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Johan (band)
Encyclopedia
Johan was a Dutch
band based around singer/guitarist Jacco de Greeuw. Their music has been primarily influenced by bands such as The Beatles
, Crowded House
, and The Byrds
.
. With this band, he reached second
place at the Grote Prijs van Nederland, an important music competition in the Netherlands. However, arguments with female vocalist Marike Groot
(who later appeared on Always...
, the debut album of The Gathering
), forced them to break up the band. De Greeuw formed a new band named Visions of Johanna after a Bob Dylan
song
. In 1992 they competed once again in the Grote Prijs competition, reaching the semi-finals this time.
After some changes in the line-up, the band signed a contract with Excelsior Recordings
in 1995 and released a single (Swing). One year later, in 1996, the band’s name was shortened to Johan. Under this name the band released a self-titled debut album. The album was received well by Dutch critics and became a commercial success.
SpinART Records signed the band for the US region. When legendary record executive Seymour Stein
heard the band’s music he became interested, and travelled to the Netherlands to see the band play. Impressed, he licensed the record from SpinART in order to release it on Sire Records. Subsequently the band toured Stateside with Sloan
, but then all went awry. For inexplicable reasons Sire pulled out of the deal and failed to give the album a proper release.
The band planned to record its second release in 1998, but De Greeuw’s clinical depression
took its toll. Three more years would pass before Pergola
was released, in 2001. The album received rave reviews and got a lot of airplay
on national radio stations. That summer Johan featured on the Pinkpop
festival
. The following year the band even received the Dutch Edison award
for Best National Pop Group.
After an international tour, hardly any news was heard from Johan until 2004, when members Wim Kwakman and Diederik Nomdem left the band. Jeroen Kleijn stepped up and became the band’s new drummer, and Diets Dijkstra became the band's bassist. After this Johan started playing live again, and recorded its third album THX JHN
, which was released in May 2006.
The first single of the album, Oceans, became a great success. This was helped by the song’s video in which an actual fan from Argentina travels from her home country to the Netherlands to see Johan play live. The fact that we see a real fan documenting her trip gives the video something special. The theme of fans thanking Johan (THX is short for ‘thanks’) is also applied to the album’s booklet where various fans from other countries appear. The video’s original concept and the question of the authenticity of the clip’s footage made for a serious online buzz.
The single stayed in the Dutch charts for more than 25 consecutive weeks.
Johan played a sold-out club tour and released two more successful singles, Walking Away and She’s Got A Way With Men. Through a deal with V2 Records
the album was also released in Germany
and Italy
. Although the album deal for the debut with Sire fell through in the 90’s, the band still has a steady following in the US.
The fourth album, titled 4
, was scheduled to be released on December 22, 2008, but was eventually be released on April 30, 2009, breaking with the tradition of a new record every five years.
On 26 August 2009 Johan announced they are disbanding on the end of 2009. On December 22 they played their last show, at Paradiso
in Amsterdam
. At this show they received a gold record for 'Pergola'. A DVD of this last show will be released at the end of 2010, according to Ferry Roseboom from Excelsior Recordings.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
band based around singer/guitarist Jacco de Greeuw. Their music has been primarily influenced by bands such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
, and The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
.
Biography
Jacco de Greeuw founded Thank God For Us in the late eighties, after having played in several other bands. The band was renamed Little Mary Big when joined by Marike GrootMarike Groot
Marike Groot is a Dutch singer. She started her career in the mid eighties as the singer for punk band The Grabbits, with whom she recorded the EP Aliens. From 1989 to 1992 she was the vocalist of Little Mary Big, which transformed into Visions of Johanna and later Johan...
. With this band, he reached second
place at the Grote Prijs van Nederland, an important music competition in the Netherlands. However, arguments with female vocalist Marike Groot
Marike Groot
Marike Groot is a Dutch singer. She started her career in the mid eighties as the singer for punk band The Grabbits, with whom she recorded the EP Aliens. From 1989 to 1992 she was the vocalist of Little Mary Big, which transformed into Visions of Johanna and later Johan...
(who later appeared on Always...
Always...
Always... is the debut album of the Dutch band The Gathering. It was first released in 1992 in Europe by Foundation 2000 and in North America by Pavement Music. In 1994, a first remixed version was released by Foundation 2000. In 1999, a second remixed version was released by Psychonaut Records...
, the debut album of The Gathering
The Gathering (band)
The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in the small city of Oss, North Brabant....
), forced them to break up the band. De Greeuw formed a new band named Visions of Johanna after a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song
Visions of Johanna
"Visions of Johanna" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. Dylan first recorded the song in New York City in November 1965, under the working title of "Freeze Out", but was dissatisfied with the results...
. In 1992 they competed once again in the Grote Prijs competition, reaching the semi-finals this time.
After some changes in the line-up, the band signed a contract with Excelsior Recordings
Excelsior Recordings
Excelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Utrecht, Netherlands, born out of a love - for 7" vinyl, and anger - over almost-famous Dutch band’s Daryll-Ann's luck. First up was a single release; Nothing sucks like Electrolux...
in 1995 and released a single (Swing). One year later, in 1996, the band’s name was shortened to Johan. Under this name the band released a self-titled debut album. The album was received well by Dutch critics and became a commercial success.
SpinART Records signed the band for the US region. When legendary record executive Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein is an entrepreneur in the music industry who has been a part of the business since getting his first job as a clerk for Billboard magazine in 1958. Stein is a vice president of Warner Bros...
heard the band’s music he became interested, and travelled to the Netherlands to see the band play. Impressed, he licensed the record from SpinART in order to release it on Sire Records. Subsequently the band toured Stateside with Sloan
Sloan (band)
Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
, but then all went awry. For inexplicable reasons Sire pulled out of the deal and failed to give the album a proper release.
The band planned to record its second release in 1998, but De Greeuw’s clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
took its toll. Three more years would pass before Pergola
Pergola (album)
Pergola is the second studio album by Johan, released in 2001, five years after their debut album Johan. Both albums were released on the record label Excelsior Recordings. The album was well received by the press...
was released, in 2001. The album received rave reviews and got a lot of airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
on national radio stations. That summer Johan featured on the Pinkpop
Pinkpop
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
festival
Rock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
. The following year the band even received the Dutch Edison award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
for Best National Pop Group.
After an international tour, hardly any news was heard from Johan until 2004, when members Wim Kwakman and Diederik Nomdem left the band. Jeroen Kleijn stepped up and became the band’s new drummer, and Diets Dijkstra became the band's bassist. After this Johan started playing live again, and recorded its third album THX JHN
THX JHN
THX JHN is the third studio album by Johan released on May 22, 2006. The previous album, Pergola, was released five years earlier. Like all Johan albums, it is released on the Excelsior Recordings label.-Track listing:# "Coming In From The Cold"...
, which was released in May 2006.
The first single of the album, Oceans, became a great success. This was helped by the song’s video in which an actual fan from Argentina travels from her home country to the Netherlands to see Johan play live. The fact that we see a real fan documenting her trip gives the video something special. The theme of fans thanking Johan (THX is short for ‘thanks’) is also applied to the album’s booklet where various fans from other countries appear. The video’s original concept and the question of the authenticity of the clip’s footage made for a serious online buzz.
The single stayed in the Dutch charts for more than 25 consecutive weeks.
Johan played a sold-out club tour and released two more successful singles, Walking Away and She’s Got A Way With Men. Through a deal with V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
the album was also released in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Although the album deal for the debut with Sire fell through in the 90’s, the band still has a steady following in the US.
The fourth album, titled 4
4 (Johan album)
4 is the fourth studio album by Johan, released on 30 April 2009. Unlike Johan's tradition to release new records every five years, the album is released only 3 years after THX JHN Like all Johan albums, it is released on the Excelsior Recordings label....
, was scheduled to be released on December 22, 2008, but was eventually be released on April 30, 2009, breaking with the tradition of a new record every five years.
On 26 August 2009 Johan announced they are disbanding on the end of 2009. On December 22 they played their last show, at Paradiso
Paradiso (Amsterdam)
Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. At this show they received a gold record for 'Pergola'. A DVD of this last show will be released at the end of 2010, according to Ferry Roseboom from Excelsior Recordings.
Current members
- Jacco de Greeuw: lead singer, guitarGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
(1996–present) - Maarten Kooijman: guitar, backing vocals (2000–present)
- Diets Dijkstra: guitar (1999), bassBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, backing vocals (1999–present) - Jeroen Kleijn: drumsDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
(2004–present)
Former members
- Remco Krull: guitar (1996–1998)
- Niels de Wit: bass (1996–1998)
- Wim Kwakman: drums (1996–2004)
- David Corel: bass, backing vocals (1999–2000)
- Diederik Nomden: guitar, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1999–2004)
Singles
- "Swing" - Excelsior RecordingsExcelsior RecordingsExcelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Utrecht, Netherlands, born out of a love - for 7" vinyl, and anger - over almost-famous Dutch band’s Daryll-Ann's luck. First up was a single release; Nothing sucks like Electrolux...
- 25.11.1996 - "Everybody knows" - Excelsior Recordings - 17.03.1997
- "December" - Excelsior Recordings - 04.08.1997
- "Pergola" - Excelsior Recordings - 26.03.2001
- "Tumble and fall" - Excelsior Recordings - 25.06.2001
- "Day is done" - Excelsior Recordings - 05.11.2001
- "Oceans" - Excelsior Recordings - 22.05.2006
- "Walking away" - Excelsior Recordings - 17.08.2006
- "She's Got A Way With Men" - Excelsior Recordings - 20.11.2006
Albums
- JohanJohan (album)Johan is the debut album by the Dutch band Johan. It was released on November 4, 1996 by the record label Excelsior Recordings. The album was produced by Frans Hagenaars.The album was released in the US in June 1997 by the record label SpinArt....
- Excelsior Recordings - 04.11.1996 - PergolaPergola (album)Pergola is the second studio album by Johan, released in 2001, five years after their debut album Johan. Both albums were released on the record label Excelsior Recordings. The album was well received by the press...
- Excelsior Recordings - 23.04.2001 - THX JHNTHX JHNTHX JHN is the third studio album by Johan released on May 22, 2006. The previous album, Pergola, was released five years earlier. Like all Johan albums, it is released on the Excelsior Recordings label.-Track listing:# "Coming In From The Cold"...
- Excelsior Recordings - 22.05.2006 - 44 (Johan album)4 is the fourth studio album by Johan, released on 30 April 2009. Unlike Johan's tradition to release new records every five years, the album is released only 3 years after THX JHN Like all Johan albums, it is released on the Excelsior Recordings label....
- Excelsior Recordings - 04.05.2009