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For 5 years now, the Snaarmaarwaar lads have been working their way through the musical landscape. With their mix of own compositions and traditional tunes they appeal to a very broad audience, from thoroughbred folkies to lovers of the harder stuff. In recent years the band has played regularly beyond Belgian borders. During the last year they have played at Nanjing Jazz and World Festival (China), Festival des Luthiers et Maîtres Sonneurs (F), Rudolstadt (D), Kaustinen Folkfestival (Fin), Kinnersley Festival (GB), Mandopolis (F), Viljandi Folkfestival (Est), Sunrise Celebration (GB),… Their first record “Snaarmaarwaar” (2009) was very well-received and, since then, they have continued to shape their unique string sound. Where mandola and mandolin tumble fiercely over each other, the guitar holds them effortlessly together with tight rhythms and dark grooves. Today, they present their new album “Phosphor Bronze” (2011). These guys serve a portion of undiluted folk, straight-up, subtle and exciting. Good melodies are always the guide and the fundamentals of their wall of sound. Just as warm and sparkling as Phosphor Bronze, the material out of which only the best strings are made.
Musicians
Peter-Jan Daems: mandolin
Maarten Decombel: mandola, song
Jeroen Geerinck: guitar
Musicians bio
Peter-Jan Daems from Brussels got into folk after hearing Irish, French and Scottish traditionals. He learned the craft during several jam sessions. In Snaarmaarwaar Peter-Jan takes care of the 10-string mandolin, which was built especially for him. The instrument is tuned in a C-G-D-A-E tuning. Next to that, Peter-Jan also plays the guitar and the mandola. He was one of the founding fathers of the band Tantra, who were a cross-over psychedelic folkband, which mixed ethnic and Celtic music in an exciting way. He was also a part of the ballfolkband Papaver.
Jeroen Geerinck was educated as a pianist, but he chose eventually for the guitar. After having nipped from several musical walls, he rolled into the world of folk. Alongside Snaarmaarwaar, Jeroen is also a member of Triple-X (ballfolk), Hot Griselda (ballfolk), B-Boa (Breton music), Amorroma (romantic ballfolk) and Transpiradansa (worldmusic). Occasionally you can hear him as well with KV Express and Urban Trad. Jeroen is a teacher of folkguitar in the Gooik music school. His specialty is folkguitar in DADGAD tuning, which originates from Celtic and Anglo-Saxon folk and which is the major tuning in folky Flanders since the nineties.
Maarten Decombel has been playing guitar since he was 9. He studied classical and jazz guitar at the conversatory of Ghent. But above all, he is a true folkie at heart. In Snaarmaarwaar he usually takes care of the mandola (which some call an “octave mandolin”, the tuning is GDAE: one octave lower than the normal mandolin). He is however best known as folkguitarplayer. Maarten’s other musical endeavours include amongst others Göze (duo of accordion and guitar), Naragonia Quartet (ballfolk) and Trip to Ireland (Irish traditional ensemble). He occasionally collaborates with Christian Merveille (theatre for children) and Zefiro Torna. His musical trips brought him all over Europe and Japan. He often teaches the guitar during folkcamps and he is a tutor at the music academy of Deinze.
Label
Snaarmaarwaar CD's are distributed by Appel Rekords. For further information:
Folkcorner Den Appel
Gemeenteplein 7
1730 Asse
0032/(0)2 306 68 55
www.tsmiske.be
denappel@tsmiske.b
