Gem, November 28th 2008.

Gem (Utrecht), 2-track recorded.
Friday November 28th 2008, 'So What' Gouda.
Tracks: Waking Eyes.

Note: Maurits Westerik and his band returned to the stage he got his first live-experiences, to play an intense gig for a packed venue. As the PA-crew couldn’t get the ‘Line-Out’ functionning right, they gave me two subgroup-feeds, to use for my recorder. The sound got overloaded and mono, resulting in unusable recordings. Apart from ‘Waking Eyes’, which were picked up hazily by two mikes I used to pick up the overall sound from the venue. Written few days before, Maurits climbed a chair in the middle of the audience and sang over his acoustic guitar. Which was chilling. Later versions of this song made their way to Youtube, while this very first version was aired only once, on request by Maurits himself.

Gem, March 31st 2006 (Full band).

Gem (Utrecht), 4-track recorded.
Friday March 31st 2006, 'So What' Gouda.
Tracks: All I Want Is You/Subterranean Parade/Tonight/Move On/Talk, Talk, Talk/Go!/Good To Know You/High Low/Fight On/Let It Out, Get It Out/Someone/Rise & Fall/Strangers In The Night/Helmet(Start mutilated due to change of tapes)/Loose The Booze/”Audience”/Untitled New Track/The Blitz/S.O.S..

Note: Dropping by before the gig for a three track acoustic set and interview in the show, the band later played a very intense gig, promoting their second album ‘Escapades’. Not satisfied with the harmonies, the management restricted broadcast to the tracks without harmonies in them.

Mint, April 30th 2002.

Mint (Gouda/Bath), 2-track mono recorded.
Wednesday April 30th 2002, somewhere in Rotterdam-Alexander.
Tracks:Intro & Tuning/Just Another Daytime/Members In Water/Missionairy Girl/I Will Never Try/Menace For Feathers/Rain/Papa.

Note: final performance under the flag of ‘Mint’. Maurits Westerik on electric guitar, vocals and harmonica and Bram van Welie on bass and vocals. Recorded during a performance on a street stage on ‘Queensday’, three brandnew tracks were played, of which ‘Menace For Feathers’ was only two or three days old.
This recording was given to me by Maurits in an attempt to be rebooked for annual liveshow ‘De Goudse Afrekening’. Since ‘Mint’ headlined the previous year, nobody wanted to put a reduced ‘Mint’back up and the offer was declined. Instead ‘Moonstar’, the shortlived new band by former ‘Mint’-drummer Edwin Bol got the top spot. October 2003, Maurits offered to headline with his brandnew band, but was denied again, as their three track demo wasn’t very convincing to the team. 4 months earlier the band played a legendary support to ‘The Libertines’, as Pete Doherty didn’t show up for the first time. By June 2004 ‘Gem’ had a record deal, an album and they were literally all over Holland. Including some big festivals!

Mint, April 13th 2001.

Mint (Gouda/Utrecht/Bath), live on air.
Recorded: April 13th 2001. Studio 2.
Tracks: On Your Own/Members In Water/Rain.

Note: ‘Gem’-singer Maurits Westerik started his musical career with local band ‘Mint’. Between 1999- 2003, they played several gigs, released two self-recorded CD’s and a videoclip. After sessionning their guitar-teacher that same morning, I did an interview and live-session with Maurits, Edwin Bol and Bram van Welie that evening.

Gem, March 31st 2006 (Maurits solo).

Gem (Utrecht), live on air.
Recorded: March 31st 2006. Studio 2.
Tracks: The Subterranean Parade/Someone/True Story.

Note: Knowing singer Maurits Westerik from his previous local band ‘Mint’, made it very easy to invite him to drop by the studio right before the band played local club ‘So What’. Filling in old fans what happened inbetween ‘Mint’s final performance and the release of their second Cd and playing some songs acoustic for the occasion. Plus airing a brand new song, he wrote the day before and remains unreleased ever since.

Mint - 'So What' Gouda, December 28th 2001.

Mint (Gouda/Londen), 4-track recorded.
Friday December 28th 2001, 'So What' Gouda, during 'De Goudse Afrekening' live-broadcast.
Tracks: Tell Me What's New/Missionairy Girl/Members In Water/On Your Own/Where Have I Been?/Wrong Come Along/Caroline/Just Another Daytime/When The Day Is Over/("Audience")/Unknown/Rain, Rain/Unknown.

Note: emotionally loaded gig, as few weeks before Mariëlla de Geus, musician and frequently visiting the club, was murdered. ‘Rain’ was dedicated to her, during this explosive gig. Which started peculiar; after announcing the band, they hit the stage, realised the had forgotten a harmonica and left for the dressing room again. The bottle of whiskey they drank before the gig, wasn’t the cause, they repeatedly expressed afterwards! Before the gig ended, the live broadcast was over and the radioset got dismatled. At the end you literally hear the plugd being pulled out off my recorder! Final gig for this band as a trio, as members of ‘Sway’ came to this gig to try and convince singer Maurits to join them. Maurits auditionned, but was deemed ‘not good enough’. ‘Mint’-drummer Edwin auditionned too and made it. This fuelled internal tensions, making Edwin to leave soon after. ‘Mint’ continued as an acoustic duo for several gigs, playing their final one April 30th 2002.

'Vers Uit De Vest'-Festival - 'So What' Gouda, June 9th 2001.

'Vers Uit De Vest'-Festival, 4-track recorded.
Saturday June 9th 2001, 'So What' Gouda.

Indicate (Gouda, Haastrecht, Reeuwijk).
Tracks: Intro/Unknown/It’s Your World Too/Good Times For Us/Unknown/Still Unknown/Demon In Family/(‘Stretch Armstrong’ cover)/Unknown/The Luck/Indicate!/Difficult Sincerity.
Note: final hometown-gig of the band. Though slightly chaotic, the band played a great gig and had a party, playing home again. Guitarist Simon split his head, when he hit a stagelight in sheer enthusiasm. Had to be stitched up after the gig, which he finished with some Band Aids. Dissolved after short European tour in July 2001. Members later turned up in bands like ‘Malkovitch’ and ‘I Reject’.

Lame Art (Gouda/Waddinxveen/Reeuwijk).
Tracks: Coming soon.
Note: right after the release of their ‘Spanks Man’ EP, the band played a slightly experimental set, inspired hugely by ‘O.K. Computer’ of ‘Radiohead’. It turned out to be their final hometown-gig before reforming as 'Clockwork' in different line-up.

Mint (Gouda, Londen).
Tracks: Intro/Just Another Daytime/Rain/Caroline/Tell Me What's New/Monday To Monday/Members In Water/On Your Own/When The Day Is Over/Wrong Come Along/Where Have I Been.
Note: after the gig, the band was told by ‘indicate’ bassplayer, they sucked. Which the band heard, shrugging their shoulders afterwards. An unknown quantity of CD’s with these recordings were sold by the band. Which I never knew. Singer Maurits later became frontman of Utrecht based ‘Gem’.