NIEUWSARCHIEF

Periode : 5-12 februari 2001
In dit deel : Guido Belcanto, De Mens, Wicona Airbag, Ferre Grignard, Kadril, Blue Blot, Starflam, Neeka, Fred & The Healers

February 12, 2001

Tonight at 21:00, tune your browser in to Planet Internet, as this year's ZAMU Awards will be broadcasted live on the net from the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The bands on stage still remain a secret, only a performance by the heavily nominated Hooverphonic was confirmed by the organizing S.E.M.

GUIDO BELCANTO POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL
At least, that is the title of Guido Belcanto's new programme that premiered last Saturday in Turnhout: "Van den Duivel bezeten".
In it, the singer "explore the duality between gladness & sadness, between lust for life and weariness of life, between chastity & sin, between comedy & drama, between woman & man". According to the press-release this make Gudio Belcanto "shamelessness in the flesh, by far the biggest exhibitionist & eccentric of all chansonniers".
On a related note, there's also a new Guido Belcanto single, called "sinds jij uit mijn bestaan verdween" (since you got out of my life).
The dates & more info about the show can be picked up at Garifuna.

DE MENS ARRIVES SHORTLY
At least that's what Frank van der Linden & Co promise with the title of the brand new single "Ergens onderweg" (somewhere on the road). The single is the first precursor to what will shortly become a new full-cd of De Mens. The CD will be entitled "Liefde" (Love) and will be released near the end of this month. Guest appearances on the cd came from Tiene Reymer (of Flowers for Breakfast, who sung a duet "Denk je nog aan mij") or Steven de Bruyn (of El Fish).
The band - with guest, such as Luc de Vos of Gorki - will be presenting the new album on two concerts in the club of the AB in Brussels on the 22nd & 23rd of February, but both occasions are already sold out.
Later dates can be found on the newly opened website, demens.be.

HARALD VANHERF BECOMES WICONA AIRBAG
Harald Vanherf, possibly that name rings a bell, but the chance is slim as he was the singer of the Hoodoo Club (Who? Exactly! A shamefully underestimated and unrecognized band ...) has found new life after last year's split of his band.
The new outfit sports the name Wicona Airbag, and has made it's debut in grand style with a full-cd, entitled "Up with People" (btw : although "up with people" are not so "up" no more).
The cd was produced by Geoffrey Burton (Arno, Pieter-Jan de Smet), and is being released on the commercian Roadrunner-Arcade Music. The drums on the album are done by Mario Goossens, as if he wasn't busy enough with Monza, Hooverphonic, Trigger Finger ...
As the record company says "we could name Wicona Airbab country, and we wouldn't have to lie about that. We could also refer to Nine Inch Nails, and we wouldn't have to blush. But as it fits a good debut and a daily Vanherf, you can't pin it down on one thing".
Buy "Up with People" by Wicona Airbag at Proxis

February 8 , 2001

K's Choice live op MSN France
K's Choice are still touring to promote the fine album "Almost Happy" all over Europe, and in doing so will be netcasting a gig in Paris, tonight. The concert will be an invitation-only thing in Paris, organised by Microsoft France. The webcast on MSN starts at 9, but K's Choice isn't on until 10:30.
Sarah, who is sporting a "coupe skinhead" these days, is also the host of the new website that's being opened by Kanaal 2.

Ferre Grignard on display in Antwerp.
Just as last year, Antwerp is remembering their beatnik star from the sixties with a fine exhitibition about his life and works. It features memorabilia and pictures from throughout his musical career, but also focuses on his lesser known painting abilities (especially poignant in the works from his last months, when the singer was diagnosed with throat cancer and started painting in his hospital in Antwerp). To be seen ... Place : Provinciaal Centrum Arenberg, Antwerp. Info : 03/202.46.38.

Kadril en route
Kadril, the folkrock-group that was started by the brothers Libbrecht exactly 25 years ago, will be celebrating that "silver" number with some festivities in the Fall of this year. There will be a "Best Of Kadril", and a tour that will reunite the band and their new singer Eva with the singer that brought them the most fame, Patrick Riguelle.
As Laïs has found their own backing band in the meantime, the musicians of Kadril have found a new female band (a sextet this time) to back : the Galician polyfonists Ialma. The two bands will go on tour together from March on.

Blue Blot lives again
Blue Blot are not contenting themselves with a one time reunion to promote the release of the "Best of Blunk", but are getting more ambitious again. They have found a new singer in Tony O'Malley, a Brit who has been singing for over 30 years and moved to Belgium a few years ago. The rest of the current line-up is still mostly "original", with Marty Townsend on guitar, Jan Meyers on bass, Michael Schack on drums, Carlo Mertens on trombone, Peter van Bogaert on Hammond, Frank Deruytter on sax, Catherine Meys on backing vocals.
The first concert (but there'll be more) of the reunited Blue Blot is on February 14, in Cultureel Centrum Deurne. Info 03/360.85.65.

Boutique Rock in Brussels
When even Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad is headlining "En Wallonië is de winnaar" ("Wallonia wins") above an article with a batch of cd-reviews, there's definitely something moving on the musical scenes in the South of Belgium. To emphasize that new-found momentum, the French Community is organizing a showcase of all the rock-bands that have recently released an album or will be releasing one very soon. They have invited over 1600 people from the music bizz from Belgium and abroad to attend concerts on six seperate days at Flanagan's in Brussels.
13/2 Zop Hop Hop, Melon Galia, Tongue, Electro: Lux
14/2 Sharko, Mudflow, Clover's Cloé
15/2 Lenght Of Time, Darkangel, D.O.D., L'esprit du Clan
16/2 Ghinzu, 10 000 Women Man, Fantomas Pop, Llama Farmers
17/2 Miam Monster Miam, Flexa Lyndo, Grand Piano, Wide Open Cage
18/2 Vanilla Coke, Moxie, Monsoon
More info : 02/511.80.85

Starflam still survivant
After their deal with Universal was getting them nowhere but in very long arguments, Starflam have moved on to Capitol (EMI) where they'll finally be able to release "Survivant". The album features guest-vocals by such people as Marie Daulne of Zap Mama, Arno, Shyrock (of the Dutch Postmen), Uman, Profecy ... It was mixed by Mario Rodriguez (who has done work with Notorious B.I.G.,Mobb deep ...) in New York.
The vinyl version (2LP) will be released on March 6th, with the CD-version can be expected two weeks after.

Other rap-related news is that St-Andries MC's have got a title for their new cd: "Operatie Afzuip", and that there's a new sound in Liège coming from rapper Mata, who has released the maxi "The Man" and made a fine website to promote it at www.mata-theman.com

Tom Robinson & Neeka
There's a saying in Flanders "an old goat stil fancies a green leaf", and hey, there you have it ... Tom Robinson (English rocker, best known songs 2-4-6-8 Motorway, Listen to the radio ...) is touring Belgium with the young female singer Neeka. The link between them came about when they were both signed by the label Oyster Records, although that label is no longer.
Dates for the tour in February & March are up at the Tom Robinson site.

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