Thoughtful, melodic, yet rocking band Jul 05 '01    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line Loud, yet intriguing, melodic, and thoughtful rock--whether live or on CD, one of my alltime fave bands. A must-see band! This band, fronted by Canadian singer/guitarist Carol van Dyk, lives in the Netherlands and tours the US about every two years. They've had some success on US college radio, but never found a large audience in the US. That's a shame because they make some exciting, straightforward, yet thoughtful rock, and out on some great live shows. I've seen them twice in nightclubs and the shows were similar enough that I'll just describe it as one show. Generally speaking, much of there music is loud and raucous, in an electric Neil Young/Bob Dylan way. But at the same time, Bettie Serveert writes very melodic songs, and it can make a beautiful noise! The lyrics are thoughtful too--I didn't see the lyrics as being always literal, but as having several layers of meaning and irony, as in Bob Dylan's 1960's electric work. If you want to hear some Bettie Serveert samples, you can find some on their Web site. Generally, their style is very straightforward--I get the impression that they write the songs, then record them in a simple way, and let the music speak for itself--again, like Bob Dylan. If the music's good, that works, and it works for Bettie Serveert. When I saw the band last fall, like many other bands I like (such as Ivy) with so-so sales, they'd been dropped by their record label. I guessed Bettie Serveert were on a brief eastern US tour, trying to develop some interest from the labels. I couldn't see any way they could make money on the tour, not after traveling from the NL to play to 200 people in a nightclub at $10 a ticket. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if the band was in a sad mood, but they took the stage and immediately began blowing the house down with an exciting, energetic, joyful set. Lead guitarist Peter Visser got wild and crazy on some songs, and just as on the CDs, sometimes that worked for me and sometimes that didn't, but nothing could detract from the songs and Carol's friendly mood and stirring vocals. This band came to play and seemed to love every minute of it, even though they had to come from the NL and undoubtedly they lost $$$ by being here in the US. Fans like me were very grateful--I spoke to a couple who had driven seven hours to see the show, then were going to leave right after the show, drive the rest of the night, and go to work the next morning. And the band made it worthwhile. Bassist Herman Bunskoeke (a playful and funny guy, by the way) and drummer Reinier Veldman built a solid foundation for every song, and from there Carol sang in her husky alto, providing the intriguing lyrics and melodies that make this band so worthwhile. After the show, the Carol and Peter hung out and sold CD's (including their latest, "Private Suit"--that's another winner from the band) and T-shirts from the stage and chatted with everybody. Just very friendly people. I bought two T-shirts, even though they didn't have my size--that's sounds silly, but I was just so pleased with the show that I wanted to chat with the band and get some souvenirs. While the band was label-less, via the Web, they sold three CD-Rs of old shows. I've got all three of those, and having seen the band live twice, as far as I can tell they're always terrific in person. Highly recommended! These days, they have their own record label--you can find out more at http://www.bettieserveert.com, where you can buy almost anything the band's released. You can't go wrong with any of their CDs. The band also has some intriguing side projects.

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