SPINVIS

Pseudonyms

J.D. Traven

Spinvis

Successful one-man project by Erik de Jong, alias Spinvis. De Jong creates his music on his computer in the attic of his house. His debut album is released by Excelsior Recordings in Amsterdam and becomes the musical discovery of 2002.
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Members

Erik de Jong   basgitaar, componist, gitaar, toetsinstrumenten, zang

Mentioned in the biography of

1979   Richard Janssen
2003   Bauer
2004   Powderblue
2005   at the close of every day
2005   LPG
2005   Solo
2006   De Kift
2006   Meindert Talma
2007   at the close of every day
2007   Margriet van Reisen
2007   Palinckx
2007   Reyer Zwart
2008   Joris Voorn
2010   Hank The Knife & The Jets
2011   Het Goede Doel
2012   Annie M.G. Schmidt
2012   Douwe Bob
2012   Zapp 4
2013   at the close of every day
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Biography Spinvis

Successful one-man project by Erik de Jong, alias Spinvis. De Jong creates his music on his computer in the attic of his house. His debut album is released by Excelsior Recordings in Amsterdam and becomes the musical discovery of 2002.

1976 - 2000

Erik de Jong grows up in a musical family. His mother plays Hawaii guitar and ukelele and his father guitar. In 1976, at the age of fifteen, De Jong joins his older brother's punk rock band Blitzkrieg. Later he is also a member of a band called the Duds. He also plays in bands like Hi Jinx and Judy Nylon. De Jong enters music college to study percussion. When he realises he's is not really an instrumentalist he decides to go and study arrangement and composition. He becomes heavily involved in electronic music and drum computers and starts writing music for films and documentaries.

Hi Jinx Judy Nylon

2001

After several years of experimenting, recording, and cutting and pasting at home, the now 41 year old, Erik de Jong finally sends a cassette tape with the outlines for three songs to the Excelsior label. Label boss Ferry Roseboom of Excelsior is very enthusiastic about De Jong's self-entitled singer-sample-songwriter music and two weeks later he signs De Jong to his label.

2002

The album Spinvis gets raving reviews on its release on April 1. Spinvis writes the music for a work of art by Walter van Broekhuizen about an event called Over Helden, Schurken En Hadewijch ('About Heroes, Villains and Hadewijch'). In three of the songs he uses the voice of cabaret artist Abraham de Winter (1841-1920) exactly as it sounds on the original record from 1901. The tracks are released on a special edition single. Initially, De Jong has no intention of playing his music on the stage. Late 2002, however, he can be seen at the Crossing Border festival in Amsterdam. He is backed by a seven-piece band of very skilled musicians like drummer Louis Debij (drummer with the likes of Toots Thielemans, Rogier van Otterloo, the Beau Hunks and Fungus), pianist Han Reiziger (composer and counsellor of cabaret company Lurelei), harpist Carla Bos (Schönberg Ensemble and Holland Symfoniaen), saz player Cengiz Tutar and Erik's dad, guitarist Walter de Jong. Neither of them are pop musicians. The show becomes one of the highlights of the festival. In December the album Spinvis ends up on the second place on the end of the year list of music magazine Oor. The song Smalfilm becomes second in the Song Of The Year list compiled by listeners of VPRO radio. In both cases Spinvis is beaten by Queens Of The Stone Age. Following this, De Jong receives an Essent Music Award.

Louis Debij

2003

Spinvis plays the Noorderslag in Groningen. In the spring he goes on a short, but successful tour, joined by the same musicians who also accompanied him during his live debut. Spinvis and Bauer write a song for a compilation album on the website 3voor12.nl. In August Spinvis plays at the Haldern Open Air festival (Germany) and Pukkelpop (Belgium). Nieuwegein Aan Zee ('Nieuwegein at the Seaside') is both a CD and a DVD. The CD contains four new tracks, including a version of Astronaut by Belgian band Lais backed by the Spinvis Orchestra. The DVD features live registrations plus De Tijdmachine ('The Time Machine'), which is an impression of a year of Spinvis. In November the band gets involved in a car crash in Belgium. Among the casualties is Spinvis's father who needs to undergo a skin transplantation on his arm. On December the Spinvis Orchestra enhanced by strings plays at Utrecht-based Vredenburg.

Bauer

2004

Spinvis wins a Zilveren ('Silver') Harp music award and the Annie M.G. Schmidt award 2003 for the song Voor Ik Vergeet ('Before I Forget'). For the Cross-Linx festival Spinvis writes a composition, which consists of three rhythmic monologues of ten minutes each. Spinvis composes the title track for Medea, a TV series directed by Theo van Gogh. Het Hoofd Van Ferdinand Cheval ('The Head Of Ferdinand Cheval') is a radio play about a French postman who single-handedly built his own castle. Spinvis cuts up the radio play in 18 pieces, each about 2 minutes long. He commissions 18 film directors to produce as many short films. In November book publisher Nijgh & Van Ditmar release the DVD that comes with small bags consisting of little bricks and DIY kits to build your own little palace. Spinvis is featured on the track Nieuwbouwwijk ('New Estate') on stand-up comedian/radio presenter Claudia de Breij's CD Niet Alleen ('Not Alone').

Claudia de Breij

2005

At the annual Noorderslag music conference in Groningen the Ringtone Society presents a website that aims at artistic development of ring tones. Spinvis takes part in the project as well. With the track Idee Zeventien ('Idea 17') he contributes to the sampler The Pet Series: Volume 4. After a try-out in Utrecht's Ekko club on February 25, Spinvis is touring his new Lotus Europa show along the Dutch theatres. His live band consists of Jan van Eerd (vibraphone), Saartje van Camp (cello), Lucas Oldeman (piano), Arjan Witte ('kosmos and echo'), Jeroen Kleijn (drums) en Cor van Ingen (bass). The duo Solo is support act. Especially for the Film Museum Biennale 2005 in April Spinvis puts together the theatrical performance De Explicateur, featuring archive footage, music and dialogues. He performs the music himself with his band plus actor Hans Dagelet at Film Museum Cinerama. De Explicateur is also part of The Night Of The Unexpected at Paradiso Amsterdam on September 8. The Spinvis show with the Holland Symfonia at the Dutch Moroccan Music Experience on September 11 at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw is cancelled. The organisers of the night claim that the lyrics to song Het Mes Van God ('The Knife Of God'), which hark back to the assassination of film director Theo van Gogh by Muslim fundamentalist Mohammed B on November 2 the year before, won't bring the Dutch and Moroccans nearer to each other. Spinvis contributes to the album De Geluiden Van Weleer ('Sounds From The Past') by at the close of every day. In November his second album Dagen Van Gras, Dagen Van Stro ('Days Of Grass, Days Of Straw') comes out. The title comes from R. A. Lafferty's 1973 novel. First single of the album is Het Voordeel Van Video ('The Advantage Of Video'). Spinvis himself claims his new album is more personal than his 2002 debut. On December 1 his big venue tour through Holland and Belgium starts in Brussels. Apart from newcomers, Hans Dagelet (trumpet) and Hans Kok (video), his live band is the same as before.

at the close of every day Solo

2006

Spinvis himself provides a remix for new single Ik Wil Alleen Maar Zwemmen ('I Only Want To Swim'). The single also contains a dub version. Cartoonist Hanco Kolk creates a cartoon version of Voor Ik Vergeet ('Before I Forget'). The cartoon is part of Strips ('Cartoons') In Stereo, a book/CD consisting of 14 'cartoonised' Dutch language pop songs. The book is presented in Paradiso during the annual Book Week in March. Spinvis takes part in NL Impressionisten ('Dutch Impressionists'), a project by seven Dutch-language bands (Meindert Talma, De Kift, at the close of every day, André Manuel, Mondo Leone and D'r Sjaak) who take their own identity as their starting point. As of March18 the Dutch Impressionists tour Holland in two or three-band packages. On March 20 the album JA! ('Yes!'), release number 100 by Excelsior, comes out. The seven-track CD (including one live track, recorded at the Paradiso Amsterdam) marks a collaboration between Spinvis and (original '60s beat) poet Simon Vinkenoog. The two first met the year before at a Dutch Literature event in Rotterdam. The duo gets help from writer, 'Hammond and echo man' Arjan Witte. Ja! is promoted by shows in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Groningen and Drachten. The Spinvis orchestra and poet Simon Vinkenoog perform at the theatre festival De Parade with the show De Suikerklok ('The Sugar Clock'). Spinvis and his band also perform at the Lowlands festival, Waterpop, Dranouter, the Venlose Zomerfeesten and De Kersouwe. Spinvis composes Hertenkoor (Deel 2)... Een Wandelsprookje Voor het project De Kunst Van Het Wandelen. It is written especially for hikers who can listen to the sound composition of pile drivers, birds and guitar riffs during their hike.

André Manuel at the close of every day De Kift Meindert Talma Mondo Leone

2007

At the Noorderslag festival in Groningen Spinvis receives the Popprijs 2006. 'Spinvis is headstrong and original and does not care about the charts. He is only responsible to himself and has lifted lyric writing in the Dutch language to another level', according to the jury. In the spring Spinvis hit the stage with the show Op Een Avond In Het Heelal ('One Night In The Universe'). Early March he also performs in South Africa several times. Spinvis performs at the Parade theatre festival in The Hague, Utrecht and Amsterdam. The album Goochelaars & Geesten (Magicians and Ghosts) features songs that Spinvis has written in assignment of a psychiatric institution, for a children's album and for TV series Medea. The bonus CD includes a song that the musician has composed for a Belgian film (A Perfect Match). The album enters the Mega Album Top 100 at number four. Spinvis 2002-2007 is a special edition of the three albums he released on the Excelsior label, released in collaboration with Rubinstein publishers. Beat band The Madd is support act during the Spinvis shows in December.

2008

Because of poet Simon Vinkenoog's 80th birthday, Spinvis releases a musical tribute with Ritmebox (Rhythm Box), a combination of a book and a CD released as a limited edition of 2000 numbered copies. The CD includes a collage of music and sound. Spinvis records the soundtrack for Vox Populi, a Dutch film by Eddy Terstall which is in the cinemas in the autumn. Spinvis is one of five composers on the album Freeland by the Utrecht author and rock journalist Jerry Goossens. The tracks on the album are performed by a fictive band called The Group.

2009

Late January, Spinvis tours the Belgian theatres with KamerMuziek (Chamber Music). Starting March, the show can also be seen in the Netherlands. The 2005 album Dagen Van Gras, Dagen Van Stro (Days Of Grass, Days Of Straw) becomes gold, four years after its release.

Photos Spinvis

Audio/Video Spinvis

Video Spinvis