Just phone me.FEATURED TRACK: 08. "Heels Over Head"

Ah yes - a happy song. A love song, even. Who knew. Arguably the most cheerful track on an otherwise rather brooding album, Heels Over Head is a personal account of being down and out and then finding someone who actually likes you.

Wolkenvelden - Heels Over Head (2.2MB MP3)

So you go about your business, you roll with the punches and stumble through the daily grind, and then you run into someone and bam, your world goes arse-about-face in an instant. No matter which way you slice it, meeting someone new is always going to throw you off kilter for some time. Blatantly stealing Respectfully borrowing a few lines from The Smiths' A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours, this song embodies a universally recognisable dilemma: an intense fear to commit on the one hand, versus an intense desire to connect with someone on the other. In other words: don't mention love, just phone me.

Testing, one two... is this thing on?

Hee, bedankt allemaal voor de steun gisteravond bij Open Mic!



Ron van Varik of popfotograaf.nl has more photos. Thanks Ron.

UPDATE:
Here are some MP3s from Wolkenvelden's first ever performance (and an all-acoustic one at that) at Open Mic, last Friday:

Birds Fly (5.1MB MP3)
Escape Velocity (4.8MB MP3)
Big Apple Big Deal (4.1MB MP3)

It's a bit rough around the edges, but what would you expect from a first ever gig after only 4 hours of band practice! We had a blast though, thanks all for coming.

Facts of life.FEATURED TRACK: 03. "Birds Fly"

This week's featured track:

Wolkenvelden - Birds Fly (5.2MB MP3)

Whatever seems simple now you've had to learn at some point: we've all been through those periods of confused struggle before experiencing that ultra-satisfying mental click, that sudden a-ha!: "So that's where babies come from!", "Hey! It's just my uncle wearing a red robe and hat bringing all these presents!", or "Oh, so the Internet is more than just porn!"

Well, something I learnt in recent history was that our feathered little friends, you know, birds, they have wings. I understand if it makes you jealous - me too. But they, if they don't like being where they are, they can just up and fly.

See? I told you it would seem simple. Took years for me to figure out that one. I mean, what would you do if you had wings?

Habemus Paulum.

So, the big Wolkenvelden debut performance is this Friday - it's part of the Open Mic night so that means only a couple of songs, but a milestone nonetheless, and an evening not to miss. I asked a couple of friends to accompany yours truly on bass & drums, and we were set, it seemed, to head into practice this afternoon.

This morning, disaster struck: the Wolkenvelden drummer-to-be apparently got sick and will probably be unable to make it this Friday. No drummer? Bummer. And not just for me, as two other bands which are playing the Open Mic (and for which he is the regular drummer) are now stuck without a sticksman as well.

So after a brief moment of panic I had a little conclave of my own with my phone, and guess what - I found someone willing to beat the skins Friday night. And guess what, he found time to come and practice! On such short notice! And guess what, his name is Paul! One can never have too many Pauls in one's band. As friend, genius and bass player (behold him in the flesh Friday) Bruno pointed out, Wolkenvelden now holds a Paul-squared: Paul², indeed. With every added Paul the power of Paulness multiplies itself to the power of... well, you get the idea.

So come Friday, haul yo' ass over to de Boerderij for a night of acoustic goodness that will r0x0rs your b0x0rs, as the kids say.

What songs I will play Friday? Oh, you'll just have to come and see. All I can say is that they have something to do with ornithology, astrophysics and punctuation, respectively; and, more to the point, they all have to do with love and disaster. Of course. Plus, little birds tell me that a full-length show in the same venue is underway soon, so keep your ears peeled.

A Marc o' character.

And who said that nobody would give you money over the Internets for something you provided for free to begin with? I would label this a clear case of The System 0, my system 1.

It's quite simple: if you like cds (and who doesn't) then get a copy of my new album "Apostrophes & Catastrophes" at a show, or order one from this site. If you just wanna hear the music, now, then do not pass Go, but head straight for the download section and get the entire thing for nada de pesos, non-quid pro quo, zero f-ing euros, gratis de la free. And if then you decide you like the stuff - hey, feel free to send me some dough.

Me, I'm no Jason Kottke - I just want you to hear my music, and would appreciate it if you want to chip in to help cover the cost. Don't think I'm making any money here anytime soon - I'm nowhere near the break-even point.

What I'm trying to get at: this site has been up for only a couple of days, and today I got home pleased to see that people are actually already clicking the "Donate" button. For which I thank you, and especially my old friend (and fan!) Marco for his contribution. Cheers!

P.S. You guys need to e-mail me more. How am I supposed to create a decent FAQ without your burning questions? I know how they burn, I can see the smoke from here. E-mail me (NL or English, as always). Anonimity guaranteed. And I won't laugh. Ever. Promise.

Let them eat cake.FEATURED TRACK: 07. "Single Quotes"

Here it is: the very first Track of the Week. Free for y'all to download, that's free as in beer or exactly zero euros:

Wolkenvelden - Single Quotes (5MB MP3)

As might be expected, this little adventure is accompanied by an easy-as-pie three step plan:

1) Download the track and, while you're at it, the rest of 'em as well.

2) Spread the word! Put it on your friend's MP3 player (whether they want you to or not), play it on your local radio station 'til the cows come home, or just burn a couple of copies to CD and leave them on some random benches in your local park. Whatever's your style; you're the opinion leader. The only rule is: like it? Then make sure as many people as possible get to hear it too.

3) Please, tell me what you think! I'm not easily offended; however, I'm very easily amused. So don't be afraid.

Oh yeah, I'd almost forget: I intend for this to be a weekly recurring thing where I post the MP3 of one of the album's tracks along with a little blurb describing what the song is about, or a little useless fact of some sort. All the tracks can be downloaded now anyway, so that's not the point, but this allows me to capitalise on my own hype a bit more - see, I'm honest like that. So here goes:

Some time after breaking up with my old girlfriend, I got involved with a girl whose name differed from my ex's by only two letters. Not necessarily a problem, but (if you're anything like me) a good source of paranoia: what if I were to dial the wrong number by accident? I tried to minimise the chance of an awkward phone call by putting an apostrophe in front of my ex's entry in my mobile's phone book. Funny, I thought, how symbolism can be found in something as mundane as a punctuation mark. So I built upon the real-life story, and it became Single Quotes, a song about love and punctuation (partly inspiring the album's title) and about my many vain attempts in placing dots over every "i".

NL readers: wonder what the fuss is all about? Come figure out yourself on Friday April 22 at de Boerderij! No cover charge, it's all free like mp3. Also, feedback is incredibly welcome, in Dutch or English, as goes without saying.

He's got away with words.

Ever had someone tell you that kids nowadays don't read anymore? Well, here's your chance to make a stand for literacy: the lyrics to Apostrophes & Catastrophes are now available. Word for word.

WORDS

The author recommends you read them in slowly in a nice hot bath in order to let them sink in well. Just make sure you don't sink yourself.

Seriously though, relax - this won't be on the test. But go get that music now!