Artist.......: Blues Brother Castro
Album........: Fun
Label........: RaRa
Genre........: Indie
Catnr........: n/a
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Mar-04-2006
str.date.....: Apr-00-2006
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: http://www.bluesbrothercastro.nl
track title time
01. give me (something to dance to) 03:47
02. fun 02:23
03. this is where it all starts getting bigger 03:11
04. climate 02:56
05. dirty works 04:00
06. the tracks 02:34
07. said it so 03:20
08. the lights 03:12
09. bonny 01:47
10. lovesongs 03:06
11. half the fun 05:33
12. planet a 03:25
Runtime 39:14 min
Size 60,7 MB
Release Notes:
Ask lead vocalist Leon Caren why a band that plays
no blues is called Blues Brother Castro and he
laughs. He and fellow guitarist Tjeerd Meindersma
were discussing names for their new band one
morning when their newspaper was delivered. There
on the front page was a picture of Fidel Castro
wearing oversized sunglasses. The caption? Blues
Brother Castro. ôWe were immediately taken by the
name,ö Leon says. ôItÆs contradictoryùas American
as the Blues Brothers and as anti-American as Fidel
Castro.ö
Leon and Tjeerd were already playing music together
in high school, so when the two friends moved to
Amsterdam, starting a band seemed a logical
progression. But it wasnÆt until they ultimately
added bass player Mila van de Wall and drummer Hajo
de Reijger in 2003 that Blues Brother Castro was
complete.
From the beginning, things moved at a velocity
equal to the bandÆs driving sound. Their
self-released EP Flirt was greeted with surprising
enthusiasm by both press and promoters and
suddenly, the word was out. The bandÆs reputation
for their gripping live performances began netting
them prestigious club gigs and coveted invitations
to appear at festivals such as Parkpop, Metropolis
and Werfpop in Holland. Then their first whirlwind
year was capped off with an appearance on the main
stage of AmsterdamÆs infamous rock temple,
Paradiso. Spurred on by all the momentum, Blues
Brother Castro made the bold move to tour Croatia,
prompting them to be featured in the Dutch Music
Magazine Fret. Not bad for an unsigned act.
Not surprising, Flirt was a virtual sell-out with
nary a copy to be found. At that point, Blues
Brother Castro turned to producer Corno Zwetsloot
(Venus Flytrap, Green Hornet) to help them define
the raunchy, energy-laden sound that has become
their trademark and that is fully exploited on
Money Maker Me. This 12-song CD would go on to
become one of the most exciting Dutch releases of
2004. Groningen-based Rara Records subsequently
offered to release the album, and this alliance
signaled a new episode in the careers of both the
band and label.
As was anticipated, Money Maker Me exploded onto
the Dutch music scene and was lauded by the its
press. Reviews began to turn up in national
newspapers, online and in Holland's most respected
music magazines. The band was invited to be a guest
on the renowned Dutch radio program "Club 3voor12ö
and started sharing the stage with such acts as The
Thermals, Mando Diao and Pretty Girls Make Graves.
And not coincidentally, Money Maker Me secured
distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In January, 2005, after giving one of their
trademark performances at the Noorderslag Showcase
Festival, Blues Brother Castro caught the eye of an
American promoter assigned with the task of
scouting bands for the CMJ Music Marathon, held
annually in New York City. Impressed with their
act, an offer was made to perform in the United
States in September. But before making their U.S.
debut, they embarked on a club tour with the
Belgian band Ghinzu, taped a segment for MTV
Europe, which has been shown repeatedly on Dutch
television, and completed a tour of England. After
a final stop in Berlin to perform at PopKomm, the
band turned their sights on America for their CMJ
appearance and a subsequent month-long national
tour. In celebration of the group's U.S. debut,
Rara Records released the North American version of
Money Maker Me, complete with two bonus tracks and
all new packaging. The album hit the college
airwaves at more than 400 stations in support of
the tour, and the American response was
overwhelmingly positive.
But with Blues Brother Castro, it's always about
what's next. At the end of October, they'll begin
recording their sophomore CD with Corno Zwetsloot
producing and engineering once again. At the same
time, the band's single flirt will come out on the
soundtrack of EA Sports' newest soccer video game,
"FIFA '06". The only Dutch act to have music
included in the game, Blues Brother Castro appear
longside such acts as Oasis, Bloc Party, Doves,
Yerba Buena, LCD Soundsystem, and Mando Diao, among
others.
ôBlues is more than just a genre,ö Leon says. ôItÆs
a core element of alternative music. In a way we do
play the blues, just in an energetic, loud, violent
kind of way.ö Now Blues Brother Castro is out to
show the world just how raunchy that can be.