
On Saturday August 9th the
second edition of BogBlues took place on the Museumplein. A festival (free
admission) right in the center of Veendam. The rain stopped already around ten,
the sun made some appearances, the wind wasn't too bad after all. The festival
market was set up and shortly after noon the first band took the stage!
Unfortunately, members of Bluesheat were bitten by the flu bug, so they sent
worthy replacements to open the festival. All bands played approx one hour, until 22h30 or probably
slightly later. And everybody (a total of 1500 to 2000 people stopped by) left
feeling very happy...
A little more info about the various
acts:
The Mississippi Kings A scorching slide guitar, a
growling and ripping harmonica, even a washboard - The Mississippi Kings have it
all! Founded early 2013 by five seasoned musicians with a great love for the
blues. They are from Zuidlaren in the Northern part of the province Drenthe, an
area with a long tradition of good bluesbands. Ronald Schoonveld (vocals,
guitar), Steven Elings (harmonica), Jaap Fijma (washboard) Ton Töben (bass,
vocals), Karstjan Kremer (drums) form a tight formation, that guarantees
passionate music. Some of these players were in the BJ Hegen Bluesband for
years. Their inspiration comes from Delta blues and Chicago blues (50's
+ 60's). They play, besides original compositions, music by Robert Johnson,
Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Robert
Lee Burnside.
 Low Budget Blues
Band
Already nineteen years 'The
Blues, the whole Blues and nothin' but the Blues' - as the four musicians in the
Low Budget Blues Band from Assen (also in Drenthe) play together since 1995!
Almost all blues styles come along in a mix of original work and LBBB
interpretations of other blues songs. From low down and dirty blues riffs to the
more sensitive heartstrings, everything is right there!
Ad van Meurs and the Wilhelmina Blues Band A band, formed around
legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist Ad van Meurs (also known as The
Watchman). His son Dylan plays drums and Koos Cornelissen (The Flying Spiders)
impresses on the leadguitar. According to rumors, he's originally from
Groningen, but now he owns beautiful Café Wilhelmina in Eindhoven, where
-indeed- this band often can be found on stage. They explore all facets of the
blues and even some rock&roll!
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Juke Joints They are one of the most
successful blues bands in The Netherlands, with their own blend of swing,
rockabilly, rock'n'roll, bluesrock, Chicago blues and zydeco! The Juke Joints
played festivals and clubs in Ireland, England, France, Sweden, Norway, Germany,
Letvia, Poland, Switzerland, even in the U.S.A. and on the beautiful island
Curaçao. Now it's a four hour drive from the province Zeeland to
Veendam!
Down
Jones
Also one of the longer
existing bands, there were a few changes in personnel, but they keep playing and
having fun! They are looking forward to record their second CD, as the material
keeps piling up... They mix their originals with covers and don't mind the long
drive all the way from the Zaanstreek.
Bluezofeel
This is a collective of
three friends, who offer different styles: americana, blues, jazz, world and
rock. Niko Christiansen plays soprano and tenor saxophone, but switches also to
guitar and vocals, even to cabassa, cajon and other percussion instruments! He
started out as the singer of Livin Blues and he still is... Joaquin Lorenzo, the
guitarplayer, sings pop and latin ballads, but he also plays bass and harmonica
if necessary. Marius Bos began his career as a bassist in the music scene of the
Northern Netherlands. Later he made the accordion his main instrument and played
in a wide variety of bands.
Bas Paardekooper
and the Blew Crue
This band came to life in
2007. Frontman Bas heard "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix when he was eleven years old
and taught himself, encouraged by his parents, to play the guitar! He always
knew that his future was in the bluesrock, but it took him a few years and a few
bands until he could focus completely on the music that fits him
best.
 Jed
Thomas
Headliner is the Jed Thomas
Band from the UK! Jed comes from Yorkshire and plays the 'screaming slide blues'
right from his heart. He considers the late great Rory Gallagher to be his
'teacher', but was also influenced by Jimi Hendrix. Since age 17 he played in a
variety of bands and shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Nine Below Zero and Joe
Bonamassa. Jed is joined by Max (drums), Paul (keyboards) and Nibs (bass) for
sturdy bluesrock with long solos, sliding powerblues and also some
bluesy ballads. Last year his CD "It's About Bloody Time" was well received, one song on
the disc is dedicated to Native American political activist Leonard Peltier,
showing Jed's social awareness. The title of his brandnew CD is "Emerald Blue" -
with a dedication to Rory Gallagher, no big surprise!
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Written / translated by Johanna J. Bodde, August
12th, 2014.
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