Humble Eyes - Música

Something Interesting Was Happening In The City Of Tilburg The Netherlands During The Early Days Of 2007. A Group Of Friends In This Industrial City Had Grown Up With Hardcore And Punk And Helped That Music Scene Flourish In The First Decade Of The Century. But As The Most Notable Groups Had Disbanded A Year Earlier People Were Regrouping And Starting New Things. The Most Interesting New Initiative Was That Of Joseph Meurs And Chris Blankers. These Two Long-Time Friends Had Left An Impression In The Underground Music Scene With Their Previous Band Restless Youth Releasing An Album That Showed A Dynamic Combination Of Hardcore Punk And 70’s Rock. Their New Project Promised To Be A Comprehensive Continuation Of That. One Afternoon During The Summer Of 2007 I Was Talking To My Friend Ries Doms About How Inspiring All These New Musical Collaborations Were. “Indeed” He Said. “But Why Have None Of These Bands Asked Me?” Over The Previous Years Ries Had Been Making A Name For Himself Playing Drums For Bands Such As Bars The Spades Powervice And Most Recently The Hydromatics. But As The Rise Of Powervice Came To A Rather Sudden Halt And The Hydro’s Were More Of A Touring Project Ries Was Temporarily Left Without A Steady Band. It Frustrated Him Especially Since Chris And Joseph Were Still Without A Drummer. Ries Had Gained A Reputation As A Formidable Drummer But Also A Determined One With High Standards That Demanded Everyone In The Band To Give More Than A Hundred Percent. Because Of This Chris And Joseph Were Hesitant Of Asking Him To Join. “He’s Never Going To Do It” Joseph Told Me When I Suggested They Should Ask Ries. “I Think You Better Give Him A Call” I Replied. Few Days Later The Three Of Them Had Written Their First Song Together. The Following Months Were Spent Writing More New Material And Soon A Unique Fusion Of Eclectic Influences Began To Take Shape. During The Earliest Jam-Sessions Chris And Joseph Had Already Developed A Raw Sound -Not Dissimilar To The Wipers- With Hints Of The Psychedelia Of The Late 60’s. Ries’ New Input Brought Influences By Groups Such As Captain Beyond And Vanilla Fudge To The Table. In Januari 2008 The Results Of Both Combined Were Brought Into Burning Ear Studio In Essen Germany Where Paul Grace Smith Helped The Band To Record Five Tracks. These Were Later Mixed And Mastered By Pieter Kloos Known From His Work With Motorpsycho Amongst Others. Now These Five Haunting Melancholic And Mystifying Yet Vibrant And Vigorous Compositions Mark The Birth Of Hooghwater. A Band That Sounds Turbulent And Unconventional But Also Serene And Evocative At Times. Now I Know That Superlatives Are A Liner-Note Writers Stock Of Trade. And Consequently Over-Complementary Remarks In Liner-Notes Such As These Have Become Quite Meaningless. So I Propose That You The Listener Play These Tracks Loud And Let The Music Speak For Itself. But Let Me End By Saying That From The Moment I Was First Introduced To These Songs I Have Been Convinced That I Witnessed The Start Of A Unique Group Whose Musical Waves Will Be Breaking Through The Levees Of Rock Music For Years To Come. -Erik Van Hest 2008 read less