Rowwen Hèze is a
band from the small village of
America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in the province of
Limburg, the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. They are one of the biggest bands singing in
Limburgish
Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...
. The band was founded in 1985.
Music
Rowwen Hèze's music is inspired by many different genres of music, including
folk,
fanfare and
tex-mex
Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejanos, Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern ...
. Rowwen Hèze draws a lot of inspiration from the songs of
The Pogues
The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...
, as well as from
Los Lobos
Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...
.
Lyrically the band is influenced by every day items like a hangover, the local Fanfare, fatherhood, walking with the dog or songs about a local figure.
Formation and history
The band started with the search for a new lead singer for the band The Legendary Texas Four.
Jack Poels, formerly singing in the band
Bad Edge, was willing to fulfill this position, on the condition he was allowed to do one song in dialect. The other band members agreed and Rowwen Hèze was born. In the early years they mostly played covers in English. A lot of bands from
Limburg compose a song every
Carnaval, which is a big cultural event in that region. Rowwen Hèze became known in all of the Netherlands with the
Carnaval song "Niks stront niks" (no crap nothing). After that they gradually sang more and more songs in their local dialect.
Since 1991 the band consists of Jack Poels (vocals, guitar and harmonica), William "Tren" van Enckevort (accordion, piano, trombone and vocals), Jan Philipsen (bass guitar and
double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
), Theo Joosten (guitar, mandolin, saxophone, tin whistle and percussion), Jack Haegens (trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone and percussion) and Martîn Rongen (drums and percussion). At the 2013 "Slotconcert" (final concert), Jan Philipsen left the band. Wladimir Geels replaces Jan on bass guitar.
Rowwen Hèze have achieved some success in attracting an audience even among Dutch people who have little knowledge of Limburgish dialects; their lyrics are difficult for anyone who does not understand dialects of Limburgish. They have also proved themselves internationally with a particular mix of
Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words ''Texas'' and ''Mexico'') is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejanos, Tejano people. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern ...
,
Irish folk,
American rock and
brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
music.
Discography
The band has the reputation of being a
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
band. During their performances, a lot of
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
throwing often takes place. Some of their greatest hits are:
* ''Een kwestie van geduld'' ('A matter of patience', about how the
Limburgish
Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...
language will gradually take over in the Netherlands)
* ''Bestel mar'' ('Just order
rder another round of beer'
* ''Auto, Vliegtuug'' ('Car, Airplane')
* ''Zondag in 't zuiden'' ('Sunday in the south' a song about being
idle).
Beside making party music, the band is also known for its intimate, reflective songs which are played during their theatre tours.
* ''De Peel in Brand''. ('The
Peel on fire', a song in which the singer expresses the desire for the carefree time of his youth, but also the fear he felt as a child for not being able to fathom the forces in the world that can interfere in his own life)
* ''Werme regen'' ('Warm rain')
* ''De Zwarte Plak'' ('The black spot
ong about war)
* ''Blieve loepe'' ('Keep on walking')
* ''D'n harde weg'' ('The hard road' / 'The hard way')
* ''Vader'' ('Father, about becoming a father')
* ''November'' (Limburgish version of "Raglan Road")
In 2006 the band released their album Rodus & Lucius'', which directly after its release made number 1 in the Album Top 100 of the Netherlands, proving their national fame.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowwen Heze
Dutch ska groups
Dutch pop music groups
Dutch-language musical groups
Musical groups established in 1985
Musical groups from Limburg (Netherlands)
Horst aan de Maas