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NEWSARCHIVE

Period : August 24 - September 6, 2001
In this issue : Machiavel, Urbanus, Monza, Lunascape, Vanthilt & Cominotto, Ozark Henry, Gore Slut, Paul Michiels

September 6, 2001

MACHIAVEL ANTHOLOGY
One of the few bands that has it's feets of origin firmly planted in the seventies and is still functioning today, is certainly Machiavel. "Functioning" perhaps got to be put in brackets here, as their main output of the last years consists of looking back on their days in the 70's, which made Machiavel by far the most popular (sympho)rock band to come out of Wallonia.
This time, they are releasing a boxed set called Anthology. This double CD contains the usual "Best Of" tracks ("Fly", "Rope Dancer", "Over the Hill" to name a few) that were also included on the "The Very Best Of" of two years ago (which sold 20.000+ copies), but does also contain 23 tracks that were not on that compilation.
To push the fan into purchasing this one, there's plenty of niceties: like a completely new single (called "Heaven's rules" - listen to it at MSN), 4 bonus tracks of bands in which Machiavel-members have been part over the last years (Purple Prose, Twilight, The Responsibles). Other rarities are "Birds are gone" (a demo from 1975) and a live take from their concert in Vorst Nationaal in 1981.

>>> Buy Machiavel "Anthology" at Proxis <<<

THE RICHEST BELGIAN MUSICIANS
According to Mao-Magazine, who did some investigative journalism into the perilous surrounding of the hidden world of "Het Belgisch Staatsblad" (which is the official publication of Belgian law), this is the list of the richest "BV's" (the number behind the names is the revenue of their company, in million Belgian francs):

1. Helmut Lotti - 98
2. Urbanus 81
3. Axelle Red 40
4. Jacques Vermeire 32,5
5. Salvatore Adamo 32
6. Koen Wauters 30
7. Will Tura 28,5
8. Geert Hoste 22
9. Rocco Granata 21,6
10. Marva 21,3

11. Mary Porcelijn 21,2
12. Jan Leyers 20
13. Pat Krimson 18,4
14. Dana Winner 17,7
15. Chris Van den Durpel 14
16. Koen Crucke 12
17. Jo Bogaert (Technotronic) 11
18. Bart Kaëll 10,3
19. Willy Sommers 10
20. Kamagurka 9

Mind you, this list only gives insight into the capital of artists who chose to put their earnings into a company, and a company in Belgium for that matter. Thus, it probably is not exactly a true representation of the picking order in revenue (where's K3, or any other band for that matter, Arno, Maurane ...), but as the magazine rightfully concludes: "if anybody feels they've been left out wrongfully - for example because they have transferred their money to some exotic tax-paradise - they can always concact us to make justice happen."

MONZA LOOKS IN THE EYES OF JENNY
Monza are stepping up the anticipation for their eagerly awaited debut album (title will be "Van God Los"), which has a release date set for October 1st. First there was the news that they are having their album mastered by Howie Weinberg (a mixmaster who did his stuff on recordings of Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More and even Nirvana). The production of the album was done by Jo Francken (who also did most of the Noordkaap stuff)
Secondly there is the new - third - single of the band, that is in the shops as of September 10, called "De Ogen van Jenny". The bikini-filled video for this song (directed by Stijn Meuris himself, who makes for quite a contrast with the said bikini's) can be viewed from the website www.monza.be (windows media player format).
On a somewhat related note was the announcement that Monza musicians Mario Goossens & David Poltrock have now said farewell to touring with Hooverphonic, although these are not showing any signs of ending the Magnificent Tree tour just yet. Their replacements in the live version of are Eric Bosteels on drums & one Remco on keyboards. Hooverphonic are also about to release a new single, the catchy "Jackie Cane", and have taken up the plan to fill Vorst Nationaal (the largest concert hall in Belgium): November 2nd is the date for that.

September 3, 2001

LUNASCAPE BACK ON TRACK WITH B-TRACK
One of the more incomprehensible things in recente Belgian music has been set right: Lunascape have finally found themselves a record label that is willing to put out their debut album. B-Track / Zomba got the honour.
Lunascape is the "ethereal ambient trip-pop music" (sic) band of Kyoko Baertsoen (one a blue monday singer of Hooverphonic, before Geike - and also known as the faerie in the 3D-Movie with Arid "Haunted Castle") and Walter Hilhorst (still not German), who have now recruited the services of Jo Mahieu (guitar), Mirko Banovic (bass) & Didier de Vogelas (drums) for their live-band. The album was first started with Double T / Sony, but the band couldn't publish it with them, although they had been working with producer Ash Howe (Texas, Sinéad O'Connor, Faithless), and already included the impressive songs "Your Shadow" and "Tears from the Moon" (the latter of which was co-written by Rick Nowels, known from his work for Madonna - 3 songs on "Ray of Light" - Mel C, Dido ...).
The album release is only scheduled for January 2002, but there will be a single in the month of October.

MARCEL VANTHILT GOES POETIC
Marcel Vanthilt, despite having celebrated his 44th birthday last week, has found himself a new thing to focus on: poetry. First announced as "Luxemburg", but now under the name "Vanthilt & Comminotto", the hyperkinetic ex-MTV VJ, Arbeid Adelt-singer, TV-chaosboy and multimedia figure, has joined forces with Ad Cominotto (see Arno, or Charles et Les Lulus) to record a CD and put together a theater show called "U nu!" (which means "and now you").
In this theater production, Marcel Vanthilt travels trough the history of dutch-language poetry, to prove that poems can be sexy, whacky, and set to music of today. The project stems from an experiment at De Nachten last year.
From one of the oldest ducht poems "Ghequest ben ick vanbinnen" (which is even the single) to the punk-poems by Johnny the Selfkicker, he has set them to music (piano and soundscapes).
The show "U nu!" will tour (some 35 concerts) in September and October, the first dates being at Zuiderzinnen in Antwerp on September 9, or in Dilbeek on September 21 (which is the première). The tourdates can be found on the site of the label that has put "U Nu!" out on cd, LC Music.

>>> Buy Vanthilt & Cominotto "U Nu!" at Proxis <<<

August 26, 2001

OZARK HENRY's BIRTH MARKS
The only man foolish enough to give two concerts on the same day in the scorching heat of last weekend, - a feature only matched by Walter Grootaers, who managed to ride the 24-hours of Zolder ànd do a Kreuners concert in Mechelen last Sunday - was Piet Goddaer. In the evening, he freaked out with the jazzy Sunzoo Manley, but in the afternoon he gave the first concert in about two years of his better known project Ozark Henry (which is now Dick Descamps on bass, Rik Debruyne on drums, and Stef Catteeuw on guitars).
In the past months, Ozark Henry has been recording a new - third - CD, with the support of the Audrey Riley Octet, an ensemble that has a track record including work for Blur, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.
The release of the album - "Birthmarks" is set for September 10th, but right now, there is already the single "Rescue". You can listen to the full-length version of this song from the Stubru-website (which will be renewed from this Thursday, with a festive opening, including concerts of Mauro, Sioen and ... Ozark Henry).
More about the man & band can soon be found on his - to be opened - website ozarkhenry.com.

>>> Pre-Order Ozark Henry "Birthmarks" at Proxis <<<

August 23, 2001

Melting, melting ... melted.

GORE TURTLES, SLUT GIRL
The antwerp scene isn't exactly oozing with release-activity this year, but luckily Rudy Trouvé has so many bands (Dead Man Ray, Lionell Horowitz, Kiss My Jazz, Cinthya Appleby ...) that there's at least always something coming out from him. This time 'round, its the Gore Slut project (in which he plays together with Jacki Billet, Dirk Belmans & Thomas Noppe) that released a third album, named "Girl + Turtles".
On it, the guitar/drums quartet "perfections" their "clumsy" guitar rock with distorted vocals, with tracks ranging from quite soft to manic (eg the single "Stop") to downright punky ("Freak"). The very Rudy-informed deadbeattown already has the skinny on the CD through an interview with De Morgen.
Somewhat related is the news that was spread at PopKomm last week, namely that Dead Man Ray are about ready to go and record a third album, and that they've even agreed to get a producer in the studio with them: no other than Steve Albini (Big Black, and producer for acts such as The Breeders, Nirvana, Bush) is said to have agreed to do the job.

>>> Buy Gores Slut "Girls + Turtles" for 625 fr. at Proxis <<<

PAUL MICHIELS FOREVER YOUNG?
Although the man is already 52, Paul Michiels is still going strong and sexy (according to those who notice that thing in a bloke). After the success of his two covers with Jan Leyers (his former Soulsister buddy) "Forever Young" (originally by Alphaville) from the Team Spirit soundtrack and "Let Me Be Turned To Stone" (originally in 1968 by the Amercian band The Peddlers), used as the theme-song of the VTM-series "Veel Geluk Professor", he decided to recored an album with nothing on it but covers.
On the album "Forever Young", there is also a new recording of his song "Females", and stuff ranging from Eddie Cochran, Jacques Dutronc ("Et moi et moi et moi" ), Donovan ("Sunshine Superman"), The Wallace Collection ("Daydream" - the current single from the album) or even Dionne Warwick ("Walk on By" ). The album was presented today, in front of an exclusively female audience (with the help of radio Donna).

>>> Buy Paul Michiels "Forever Young" for 793 fr. at Proxis <<<

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