Finale
Battle of the Bands Finally we have arrived at the finals of Battle of the Bands. After six months of hard work, we have finally managed to set up one evening. Sounds like we don’t know what we’re doing? Guess again. Zine #3 brings you the whole picture, from bands to set design and from jury to the guy who made the trophy’s.
The Prize The prize is a new attribute of Battle of the Bands. Designes, by Serge Hollander, these unique pieces will be handed over to the champions of the evening. But what’s behind the metal, wood and plastic? Serge made the trophy from leftover materials. He scavenged the metal workshop for bits and practiced on used pieces of plastic for weeks to get the right kind of matte for the text. An inventor come designer, Serge is inspired by any material he gets his hands on. “For Battle of the Bands, Andrea asked me to do some designs” he explains. The battle needed to be more than just an evening of music. The bands needed something to remember their night by. “The work originates from the scrap-pile, just as any band comes from a shed or attic. The rough materials have the same feeling you get in a place where nothing is polished yet, but the inspiration is
there. I don’t think too much before I make anything, I try to figure things out as I’m going. First, I wanted to make a more elaborate design with an abstract design of an instrument, but things always end up differently.” And what a result: a monumental work, simple but sturdy design. A well-grounded start of a musical career, we hope. Serge is in his third year of Minerva, interior design. A newcomer, he is still working on his identity as a makerdesigner. “I’ve already designed a logo (which I added to the trophy’s) and am working on a website. It’s important to have a website, to present your portfolio. You need to be visible because as soon as you leave college you become a creative entrepreneur.” Serge intends to get his own workshop and to keep on creating objects like furniture, lights and anything else he sets his mind to. “It’s important to keep you options open.” With his eyes set on the future, Serge wants to produce work in an eco-friendly way. “It’s such a waste what people throw away these days.” ▪
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Looking for the perfect festival outfit? Are you in need of something stylish and exciting for a late night party? Or just want to chill in the park in classic dr. Martins? Check out Groningen’s hip and fashionable vintage store, run by the up and coming, designed for people with a unique taste. Pauline and Simone run Stardust, a ‘vintage, remade and new’ clothing store in the center of Groningen. These ladies have only just left university (in 2010 and 2011) and are already running a successful business. With a background in arts, culture and media in music and
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film at the Rijksuniversiteit, you wouldn’t guess these two setting up a store. This project was a long time coming though, with plans having been made during the student years. This master plan came from an enormous enthusiasm for fashion and a longing for something different. Groningen didn’t really have a good store where you could find the kind of clothing Pauline and Simone were looking for. Large chain stores don’t always offer the most creative or unique looks after all! The ladies knew: there are a load of great brands out there and a wealth of vintage and secondhand treasures out there. So they thought: “Let’s just do it!” Then
started eighteen months of planning, because they wanted their store to last. They didn’t want to rush into anything, like the many who were investing in the pop-up store concept. The store was meant to offer people something different, off the beating track. Their “clothing to express your own unique style” is something to go against the mass market. And against the mass market they went! Making use of the Job pop-up store concept, they found a temporary space in the center of Groningen. The pop-up concept is a crisis concept, where empty spaces are used for temporary projects. Here’s the catch: you could be kicked out with one month’s notice and you cannot leave any trace of your store having been there. And this was exactly what happened: they had to move out and because there wasn’t any space to move to, they shared with ‘Het Koffiestation’ and ‘The Walnut Store’. “It wasn’t a perfect situation, as we were way in the back of the store, but we knew it was just
temporarily. We wanted to keep going.” Pauline says. And soon the perfect place became available to them: Carolieweg 13. With ample space, the store looks fantastic. Simone: “We have friends who help us out to get everything together. The logo, the furniture..” Pauline: “Store owners help each other out as well. We had a great time sharing a building, despite it not being very practical.” It is good to know you’re not alone, because it can be scary in these difficult times. But the girls aren’t afraid of the future. They’re well-prepared and are selling a unique product, which you rarely find in non-urban areas. And what about the music? The girls go to festivals regularly. Simone: “They’re inspiring places to go to, to meet new people and her new sounds.” The clothes represent a cultural lifestyle, where music is widely enjoyed. Simone: “We like to express ourselves through our clothing.” And so do we. Check out www.starduststore.nl for info, the blog and the fashion.
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For Battle of the Bands, Suzanne and Andrea came together on a warm September evening to contemplate the best set design. A garageband setting relates to any attick, garage, shed or cellar upgraded on a zero euro budget to accommodate the band dream. So what does constitute this fantasy? The first thought was that of beer. Beer, cigarettes and second hand furniture. This translated into beer bottles, metal, wood. Later on, cardboard, exploding guitars and empty bottles of Jack Daniels came into the equation. And what would a band be without its groupies? Lingerie, here we come! “From here, our brains exploded into one massive swirl of crazy ideas.” Says Suzanne. “We decided on a chandelier, as empty bottles are a great material to build things with. I was working with bottles from another project, and as rock star meets garage band we put cheap materials toghether with a lifestyle of hardcore parties and glamour.” Andrea adds: “As we’re working with a 50 euro budget, we couldn’t go around and buy stuff we liked. You pay 50 euros for one chair and we needed to fill the whole space. So anything we wanted, we needed to build ourselves.” As a set designer, Suzanne usually dives into a theme or subject doing research and some idea will pop up. “You always have to work with what you have. This can mean asking friends, borrowing materials or climb into a skip as the theatre industry usually has their designers working with a minimal budget.”
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Of course Battle of the Bands isn’t meant to baffle people with the set design, as the evening is about the bands. “But we wanted to give visitors the impression this isn’t just any Usva evening” adds Andrea. “We wanted to put in some extra effort to make the evening special. This means getting the space filled with a certain atmosphere. The trick is to not build tiny things, but objects that are big enough and positioned in a way in which it can command presence. That way, I came up with the idea to replace all the chairs in the Usva café with empty beer crates. I used to hang out with friends in a shed with an old couch and television and there was always a lack of chairs, which we could solve with beer crates. This feeling of having nothing but your friends, a beer and some good music I wanted to translate to the Battle of the bands. So I called up my ferternity friends and collected 25 empty crates of beer in one afternoon.” Suzanne was scavenging for sexy underwear and was talking to a friend about needing to find some, as she was overheard by a Minerva student. “She handed me 200 freshly washed panties the following week!” Doing cheap designs turns out to lean on common sense, initiative and loads of free time. With the help of all the committee members, many hours of manual labor, some pulled favors and a trip to the ‘Drie Gesusters’ for the hard liquor bottles the girls finally got their design together. Thanks for your inspiration! ▪
Juryleden Renske de Boer Renske de Boer zong al op jonge leeftijd en had een grote fascinatie voor geluid en timing. Na het winnen van een talentenjacht op de middelbare school, was duidelijk dat ze definitief de kant van de muziek op zou gaan. Ze zit inmiddels in het vierde jaar van jazz-zang en heeft zangles van Ruben Hein, Francien van Tuinen en New-York gastdocent JD Walter. Renske houdt zich niet slechts bezig met jazz. In 2010 heeft Renske de ska-band Mr Wallace opgezet. Deze zevenkoppige band toert door het hele land en onze buurlanden. Inmiddels zijn er twee EP’s in eigen beheer uitgebracht en wordt er gewerkt aan een album. Dankzij haar ervaringen binnen de ska/ reggae-scene vinden er momenteel samenwerkingen plaats met onder andere Jaya the Cat.
Jaitse Veeman Jaitse Veeman is 24 en vertegenwoordigt Clay Records. Clay Records is een nuchtere recording studio met alle faciliteiten in huis, veel kennis van en ervaring in techniek en akoestiek, perfect voor het opnemen van demo’s en album’s. Ook verzorgt Clay Records online distributie op bijvoorbeeld spotify en Itunes. Jaitse is een 24-jarige producer uit Leeuwarden. Hij begon als 6-jarige
begon al met drummen. Dit bleef hij vijftien jaar lang doen bij allerlei bands in zowel binnen- als buitenland. Drie jaar geleden maakte Jaitse de switch naar producer nu is hij actief in de electronische muziek-wereld. Bij Clay Records richt hij zich op het opnemen van bands en het mixen en masteren van deze opnames.
Doortje Hiddema Doortje is op dit moment werkzaam bij Eurosonic/Noorderslag en verzorgt de programmering bij Grunnsonic. Ook heeft ze in de band Rococo gespeeld, daarvoor management gedaan en ook nog eens meegedaan aan de finale van de POPGroningen Talent Award in 2011.
Bepaling van de stemmen De deskundige driekoppige jury zal de winnaar van Battle of the Bands; ‘Groningen finest’ bepalen. Daarnaast zal het publiek een stembiljet invullen; de band waarop het meeste gestemd is wint de publieksprijs. ▪
Nevelia
Bands overview
There are enough love songs in the world. Nevelia is an alternative rock band making music about chaos, fear, courage and most of all about figuring out how to live. The topics that are dealt with range from personal conflicts and states, to global and societal issues. Well ok, they also have a song that is pretty much about why they don’t like going to clubs. Martin Kansy is the singer, guitarist and main composer of the band. He is half German and half Polish. He is a second year Psychology student. His songwriting is influenced by his favorite bands, which among others include Metallica, Muse, Protest the Hero, and Dream Theater. Further, he loves movies, which might have found some way into the lyrics he writes. Alp Karlıova is the bassist of the band, also actively involved in instrumental arrangements of the songs. He has experienced different genres of music from improv jazz to hair metal. Coming from Istanbul, Turkey, to study Psychology, he decided that he misses
the “stage dust” and the excitement of conveying emotions and inner thoughts through a musical process. Skirmantas Butkus is the drummer of the band. He’s from Lithuania and is a third year business student at Hanze. His drumming style is influenced by the likes of Ian Paice, Chad Smith, Lars Ulrich, and black/death metal drumming. Alp and Martin met in the very beginning of their stay in Groningen, as they lived in the same student house. They discovered that they’re both musicians and have a passion for the same music, so they decided to create a band. Skirmantas completed the line-up of the band in March 2013. So what does the band’s name mean? The band itself is the name’s meaning. ▪
Faceless Faceless is een vijfkoppige alternatieve rockband uit Groningen, die is ontstaan in de herfst van 2011. Er ging een seizoen overheen voordat de samenstelling compleet was. De muziek van Faceless is vooral emotioneel. Zware en snelle stukken, waarin frustratie, woede en hopeloosheid naar voren komen, worden afgewisseld met rustige en langzame stukken, waarin gevoelens van compassie, vergiffenis en sereniteit de boventoon voeren. Invloeden Door de diverse achtergronden binnen Faceless zijn er invloeden vanuit diverse alternatieve stromingen hoorbaar. Zo zijn door de krachtige stem van frontman Gary Habich invloeden van rockbands als Creed en Live te horen. Drummer Paul van Esch en bassist Otto van Zanten brengen invloeden van onder andere Tool en Porcupine Tree met zich mee. Tot slot zijn door gitaristen Jos Lodewegen en Jaap Helmus invloeden van bands als Killswitch Engage en Breaking Benjamin te horen.
De Studio Binnen een jaar tijd dook Faceless drie keer de studio in. In November 2012 werd een demo van “Crossroads” opgenomen. In Maart 2013 is het nummer “Nerve” opgenomen met Sander Cazemier. Met dit nummer stond Faceless zes weken lang in de Free40 Charts. In Augustus werd tot slot de eerste single, “Edge Of The Earth”, opgenomen samen met producer Freek van der Heide. Dit nummer werd gedraaid op onder andere Oog Radio’s Scherpe Oren en Echt Erik op Dollard Radio. Voor oktober staat de opname van een videoclip op de planning met regisseur Joachim Koops. Live Live stonden ze al op bekende Groningse evenementen als Fifteen Minutes en het Rode Oortjes Festival. Binnenkort staan er optredens op het gerenommeerde Groningsch Peil en de EP-release party van We Fall Slowly in Hoogeveen op de agenda. ▪
Ministry of Mudd MinIsTrY of MUDD is an alternative rock power-trio from Groningen. The band combines the different musical influences of the three players into a musical kaleidoscope of rock, funk, stoner, and blues. Tight riffs, solid grooves, strong solos, a deep and warm voice are the key components of MinIsTrY of MUDD’s music.
Boris Geheniau; drummer. He comes from the funk and hip-hop Dutch scene, and this reflects into tight head-bouncing rhythms which gives the essential energy to the music of the band.
MinIsTrY of MUDD have played in many venues and festivals in the city and province of Groningen. In 2012 they released a demo, which was presented After the departure of a fourth member and performed live at OOG radio. of the band (vocalis/rithmguitar) in 2011, MinIsTrY of MUDD is now preparing MinIsTrY of MUDD are: for the recording of their first album. The complete synergy of the three players in Ramon ter Horst; lead vocalist and bass combining so many influences will direct player. Coming from funk and stoner the sound of the record towards heavier background his steady and powerful riffs, odd tempos, compact grooves, and riffs create the solid grooves at the an ambience that will be reminiscent base of every song, which are perfectly of old school grunge like Soundgarden complemented by his warm and powerful and Alice in chains combined with more voice. modern stoner and alternative rock like QUOTSA and Major Parkinson. After Francesco Bonardi; solo and rhythm two years in the north of the Netherlands guitar player from Italy. His metal, rock, MinIsTrY of MUDD are now ready to take blues, and stoner influences sum up in their music in the south of the country to cutting riffs, and fast and technical solo amuse more and more people with their lines, setting the drive in the music of sound. â–Ş MinIsTrY of MUDD.
Little Baby the Blues’’ Karel Harms. De melodische bass-grooves zijn voor rekening van niemand minder dan de ex-bassist van The Phrases,/Dirty Shambles Rik Huizing. Op drums de man die met zijn donderende beats het fundament is onder deze band, Thomas Zaw.
Mysterieuze stiltes. Als je uitkijkt over het Groningse land ontdek je iets in jezelf wat verborgen leek te zijn. Een gevoel dat je vergeten was, wat onverwachts weer terug is en je direct in verbinding stelt met alles om je heen. In het midden van deze natuur heeft zich een band gevormd die zijn klanken in alle windrichtingen de wereld over stuwt: Little Baby.
Zaterdag is de vaste banddag. Rond 12:00 uur verzamelen we in het centrum van Groningen, in het huis van Karel dat onder ingewijden bekend staat als “De Villa”. Een hele subcultuur is daar ontstaan die o.a. de ruimte biedt voor legendarische feesten, culinaire avonden en de opkomst van nieuw DJ-talent.
Als we compleet zijn, nadat iedereen standaard moet wachten op Gustav die altijd (maar) enkele momenten de laat is, proppen we onszelf in de kleine Peugeot van Thomas en scheuren we De band heeft een ruige sound met een de stad uit op naar Garrelsweer. In dit lief randje. Licht en Schaduw. Duizend kleine Groningse dorpje, gelegen in de emoties worden samen een muur van zompige Damsterdiep-Delta, staat het muzikale energie. Als je mij zou vragen hoe deze muziek klinkt zal ik antwoorden ouderlijk huis van Karel en Antonie. We worden altijd vriendelijk ontvangen door ‘’als een mix van Neil Young en Led Vader en Moeder Harms en dat doet ons Zeppelin’’. zeker goed! We zijn heel blij dat we de mogelijkheid hebben om voor niets op Little Baby is ontstaan in het voorjaar zo’n een speciale plek te mogen repeteren. van 2013 toen gitarist Gustav Larkens Je stapt voor een paar uur uit het drukke een knallende band wilde vormen. De stadsleven om even lekker te jammen. Dat band bestaat uit oud-leerlingen van het voelt goed. ▪ Maartenscollege en van het Noorder Muziek Instituut. Met Antonie Harms heeft de band een frontman met een krachtig stemgeluid. Een stem die kippenvel over je armen laat lopen. De piano wordt bespeeld door ‘The Man of
Wouter Asveld Wouter Asveld zal in de pauze van Battle of the Bands optreden. Deze singersongwriter kennen we van een ander Usva evenement, namelijk Nootuitgang. Wouter speelt al vanaf de basisschool gitaar. In 2009 is hij begonnen met het schrijven van eigen liedjes toen hij naar Groningen kwam om Internationale Betrekkingen te studeren. Tijdens zijn Erasmus uitwisseling heeft hij op straat gespeeld en meegedaan aan open podia, dit beviel hem goed en hij vindt het aangenaam dit voort te mogen zetten in Groningen. Zijn liedjes zijn het product van gedichten en muziek samen te voegen. Zoals vaak in dit genre, met een autobiografisch karakter. “Zijn nummers hebben een bijzonder en eigen sfeertje, onder begeleiding van een goed verzorgd gitaarspel” - 3 voor 12 over Wouter bij Nootuitgang. ▪
Stout ‘n Herring We welcome to the stage: Stout ‘n Herring. This Irish Folk band will keep the party going till the winners of Battle of the Bands are announced and keep us up till late at night at café Marleen. The way this band plays their music, no amplifiers are needed. Stout ‘n Herring thrives in a small scale venue where the lights are dim and the beer is flowing. Many an Irish song will sound familiar to the ears as the band gives their impression of traditional songs. Songs you never knew you knew, and by the end of the evening you will be stamping your feet and clapping your hands to the rhythm of old Ireland. The band met at Buitenkunst, a culturefilled weeklong summer-course in the forests of Drenthe where they gathered around the campfire for a jamsession in 2012. Nowadays, Stijn (guitar, singer), Iris (fiddle), Ivan (whistle), Guido (singer, drummer) and Jan-Roelof (singer, accordion) can be found wandering around O’Ceallaigh, the old Irish pub in Groningen, readying their weapons of choice for the weekly traditional Irish session on a Sunday. ▪
dankwoord Battle of the Bands is organized by a committee of Usva, and besides them, a lot of people were involved to make it a great night. First, we want to thank the participating bands for their input and enthusiasm. We also want to thank the Usva board for the guidance of the committee, with both critical notes as positive support. We also want to thank Suzanne Verhagen, the designer who created the rock and roll lifestyle decoration of the café and theater. Serge Hollander thanks for creating the cool trophies, they really are one of a kind. Frans van Rijn, Jurjen Heida and Jaimy Stregels, the indispensable technicians behind the scenes, thanks for helping us out with everything. We could not have done it without you! Cameraman Martin Groeneveld and photographer Bob de Vries we are very pleased with your contribution to the evening, thanks to your efforts, the battle will live on to inspire next years’ event and to help the bands to promote theirmusic. We also want to thank Martin Groeneveld and Joanna Seebach for directing and editing the videos of the bands together with director and editor
Andrea Hooymans. Presenter Jan-Roelof Bathoorn, thanks for your effort to make this evening a success. Singer-songwriter and participant of Usva Nootuitgang 2013 Wouter Asveld, thanks for your heartfelt performance in the break. Stout ‘n Herring thanks for your energetic performance during the event and at the afterparty and what a party it aways is. Hereby we would like to thank the members of the jury, the jury of both the preliminary round and the finals. They provided expert feedback on all performances and decided who won this round. Renske de Boer, Doortje Hiddema and Jaitse Veeman thank you ever so much! Clay Records thank you for sponsoring the recording time, because in the end, that was what is was all about. We would like to take this opportunity to also thank our other sponsors Mycom, Hanze Print, Koffiebranderij and Stardust, thank you very much for your financial contribution to make this event possible. Finally we want to thank the volunteers who have worked hard to promote the event, to design the decorations and much more! Never a dull moment. ▪
Battle of the Bands 2013 is een muziekevenement waarbij bands uit de stad Groningen de kans krijgen om door te breken. Voorwaarde is, dat de bands voor minimaal 50% gekoppeld zijn aan Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Battle of the Bands is een onderdeel en initiatief van Cultureel Studentencentrum Usva, onderdeel van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.