2012 Round Up

Another year has passed, and no doubt I said it before: the older I get, the quicker it seems. As Basil Fawlty would say: ‘what’s that?”, ‘your life’ ‘can I have another one’ ‘no’. So what kind of year was 2012? Actually a great one, in terms of releases, concerts and assorted other events.

Concerts

See below for a complete list for gigs I did this, with some particular high lights, such as Wieman at Extrapool at the Ultra event (which I think was without the best evening of concerts this year), Kapotte Muziek in Madrid was on great form (and might be released on CD next year), Freiband in Eindhoven, Wieman at ZKM and The Tobacconists in London. Some others we so so, such as The Tobacconists in Amsterdam (but as you can see from the above picture, great lights – thanks Jolanda for these pictures), which was an odd evening on all accounts and Beequeen’s concert at the Shamrock cafe in Nijmegen – which was like playing at a wedding.

Beequeen:
18-10-2012 Bibiliotheek, Nijmegen
17-12-2012 The Shamrock, Nijmegen
Kapotte Muziek:
17-05-2012 Horbar, Hamburg, Germany FdW+RM (Blurred Edges Festival)
21-10-2012 Loft, Cologne, Germany FdW+PD+RM
25-11-2012 LaCasa Encendida, Madrid, Spain FdW+PD+RM
Freiband:
11-02-2012 Extrapool, Nijmegen
05-04-2012 HS63, Brussels, Belgium
02-11-2012 Artspace Flipside, Eindhoven
Frans de Waard:
21-10-2012 Loft, Cologne, Germany (performing “17’08”)
Wieman:
08-03-2012 Extrapool, Nijmegen (with Wally van Middendorp on vocals)
20-06-2012 Worm, Rotterdam (with Ben & Puck Schot)
11-10-2012 ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany
The Tobacconists:
04-04-2012 Extrapool, Nijmegen
05-04-2012 Worm, Rotterdam
06-04-2012 Tape, Arnhem
07-04-2012 Melkweg, Amsterdam
08-04-2012 Gunter, Antwerpen, Belgium
10-04-2012 Sonic Protest, Paris, France
11-04-2012Cafe Kino, Bristol, UK
13-04-2012 The Victoria, Daltson, London, UK
14-04-2012 Cafe Oto, London, UK (performing Scott Foust’s ‘The Drinker’)
Modelbau:
09-06-2012 Etalage Derde Wal, Nijmegen

Releases

By long stretch I’d choose the Ultra CD as the best release on Korm Plastics/Plinkity Plonk this year, although I know I should be proud of all my babies, but that CD I think is great for its musical content and the great speed which everyone used to get it out before Ultra was over. I am also particular proud of the Goem CD, which made me think rather fondly of that project, and which I wouldn’t mind resurrect some day, providing someone would pay up for a solid concert and rehearsals.
Of the releases with my own music, I particular favorite the Tobacconists ‘Smoking Is Green’ LP/CD which was released on Mark Whelan’s Economy of Brevity label. It’s one of the few things I have on my Ipod of my own music (Zebra/Wieman is the only other stuff) as I simply think it’s great. Get a copy while they are still around. There is a Wander CDR on Zhelebeton, and technically from 2012, but I haven’t seen it yet. It will come.

2012

[Beequeen]
SUGARBUSH – THE BEGINNINGS (download, Bandcamp)

[Frans de Waard]
soundcontribution to ‘Svopp’ by Nils Rostad on ‘Harmony Hammond’ (LP by Tallerk Plater)

[Frans de Waard]
‘Xi Hya’ on Benefiets For Japan (2CD by Licht-ung)

[Freiband]
‘Minimal Boot Remix’ on Benefiets For Japan (2CD by Licht-ung)

[Beequeen]
Anthology 2 – THE COMPILATION TRACKS 1997-2007 (download, Bandcamp)

[Beequeen]
Anthology 1 – THE COMPILATION TRACKS 1989-1997 (download, Bandcamp)

[Modelbau]
ABOUT TURN (download, Bandcamp)

[Modelbau]
090620121520 (download, Bandcamp)

[Freiband]
REGULAR OF LIGHT (download, Korm Digitaal 37)

[Freiband]
STAINLESS STEEL HARD SOFTWARE (download, Korm Digitaal 40)

[Freiband]
VILLA FIASCO (download, Korm Digitaal 39)

[The Tobacconists]
‘The Hotel Amnesia’ on The Eternal Now (CD, WFMU)

[The Tobacconists]
‘Great Times To Smoke [Edit]’ on Mind The Gap 96 (CD, Gonzo Circus)

[The Tobacconists]
‘Grand Entrance’ on Sonic Protest 2012 (2xCD by Bimbo Tower)

[The Tobacconists]
SMOKING IS GREEN (LP+CD by Economy Of Language brevity 001)

[The Tobacconists]
‘Superior Blend’ (3″CDR by My Own Little Label moll 048)

[Freiband]
‘Huntingtowardsasayhowdines’, ‘Polychrotidates Poltroon’ ‘The Sun Is Warm, The Sky Is Clear’ on Villa Fiasco – The Act Of Sampling (CDR, no label)

Projects

Two weeks of intense smoking, drinking, rehearsing and recording with Scott Foust and Mike Popovich resulted in 9 concerts by The Tobacconists, but also lots of recordings which may result in a LP or two. I have been working on mixing some of it, and it’s getting shape.
Beequeen spend much of 2012 working on ‘Around Midnight’, easily the most pop-based CD I have worked on so far. It’s now in its mixing stages as we all have a preview CD of it so far. It’s very much a CD with Freek’s songs, so the next CD will be all more ambient pop and I have already started to record bits as a starting point for that. There is a Beequeen concert in Heerlen coming up, with Wander as a support act. Freek and I will prepare something.
Wieman will record some extra material for their ‘classic album’, which will be released towards the end of 2013.
Freiband is pretty far completing an album based on canoe recordings friends of mine did for me in 2005. I fear canoes!
My collaboration with Howard Stelzer, finally a full length again, is completed and will be released early 2013 by Bocian Records.
I have started to work on mixing some pieces I recorded with Richard Francis, and he’s working on mixing a few of the other pieces.

Assorted things

One of the highlights from this year was playing the alien in the video clip for Visitors ‘No Flash Photography’ was definitely great fun, and it looks great. I never realized acting was so difficult, even when you are (supposed to be) grumpy in real life.

I haven’t do a single thing on my phantasy novel and ‘the other book’. That one was stopped after trying to get a Dutch publisher interested, but as some said afterwards, it’s probably wiser to pitch your projects when a bit more sober. Probably they are right. So the only book project I worked on quite a bit, not not nearly enough is my book on my life at Staalplaat. Not ready to when I celebrate ’10 years without Staalplaat), upcoming in March 2013, but as with all such things: no promises. Although it would be great to finish all three books. I hate leaving things unfinished. Oh, and I was thinking it would be great to keep a diary for a year and reflect further on the musical things in my life. I must admit I have such thoughts every year and it rarely happens.

I gave up smoking on June 3rd, at 14:35 and if I drink too much I tend to go back, but the next day I don’t remember that all. Do I feel better? Nah. Although I finally have my epitaph: ‘I wish I never gave up smoking’.

I’ve been to 3 funerals this year, all three by their own hand. That’s too much, I was thinking. Anton Viergever’s death was surely the closest to my heart. I couldn’t have ‘saved’ him, but it’s sad that he is no longer around to make long late evening phone calls.

Oh and I never do top 10 lists at the end of the year, but this year I was very pleased with the Ramleh 8 CD set and the recent P16.D4 6CD/1DVD set, the Maciunas Ensemble 11 CD set and the Small Cruel Party 3CD set. All box sets. Curious. I must be getting old.