On May 29 is was finally the time; the fourth edition of Hoorn Rock ‘n’ Roll SUNday.
Many have already been looking forward to this event and not without a reason; it was promised to be a great line-up of bands.
The Baboons
Because the festival was in my hometown and I didn’t have to travel, we decided to visit the oldtimerfestival in De Goorn first (10 minutes drive from Hoorn), as a kind of a pre-party.
Dee-Ann and her Nightcaptains we’re playing here; always very pleasant and nice to get into the mood for later that afternoon. Unfortunately the weather was not so nice, so a frantic crowd was far away …
Back in Hoorn we went well prepared, with a tight schedule, on the move.
The intention was to start at The Baboons from Belgium, but because they had some delays, they had to fit all the equipment and sound check as well. Waste of time to wait, quickly to the next band: Miss Mary Ann & the Ragtime Wranglers. They played in one of the biggest cafes in Hoorn, yet it was already very busy and the atmosphere was great.
Miss Mary Ann is founder of the vocal duet The Ranch Girls, she toured solo a lot, but now she is playing with her backgroundband The Ragtime Wranglers. They play a lot of country and swing (influences from the 40’s), including many of her own songs, but you get goose bumps anyway. She has a wonderful, special voice and she knows how to win the audience for her.
The next band we wanted to see was Kieron McDonald, a very special combo consisting of Kieron McDonald from Australia; he was the frontman of the band The Flatfoot Shakers from Melbourne (he also has a lot of gigs with his band The Roundup Boys). The other Flatfoot Shaker is Carl Baker and the other band members come from the Netherlands, Rolf Hartogs and Jan van Leeuwen (both certainly not unknown in the Rockabilly scene). They knew how to keep a good atmosphere with a very catchy rockabilly rhythm, and some country songs, very nice and recognizable.
For a bit louder and wilder we went to see Ben Cooper. He don’t need any further introduction, former bandmember of the English neo-rockabilly band Restless (check the interview with Ben earlier on this website https://www.karto.nl/?p=6103#more-6103). It was very nice to see him perform, very enthusiastic and the Restless-influences were very clear (it felt like going back twenty years in time).
Time to go back to The Baboons, a youngtrockabilly combo from Belgium, also previously interviewed https://www.karto.nl/?p=4421#more-4421.
They played at Rock ‘n’ Roll Sunday two years ago and it’s not so surprising, that they are asked to play again. Very good musicians with an incredible dose of commitment and enthusiasm. It turned out that even far after “closing hour” they kept on playing; the public could not get enough. Check the website soon, for an upcoming review of their latest CD.
Chilli
The next band on our program was Chilli and the Baracudas, a Rockabilly combo with a powerful female voice and a unique backing band from Austria. They started in 2003 and did several gigs in Austria and abroad. On their setlist you’ll find covers (Johnny Cash, Billy Lee Riley, etc.) as well as a punch of self written songs. After a little change in the band, Chilli’s talented brother is now playing the double bass, they’re back with good RockaChilli music!
With the band The Hi-Faluters (https://www.karto.nl/?p=3932#more-39320it was also a pleasant coming and going of people. A combo from the Netherlands and as they call it “Honky Tonkin’ Rockin’ Rollin’ Rompin’ Stompin’ Hillbilly music”. And that is true defined.
They have already played at big festivals in France, Italy, Germany, England and of course the Netherlands and this experience you can really hear.
We would also like to stop by The Custom Made Trio (also from the Netherlands https://www.karto.nl/?p=1474#more-1474) a very enthusiastic trio with a traditional sound. They play a lot of songs from the great Sun-heroes Elvis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash but also songs from the 80’s like The Stray Cats and Crazy Cavan. “Unfortunately” they have become so popular and the cafe was a little too small for the crowd, so it was impossible for us to get in, so we enjoyed their music outside.
Our last band of the evening, time flies when you’re having fun, was Jake Calypso and his Red Hot, but this was also the hit of the day (at least for us). Jake (his real name is Hervé Loison) has been playing Rock ‘n Roll for a long time, but has recently founded this band. With this trio from France he plays firm rockabilly (mostly self-composed songs) with a real authentic sound, partly because of Jake his Gretch guitar and the special speakers.
Jake Calypso
What is especially great, is the incredible enthusiasm of the band and especially the charismatic Jake; he gets everyone so far to dance and sing along with him. The pub owner knew that these French men have been passing by, because the bar was much taken up with Jake, who managed to show his skills on top. Jake has promised soon to do an interview for us, so stay tuned.
Unfortunately it is impossible to visit all 19 bands, there is too little time, but it’s obvious that this festival is a great success, shown by the number of visitors from home and abroad. Hoorn is clearly rockin’ capitol of the lowlands! See you all next year.
