In the '80s I founded a hardrock band called Osiris with my good buddies Robbie Woning and Marc Fien in Kampen. After a few years it was time to move on and see what else. I was asked to join Paul de Munnik's band Escape of Search from Dronten. My former brother in law (Kees Boot) introduced me to them.
Later the band got renamed to Strappin' Charles after the keyboard player left and the singer (Paul) took over with an organ. We didn't had the money to buy one, so for some early rehearsel session I remember we used a portable organ I had at home with my parents. It was "portable" for heavy weight lifters only by the way. That old wooden sucker was a bitch to carry around.
I remember the roadtrip to, I believe Rotterdam, to buy an other keyboard.
We were doing some covers ánd the band wrote their own songs too. There were some great song writers in the band, who all knew eachother from school. I always thought I was a long bastard, but when I saw those guys the first time they were a head higher than me!
Must be because of the food they ate in Dronten. I was from the little nearby village Swifterbant.
We were all into bands such a The Doors, Duran Duran and many more. I still have some cassette tapes with bad bad bad rehearsel recordings. I believe I was the only one with those tapes left.
As some kind of tribute to our bass player who was murdered back in 2001 I always wanted to remake a few of the SC tracks.
Back then we never recorded anything, no song ever saw the light of day as a recording. Just some stupid cassette tapes with more tape noise than music.
I just want to set this thing up. So beware: in the near future you might hear more of those lost songs.
Here is a little preview of what I've been recording already. This is the outro for Tomorrow's Morning, a song written by the singer.
I added some stuff in the studio, such as orchestral instruments. I just loved creating the arrangement with the string instruments, the old organ and such.
We have to get organize vocal sessions next at Ursaland, I guess.