Raskolnikov (band)
Encyclopedia
Raskolnikov is a Rotterdam
based band, consisting of four well-known musicians in the Dutch
music world. They were brought together by singer, guitarist
and songwriter
Mark Ritsema
(Nightporter, former Spasmodique
) in the late nineties to be the house band of a local radio show called Studio Gloria. A sort of best of these sessions was released in September '99 as their highly acclaimed debut album Studio Gloria. During the last decade the group released two more albums, played throughout Holland, wrote and performed music for a dance performance and a theatre show, did support shows for Jools Holland
and 16 Horsepower
and became regular musical guests at VPRO
radio.
The promotional website for Dutch artisits dutchsound.nl wrote about their second album The Jezebel Shanty:
“Subdued jazz, melancholy soul, soul-searching shanties, and baroque themes. Inner city blues, imaginary nighttime travels through town full of down-on-their-luck characters, dives, unrequited love and the inevitable morning hangover. (...) The make-up of piano, contrabass, and percussion lends a loose, almost jazzy feel to the proceedings. Think atmosphere and depth instead of tightness and rock 'n' roll machismo. The Jezebel Shanty is a remarkable reflection of a band's unique look on life.”
After a short break (but still meeting each other in several other bands and projects) the fab four reunited as Raskolnikov in the winter of 2009.
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...
based band, consisting of four well-known musicians in 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...
music world. They were brought together by singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A 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...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Mark Ritsema
Mark Ritsema
Mark Ritsema is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, journalist and writer from the Netherlands. During the eighties and nineties he fronted cult bands Spasmodique and Cobraz and currently he plays with Raskolnikov...
(Nightporter, former Spasmodique
Spasmodique
Spasmodique was an underground rock band from Rotterdam, The Netherlands from 1981 to 2005.-Sound:Spasmodique formed at the height of New Wave's popularity and existed somewhere near that genre's post-punk fringes. They sang almost exclusively in English...
) in the late nineties to be the house band of a local radio show called Studio Gloria. A sort of best of these sessions was released in September '99 as their highly acclaimed debut album Studio Gloria. During the last decade the group released two more albums, played throughout Holland, wrote and performed music for a dance performance and a theatre show, did support shows for Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
and 16 Horsepower
16 Horsepower
16 Horsepower was an American alternative country music group based in Denver, Colorado. Their music often invoked religious imagery dealing with conflict, redemption, punishment, and guilt through David Eugene Edwards's lyrics and the heavy use of traditional bluegrass, gospel, and Appalachian...
and became regular musical guests at VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
radio.
The promotional website for Dutch artisits dutchsound.nl wrote about their second album The Jezebel Shanty:
“Subdued jazz, melancholy soul, soul-searching shanties, and baroque themes. Inner city blues, imaginary nighttime travels through town full of down-on-their-luck characters, dives, unrequited love and the inevitable morning hangover. (...) The make-up of piano, contrabass, and percussion lends a loose, almost jazzy feel to the proceedings. Think atmosphere and depth instead of tightness and rock 'n' roll machismo. The Jezebel Shanty is a remarkable reflection of a band's unique look on life.”
After a short break (but still meeting each other in several other bands and projects) the fab four reunited as Raskolnikov in the winter of 2009.
Discography
| 1999 | Studio Gloria | CD |
| 2003 | The Jezebel Shanty | CD |
| 2005 | Portrait Of Raskolnikov As A Young Man Part 1 | Downloadable CD |
External links
- Raskolnikov official website
- Raskolnikov at Nationaal Pop Instituut (in Dutch)
- Unsound (in Dutch)