Status Report

In what is turning out to be a mostly boring week, Stefan has recently resumed his studying life. Having spent the past weeks guiding first years through the city and relaxing in the sun in Rhodos, Stefan has now continued on the path that will eventually lead to world domination, or being a teacher. Surprisingly, Stefan made significant progress on the first day by completing all the assignments he has to do before getting his bachelor degree. Awaiting a reply from his professor, Stefan now pretends to continue work on his master subjects that could have been finished months ago. In a somewhat twisted turn of events, Stefan has yet to resume work on these particular projects, with deadlines drawing closer and closer. Stefan refused to comment on his current study methods, claiming “I don’t care if this goes on the internet, nobody will read it anyway.” Let’s all hope this normally quite happy guy will return to the light soon. For Do You Know Stefan, this is Stefan. Now, back to the studio…

This weekend will be fun, eight people in two cottages. Two guitars, one set of Twister, drinks, snacks, a kitchen… I very much like. However, before I depart tomorrow afternoon, I am really hoping I can make some significant progress on the things I still have to do. It will be so much easier if I just start doing something. I have a good feeling I might do something today.

I could talk you through my past two weeks (plus my recent England trip). And despite it probably being one of the more interesting blog posts this year, the time it would take to write about all that, would mean that the library where I currently am would close by the time I finish. Which is not good.

But let me just say that I really liked all of these trips/outings. London / Folkestone was good because I saw my favourite band again. Turin Brakes continue to rock more than can be imagined. Rob came out before the gig to say Hi and even asked Shazia and me for setlist suggestions (Ether Song did make the set! - hurrah!). But I should not forget to mention that staying with Shazia and Raj was totally awesome and nice and good. Nice food, nice people, nice weather… All good days. Shazia and me made some videos in Folkestone. You can watch them here.

The University Introduction was good because the new students were all quite cool and laidback. It was nice to hang out with them, joke around as well as being a spiritual guide and help in times of need. We’re actually having a little reunion party tonight… That should be good.

On the fifth day of the Introduction however, I had to pull an allnighter at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, flying to Rhodos at 6.35 am… That is early and I can’t remember when I last pulled an allnighter so my boring life just got a bit less boring :). I did manage to catch one hour of sleep on the airplane I think, because the flight went by remarkably quick. I did woke up every fifteen minutes or so.

In Rhodos I did a lot of relaxing. The weather was hot and sunny, which was good after the autumnlike weather in The Netherlands. We went to Lindos and the old town of Rhodos, both very impressive. The rest of the week we relaxed at the swimming pool of our hotel near the sea. I had a really great time and I can recommend the city of Rhodos to everyone.

While abroad I actually thought it would be cool to write a song about Nijmegen. It is mostly finished, just some finishing touches on the music. One would expect it to be in Dutch, but for some reason I couldn’t find the right words in Dutch. That happens sometimes… Be good.

Take 3 (a teaser)

Take 3…

Full version coming at some point…

See If I Care

I’m in desperate need of holiday. I should actually just stop working and start relaxing, because this bit of both strategy isn’t really working for me….

I wrote a song called ‘See If I Care’. Some time ago I was playing some songs to some friends and I realised I have too many selfpity depressing songs, because they’re so easy to write (for me at least). Anyway, this is a direct reaction to that… As well as some frustration I experience a couple of months ago I guess… And about a nice girl and a not so nice girl.

Anyway, it’s uptempo, a bit tongue-in-cheek and not extremely amazing. I like playing it though. I, unfortunately, can’t record it right now, but I’ll quote some of the lyrics instead.

I can imagine you thinking, I have changed a lot
From enormous devotion, amazing emotion, to a guy that’s simply hot
With your intellect, you just resurrect an ancient love cliché
well I can be that guy, but for a different girl, cos you’ve wasted today

your chance to be free
with me
I’ve met a diamond girl and I no longer care
about your silver ways and your golden hair, and to be fair
I’ve grown tired of waiting
those times you weren’t there
See if I care?
See if I care?

It is to be part of my greatest hits collection ‘Hotter Than You Think I Am - The Hits’, which will make sure I will never have to work again. However, first I must make a record. Hmm… I can see a problem there…

A Weekend In The City

So the 4daagse is almost starting (tomorrow really), but festivities in the evenings have been going on since Saturday. I’d like to take a moment to tell you about some of the events I’ve seen so far. Tonight I think I will have a quiet evening, but tomorrow I shall be going in town to see more bad and good music!

Saturday

Stevie Ann
Stevie Ann is a singersongwriter from Limburg, which is the area of The Netherlands were I live. I think that if I were to trace my whole family, I’d eventually find someone who went to school with her or something similar to that. However, that all does not matter now. She was hired to entertain the crowds at the main stage on the Waalkade at 9.30 pm. And that probably wasn’t a good idea.

She rose to some fame with her song The Poetry Man (and her Britney Spears’ cover Toxic). Her songs are sometimes a bit too country for my liking, but some of the songs are nice. Anyway, her sad, sweet, lovely songs aren’t enthusiastic crowd material and her songs aren’t singalongs yet. A brave choice to put her on the main stage. Add to that the weather conditions (dry, but cold and no sun) and it probably wasn’t the golden gig the organisation was hoping for. Still, the sound mix was very good and people who appreciate her music style were not disappointed at all… However, I got the feeling most of the people there were just there to have a good time. And while Stevie and band did try to ’rock’ on some songs (and succeeded), the gig just never got going the way it was supposed to… But the fans in the front row were pleased, and I don’t doubt her nice renditions of Get Away and Wait Up For Me have won her some more fans. But I can’t help but thinking a more intimate setting would have been better for her.

Stevie Ann (Waalkade)

Nick & Simon
In The Netherland, there’s awful music and there’s awful music. Nick & Simon have incredible voices - as was proven that night - but they really do have awful songs. We were treated to hit Rosanne twice (once in the encore) and their song De Soldaat, (The Soldier) about a Dutch soldier being sent to Iraq and dying there, set to an awfully happy backing track, is just extremely tasteless… But they can sing and they can get the crowd going for sure. In contrast to Stevie Ann, the Nijmegen House (awful name for a place with awful Dutch music) was completely packed (although it was busy at Stevie Ann as well) with a cheering crowd (mostly teenage girls) and it was very very hot in the tent. I liked the fact that the magic trick where the music continues to play while the guy with guitar stops playing (they do that in the Rosanne video at 40 seconds) was also done live. Hmm… Maybe the guitar wasn’t plugged in at all? Nah… That can’t be? Can it? Maybe it was a special guitar? (it sure was expensive)

Sunday

Moke
According to the presenter at the Waalkade, Moke, is the new Dutch superband. Even though they did gain exposure with single Last Chance and regular appearances in Dutch TV shows, they can’t be called a superband as yet. However, it cannot be denied their set on Sunday night was very professional and very good. Mind you, the sun was there to witness the event as well, so the audience must have been in a better mood as well. The sound was as good as during Stevie Ann the day before, but also twice as loud. There was no real talking over the music possible. Yet still the gig didn’t really grab me… Last Chance, the hit, actually wasn’t that impressive live. At least not more impressive than the studio version. And if you’re unfamiliar with the material, most of the songs actually sound the same. I was impressed by the nice instrumental breaks - some lasted over two minutes (brave!). I was also impressed by the Depeche Mode cover, Enjoy The Silence. Yet still, it wasn’t that great all the time. I suppose some day soon I will conclude the main stage should be the home of party acts… That or, maybe it should be completely dark for a bigger impact of the light show.

Die Lustige Schlagerfreunden
I’m not really into schlager, I’ll be the first to admit… But there’s a first for everything (and the fact that the guitar player was an uncle of a study friend of mine, did help). Still, I was a bit sceptic before the show of Die Lustige Schlagerfreunden. But the stage setup looked pretty good: over the top German souvenirs and Tiroler costumes… Very nice. And then the show started… Toller Toni kicked of with ARD (German television) microphone asking whether we were having a good time etc. And for a second I thought: how long is this going to last… But after the third “Jawohl!” and “Heeee!” I was sold. What a great show. Despite not knowing most of the songs (except for Ich Bin Wie Du and some others I’ve forgotten the title of), it was not that hard to sing / shout along some words that sounded a bit like the actual German lyric. Impressive was their German cover of (Is This The Way To) Amarillo (apparently to be released on a CD later this year).

What made the show good? Well first of all the element of surprise. The band was actually much bigger than the members appearing on stage, with the others making surprise guest appearances all through the show. It worked: the audience had an extra reason to cheer. Secondly, the music. The musicians on stage were pretty impressive, the great guitar solos from Willie Wunderbar as the most apparent proof. Finally, the joking factor. It was all quite tongue in cheek… At some point they were mocking Germany / schlagermusik, yet handing out flags and hats and doing the complete show in German (yet everybody seemed to be able to understand). The crowd was LOVING it… Polonaises all the way, cheering, screaming… It must have been scary, had I been a stranger walking by… Yet I was in the middle of that all.

Still, if you see some guy with glasses on TV, in the front row dancing, screaming and going mental. That certainly isn’t me… Really. It isn’t. Okay, maybe it is me. But don’t tell anyone.

Moke @ Waalkade

Moke @ Waalkade

Schlagerfreunden!

Schlagerfreunden!

Meet Ukulele

So, Mischa returned from a year in Sweden, and he brought presents for all nice people. Because I am nice, I got a ukulele (so good that I hadn’t bought one yet!). I will now master great classics like ‘Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa’, ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What a Wonderful World’ and ofcourse my own ukulele song. In a Ukulele version I mean.

Tom McRae @ Jonathan Ross (28-06-2008)

Last Saturday, Tom McRae was invited to be a guest on the Jonathan Ross show on BBC Radio 2. This is what you call an ‘out of the blue’ guest appearance. Even after this interview + session has taken place, it is hard to understand why the singersongwriter was invited… There’s no album or single coming up and Tom isn’t really touring (apart from one or two festival appearances). Still, about a year after the ’silent’ release of King of Cards it still happened. The surprise in Jonathan Ross’ voice when Tom told him the album had been out for a year, seemed genuine (or very well acted). This is what happens when your record company doesn’t do anything.

Still… The song Tom and his cellist play, Got A Suitcase, Got Regrets, is amazing. It’s taken from Kings of Cards, but this version is even better than the original. Very pure, very basic, very real. Listen to it. Please. And maybe, buy his album.

After you downloaded Winrar, you can download the three MP3s here.

1) Interview
2) Got A Suitcase, Got Regrets
3) Goodbyes

Phil Campbell @ Dermot O’Leary

So I don’t know where else to put this, but I recorded Phil Campbell live @ Dermot O’Leary and I thought I’d put it up for people to download.

Here it is. (you’re going to need winrar though)

Anyway, a great session (but not an extremely interesting interview, Dermot has been known to do better interviews), yet still worth the download because of the excellent rendition of No Love Songs and The Beatles’ cover I’m So Tired.

1) Interview 1
2) No Love Songs
3) Interview 2
4) I’m So Tired (The Beatles)
5) Interview 3

A Fresh New Life

So here I am again… Forced to restart after too little backupping (not a word, I know) and little help from my hosting company… So now all I need is life to fill this blog with. Feel free to join me…

Final classes ever (!) (well, possibly) are over. No more studying! Except the fact that I still have to write my thesis for 99% and some extra essays etc etc…

I’ve saved some blog posts of the old site, so look for them here in the near future (maybe even ‘in a couple of minutes’, but I tend to be lazy this weekend).

Do you like the new header by the way? It’s me playing the devil in our 21st century style Mariken of Nijmegen photo novel… Actually it is a medieval story but we adapted it to the 21 century and took lots of photos. I basically had to my own make up, which was really awful (more like a tramp really), but on this photo I basically had to look like a gangster / pimp and I borrowed the pope’s sunglasses (well, the guy who plays the pope anyway). The novel is part of the final studies magazine I’m doing the layout for this week. I might even write an English adaption (that will only take like 30 minutes anyway)… If people want to see it?

Back to studying now… I’ve got an oral exam coming up the 23rd or the day after (I should check) and I have yet to catch up reading. It’s hard with all this football on the telly…

Be good (otherwise I will come get you being the devil in my special clothing and my easily recogniseable and widely spread logo:

Stefan

Sia - The Girl You Lost To Cocaine

I will also post videos I like from time to time… So here’s Sia’s The Girl You Lost To Cocaine, live @ KCRW:

It happens to be written by Turin Brakes, but I didn’t know that when I first heard it… It’s a small world, I guess…

Here I Am Again

Here I am again, I don’t have a plan, to get rid of you but don’t worry: I won’t fail
(The Fly)
Not a very nice message to start my blog again… But still, I figured I should write for my non-Dutch friends :). I’ll try to write at least once a week, but don’t hold your breath… After all… I am already writing in Dutch as well and try to spend time on other sites as well (and I have a life, surprisingly).

What has changed is that I will focus on my life, rather than a potential music career. Although Mischa is releasing an album sometime this year (and I should play a small part on it), I’m FAR too busy now to actually do anything with music (although I did play some songs before the Christmas holiday). I haven’t really written a lot of songs last year… I wrote a lot in 2006, but just one or two songs in 2007. I’m writing a song that could really go somewhere, but it’s not finished yet… I am unhappy with the chorus and it needs another verse. And a title.
So… this is about my life as a student. I study Dutch language & culture… I am taking master courses, although I haven’t actually finished the bachelor part (one subject left). I will have by the end of the Summer though. It will be strange to finish studying by the end of the year. Right now I feel like my life is really taking off… I don’t want this to end yet! Why work already?

So I might as well fully enjoy this year as much as I can. So that’s what I’m currently planning… First of all I’m going to Mischa in Sweden by the end of this month… Mischa was here last week, we had some good times and Pim and me are now going to see where he’s living this year and meet his Swedish friends (of which one is also called Stefan, but he’s no match for the real and cool Stefan - which is me, btw). I’ve never been to Sweden, so it should be a great couple of days.

Then there’s Turin Brakes in London mid-February. There’s some debate over whether I can actually fly to London: new courses are starting the week before and the 2nd week usually proves to be a week of being really busy - for there’s no real structure in the week yet. It could be that I’m swamped with work those days - and there’s the money issue… But then again, it proves to be special - and seated - and Laura’s going too… It should be a great. I like the city of London a lot. It’s a shame London and Sweden follow in such a short time. It could result in some protests from my parents as well :), but I guess that’s what being a student is all about. I’m not one to do impulsive things, I worry too much. I am very good at creating plans (just read down the page for some old blogs), but as soon as I’ve spoken them aloud, the worrying starts.

Still, that’s just my nature and we all have to live with it (mainly me, really, you can choose whether you want to live with it). Sweden and Turin Brakes are just two exciting things coming up, and I suppose I’ll write about them here… Or should I just write about me trying to come up with things to blog? You decide.