Ask
lead vocalist Leon Caren about the idea behind the title of the new
Blues Brother Castro album ‘FUN’ and he sarcastically answers
“Modern Life is fun, right?”
The
catchphrase off the titel track ‘Just because it’s fun,
doesn’t mean you have to do it’, certainly leaves room for
interpretation. Fact is, where their first CD Moneymakerme (2016)
almost exclusively dealt with life as seen through the alcoholically
tainted specs of
boisterous frontman Leon Caren, now it is time for a little
'contemplation' and - let's say - 'distance.'
Conspicuously
labeled as 'alternative rock' (the way the indication of the genre
was originally meant), Blues Brother Castro is as indie as indie
could ever be. If rock was intended to be the anti culture, then
this lot comes closest. Fun sounds like the definition of
recalcitrance, but even in this there are various grades. Fun is
different, and not only lyrically.
The
intensity that the word 'blues' in the band name refers to is
comparable only to that of the legendary Gun Club or Jon Spencer,
and has remained fully intact.
The music itself is also strikingly less one-dimensional than
before. 'Sonically speaking, we were like a somewhat musty grey line
on our previous album,' Caren analyses. 'On our new CD we've tried
to give the songs a little more air, while also acknowledging that
the songs have become more staccato in nature.'
Early reviews have been quick to point out that the mission
has been accomplished, with much consideration being given to the
improved dynamics. One
could say that on Fun, the line segments have begun to take shape.
'Fun
is also more of a band album than its predecessor. We went through
more of the process together,' In the past, he and guitarist Tjeerd
Meindersma wrote the songs and then brought them to the rhythm
section. During the Fun
sessions, drummer Hajo De Reijger and bassist Mila Van De Wall were
involved early on and throughout.
Bass and drums are clearly more prevalent this time around,
and have a bolder influence on the shape of the albums sound.
The
fun on Fun is of a totally different variety than, say,
the Fun, Fun, Fun of The Beach Boys. In an effort to explain
Fun's subject matter, Caren adds, 'These songs are deeply rooted in
modern life, finished off with a solid dose of sheer cynicism. It's
more than just alcohol and relationships. Fun is definitely
multi-layered.'
That
layering is due in large part to the bands recent touring schedule.
In the wake of their 2005 appearances at Popkomm and New
York's CMJ Music Marathon, Blues Brother Castro toured the US for a
month last Autumn. Then,
when the band was invited to play the prestigious SXSW Showcase in
Austin, TX, they saddled up and did another three weeks in the
States in early Spring. Now
road-tested and ready to promote the long-awaited new album at home,
the band has just finished a lengthy domestic tour in June, and will
sprinkle the calendar with dates in Germany, England, Spain and
possibly other European countries.
An international tour is also being planned for later in the
year with scheduled stops in Amsterdam, London, Paris, Berlin and
New York.
Just
because it's fun...
Line-up:
Leon
Caren guitar,
vocals
Tjeerd
Meindersma guitar
Mila
van de Wall bass,
vocals
Hajo
de Reijger
drums
Discography
:
2006 Album Fun
(Rara Records)
2016
Album Money Maker Me
(Rara Records)
2015
EP Flirt
(Silent Minority)
Highlights:
2016 Essent Award
2005 CMJ Music Marathon, NYC
2005 Popkomm, Berlin
2005 First and only Dutch band included on the popular video game
FIFA '06 (EA Sports)
2006
SXSW Showcase, Austin TX
Quotes:
"Perhaps
THE most underattended show at SXSW..."
- CrazyTalk.Org SXSW Review
"My personal discovery of this year..."
- SXSW Review, Mtv2 (U.K.) Message Board
"...mind-blowing show..."
- Dutchsound.NL
"...this quartet fuses sex, whiskey, angst, and wit into a
fluidly raw, loud and
energetic set that will have you wish, wish, wishing they would
either stay on
the local music scene so you could hear them again and again, or
wishing they
would stay the night for entirely different reasons."
- Whoopsy Magazine, Austin TX
"Amsterdam's Blues Brother Castro invoke the manic energy of
McLusky, where
lines like 'Baby, my life's on fire' sound like recordings from the
911
dispatcher..."
- The Stranger, Seattle WA
"...their tightly coiled, angular rock brings things back to a
simmer as often
as they explode."
- The Mercury, Portland OR
"Blues Brother Castro picks up where the solid, driving rock
bands of the 90s
--like Nirvana -- left off. The mild-mannered and soft-spoken Dutch
group take
it up several notches when behind their respective instruments and
seriously
know how to rock."
- Volume of Silence, Chicago IL
"They have received great reviews in their homeland of Holland,
and when you
listen to this album you'll know why. This album is pure
energy!"
- Advanced Alternative Media, New York
"At times it is unabashedly abrasive (i.e.. "Good
Enough"), but when the band
finds hooks and catchy tunes to mix into the frantic intensity (for
instance on
"Dress" and "Want To"), MoneyMakerMe shows the
potential to make Blues Brother
Castro more of a household name on this side of the Atlantic."
- Pop Culture Press, Austin TX
"Between the vocal interplay, the searing guitar work, and the
in-your-face
approach to rock ?n? roll, Blues Brother Castro is a fun and moving
addition to your collection."
- Playback Magazine, St. Louis
13
September 2006
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