Friday 1 January 2021
Farewell RonaldSays, Hello Muziekhonger
Well, this is it for RonaldSays. I decided to continue writing in my native language Dutch, because I think it allows me to express myself better and also it feels weird writing about local bands that no one has heard of outside of The Netherlands. I will keep this blog online for a while. If you want to continue reading about mostly my visits to concerts and festivals you are more than welcome at muziekhonger.com. If you don't understand Dutch don't worry and let Google translate it for you: muziekhonger.com in English. It will probably be a bit wonky, but that will make it probably even more fun to read. See you there?
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Thursday 31 December 2020
2020, a year I mostly would like to forget about. But I won't forget its music. So here's a top 10.
1. Fontaines DC - A Hero's Death play in spotify
2. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club play in spotify
3. Apneu - Silvester play in spotify
4. Deftones - Ohms play in spotify
5. The Homesick - The Big Excercise play in spotify
6. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice play in spotify
7. Lewsberg - In This House play in spotify
8. JARV IS - Beyond The Pale play in spotify
9. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today play in spotify
10.Canshaker Pi - Okay Decay play in spotify
This has been the last post on this blog in English. I started this blog many years ago and wanted to reach out to as many as possible. However now I feel it restricts me from really writing the way I want to. Also I often write about local music and bands that won't mean anything to people outside The Netherlands. Sometimes it feels really weird writing about them in English. So for everyone that has been following my blog and can't read Dutch: thank you for reading and maybe Google translate can help you out in the future. Read more!
Sunday 14 June 2020
On Stage: Tim Knol @ De Nieuwe KHL
Three months without live music is very rare to me. I'd have to go way back to find a period with such a long drought. Fortunately now things are slowly opening up again, although I'm afraid it will still be a long time before theatres and venues are back to normal and we can watch artists on stage the way we used to. Dutch singer Tim Knol is one of those artists that always went his own way and who has always been in control of his own career. He's one of the first artists to start performing again and who is trying to make the best out of it.
Tim Knol at De Nieuwe KHL Amsterdam, June 10 2020
Of course it isn't a concert the way we are used to. It's a small place with an even smaller audience. In total 30 people are seated mostly as pairs at tables and Knol is by himself on the small stage. It creates a nice atmosphere though and it feels like an intimate performance. It is a good setting for Knol who is used to playing solo and knows how to entertain a crowd like this.
He has built a versatile catalogue with his solo albums, but also with his garage rock project The Miseries and more recently the blue grass album with Blue Grass Boogiemen. He was supposed to go on tour with that last band. Knol uses this versatility with great effect and mixes in some cover songs as well. After being in a bad place for a while, he decided it was time for a change and worked hard for this, lost a lot of weight and is now in great shape. It suits him and his voice is more clear and powerful than ever. His guitar skills are getting more impressive every time I see him, which he proves by playing a lightning fast blue grass song.
Many of his own songs are somewhat melancholic or sad and he jokes that he will start playing more uplifting songs later on, which he does. He's great with these little chats in between songs that usually have a funny twist and bring a relaxed vibe. It also closes the distance between the audience and him, which is wonderful nowadays when keeping distance is so important now. It's exactly what makes live music so good. That interaction between an artist and the audience and the way they can connect.
I can't be more happy and thrilled that I'm able to experience live music again, even thought it is a only a tiny step. I certainly hope more steps can follow soon and these artists who need this so bad can start performing again to make a decent living. I'm really glad Tim Knol was the one who played for us at this first concert, since he's exactly one of those artists who need these kind of performances so bad. Go support these artists and venues, especially now they are going through such a hard time. Go see them when they are performing, buy a couple of drinks, buy their music and merchandise. Hopefully most of them will be able to survive this crisis. I certainly will be attending concerts whenever I can. I can't wait for the next one!
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