Parne Gadje has started work on a new program called Po Drom On The Road. In order to have the CD ready before the start of the theatre shows in November, we need extra funding. For this reason we have started a Crowdfunding project on www.voordekunst.nl
Please check it out and support us!!
The song ‘Sad Eyes’ from our friend Parissa Bouas won two NCEIA Dolphin Awards: ‘Best Jazz Song’ and ‘Song of the Year’ – how’s that?? Congratulations to Parissa and all involved, and many thanks to those voting for Sad Eyes. We will work hard in the coming months to make the rest of Parissa’s EP as good if not better!
I do wonder if they all still think it’s that good after this song has been played daily on radio for a year (it is song of the year, after all.. on the other hand, it’s also best jazz song which means there’s going to be about 14 people listening to it.. )
Smoked Sounds / Parissa Bouas joint production ‘Sad Eyes’ has been nominated for the NCEIA 2012 Dolphin Awards! Sad Eyes is finalist in two categories, which are ‘Song of the Year’ (that would be good wouldn’t it??) and ‘Best Jazz song’
The Dolphin Awards are an annual event and form an important stimulance and recognician for Australian musicians.
Winners will be presented during the gala on 4th of December in the Star Court Theatre in Lismore.
NEW INSTRUMENT ALERT! Tricone Resonator featuring the all time favourite Aluminium Kramer neck
Parts of prototypes have been lying around in the studio and mixroom for years, and each of those previous incarnations has been used for some little recording. For instance, the rhythm guitar on the title track of ‘The Junctions of the Two Rivers’ was played by Dan on the brass version, which was essentially the body of an old Korean style O imitation which previously had broken, reshaped to fit the Kramer neck. However the first attempt had been in laminated wood, and although some things didn’t quite work, and the whole contraption was not very stable, it had a special sound to it; light, mellow, very long sustain, together with a typical mysterious Resonator guitar – resonance.
So this was the last attempt, made out of one piece of Honduras Mahogany. The neck is a tight fit. With a pickup this instrument sounds surprisingly much like some vintage archtop Jazz-guitar. Looks like we’ll have to start a Jazz band then, sooner or later..
The new upcoming Big Low record is taking shape!
Since the first recordings for this project, done April 2011 with the portable Smoked Sounds setup at Studio GAMM with the help of Zlaya Hadzich, the band has on and off been working on the tracks, selecting takes, editing stuff, doing a few overdubs with well chosen sounds, and working on a few new tracks. About half the album is really done except for the final mixing, and a few more songs are recorded but need some additional parts to finish them.
After this years summerstop Big Low will continue this slow and meticulous process, in between celebrating the labels 10th anniversary with a series of concerts through the Netherlands. The aim is to have the album ready for release spring 2013. But as usual.. we prefer to get things right, however long it takes.
Big Low fans can expect a hauntingly beautiful collection of new tracks, mostly original songs from Dan, with intense performances from Dan, Marc and Michiel, unmistakeably Smoked sounding and with some new sounds and instruments.
Eversince Big Low met Parissa Bouas and Carl Cleves while on tour in Oz in 2010, there have been plans to do something together.
In June 2012 the first result of some work together was released as Carls solo-album ‘The House is Empty’, which was partly recorded in Australia, with additions done by Marc Constandse and Michiel at the Smoked Sounds studio, some of it arranged by Michiel, and all of it mixed at Smoked Sounds. This album has immediately received some exellend reviews, as well as a five-category nomination for the Musicoz-awards in Australia.
In june 2012 Parissa decided to move on with her solo-project, which already some basic tracking had been done for. The plan is to tackle the songs one by one, which will result in a very interisting little EP featuring 6 songs. The first one called ‘Sad Eyes’ was finished in july and features Parissa singing and playing banjo, Carl on backing vocals, Marc Constandse playing his earthy sounding drums (Cajon, Footstomp, Bendir and rusty cympals lying around), and Michiel playing his velofoon, musical saw, contrabass and some backing vocals. The whole was tracked and mixed at the Smoked Sounds studio and finally mastered at Zlaya’s LOUD studio in Amsterdam. The track has an unmistakeable ‘Smoked’ sound!
in the next few days a videoclip for this song will be released on Parissas facebook page as part of a Crowdfunding project in order to finance the making of Parissa’s EP
26 mei 2012 Parne Gadje – Wereldfestival Eibergen
20 juni 2012 Parne Gadje – Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam serie Religieuze Muziek
7 juli 2012 Parne Gadje – Festival Der AA, Schipborg, tbc
23 augustus 2012 Parne Gadje – Boerderijcamping ‘t Vemdebroek, Epe, tbc
7 september 2012 Parne Gadje – Sterrenfestival Dwingeloo
Zat 6 okt – PG Groote zaal Muziekcentrum Adam/MCN Jazz conference
Zon 7 okt – BL Hoff 88/Songwriters Festival Almelo
Zon 14 okt – BL De Barg/Boskoop
Sat 3 nov – Smoked Label Night, Patronaat/Haarlem (Big Low, Matt, Lucie, Davie Lawson)
Fri 9 nov – Smoked Lable Night, Theater de Wilde Wereld/Wageningen (PG/Kamal)
Sat 10 nov – Smoked Label Night, Theater de Wilde Wereld/Wageningen (Matt/Lucie/BL/JK)
Sun 11 nov – Smoked Label Night, Theater De Engelenbak/Amsterdam (PG/Kamal)
Fri 16 nov – Smoked Label Night, Theater De Berenkuil/Utrecht (PG + Kamal)
Sun 18 nov – Smoked Label Night, Theater De Berenkuil/Utrecht (Matt/Lucie/BL/Jk)
Mon 19 nov – Smoked Label Night, Meneer Frits/Eindhoven (Matt, Lucie, BL. JK)
9 dec – Big Low /Theater cambrinus/Horst
Australische Singer-Songwriter Carl Cleves maakte afgelopen jaar een CD in samenwerking met Michiel, die een deel van de songs arrangeerde, diverse gitaar en baspartijen inspeelde, en het geheel afmixte. Opnames waren deels gedaan in Australië met Australische musici, en deels in de Smoked Sounds studio. Marc Constandse speelde enkele bandoneontracks in. Zlaya Hadjic van LOUD! studio in Amsterdam verzorgde de mastering.
Het resultaat is een prachtig sfeervolle melancholische plaat genaamd ‘The House is Empty’, welke binnenkort (12 juni 2012) uitkomt op het Australische label Vitamin Records.
Deze week werd bekend gemaakt dat Carl met ‘The House is Empty’ genomineerd is in maar liefst vijf categorieën voor de Australische MusicOz Awards (vergelijkbaar met de Nederlandse Edison) en wel in de categorieën ‘Singer Songwriter’, ‘Blues / Roots’, ‘Christian / Spiritual’, ‘World Folk’ en ‘Country’.
De uitreiking is op 15 mei.. wij wachten in spanning af.
