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After years of being an attic room project, the Dieter van der Westen Band took the spotlight in 2017 with their well received debut album Me and You. Original and catchy compositions by Dieter van der Westen performed in an energetic way by musicians with character. From stilled folk songs to grooving Americana.
On October 16 they present the successor to Me and You, their new album Honesty of the hopeful in Paradiso Amsterdam. As a child, Dieter van der Westen listened to the music of Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler and Tom Waits, but also to the worldmusic sounds of Khaled, Habib Koite, Idir and Manu Chao. He took his first musical steps in North African music and with his Dutch Moroccan band Kasba he played all over the world in the last twenty years. In the Netherlands he collaborated with Dutch well known artists such as BLØF, The Lau, Frank Boeijen, Gerard van Maasakkers and also with the Grammy winning Metropole orchestra. In the Dieter van der Westen Band, the love for Folk and Americana is combined with the rhythms and energy of music from around the world.
The band sound is also formed by the experience and distinguished characters of the various band members; Dieter’s brother Eric van der Westen worked as bassplayer with the Turkish pop legend Sezen Aksu, Dutch Jazz composer Martin Fondse and the Brazilian top artist Lenine. Guitarist Aron Raams played with jazzcollective Gare du Nord and Paul de Leeuw, drummer Gijs Anders van Straalen can also be found in Wouter Hamel’s band and with classical artist Iris Hond. Joost Abbel writes his own Americana songs under the pseudonym Johnny, plays banjo and dobro and is also a member of Zorita and Juan Juan. Violinist Mirte de Graaff plays with Folkgroup Last Thursday and Jasper Schal
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