Racoon
Encyclopedia
Racoon is a Dutch
rock band
, formed in 1997. Their first big appearance was at the 1999 Noorderslagfestival. First album Till Monkeys Fly
appeared in January 2000, produced by Michael Schoots (Urban Dance Squad
). The first single, Feel Like Flying, became a hit and got a lot of airplay on the Dutch radiostation 3FM
. The band's biggest hit so far came in 2005, when its single Love You More reached number three in the Dutch music charts.
. Racoon plays at the Heineken
X-pl'oor-festival in the Melkweg
and in Rotterdam
. Their self-released demo 'It's An Ice Cream Day' earns them the attention of several record companies and many positive reviews from the Dutch
press.
. 'Till Monkees Fly' is produced by Michel "Magic Stick" Schoots from Urban
Dance Squad; the end mix was done by Phil Nicolo (ZZ Top
, Aerosmith
, Urge Overkill
) and Bob Ludwig was responsible for the mastering of the album. The band is being touted as the next big thing and the single 'Feel Like Flying' is power played on Radio 3 FM. Racoon plays at the Parkpop and Lowlands festivals.
Michel Schoots
songs for the 'Marlboro Flashback Tour'.
. Other bands on the bill include Alphaville
(Germany
), The Blueberries (Denmark
), K-System
(Finland
) and bands from Poland
, Lithuania
, the Czech Republic
and the Ukraine
. The festival is organised by the European Union
.
's 'Stil In Mij'. Snippets of the track Reach are used in two Calvé TV ads.
. The album turns out to be a major hit, with highly successful singles such as Love You More, Laugh About It, and Brother.
Racoon is present at many Dutch Festivals and plays Pinkpop (60.000 visitors), Rockin Park (30.000) and Parkpop (250.000).
In the fall of 2008 the successful tour in Dutch theaters of 2006 will be continued.
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...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, formed in 1997. Their first big appearance was at the 1999 Noorderslagfestival. First album Till Monkeys Fly
Till Monkeys Fly
Till Monkeys Fly is an album by the Dutch rock band Racoon. It was first released in January 2000.-Track listing:# "Hilarious"# "By Your Side"# "Daily News"# "Smoothly"# "Impossible"# "Feel Like Flying"# "Ice Cream Time"# "Blue Days"...
appeared in January 2000, produced by Michael Schoots (Urban Dance Squad
Urban Dance Squad
Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch rap rock band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht on December 20, 1986...
). The first single, Feel Like Flying, became a hit and got a lot of airplay on the Dutch radiostation 3FM
3FM
3FM is a Dutch radio station on the NPO which broadcasts popular music. It can be compared with BBC Radio 1.-History:3FM was created as Hilversum 3 by minister Maarten Vrolijk on 11 October 1965, to counterbalance the popular offshore station Radio Veronica...
. The band's biggest hit so far came in 2005, when its single Love You More reached number three in the Dutch music charts.
Members
- Bart van der Weide - Lead vocals
- Stefan de Kroon - Bass
- Dennis Huige - Guitars
- Paul Bukkens - Drums
Discography
- It's an Ice Cream Day (demo, 1999)
- Till Monkeys FlyTill Monkeys FlyTill Monkeys Fly is an album by the Dutch rock band Racoon. It was first released in January 2000.-Track listing:# "Hilarious"# "By Your Side"# "Daily News"# "Smoothly"# "Impossible"# "Feel Like Flying"# "Ice Cream Time"# "Blue Days"...
(Sony Records, 2000) - Here We Go Stereo (Sony, 2001)
- Another DayAnother Day (Racoon album)Another Day is an album by the Dutch rock band Racoon. It was first released on April 9, 2005.-Track listing:#"Happy Family"#"Hero's in Town"#"Love You More"#"Laugh About It"#"Blow Your Tears"#"Couple of guys"#"Got to Get Out"#"Brother"...
(Sony, 2005) - Before You Leave (Sony, 2008)
- Liverpool Rain (2011)
1997
Racoon starts as an acoustic duo: singer Bart van der Weide and guitarist Dennis Huige. They release three songs on the singer/songwriter compilation album 'Characters', released by the Dutch Rock & Pop Institute.1998
Van der Weide and Huige are joined by bassist Stefan de Kroon and drummer Paul Bukkens and the band moves to UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
. Racoon plays at the Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
X-pl'oor-festival in the Melkweg
Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
and in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. Their self-released demo 'It's An Ice Cream Day' earns them the attention of several record companies and many positive reviews from the Dutch
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...
press.
1999
Racoon is opening act at the annual Noorderslag festival. They sign to Sony's S.M.A.R.T. label and at the end of this year they go into the studio to record their full-length debut.2000
In January Racoon plays at the Eurosonic festival in Groningen. This month also sees the release of the long expected debut album 'Till Monkeys Fly', which was recorded at the ICP-studios in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. 'Till Monkees Fly' is produced by Michel "Magic Stick" Schoots from Urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
Dance Squad; the end mix was done by Phil Nicolo (ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...
) and Bob Ludwig was responsible for the mastering of the album. The band is being touted as the next big thing and the single 'Feel Like Flying' is power played on Radio 3 FM. Racoon plays at the Parkpop and Lowlands festivals.
Michel Schoots
2001
The singles 'Smoothly' and 'Eric's Bar' are released, the latter appears on Racoon's new album 'Here We Go, Stereo'.2002
In February Racoon tours the country performing Faith No MoreFaith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
songs for the 'Marlboro Flashback Tour'.
2003
Racoon plays at the Europe Day festival in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Other bands on the bill include Alphaville
Alphaville (band)
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
(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...
), The Blueberries (Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
), K-System
K-system
The K-system is an audio level measuring technique proposed by mastering engineer Bob Katz in the paper An integrated approach to Metering, Monitoring and Levelling. It proposes a monitor calibration system and a set of meter ballistics to help engineers produce consistent sounding music while...
(Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) and bands from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The festival is organised by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
2004
Racoon signs a recording deal with PIAS. Its song Feel Like Flying is runner up in the Top 100 Best Dutch Pop Songs. Voted by the listeners of public Radio 3FM, it is trailing behind Van Dik HoutVan Dik Hout
Van Dik Hout are a Dutch pop group from Den Helder in the north of the Netherlands. They formed in the late 1980s as a school band, but moved later to Amsterdam where they rechristened themselves into Van Dik Hout....
's 'Stil In Mij'. Snippets of the track Reach are used in two Calvé TV ads.
2005
Racoon releases its third album Another DayAnother Day (Racoon album)
Another Day is an album by the Dutch rock band Racoon. It was first released on April 9, 2005.-Track listing:#"Happy Family"#"Hero's in Town"#"Love You More"#"Laugh About It"#"Blow Your Tears"#"Couple of guys"#"Got to Get Out"#"Brother"...
. The album turns out to be a major hit, with highly successful singles such as Love You More, Laugh About It, and Brother.
2006
The band collaborate with Armin van Buuren to create a trance version of their hit tune Love You More. The song goes big in the trance scene and is soon being played by numerous top name djs.2008
In March, the band's fourth album, Before You Leave, is released.Racoon is present at many Dutch Festivals and plays Pinkpop (60.000 visitors), Rockin Park (30.000) and Parkpop (250.000).
In the fall of 2008 the successful tour in Dutch theaters of 2006 will be continued.