That's it!

My um, short flashback.

2016: A year marked by unexpected deaths of  "Saying farewell to so many"
....in domino styled fashion.

2016: Dumb, dumber, Trumpest. (bad press is good news)

2016: The medium is definitely the message  (trending)

2016: JoosTVD (glad I did) release 2 albums:

Open Up My Parachute (april 2016)
Received some fine reviews/feedback and radio exposure. Songs aired: Chalky, Dancing Dutchman, Everything Is A-Okay, It's A Struggle Honey, Parachute, Jump For Your life, Cosmopolitan Circus.

For Your Pleasure Vol.3 (instrumentals for videomakers) (september 2016)

2016: Musical high and lows
My oh my, what a wealth of tunes to listen to! Music for everyone. Mostly the extensive reissues and archive releases (King Crimson, ELP, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd) dominated my listening hours.
Field Music, Jacob Collier, Ezperanza Spalding and Snarky Puppy represent the younger talents.
Of the 2016 releases I was dissapointed by: Sting, (man you just needed the Police!), Jeff Beck (is he for real? he's a guest on his own album!), Laura Mvula (her debut was just too good, the songs don't linger this time) and Michael Kiwanuka (not bad, too heavy-handed, retrofactor is too big, difficult second album).

                                                                     My favourite albums of 2016:

                                                                                   Field Music - Commontime

                                                             Quirky XTC, Talking Heads nerdy, catchy, fresh melodic pop.

                                          

                                                                                      David Bowie - Blackstar

                                                                                      His last star that will linger forever

                                                                           Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner Volume Two

                                                                        Real musicians, intense groovy, expressive impressive
                                                                                                        

                                                                                      Jacob Collier - In My Room

                                    Eclectic young talent, spectacular harmonies, instruments, tight arrangements

                                                                                 Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

                                                                   So (too?) many explosive ideas, Joni Mitchell style

                                                                                  Adrian Belew - Flux By Belew Volume One

                                                                                Fun, varied short stuff, melodic

                                                                                 David Crosby - Lighthouse

                                                                   High points: his voice, guitarpicking and harmonies

                                                   

                                                                                      Paul Simon- Stranger To Stranger

                                                 Although the layered songs are no singalongs, his lyrics are still subtle

                                          

  Recommended Books I've read:

Alyn Shipton- Nilsson (there's only one Harry!)
Alejandro Jodorowsky- The Dance Of Reality (magic)
Alejandro Jodorowsky- Sacred Trickery (more magic)
Carly Simon - Boys in the Trees A Memoir (selreflecting)
Chrissie Hynde- Reckless (tough lady)
Gary Wright- DreamWeaver (spiritual)
Kerry Acker- Nina Simone Women in the Arts (intense)
Michael Sheridan- A Man Called Harris (rugby)
Ruth Pointer- Still So Excited (sisters)
Holly Warren- A Man Called Destruction Alex Chilton (loner)

2017? Bring it on.

Lyrics are little bastards

Hai there autumn people!

No, I haven't forget you, I just kept myself busy with the works. I've got 8 completed songs in the can, all more or less ready for the mixdown. I've payed a lot of attention to my vocals, especially the nuances, the precise pronunciation of the vowels. And harmonising. Well, we've got autotune for that? I only use it for effect. Very little. Jacob Collier does a great thing with autotune harmonising, but in the end it's all just a trick. Keep it real boy, your voice is great on itself.
So many different choices to make with all different styles of music. And always the love for funky tracks with a latin vibe got me in an intense mood. As I know my capabilities more, I'm having a lot of fun with singing now. I sweat like a pig sometimes, but that's just a bold expression for the way I work. Intensity. Ok, it was a hot summer.
Ah, yes. Those magic words that fit the melody. Always a challenge to find them. Sometimes they just fall out from my mouth like easy snow. It's a hard and underestimated work though, just look at the picture:

My latest, yet unfinished lyric. Mark the crossed-out words

Where (?) do they (?) all come from?
I've read in one of Todd Rundgren's biographies, that he mostly come up with the words, sing all the harmonies and record them just.at the last moment. I guess a little self imposed pressure has helped me out a lot, but when your mindset is not there, better let the flow come back to you another fresh time.
I use a bit of Todd and David Byrne's method he first used at the "Remain In Light" sessions. He often sings nonsense vowels (oo, aa eee, oe, hiii) at first in a spontanious way and writes lyrics on those vowels.
Reminds me of the action painting of Pollock where you just let it all out, dripping paint from your hands. In blues, when one is singing, it's common to just let it out, even repeat the sentence just to understate or confirm an emotion. It's only natural. Bluespower.

Chalky on BBC6 Mixtape

Handpicked by the one and only Tom Robinson (2-4-6-8 Motorway), one hour of fresh new songs on his mixtape. Airtime 12 june, 02.00 A.M. (english teatime).

The competition is very fierce each week, so choosing favourites out of 170 tracks must be earbleeding for a radio dj!
The more so a rare treat to be on BBC radio of course. And in the next few weeks, Chalky has a chance to be played again on Tom's Saturday Show. The third song in succession now, after "Bomb Won't Go Off" and "Stupid Song's". Thanks Tom!

Listen/ download Podcast HERE
You can find all the stories/ artists HERE

No, I probably will not begin to sing in the shower...

Grateful for this!

Joos TVD - Open Up My Parachute (Nathan Nörgel source: Wasser Prawda)

Nathan Norgel's translation of a german review for
Joos TVD - Open Up My Parachute

You should sing his new songs in the shower says Joos TVD. And it's not necessary to have a parachute with you there. What does that mean? Joos TVD did an album full of humor with "Open Up My Parachute". And he does a coursing across every musical style you may think of in his songs.

What does it need to get great pop songs? Of course you need melodies, that go straight to your head and a groove to make you dance on the spot. And every great pop song needs lyrics to make you laugh or cry. Yes, you can say: "Open Up My Parachute" very close to be a perfect pop album!

Joos TVD has once again put together rhythms and melodies in his studio, that make you think of Frank Zappy (without the guitar, but with his sense of humor). Sometimes you may also think of the jazzy pop by Steely Dan or even of songs by The Talking Heads (when it gets funky). With songs like "Hipster Mind" the Dutchman starts to rap even. The song about the parachute, which does not want to open, reminds me of movie songs of the 1930s. There are really no limits for Joos TVD. And that's a good thing - because it is never boring to listen to his new and old songs .

No, I probably will not begin to sing in the shower. And I really don't have a parachute with me. But I most certanly wil listen to "Open Up My Parachute" a lot in the next weeks. This pop music is very addictive!

Platforms like....

      Bandcamp!

Released a parachute and where did it land?

A lot of places (click):
Juno
Spotify
Deezer
iTunes
Qobuz 
Technics
Google Play
iHeartRadio
Amazon
7Digital
KKBox
Rhapsody/Napster 
Emusic
Xbox Music/ Microsoft
Aspiro/TIDAL
I-Classical(!)
Onkyomusic 
Openlive
Youngonesrecords 
Sainsbury Entertainment

Bandcamp
Jamendo
The Bluesgambler

Dead links? Will be updated frequently.

Let me hear/see THE Promo video!

Ok, ok. Not only you can hear it, there's something to watch by.
When everything goes as planned, the new album "Open Up My Parachute" will arrive globally around 4 april on the usual streaming services, like Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, Amazon. Links will follow ASAP. Fingers crossed, legs necked!

So no better way than to start off with THE promo:

Inspiration for it aka who is this "Chalky"?

What you hear is the song that opens the album: Chalky. The supporting promo video shows all the pictures that have been involved with the artwork. You can see the changes in design, colour, fonts. Yes, it's all in a lowbudget DIY way that keeps it personal and what drives me to do it like this.
My rhythmic side pushed forward and I seem to use each frame as a rhythm response to any accent in the music. Well, it's a funky track so I had to.

Who is this... "Chalky"? It's inspired by that afro-american guy, who played this cool, smooth survivor in the thrilling TV series Boardwalk Empire. Chalky (White), a ironic nickname. I liked the sound of it and it fit perfectly with this "dangerous" groove I've been working on.
Enjoy!

Chalky White

Something's coming, right?

 Slowly revealing....

It's almost working...

Update: just submitted my new songs for the distribution process. I have to wait for approval so fingers, legs crossed!

(next: show us your new work!)

This not THE promo!

Well, curiousity killed the cat. Went out for a lunch after mixing and mastering the latest tracks. Someone (me), sneaked into my studio, sniffed around and touched my jewels! All captured (me) on tape. (me) Hit some forbidden bar and some song (from me) starts playing...at the wrong speed. Better not watch. Yet. Don't-do-it. Don't! Wait for the real one.

I've warned you, didn't I? It's gonna be allright. Soon...soon!

(next: Show us your new work!)

Blame It On The Fun

Yes, 2016 is already on my mind, as is my new album, which will problably, predictably come out that spring. Who knows? I can't help myself. It's the time of the year. What really blows my mind now is that I'm not even aware of the looseness of the whole writing and production process. Nothing seems to get in my way. If my mind doesn't open up, nobody is trying to force me into writing songs. When it's open, it's wide open, like a parachute. It works most of the time.

Blame it on the cats....?

Not the frontcover of a JoosTVD album, or....?

Well, don't underestimate the presence of a pet. I've got those two gangsters pictured since they were very small. Great. playfull companions of mine. They make, a sometimes moody guy like me, laugh a many more times a day than without them. Aah yes the little things in life. Blame it on the fun. CU!

In The Works

Hai there, Joost has an update. Nothing shocking or to scare you or embarrass myself of I hope... I'm working on it...work to make it work. Ideas pile up every day. It says so on my Twitteraccount. Excitement occures ocassionally. Which ones will end up on the new album? I've already got 9 songs in the pipeline, but far more sketchy ideas, all helping me to focus I guess. As I want this to be a compact one, there'll be no more than 12 of them. More quality, less quantity then? Well if you chew out a full album (say double album) of say about 18 songs, that's a lot to process. It worked more or less with the last one. But especially in the finishing stage, you have to have fresh ears. Less is more! The most fun part for me is to write, record and arrange the songs, but the finishing part (mixing and mastering) is easier to do with less. I'm in the middle of  this mixing process with 9 songs, working more and more on the details than before. Let them breath in an experimental journey.
Is this all neccessairy? Well, I've been around the block writing songs a few times now and I just want to get better you know. Yes I know and you know. Get ready!
In the meantime if you just can't wait, did you know I've come up with another instrumental album on Jamendo? 

Cats don't like to hear about details......