Biography
Stuurbaard Bakkebaard are an inimitable and totally
wired combo who grew from playing skiffle-style on the sidewalk
to become a tight and elaborate stage act. Their theatrical
use of language, toys, effects and percussive samples combined
with their loose jammed guitar/contra-bass/drum sound is more
than just a band – it’s a total entertainment package!
The debut album ‘Chuck’ (named after the bass
players’ dog) turned on press, promoters and public alike.
The major national newspapers (De Volkskrant, Parool, NRC, Trouw)
and music magazines (OOR, Aloha, Heaven, Fret, LiveXS) were
unanimous in their ecstatic praise of the album. Invitations
from the club and festival circuit began rolling in left, right
and centre, as did gigs at major events such as the Lowlands
Festival, the Crossing Border Festival and De Nachten in Antwerp.
All of those shows paid off and the band had become a well-oiled
machine. In March 2003 they disappeared into the studio
to entirely record and mix a new album in 6 days. The exotically
entitled ‘Mercedes’ was the result. Recorded
in ‘capture the moment’ style sessions with a minimum
of fuss or technique, ‘Mercedes’ was an album
full of material with the right ‘feel’ and a gritty
live edge. The new material displayed a progression in the bands
approach to constructing music and a broadening of their style.
Stuurbaard Bakkebaards’ ‘just get it down and
see what happens’ approach to recording proved to be as
refreshing as it was organic.
In the months following the release of ‘Mercedes’
the band completed an extensive tour of the Dutch and Belgian
club circuit and appeared at several major festivals including
the Dour Festival in Belgium. In October 2004 they headed
down to South Africa for a successful 15-date tour. By November
the itch to start recording again had set in so they decided
to go off the road for a while to get a new album done. The
sessions are currently taking place in the Smoked Recordings
studios in an old brick factory on the Rhine River in Wageningen.
The new work sees the band approaching itself from yet another
angle, distinctly Stuurbaard of course, but with an emphasis
on real songs, harmony and crunching bluesy beats. Production
is being assisted by Dan Tuffy and Michiel Hollanders (Parne
Gadje, Big Low) and Stuurbaard Bakkebaards’ 3rd studio
album is due for release in the Benelux territories thru
Munich Records in May 2005.
Line up:
Timo van Veen: guitars + vocals
Onno Kortland: double bass + vocals
Marc Koppen: drums/percussion + samples
