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Rue Royale and The Black Atlantic
10/16/2010 10:00 PM
Acclaimed acoustic duo Rue Royale are on the road....again. Brookln and Ruth Dekker have barely stopped for breath since launching their labour of love four years ago.
The Anglo-American pair started performing together in 2006 before taking the full-time touring band plunge in 2008, relocating from Brookln's Chicago hometown to England shortly afterwards.
Now based in the East Midlands, they have played over 350 shows straddling both sides of the pond - taking in festivals, house concerts, club gigs and industry showcases across Europe and the US.
Named after a road running through the Chicago suburbs, Rue Royale's sense of journey is written all over their beguiling music, influenced by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, John Martyn, and the northern UK soul of Doves and Elbow.
They issued their first EP, The Search For Where To Go, in May 2006. An eponymously-titled debut LP followed as 2008 started. Independently released, it included crowd favourites' UFO, Even In The Darkness, Stars and Tell Me When You Go and led to airplay on American radio and MTV plus BBC 6 Music and XFM in the UK.
Rue Royale's homemade album covers were born of necessity after thieves ransacked their car in Holland, stealing their entire CD stock. Armed with a printer and sewing machine, the pair got to work hand-making hundreds of sleeves which have become firm favourites with fans. Still unsigned, the duo have amassed almost half a million plays on MySpace, shifted over 4,000 CDs/vinyl records, and sold thousands of downloads.
As well as being deep into recording a second album in their Nottingham cottage, various 7" projects are lined up and there are whispers of a children's book/recording release.
Meanwhile, Rue Royale are taking their kick drum across Europe (including their first ever Irish shows, with collaborator Paul Pilot) this summer before returning to America for a couple weeks of shows.
Now’s the time to join the journey ...
The Black Atlantic is an acoustic indie pop band from Groningen, the Netherlands. Their music is an introspective and intimate affair of melancholy, folk influenced acoustic pop, relying heavily on vocal harmonies and melody on soft strummed guitars, piano and minimal percussion. The band often uses nature imagery to express their stories on love, death and family. The band has toured in various incarnations around the world (US, EU, UK) and have played with bands such as Nada Surf, Patrick Watson and Saturday Looks Good to Me. They recently finished their debut album, entitled “Reverence for Fallen Trees”, most of which was recorded over the fall of 2008 in a log cabin in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
Reverence for Fallen Trees: In February, 2008, The Black Atlantic contacted the international recording project “In a Cabin With” (IACW) about a possible recording session. IACW were immediately enthusiastic and plans for a late 2008 recording, to take place in a log cabin, were made. The cabin, owned by van der Velde’s in-laws is located in the small town of Saranac Lake, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. For this recording, drummer Marcel Wolthof was re-enlisted alongside singer-songwriter Kim Janssen on various instruments. Janssen co-wrote some of the songs for the recording and has permanently settled in and joined the band. The title of the album “Reverence for Fallen Trees” is a metaphor for “honour the dead”, referring to van der Velde’s grandparents, 3 of whom passed away recently in the past year. The album deals with such topics as ‘remembrance’ , ‘grief’, ‘family’, ‘love’, ‘disenchantment’ and ‘overcoming’, eloquently worded and brought to life in natural methaphors and direct references to this period in his family history. Musically the new songs showcase a much wider variety of instrumentation and willingness to experiment with sounds and soundscapes, and the use of multi-layered vocal harmonies; inspired by such acts as Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and the Beach Boys. Rhytmically the group has chosen for a much more minimal, percussive approach touring with only a snare drum, floor tom and cymbal.
The Black Atlantic Official Site
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