Few bands on either side of the Atlantic have been around as long as Belgian band Rawhide. Now in their 46th year, they have earned a reputation across Europe as a premier bluegrass band unafraid to bend boundaries.
“Rawhide was born in 1977,” said Thierry Heussmann, the band’s current banjo player. “It rapidly evolved from Western music to bluegrass, with the main influences being Hot Lies, Country Gentleman, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. In 1991, the last original member decided to leave and joined Banjo. left Dirk Peller on the mandolin and Bert Van Voltel on the mandolin. Dirk and Bert then asked fiddler Dirk Fontaine and me to join. Dirk Peller also asked me if I could be the banjo player. I had decided to get a Dobro. The two “newest” members, Dimi Rabano on bass and Jeff Cardy on mandolin, joined about 13 years ago. Bart then switched to guitar. Jeff is a Canadian who immigrated to Europe about 20 years ago. ”
According to Scoysman, bands these days have a very wide repertoire, including “some traditional bluegrass, some modern songs, some pop/rock songs, even barbershop songs.” There are also jazz and classical songs, and even Mexican songs.” We also like to incorporate musical and visual humor in our arrangements. We all sing. And we love singing in an a cappella quartet. We know a lot of early Quicksilver songs and always have one or two on our set list. ”
He further stated that since they have a repertoire of over 60 songs, it can be difficult to choose which songs to include in their live performance.
“It’s not possible for us to sing everything using one microphone, so a few years ago we decided to attach high-quality microphones to our instruments and connect them wirelessly to our mixing boards.” Scheusman explained. “As a result, we can move around the stage more freely. That’s really nice for the audience, rather than seeing us stuck behind a microphone.”
Although the band has performed extensively, Scoisman said most of the musicians have day jobs, so their travels are limited to relatively short periods of time. “The exception is my 12 days in Portugal last year, where we played Portugal’s first bluegrass festival, Trafaria, and a huge, well-established world music festival. All other international trips usually take place over a weekend. Although bluegrass is planned around the world, it covers most countries in Europe. Some songs have been performed many times, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands. It took us to places we would never have gone without Glass. And of course playing in Belgium. Personally, I’ve been to America many times, but I’ve never been able to bring a band to America. It’s too complicated to take.”
Rawhide has also performed at festivals in Europe, including La Roche in France. The Dutch are also the only band to have played every EWOB festival since its inception in 1998.
“As a band, we have a specific repertoire and arrangements, so it’s not easy to fit guests into our set,” Scoysman says. “But Bill Keith joined us a few times and played some twin banjo arrangements. And every once in a while, a Belgian celebrity would join us for a song or two. Personal I was invited to play with Bill Keith several times, once with Mike Marshall, Dan Craley, Tony Trischka, and probably a few more times that I can’t remember right now. Yes. I also play the banjo and sing with Christy Cox on a small European tour. I was invited to go on a three-week tour, but due to Corona, I made a different decision…Recently, I jammed some Dawg songs with Mike Marshall and Darol Unger.”
Rawhide has received numerous prestigious accolades over the years, including numerous awards from the European bluegrass world, and has naturally made a name for itself with national audiences. “We mainly play for people who don’t know bluegrass,” explains Heusman. “But they always love what we do. The diversity of our repertoire, the humor within and between songs, and of course our instrumental and vocal skills impress them.”
Still, he says the band continues to strive for greater recognition. “We still need to find ways to sell our products better,” he muses. “Organizers like to play it safe by booking famous names that people know from TV…This year, Bart, Dirk Fontaine and I, along with Navarone’s son Guido Vos , performed at 65 sold-out theaters. Broken Circle Breakdown With two famous actors. Reaction to this music was unanimously positive. But we also realize that this is the title of a play, two famous actors who have also been successful in Belgian cinema, filling all these theaters. ”
In the meantime, Rawhide has a number of unique credentials. “The ‘old’ Rawhide had several LPs that were long out of print,” Scoysman explained. “This incarnation of Rawhide has two of his CDs, the first in the 2000s Not too strict, this shows that we are not playing pure traditional music. This is also a play on words for his Strictly Country Records, a distributor owned by Pieter Groenveld. The title of the second CD is the darkness is howling It doesn’t mean anything from 2012, but it sounds nice. And surrealism was invented in Belgium. ”
He further stated that all of the songs they perform are covers, with the exception of one original instrumental, performed with their own arrangements. He lists songs such as: i was made to love you Kiss, by Cat Stevens matthew and son, teenager in love Written by Paul Anka and an old 50’s standard Typewriterrecorded by Leroy Andersen as a song with a bluegrass spin.
“Bluegrass is great music when played well,” Scoysman insists. “Bluegrass musicians are often masters of their instruments. They can sing in harmony, and they don’t have to put a sheet in front of their noses. It’s a pretty unique combination. It’s acoustic music, so you can play it anywhere. And it’s happy-sounding music, even if the lyrics aren’t happy at all.”
For more information about Rawhide, including show dates, visit online.