"Life is the meaning of life, we can meditate but we have to eat and shit sometimes, so keep it simple."

Nicko Christiansen: Yin - Yang Blues

Nicko Christiansen was born in 1950 in the Hague at the seaside of West Holland. He started to accompany himself on the guitar, mainly songs of Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley when he was eleven.…

“Music today sounds very generic. Many artists sound the same—they might be "trendy" now, but they’ll be irrelevant in a few years. For me, the music from the '60s and '70s always carries a sense of urgency and feeling that remains timeless.”

Leif de Leeuw: The Blues Rock…

"I am convinced that there is potential audience for the blues. Both for the older generation but certainly for the young new generation. Many new young blues bands are developing in the Netherlands. The problem is that there are far too few locations for bands to performing live."

Chris Janssen: Blues Over The Years

Chris Janssen is…

"Art, whether it’s music, visual, dance, film; any form is important in our lives. Early humans made art already; look at the wall paintings found in caves, or the flutes that were found. I don’t think we can survive without art. There are many people who think they can, a subject more and more heard in society now rightwing politics are becoming stronger and stronger. They think it is a hobby and there should be no more funding from society…

"Blues is just such a powerful force that I believe it will keep on inspiring people for generations to come, as long as the word is still being spread. We get to do that and hopefully may continue to do that for a long time."

Little Hat: One-man (Trio) Band

Little Hat is probably Holland's best-kept secret. Rockin’, sleazy and…

"Music, blues or not, is art and culture. Some songs you have written give people a certain feeling and experience and with other songs you try to share the lyrics as well. You always have something to say. With my music I try to contribute to a free and carefree society. A musical ideology that is never finished. But most of all, let people enjoy our music!"

Sweet Bourbon: Born A…

"We as musicians have to tell stories, give people stuff to think about, make them aware of the politics that influence our lives. Inspire each other and communicate..."

Julian Sas: The Electric Netherlands 

Julian Sas is one of the greatest artists in his genre the Netherlands has ever produced and as a guitarist he belongs to the absolute top of…

"Regardless of genres, music can be a way of addressing racial or other problems. Does it have any effect? I’m not sure but it defnitely doesn’t hurt expressing your thoughts and feelings. Does it matter anyway what colour your skin is? We all bleed red! Do we need to agree on everything? I don’t think so. It’s okay to disagree, to have your own opinion, as long as you don’t enter extremist territory."…

"Blues music is a perfect way to tell your thoughts about all these matters. On the other hand, blues can also be ‘’happy’’ blues. People want to dance to the music instead of listening to the lyrics. I don’t think blues music will change the world. I only have to remind you of M.L. King, a great man. Nothing really changed since his dead. We still have to face racial and socio-cultural problems all over the world."…

"Music in general brings people together. Apart from the protest blues is about."

Barrelhouse: On The Road (Again)

Old photos are like old memories; some are bright and clear, some are vague. 'Do not Look Back' is what Van Morrison already sang. An easy advice to follow for a young Tineke Schoemaker at the time. 45 years and 12 albums later you…

"The reason that I enjoy playing Rory's music every time is simple… In Rory Gallagher's music you have all the styles from Rock 'n Roll, Country Swing to Jazz Folk Blues and Rock … Everything is there!! And he plays from the Heart!"

Marcel Scherpenzeel: Rockin’ Blues Friend…

"I think blues and roots music were a kind of freedom of expression to people who didn’t have a whole lot of freedom. In later years (60s) the music probably helped spread a political message too, but to what extent is not up to me to say!"

Machiel Meijers: Tailgatin'…

"Blues has always been the most important ingredient for me, specially the passion and the drive to create something out of nothing. It’s this thing which you can’t calculate but when it falls into place and works for everyone then these are the moments ...freedom."

Jan Akkerman: The Wizard of…

"If something like a music form can more or less dictate your whole future life (my life would have been Very different without the blues, I Know!) It must be something very powerful and Real!"

Willem van Dullemen: Real Deal Vintage…

"If I could get rid (or change) one thing in the musical world...easy, I would get rid of I-tunes...Spotify...Reverb Nation...and all those other 'electronic' pages."

Michael De Jong: Blues For The People…

"Gospel, soul, blues was always a force in our lives where we governed ourselves accordingly. Negro spirituals derived from the hardship of those who were being oppressed for the purpose of someone else's glorification."

The Gospel Sessions: Music From…

"I think as long as people keep listening to blues and acknowledge the roots and be respectful to that, we have nothing to worry about. But I see and hear a lotta stuff I don’t really like concerning acknowledgement of the REAL roots."

Big Pete: The Blues King…

"Blues, John Lee Hooker and Howling Wolf in particular, awakened my inner, my core as a musical human being."

Boudewijn Bonebakker: Keep On Truckin'

The title of the new Gingerpig album,…

"The youngers never heard the real blues men and ladies."

Bert Lek: The Flying Blues Dutchman

Dutch Bert Lek is well known as a photographer, reporter, promoter, radio producer and…

"The Blues is that heartache that cuts right through you, but it is also that healing feeling you get when you look straight at life’s ups and downs with no “bull”, no pretending."

Gary Preston: Fly Me To The…