Kracq are:
Jos Hustings (JH)
Twan van der Heijden
(TVDH)
Cees Michielsen (CM)
Bert Vermijs (BV)
GR: Can you give us a
biographical account of how the band first started, and lead us through its
major milestones up until its dissolution?
KRACQ: Twan and Cees
searched for a keyboard player and met Bert. They formed King’s Ransom. Around
the same time Jos (aka Carmine Queen) was up to something new and placed an
advertisement in OOR that he was looking for musicians. Bert came to visit and
the rehearsal was love at first sight. After a few more than successful
rehearsals and reassuringly well received live gigs, we decided to go for an
album that was going to be published by the foundation Jos was involved with
(Pop Promotion Foundation). We concentrated fully on the album and when it was
released we set the sails for Britain because we had the feeling that we were
more than a Dutch Band and we proved right. We had a very good review in the
Sounds magazine and from there the album was soon sold out in England and the
United States. Because Cees decided to move to England we did a final concert
and after that the band broke up.
GR: What does the
band name stand for, and how did you come up with the album’s name?
KRACQ: The band’s
name came from the first letters of the bands that we were in before: King’s
Ransom and Carmine Queen. I don’t recall how we came up with the title for the
album.
GR: Which route did
you follow mostly in the composition process? Music first and then lyrics or
vice versa?
JH: Compositions
usually follow the process of having this idea in my head about wanting to
write about some event or idea, grab the guitar or piano and start playing
while the words gradually come forward. As soon as the composition is finished
I finalize the lyrics.
BV: Music ideas are
the most important, so these are written first.
GR: Your lyrics appear to touch various topics, from interpersonal matters, emotions, up to social criticism. Yet, they are couched in quite poetic terms throughout. Are they intended as an emotive enhancement of your music? Are lyrics important for prog rock?
JH: In my opinion
lyrics are only necessary as an extra means to convey an idea. Sometimes music
alone is sufficient. I like a combination of words and music to flesh out
ideas. And I simply like the poetic side of lyrics, it suggests so much more
than the bare words would. I don’t see myself as a poet, though. I’m not that
good with words.
GR: In which bands
did Kracq’s members play prior to the brand’s formation? With which genres did
you engage prior to forming Kracq?
JH: I played in
several bands, high school bands mainly, like Psychedelic Reaction, Artificial
Renascence and Φοινιξ. The music ranged from Byrds-like songs to early Pink
Floyd-like songs and alternative pop. Because of my ever growing hunger to
discover new musical areas I formed the ‘band’ Carmine Queen as a way of having
others perform my musical projects. The name Carmine Queen was chosen with a
hint to King Crimson, not because of the music, but because King Crimson hosted
so many musicians and was led by the one and only Robert Fripp. As Carmine
Queen, I wrote a lot of instrumental, sometimes experimental music and a lot of
material that still hasn’t been published or performed.
TVDH: I played in a classic-rock
cover band where I learned to play the bass guitar. I played with that band
about 70 gigs (1973-1975). After that mostly did jam sessions with a lot of musicians.
I met Cees during those sessions and soon after that Bert!
CM: School bands mainly
BV: 1974- Dionys: improvisation
1974- K.U.T.: prog
rock
1976- Na’migi: symfonic/prog rock
1977- King’s Ransom: symfonic/improvisation
GR: What music genres
and artists were on top of your music charts in the early to mid 70s?
JH: Early Pink Floyd,
King Crimson, The Byrds, The Move, Soft Machine, Henry Cow, Caravan, Hatfield
& the North, Silver Apples, Van der Graaf Generator, Richard Strauss,
Ligeti, Pierre Henry.
TVDH: Symphonic and experimental rock like
Yes, King Crimson and Frank Zappa
Bert: King Crimson, ELP, Yes, Soft Macine, Gentle
Giant, Ravel, Bartol, Bach
GR: Kracq’s sound is
quite unique, accommodating various genres under its umbrella, from classical,
to avantgarde, to electronics. Who is responsible for bringing what into your
sound?
JH: That is hard to
say, I really want to believe that the sound was made by all of us. Of course
Bert and I both had our classical music influences. But apart from that…
GR: Did you approach
any major labels prior to releasing your album as a private pressing? If yes,
what was the response?
JH: No we never did.
GR: Tell us a few
words about the fantastic cover of your album. Is there a specific meaning
behind it? Perhaps an indirect reference to surveillance society? Or a visual
statement that your album is an introspective, self-reflexive journey?
JH: …
GR: Some people have
drawn parallels between Supersister and Kracq, although claiming that
Supersister had a uniform sound throughout their releases would be a massive
error, given the versatility of their compositions. Did you ever look up to
Supersister for inspiration or even success, given their relative standing in
the Dutch prog establishment? Were you personally acquainted with them at that
time?
JH: We never had any
awareness of Supersister, and therefore we had no personal contact. You might
say that we were a very autistic band J
GR: Which other bands
from Holland and abroad were you affiliated and/or performed with live?
Other artists in UAP’s repertoire (e.g. Sustain)?
JH: We never
performed with any other band except during a presentation of the U.A.P.
artists. This was one of the reasons we asked Sam Samshuijzen and Richard Davis
to contribute to our album.
GR: Although you only
played a handful of live shows, can you describe the atmosphere in terms of
audience, participation, duration and how it felt after each show?
JH: The audience was
definitely enthusiastic, there was an atmosphere of relaxation and utmost
acceptance of even our improvisations. It was always a wonderful experience
with heartwarming reactions.
GR: Why did you
disband after a successful first album release (at least for a newcomer
underground band)? Weren’t you approached by major labels? Didn’t you aspire to
a career as performing and recording artists?
JH: Cees’ moving to
England was the only reason we disbanded. I think we couldn’t find a proper
replacement for Cees. It is very much so that the chemistry of the 4 of us was
intense. Couldn’t be revived with other musicians. If Cees hadn’t left we would
have proceeded, there was already new material waiting.
We were never
approached by a major label other than distributing the album (Recommended
Records was one of them).
GR: Have you been
keeping touch with contemporary prog? Any bands that stand out according to
your taste? How about new crossover genres, such as prog/symphonic metal? Bands
like Carach Angren?
JH: I still listen to
prog music. King Crimson is still one of my favorites. I like to listen to Centipede,
Keith Tippett, Fred Frith and other former members of Henry Cow. Death/black
metal has never been my cup of tea, but I must say Carach Angren makes me
smile. They are funny.
GR: Tell us a few
words about your side project Persephony, also on UAP. Although occasionally it
is tagged as ‘folk’, the band appears to be closer to a theatrical performance,
an act that might be encountered in East Village (NY). How would you position
Persephony, and what was the artistic vision behind them?
JH: Persephony was
not so much my project. I contributed, musically also, but mainly in making the
project possible. Dolph (LP) was a friend with whom I started Polumnia, a
virtual publisher of music, literature and art. Though we had a different
approach on how to dwell on life and its meaning(lessness) we both welcomed
humor as a necessary part of our creative attempts and that’s what made us
friends. We are still in touch, as he’s living in Tokyo at the moment we don’t
see each other as frequently as we did while he lived in Paris.
I think the
description in Andersen’s Scented Gardens of the Mind is very appropriate.
I would like to
position Persephony as ‘phony per se’. But of course Dolph could disagree. After
all it’s his project. And I liked very much being a very small part of it.
GR: By the mid 70s,
the earlier experimentation had given place to less free-form genres such as
punk. Would you say that by the time Kracq appeared, interest in experimental
and prog music had waned in favor of other genres?
JH: One of our
friends in those days, and yet a fan of our music, played a kind of punk. I
think it was a refreshing way to make music. I think the audience for
progressive music was always very small and limited. When I first heard the
Piper at the Gates of Dawn there was only one friend I could share it with.
Same goes for the early Mothers of Invention. Most of the people around me were
still in their Beatles/Rolling Stones period. To my knowledge punk did not push
experimental music away. It was just harder to find, because new bands emerged
every day and the scene grew accordingly.
Twan definitely
thinks a Yes!
GR: The 70s prog and
psychedelic Dutch underground was characterized by the lack of a
characteristic, dominant sound (as may be said, for example, for Spanish
Flamenco rock or Italian neoclassical progressive). Where do you think this
versatility is attributed to?
JH: Probably the
Dutch culture didn’t let itself be converted to pop culture as easily. Given
the taste for tearjerkers and so on. The rich musical history of Spain and
Italy is so different that it’s almost inevitable that groups like Carmen or
Premiata Forneria Marconi emerged. But to be honest, I really have no idea. I
never felt any kinship with Dutch culture.
GR: Over the past 10
years, there has been a massive global upsurge and interest in prog rock, while
newer generations become ever more appreciative of the sound that was developed
in the 70s, in all its magnificent versatility. To what cultural and
technological factors would you attribute this trend (e.g. free availability of
and access to previously considered obscure acts whose music was available
within a closed circle; the current effervescence in cross-genre musical
experimentation, etc.)? This rekindling of interest has also resulted in many bands
reuniting and even releasing new material. Would this be something you might be
keen on pursuing, even as a once-off live reunion?
JH: The younger
people I meet are not very much into the mainstream music that is being made.
Of course Imagine Dragons is an exception (I must say I like that band very
much) and lately Boy & Bear are very popular, but they also know they have
a crunch for music that ‘sounds’ older. I really don’t know why. Does it give
them a sense of depth in the otherwise flat and global desert culture is
becoming?
The fact that music
is so easily accessible these days may contribute to the vast knowledge young
people can build up, but I don’t see how it could possibly turn them into prog
lovers.
Bert is not very
enthusiastic about a reunion of any kind. If something would come up, though,
like an invitation for a special occasion, I still wouldn’t believe it
impossible.
GR: Your individual musical
careers have progressed ever since the Kracq days. Can you give us a timeline
with major milestones in terms of recordings, collaborations, live appearances?
Highlights and best moments? How about the rest of the band members?
Jos Hustings
1979 Recording
improvisational music under the name of Kracq (Bert, Jos and Charlot Rutten),
published on CD-R as Beautiful
sun-forever lost?
1979-1989: composing
pieces for events
1986 Spiral Motion
Project: a multi-media project for which I wrote all songs, that I recorded in occasional collaboration with Bert and Twan.
1989-1994: A period
of depression following the sudden collapse of Spiral Motion
1994-2003: Home
recording of the songs written during the first three bands, published only Renascent Phenomenonas Φοινιξ.
2002 Improvisation
with Sam Samshuijzen, to be published as part of In the company of Elektra, probably 2022
2003 A KRACQ reunion
(a one-time performance during the wedding anniversary of Bert and his wife
Marloes) coinciding with the release of Circumvision
on CD
2003-2016 writing and
rewriting ‘classical’ pieces
2017 Carmine Queen
rising from its ashes as a Φοινιξ would. Recreating the former Carmine Queen as
a collective, gathering young musicians to perform a compilation of CQ songs,
resulting in
2020 streaming
publication of Compulsive Compilation
2021 publication of
CD Compulsive Compilation
Working on the next
project Remasters (the earliest
songs) slowly working our way up to the latest compositions.
Twan van der Heijden
Scrotum a heavy rockband (no metal). A lot off
live-gigs with own compositions. 1980-1984.
Gado Gado also own compositions and album named Straight and a few live-gigs.
1984. After several bands as guest f.I. Nederpop Mijn Broer( voorloper VOF de
Kunst ) with Nol Havens. Same time.
1994 - 1996 crossover band VIPER (hard-funk free style). Also own compositions.
With this band we won a price Pocket Pop and payed f.I. At Appelpop Tiel.
1996 also played The Silent Scream as a guest in Tivoli Utrecht.
1999 reunion members Scrotum formed the band Junkfood with an EP and several
live gigs.
After this until the present time The Booze Band. A classic rock coverband with
hundreds performances and successful in 2016 in the competition Clash of the
Coverbands as a winner The Mezz Breda, 013 Tilburg , Paradiso Amsterdam and no
winner but finalist in Klokgebouw Eindhoven. Paradiso and Klokgebouw was live
on TV Veronica Countdown Café.
2010 also played in the band Get-Stas. This band is a progrock band and
recorded an album named ….And Don’t Lose It (Spotify)
2016 reunion VIPER 3.0 until the present time
Cees
Michielsen
Only a few months
after recording the album I moved to England. As far as the musical side of it
concerns, I played in a new wave band (Designers), made some studio recordings,
toured the south of England. The band was based in Brighton. Highlights were
performances in London. After two years I returned to the Netherlands and
joined a percussion group, founded by Stefan van Campenhout, called Motel
Bokassa. Based in Amsterdam, mainly active in the so-called “alternative
circuits” (exhibitions, art galleries and such).
I stopped playing in
Motel Bokassa when Lilianne and I moved to Maastricht, coincidentally on the
same street as Bert and his wife Marloes. That is where my musical career
ended.
Bert Vermijs
1979- RAM: toetsen (zang / gitaar / bas / drums) a la
Pink Floyd
1980- Stempelkoor: basstem (SATB) socialistische
strijdliederen
1982- documentaire Fred van Tankeren: toetsen / slagwerk
(gitaar) filmmuziek
1983- Het Vervolg: toetsen / klarinet /zang /slagwerk
(SATB / drums / altsax / trompet / fluit / viool / cello) theatermuziek
1984- Double Exposure: toetsen (zang / bas / gitaar)
jazzrock
1989- Los Chamacos: toetsen / zang (zang / gitaar / bas /
drums / percussie / tenorsax / trompet) Mexicaanse feestband
1990- Toneelacademie: toetsen (zang / altsax)
theatermuziek
1990- Danscompagnie Limburg: toetsen / samples /
drumcomputer (zang) balletmuziek
1992- Het Mobiel Blaasorkest: klarinet / piano (fluit /
hobo / klarinet / zang / altsax / tenorsax / trombone / slagwerk) theater-,
film-, feest- en concertmuziek
1994- Loes Hegger: klarinet / accordeon (zang) franse
chansons
2000- Toneelschap Beumer en Drost: toetsen / samples /
accordeon / gitaar / doedelzak (zang / trompet / sopraansax / tenorsax /
bastuba / slagwerk) theatermuziek
2015- De Toneelmakerij: computer, soundscapes
2016- Les JeunesAnnées: accordeon (zang / piano ) franse
chansons
2020- Nicole: accordeon (zang) jazz standards
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