Snowstar Records

Donna Blue - musical duo and couple Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen from the Netherlands - released their bilingual (English/French) album Into The Realm of Love. To be filed under Nancy & Lee, Serge Gainsbourg, and Julee Cruise with inspiration also drawn from film composers such as Ennio Morricone, Into The Realm of Love has a sound that leads the way into the bygone world of poets, dreamers, the hazy Côte d’Azur, and old 60’s spy movies.

The album's dreamy vintage romanticism is mirrored in the often-esoteric subject matter of the songs, blending mythology, the celestial, and exotica with personal songs that talk of the duo’s more contemporary experiences and their love of classic storytelling.

Donna Blue: “For us, writing and recording this second album was more playful, easier than the first one. Making your official debut adds a lot of pressure and you really want it to be just right. We could let go of that this time around and felt more sure-footed in our musical style and taste. This meant we could lean deeper into our niche without forcing ourselves to stick to a specific genre or getting burned out on perfectionism, we were able to just follow where the songs take us.”

Into The Realm of Love is out now on CD, Vinyl, and digital via Snowstar Records.

Listen to the album on all streaming platforms
Order the album on CD and Vinyl here

Synchronizing with the eerie and thrilling themes of 'Pact met de Duivel', Remy delves deep into the darker qualities of his harp. Using effect pedals, distortion, synthesizers and cello, 'Mirror Maze' makes for both a beautiful and at times a harrowing experience.

Mirror Maze (Pact met de Duivel OST) is now available for streaming and digital download.

Cape Sleep is the new band of Dutch artist Kim Janssen, who previously released three albums under his own name. Cape Sleep's debut 'Video Days' serves as a tribute to pop culture from the past. Under his new name Cape Sleep, Kim embraces his long desire to play in a band and takes a step away from his autobiographical songs.

The album is bursting with nostalgia. It travels through fragments of 80s Synthpop and 70s Soft Rock while maintaining a sensibility reminiscent of 50s adult contemporary pop: a contemplation of love, friendship, and the world in general.

'Video Days' is Kim's most focused and poignant work to date, and features contributions from Remy van Kesteren, members of Klangstof and Moss, as well as orchestral arrangements by Paul Jacob Cartwright (Father John Misty) performed by members of Stargaze and the Metropole Orkest.

‘Video Days’ is now available for streaming on all platforms. The record is available in stores and can be ordered via the Snowstar Records webshop.

Today Donna Blue – musical collaborators and couple Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen – released their dreamy, romantic-noir 60’s pop song titled Aphrodite. Along with the song the duo released a music video, which they produced, directed, and shot themselves.

Donna Blue: “Continuing along the classic storytelling lineage from the likes of well-known 1960’s duos Nancy & Lee, Serge & Jane, and Ramses & Liesbeth, our second single ‘Aphrodite’ is a duet written as a sort of myth. An upbeat and refreshing, yet nostalgic tale about a man trying to prove to a woman he is worthy of her love, while she is only interested in what he can do for her.”

As of today, their upcoming album Into The Realm of Love is available for pre-order and will be released March 8, 2024, on CD, Vinyl, and digital via Snowstar Records.

Aphrodite is out now on all streaming platforms
Watch the music video here
Pre-order the album here

Cape Sleep, formerly known as Kim Janssen, have released their second single I Want To Be Your Friend, from the upcoming album Video Days, set to be released February 23rd. Alongside the single, there's a music video featuring the band performing the song.

The new upbeat indie-pop song I Want To Be Your Friend conveys a longing to be wanted in someone’s life:

“I wish you’d call me at some ungodly hour,
to ask me to help you write your novel.
I want to be your friend not only when I’m all you got,
when other people are around, not just when they’re not”

I Want To Be Your Friend is out now on all streaming platforms.
Watch the music video here.

Pre-order Video Days on CD and Vinyl here

Donna Blue's sensual and atmospheric single 'Fantasy Girl' is a first glimpse of the upcoming bilingual album 'Into the Realm of Love,' expected to be released in March 2024. With a dreamy and chic 1960s sound, the song captures the allure of the online world.

"The lyrics personify the temptation of the online world, calling to you like a modern-day mythical siren," explains Donna Blue. "It constantly lurks, enticing you to fall in love with a fantasy version of yourself and others."

Their new album follows their debut 'Dark Roses' (2022) and will be available next year on vinyl, CD, and streaming via Snowstar Records.

Following the album's release in March 2024, Donna Blue will embark on an extensive European tour in spring 2024 with confirmed dates so far:

April 24, 2024: Le Hasard Ludique, Paris, France
April 26, 2024: Hebebühne, Hamburg, Germany
April 27, 2024: Kantine am Berghain, Berlin, Germany

For tour tickets go to bluedonnablue.com
Fantasy Girl is out now on all streaming platforms.

Cape Sleep is the new band name of Dutch artist Kim Janssen, who previously released three albums and an EP under his own name.

Awash with dreamy synths and shiny guitars and motored by a driving bass guitar courtesy of Moss frontman Marien Dorleijn, the song has a tinge of melancholy and gravitas that might make you think of an old Springsteen ballad.

‘Telephone’ is accompanied by a music video shot on 16mm film, directed by Kim Janssen himself. The video features a girl in a white dress on rollerskates teleporting through a series of curtains.

‘Telephone’ is now available for streaming on all platforms
Watch the music video here

Live dates will be announced soon.

The 2020 I am Oak release 'Odd Seeds' was released on double LP and cassette. Ever since it came out people have been asking for a CD version. Now, thanks to our Japanese friends from Signpole Records, here it is: The Japanese CD release of 'Odd Seeds'.

'Odd Seeds' is a selection of 26 reinterpretations of songs from the I Am Oak back catalog, ranging from before the debut album until the most recent album 'Osmosis'.

The Japanese CD release of Odd Seeds is available now on the Snowstar Records Webshop

Dutch harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new album ‘Muses’ today, on Snowstar Records. The album features previously released singles ‘avril 14th’ and ‘crown’. Named after the nine Muses of inspiration from Ancient Greek Mythology, ‘Muses’ explores Remy’s musical inspiration through nine composers that have had and continue to have a major influence on his musical journey.

Remy explains: “For this record I chose to rework some of the songs from some of my favorite bands and artists such as Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, Bon Iver, and Sibelius. Combining my harp and its rich heritage with musical worlds where the instrument is completely unknown sheds new light on these musical gems. This enriches the palette of the harp, an instrument that was once limited to just classical music but is now genre-free and sounds like you've never heard it before”.

Muses is out now on all streaming platforms and available on CD and vinyl in the Snowstar Records webshop.

Broeder Dieleman releases his new and sixth studio album 'Oh mijn ziel' today. The album contains 10 songs, including the previously released single 'Ochtendvier'. 'Oh mijn ziel' is an album of surrender and bewilderment. Above all, it became a record in which Tonnie Dieleman relinquished control more than ever, putting trust and affection in like-minded artists and historical figures.

One of these like-minded people is Baby Dee (Drag City, Domino), the originally American artist who has been living in the Dutch province of Zeeland for a full decade now. Dee co-wrote the bulk of the songs on Oh mijn ziel, which translates to ‘Oh my soul’. "The album title comes straight from a Psalm, Psalm 42," says Dieleman. “It is also Dee's favorite psalm, something that connects us together very much. It's funny that you come from two completely different worlds, and that Psalm 42 is what binds us together.”

‘Oh mijn ziel’ is now available for streaming on all platforms. The record is available in stores and can be ordered via the Snowstar Records webshop.

Six months after De Toegift's successful debut album, the band releases ‘De vormen voelen vreemd': an EP full of surprising reworks of tracks from the previously released record. The band sought collaboration with various producers who could all put their own unique stamp on the music. From the head-turning twist that gladde paling gives to "Alles is gemaakt", to Lucky Fonz III's cut-and-paste lounge, ‘De vormen voelen vreemd’ is a true auditory exploration.

This EP shows that De Toegift can not only be found in the nightly cafe but also on the packed dance floor or at an early after. “De vormen voelen vreemd is like a party slowly coming to an end; starting at the climax with gladde paling, partying quietly with Jaro, into the night with the twosome of Mathilde Nobel and Noire Antidote, and finally it's time to go home with Lucky Fonz III,” singer Maxim says.

Singer and storyteller broeder Dieleman releases new single 'Ochtendvier' today. The song will appear on his forthcoming album 'Oh mijn ziel', which will be released on Friday, August 18. 'Oh mijn ziel' is an album of surrender and bewilderment. Above all, it became a record in which Tonnie Dieleman relinquished control more than ever, putting trust and affection in like-minded artists and historical figures.

One of these like-minded people is Baby Dee, the originally American artist who has been living in the Dutch province of Zeeland for a full decade now. Dee co-wrote the bulk of the songs on Oh mijn ziel, which translates to ‘Oh my soul’. "The album title comes straight from a Psalm, Psalm 42," says Dieleman. “It is also Dee's favorite psalm, something that connects us together very much. It's funny that you come from two completely different worlds, and that Psalm 42 is what binds us together.”

Baby Dee found her love of life in Dutch visual artist Christina de Vos, who made the artwork for ‘Oh mijn ziel’. Over a cup of coffee with several biscuits, Dee and Dieleman started looking for shared stories and experiences, experimenting with melodies and rhymes. Dee's years of experience as an organist in a church in the Bronx had a special overlap with Dieleman's childhood in the pews in Axel. This shared love for the landscape in Zeeland – and nature in general – turned out to be obvious starting points.

The moving duet between the two, "Ochtendvier" – a translation by bassist Peter Slager of Dee's song "Morning Fire" – is a gesture of finding hope and safety in the other, and the longing for a coming spring. The beauty is in its imperfection, the way Dee and Dieleman both sing the lyrics in their native tongue simultaneously. Dieleman: “Dee is someone who thinks very deliberately about music, and I enjoy surrendering to that.”

'Oh mijn ziell' will be broeder Dieleman's sixth album. His previous album 'Love is the First Law' was released in 2020.

Dutch harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘crown’ today. On this track, Remy once more reworks a composition made by one of his musical heroes: Kendrick Lamar. Remy also announces his upcoming album ‘Muses’, named after the nine Muses of inspiration from Ancient Greek Mythology. The album explores Remy’s musical inspirations through nine composers that have had and continue to have  a major influence on his musical journey. To celebrate the release of the album, Remy will be playing album release shows in the A'DAM Tower on August 24 and in Ancienne Belgique on Oktober 5.

Remy van Kesteren about ‘crown’: '‘When I first heard ‘Crown’, composed by one of my musical heroes Kendrick Lamar, it reminded me of Philip Glass' Metamorphosis. The minimalist alternation of two notes and a simple melody builds up a tension that is only truly released at the very end of the song. Even without the captivating lyrics of Lamar and its closing message '’you can't please everybody’', this song takes you on a journey that does not let go of its grip for the entire six minutes. The track builds slowly and then synthesizers and a deep sub-bass propel the harp upwards towards the climax of the song, where even without words - at least for me - the music speaks powerfully moving.’'

Singer-songwriter & musician Luka releases her new EP ‘Director in the Dark’ today, featuring previously released singles ‘Something Somewhere’ and ‘Raven’s Nest’. To celebrate the release of her new EP, Luka will be playing at V11, Rotterdam on the 12^th of April. ‘Director in the Dark’ is now available on all streaming platforms.

‘Director in the Dark’ contains soundscapes of the inexplicable. They are an attempt to get a grip on the feeling of stumbling through the dark. On the EP, Luka says: ‘’The songs were born from a sense of being uprooted. This may seem like a lonely feeling, but there is also a strength in it; you get to choose where you live and who lives in you. 'Director in the Dark' is made for everyone who recognizes themselves in this.’’

Dutch Harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘avril 14th’ today. The song is an adaptation and own musical interpretation of Aphex Twin's 'Avril 14th'. The official music video is shot in one of the studios of STMPD where the recording process took place. 

''I studied hard to replicate the mechanical timing of the original, but it wasn't until I interpreted it the way I wanted it that the work really started to make sense to me. Instead of an effortless computer, you feel the real struggle and emotion of a human being playing this music and that's what breathes new life into this version.’’

Luka releases her new single 'Raven's Nest' today. The song is about feeling estranged to a place that once felt familiar and the second song leading up to upcoming EP ‘Director in the Dark’, which will be released on April 7th. For this song Luka played with the contrast of having a catchy melody dressed in undestined textures and mysterious strings, to amplify this feeling.

De Toegift release their long-awaited self-titled debut album today! The album features ten songs, on which the previously released EPs (‘En ik kon alles zien’ & ‘Nooit, misschien’) will be united with previously unreleased material. A musical journey through memories, delusions and fantasies. Always looking for experiment, authenticity and the perfect song, the band plays with themes about time and nostalgia.

De Toegift announced their self titled debut album with the release of new single ‘Licht als stof’. The album will be released on the 27th of January 2023. ‘Licht als stof’ is guided by nostalgia and the deep desire to get lost in complete nothingness for a while. The single comes with a beautiful black and white video.

Listen to the single and pre-order the record on CD or Vinyl here.

Luka releases new single ‘Something Somewhere’ today. The song paints a feeling of the mystical glare that drives another. It’s the glow of inspiration that keeps us moving. It got started on a writing-trip with some friends, among musicians Joep Le Blanc (ZES) and Guido Nederstigt (Darlyn). After that she collaborated on the song with her team members Joost Wesseling (Luwten) and Wannnes Salomé (Klangstof, Nana Adjoa).

De Toegift release new single 'Alles is gemaakt' today. The dreamy, melancholic blanket that hangs over De Toegift makes way for a smoke screen. For a while the lyrics don't give shape to memories or stories about the past. Without mercy things are set on edge; No one is spared. The music supports this feeling of constant threat with the addition of guest musicians Carmela Michailidis (flute) and Hester Julia Voddé (violin). With it they released this video that accompanies the mysterious tone of the song. Which is fully made by the band itself. 

De Toegift releases their second EP ‘Nooit, misschien’ today! The EP contains the previous released singles ‘De woonwijk’ and ‘Soms’, and new song ‘Meer dan ooit’. ‘Nooit, misschien’ philosophizes about the different ways in which time moves. Apparent contradictions connect three songs about finding hope, losing hope and questioning the final. 

De Toegift releases new single 'Soms' today. The song is an ode to self-doubt and the second single leading up to upcoming EP ‘Nooit, misschien’, which will be released on September 2nd. This new single also includes a nerve-racking collage of strings by violinist Hester Julia Voddé. With it they released this 3D-animation video by digital/visual artist Milo Poelman.

Broeder Dieleman releases new single 'De Eerste Knecht' today! The song finds its origin in the recordings for latest album ‘De Liefde is de Eerste Wet’ (2020) and a Leo Bootsgezel story ‘als de lente komt’ from 1923. ‘De Eerste Knecht’ is part of a two-piece, the second part will be released later this year. Yesterday broeder Dieleman also announced three bandshows for this fall. Tickets are now available via our site. 

De Toegift release new single 'De woonwijk' today! The song manifests itself as a cheerful note in the dreamy landscape of De Toegift. With it they released a video as well, which was premiered by Dansende Beren.

Donna Blue released their long-awaited debut album ‘Dark Roses’ today! ‘Dark Roses’ is a film score-esque collection of 11 dreamlike tracks. Lining your senses like a mirage, the album plays with the feeling of being alive, yet in a carefully sculpted parallel world. For those who choose to follow into their grainy universe, the reward will be tantalizing: bursting with soundscapes, twangy Western guitars and sensual vocals.

One week before the release of their debut album ‘Dark Roses’, Donna Blue releases one more single. The song is called ‘The Beginning’ and it’s the album’s opening track, which takes you by the hand on a mesmerizing trip deep into the album’s universe. The single is accompanied by a visualizer.

Rock band Beachdog released their self-titled debut album today. It's a rock record that goes from loud to very loud. Fresh neo-grunge, punk and post-hardcore reminiscent of Foo fighters and Soundgarden on the one hand and bands like Turnstile and Touché Amoré on the other. The album features ten songs in total, including previously released singles ‘Dog’, ‘Good Morning ft. Robin Piso’ and ‘Swords Up In The Air’.

Beachdog releases ‘Swords Up In The Air’ today, a song about fighting giants. It’s the third single taken from their upcoming self-titled debut album, which will be released exactly two weeks from now on April 29th. With it they released an amazing performance video made by Set Vexy.

Remy van Kesteren’s releases new EP ‘Places I may have visited, people I may have met Pt. 3’! The third EP in a series of four in total, is Remy’s most ambitious EP to date, featuring the Analogue Robot Orchestra for the first time - in addition to the harp, sequencers and loops. The Robot Orchestra took shape during the lockdown in the form of an 8 meters wide by 3 meters high structure consisting of thirty self-built drum machines, with which Remy is touring through the Netherlands right now.

Donna Blue releases 'A Lover In Disguise' today! It's the third single taken from their upcoming debut album 'Dark Roses'. Sounding somewhat like a 70s Italian film soundtrack, this is a song about a secret rendezvous between two lovers. The single is accompanied by a visualizer shot in and around a picturesque villa in Milan.

De Toegift released their debut EP ‘En ik kon alles zien’ today! The EP features the previously released singles 'Nollestrand' and 'Zo waren de dagen' and two new songs. The EP is the first chapter and the start of the larger story of De Toegift.

De Toegift release their second single ‘Nollestrand’ today! It’s a beautiful song which will be featured on their EP ‘En ik kon alles zien’, set for release April 1st.

‘Nollestrand’ is the first song that singer Maxim wrote in his own language. It gives shape to a vivid and intimate childhood memory in which he moved to Zeeland as a three-year-old boy with his parents and older brother. ‘Nollestrand’ pays tribute to that vast plain, the mighty sea and the monumental wind organ that together form the symbol of his origin.
De Toegift is joined by Franklin Schieman (saxophone) and Hester Julia Voddé (violin) who help make 'Nollestrand' sound like a cinematic whole.

Remy van Kesteren released his new single ‘memphis’ today! It’s the second single for Remy’s upcoming EP 'Places I May Have Visited, People I May Have Met Pt. 3’.

Donna Blue announced their debut album ‘Dark Roses’! It will be released on the 13th of May and with this announcement, the duo also release their second single, ‘Solitaire’. 

Listen to the single and pre-order the album here.

Beachdog released the second single of their upcoming self-titled debut album today. The song is called ‘Good Morning’ and features DeWolff’s Robin Piso on organ. Listen to the song here. The video for the song is premiered over at Visions Magazin.

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Beachdog’s upcoming album, set for release April 29th. The first 500 LP’s are pressed on beautiful pink vinyl.

Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘nowhere’ today! He made the single together with his Analogue Robot Orchestra, with which he’ll tour the Netherlands starting this Sunday. Listen to the song here.

‘nowhere’ is the first single of the third EP of his project ‘Places I May Have Visited, People I May Have Met’. The third EP of the four part series will be released on the 8th of April.

Remy van Kesteren releases ‘Places I May Have Visited, People I May Have Met’ Part 2 today! This second EP of the four-part series continues where part one left off. The searching, melancholic improvisations make way for more confident, hopeful compositions on this second EP. The songs are not only grander, but also more pronounced in composition and arrangement. Listen now.

New band De Toegift signed with Snowstar Records! De Toegift combines the worlds of Dutch poetry and contemporary indie music into what they prefer to make the most: Dutch spoken indie with influences from jazz.

To celebrate the new collaboration, the band released their first single 'Zo waren de dagen’ today. It’s the first single of their upcoming EP ‘En ik kon alles zien’. Listen to the song now.

Donna Blue is back with their first new single in two years, called 'Dark Roses'. It's a somewhat dark and western inspired duet, which tells the story of a lifelong search for lost love, a topic often found in old folk songs. Following a Nancy & Lee-esque song structure, its lyrics symbolize the fruitless search for perfection. A lonesome stranger carrying a flowery dream, forever pining after his golden mirage. Listen to it now.

Beachdog announce their debut album with the release of new single ‘Dog’!
Their self-titled debut will be released on the 29th of April. ‘Dog’ is out now and comes with an amazing performance video. Pre-order the record and listen to ‘Dog’ here!

Remy van Kesteren released not one but two new singles today! They are called ‘for a script’ and ‘fuji’, and are the first two songs that will be featured on the second EP of his project ’Places I may have visited, people I may have met’, set for release on the 11th of February.

We're clearing our garage. The entire Snowstar Records back catalogue is on SALE for the rest of the month and can be yours for only 1 or 2 euro per release!
Crazy? Maybe!
But that's not all, everything else has a 15% discount. We will ship every day to make sure you get your Christmas gifts as soon as possible, but this sale will run for the rest of the year.

OUT NOW: Remy van Kesteren’s new EP ‘Places I may have visited, people I may have met Pt. 1’! It’s the first EP in a series of four in total, a document of a confusing time when the inner world was often more inviting than the outside world.

Listen to the first EP now.

I Am Oak’s Thijs Kuijken used the new single ‘The Passage’ as a way to find some footing and to have a goal to work towards, in a time where there was little to look forward to. On ‘The Passage’ he trades the piano from the latest studio album Osmosis for an ambient synthesizer pad, accompanied by rolling drums and bass guitar, saxophone accents and a strings passage.

Remy van Kesteren’s ‘amanuel’ is the third single of the first EP of his new project ‘Places I may have visited, people I may have met’. It’s a series of four EP’s that show how he experienced this past year and half musically. In two weeks Part 1 of these EP’s will be released!

Beachdog’s 7 inch EP ‘Crawl in Pieces’ is OUT NOW! Listen to it on your favorite streaming service, or order your copy in our webshop.

Remy van Kesteren’s second single ‘addis’, which will be featured on his forthcoming EP ‘Places I may have visited, people I may have met pt. 1’, is OUT NOW!

Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘akaishi’ today! It’s the first song of an upcoming new EP called ‘Places I may have visited, people I may have met Pt. 1’. Listen to it now!

With 'Places I may have visited, people I may have met' Remy shows how he experienced this past year and a half musically. It will eventually be a series of four EP’s, so after the first one there’s even more to follow.

First single ‘Crawl In Pieces’ by our new signing Beachdog is OUT NOW! And they also announced a 7 inch EP set for release on Snowstar November 19th.

Listen to the single and pre-order the 7 inch now.

We are very proud of signing Beachdog, a brand new rock band. That means Snowstar Records is going back to its punk roots. We will release their first song next week, and we're very much looking forward to this fun ride we are sure it is going to be. Cheers! 🤟

Luka’s new remix EP ‘Reworks [FSOLG]’ is out now! On the EP are three amazing reworks of songs featured on her debut album ‘First Steps of Letting Go’. Next to the previously released remixes by Barbagallo and Wannes Salomé, there’s a third remix by Willem Ardui featured on the EP.

Today is our 17.5 year anniversary! We celebrate this with a book and a 17% discount on all orders in our webshop today and tomorrow!

The book is called 'Omdat Er Post Is’, and contains all reviews of releases on the label written (in Dutch) by Tim Donker, who has been following us since 2012. Each Dutch order will get the book for free (They are limited, so be quick).

Thank YOU and all the beautiful music for making these past 17.5 years possible.

Luka released a new remix single today! Wannes Salomé, who is known as co-producer and band member of Klangstof and who produced Luka's debut album ‘First Steps of Letting Go’, made a beautiful rework of ‘Same Song’. Listen to it now.

The beautiful 7 inch ‘Love is the first law / There are worms in your circle’ by broeder Dieleman and Bonnie “Prince” Billy is out now! Give it a listen, or order your copy, here.

Luka released a new remix single today! It’s an amazing rework of her song ‘Without U’ by none other than Tame Impala drummer Julien Barbagallo.
She announces a remix EP as well, set for release on the 25th of June, featuring songs taken from her debut album ‘First Steps of Letting Go'.

Listen to ‘Without U (Barbagallo Remix)’ now.

Dutch Harpist Remy van Kesteren released his new album ‘An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle’ at the end of last year. As the title suggests this was his own take on the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated movie The Red Turtle.
This summer there will be a follow-up to this well received album. On the 12th of June, the day of the first Record Store Day drop of 2021, Remy will release a limited 7 inch single. The single will feature a live version of ‘april’ together with the ZO! Gospel Choir and Remy’s Analogue Robot Orchestra (ARO), and a live version of ‘nowhere left to run’ featuring ARO.
The 7 inch ‘April (Live)’ will be sold exclusively during Record Store Day, June 12th, at Dutch independent record stores.

Big news! Bonnie “Prince” Billy and broeder Dieleman will release a new 7 inch single on Snowstar Records on the 21st of May.

Back in 2015 both artists released a 7 inch single together, on which they covered each other’s work, both in their own language. Now, 6 years later, there is a sequel. During the lockdown the two musicians sent each other a title for a song that they then started working on. Bonnie “Prince Billy” wrote ‘Love is the first law’ and broeder Dieleman wrote ‘There are worms in your circle, there are wolves’.
Both songs are featured on the 7 inch single which can be pre-ordered now in our webshop.

‘II’, the new solo album by Jack Poels, is OUT NOW! Stream it online, get your copy at your favorite record store or buy it in our webshop.

With the album release just two weeks away from now, Jack Poels releases new single 'De nacht van 't greune graas' today!

Jack Poels about the song: “'De nacht van ’t greune graas' describes a sleepless night full of traveling to fantasy worlds. To places where the grass appears greener. Much doubt and longing emerge in the darkness. Only when the words stop, the music starts.”

Listen to the song here, and don't forget to pre-order your copy of the album. All pre-orders will be signed by Jack Poels!

Jack Poels announced a new solo album today! To celebrate he released the second single 'Hartevrouw', the follow up to single 'Straks' which will also be featured on the new album.
The album, with the simple but fitting title 'II', will be released on the 26th of February and is the follow up to last years 'Blauwe Vear'.

Pre-order the album now and go listen to 'Hartevrouw' here.

I Am Oak’s new album ‘Odd Seeds’ is OUT NOW!

It’s the beautiful result of Thijs Kuijken (I Am Oak) spending his days confined at home due to COVID-19 back in March, April and May of this year. A collection of 26 songs, most of them unique and new versions of existing songs, and one new one called ‘That’s That’.

It’s available now on limited double LP and cassette tape in our webshop, and Part 2 is available on all streaming services.

Jack Poels released a new single today called 'Straks', with a beautiful lyric video. Congrats Jack Poels! Go listen to the single and watch the video with the link

We've got something special for you in December! This whole month there's free shipping on all CDs! Go to our webshop now to expand your cd collection, or to get someone a gift for the holidays.

I Am Oak releases the first part of his upcoming album ‘Odd Seeds’ digitally today! With the release of the full album set for December 18th, you can now listen to 14 of the 26 songs in total. Listen to ‘Odd Seeds (Part 1)’ now

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of ‘Odd Seeds’, which comes as limited double LP and cassette tape. Pre-orders get an exclusive I Am Oak tote bag and stickers for free, and there are multiple special bundle offers with older releases by the band in our webshop.

It’s release day for I Am Oak! He releases new single ‘Furrows’ today, to announce his new album called ‘Odd Seeds’. The album is a collection of 26 special version of existing songs by I Am Oak, which he recorded back in April and March while he was confined at home just like everyone else. All of them fresh and all of them special in their own way. There’s even a new song called ‘That’s That’.

Listen to ‘Furrows’ now, and pre-order the album while you’re at it. You can find some special offers in our webshop!

Remy's first solo harp album 'An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle' is OUT NOW!

Dutch Harpist Remy van Kesteren releases the alternative soundtrack he made for award winning and Oscar-nominated film ‘The Red Turtle’ today, which features previously released singles ‘april’ and ‘amber’. ‘An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle’ is available now everywhere, with the LP and CD including sketches and liner notes by none other than Michael Dudok de Wit himself, the Dutch Oscar winning director of the movie.

This evening Remy van Kesteren will celebrate the release of the album with a livestream on his Facebook page at 8:30 PM CET. It will be at a special location, which fits the theme of the album artwork.

Listen to the album here.

Luka's debut album 'First Steps of Letting Go' is OUT NOW!

‘First Steps Of Letting Go’ navigates from hushed electronics to catchy indie pop and takes all the exciting musical back roads in between. With the ten songs that form her debut album, Luka takes enormous steps forward and creates an open, honest, adventurous and above all very authentic sound.

Listen to the album here

Remy van Kesteren releases the second single 'amber' from his upcoming album 'An alternative soundtrack to the motion picture The Red Turtle', set for release on the 30th of October! Celebrating the release of the album, Remy will premiere a live-performance of the soundtrack, with a screening of the film, at LIFF on the 1st of November.

Listen to the single here

Today Luka released her fourth single 'Numbers' from her upcoming album 'First Steps of Letting Go' set to release on the 9th of October. The single is about how we use numbers as a misleiding way to measure success and happiness.

Listen now here

Listen now here.

Luka released the third single from her upcoming album ‘First Steps of Letting Go’ today! The song is called ‘Tiptoe’ and was co-written with YORI Swart. Listen now here.

De Liefde is de Eerste Wet' by broeder Dieleman is out now! It's a collection of beautiful stories in the form of 13 songs, expertly cut out by broeder Dieleman and colored by him and his band. Listen or order your copy now.

'Nieuw raam' by broeder Dieleman is out now!

It's the second single from his upcoming album ‘De Liefde is de Eerste Wet’, set for release on the 29th of May. The song was made in collaboration with Peter Slager (BLØF), who composed the music and played guitar.

One and a half months after the release of the very well received solo debut album 'Blauwe Vear' by Rowwen-Hèze frontman Jack Poels, he already made a completely new song. The single is called ‘Zing’. Jack Poels sings "for sad houses, dark roofs, even when the sun shines again tomorrow" and was inspired by a video of a woman singing in empty Italian streets to give citizens courage in these trying times.The song is released together with a beautiful animated video, made by Ruud Geuijen.

Not one, but two single releases today!

broeder Dieleman released his single 'Jakobsladder', and announced new album 'De Liefde is de Eerste Wet' which is set for release on the 29th of May. Listen/pre-order here.

And Luka also announced a new album, called 'First Steps of Letting Go' set for release on the 4th of September. Second single 'Same Song' is out now, listen/pre-order here.

Jack Poels' long-awaited solo debut album 'Blauwe Vear' is finally here! It's now available everywhere online, and don't forget to order your copy.

Solo debut album 'Blauwe Vear' by Jack Poels will be released next week, and to ease the waiting a bit he released the title track today! It comes with a beautiful video, featuring Jan Hendriks and BJ Baartmans as well.

Listen to the song here, and watch the video here.

Lian Ray's debut album 'Rose' is out now! Despite the ups and downs he had, it finally sees the light 8 years after being recorded. Make sure to give it a listen and get your copy now.

Donna Blue released their new 'Inbetween' EP today! It contains five beautiful songs that take you into their own universe. Listen now.

Don't forget to get your tickets for tonight's show at De Nijverheid!

With the release of his upcoming debut album just two weeks away, Lian Ray released new single 'A Game' today!

It comes with a beautiful video, shot on 16mm film, which is a must-watch. Listen to the song and watch the video now.

Big news: Luka signed with Snowstar Records!

To celebrate she released first single 'Lost Today/Found Tomorrow', which will be on her upcoming debut album set for release later this year.

Listen here.

On the 27th of March solo album 'Blauwe Vear' by Jack Poels (Rowwen Heze) will be released on Snowstar Records. Pre-order your CD or LP now, and receive a signed copy! Order here.

Jack Poels also announced a tour throughout the Netherlands, playing venues like TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht and Paradiso, Amsterdam. Get your tickets now.

Jack Poels released his beautiful new single 'In de achtertuin' today, together with a nostalgic video. Listen now!

Don't forget to pre-order his upcoming album 'Blauwe Vear', which will be released on the 27th of March.

He also announced a tour throughout the Netherlands, playing venues like TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht and Paradiso, Amsterdam. Get your tickets now.

Ella van der Woude releases a new single today! It's the beautiful 'Sol Mineur', which will also be featured on her upcoming album 'Solo Piano' that will be released in two weeks.

Listen to 'Sol Mineur' now, and don't forget to pre-order the album!

After releasing single ‘Desert Lake’ last fall, retro pop band Donna Blue now releases single ‘Billy’. With the single the band also announces a new upcoming EP, which will be released on the 6th of March.

Last year Donna Blue played Reeperbahn Festival and toured through Spain. This year they will play SXSW, Austin and The New Colossus Festival, New York City, after already playing at Eurosonic last week.
Before heading off to the US Donna Blue will play two shows in The Netherlands, playing V11, Rotterdam (05/03) and De Nijverheid, Utrecht (06/03). ‘Billy’ is now available everywhere, together with a unique lyric video.

New single ‘Billy’ is basically a song about l'amour fou gone wrong. The duo about the song: “It's been a favourite of ours to perform live for a while, and we're very happy it's now out there as a recording. We love that it sounds like a sweet little 50's heartbreak song at the start but ends like an eerie stalker-tragedy, making you wonder what happened to the person not picking up the phone.”

We are proud to release Jack's very first solo album (after 35 years of Rowwen Hèze) full of beautiful acoustic americana songs. The album is called 'Blauwe Vear' and will be released March 27. First single 'Elf oaver elf' is out now.

Label manager Cedric says: "This is a very personal signing for me as Jack Poels is a voice I litteraly grew up with. These nostalgic and melancholy songs are a welcome fit in the Snowstar Records family."

Swiss-Dutch musician, songwriter and composer Ella van der Woude signed with Snowstar Records today! To celebrate the new signing, new single ‘Bye Bye Little House’ is released, together with the announcement of an upcoming instrumental piano album called ‘Solo Piano’. The album will be released on the 14th of February, and can be pre-ordered now in the Snowstar Webshop.

Broeder Dieleman released his new single ‘Wat doen we met het verdriet’ today. In the song universal sadness of our world flows together with personal grief. The single comes with a video recorded in the Zeeland landscape about which broeder Dieleman sings so often.

‘Wat doen we met het verdriet’ is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer and can be ordered in the Snowstar Records Webshop.

Big news for Donna Blue. They will play at SXSW, Austin, Texas (USA) next year! This festival is one of the biggest showcase festivals of the world, and together with many other artists they will present their music to the whole music industry. The festival will take place between march 13-22 2020.

'Maps' by Lian Ray is out now! Make sure to have a listen, and don't forget to pre-order his upcoming debut album 'Rose', which will be released on March 13th. ‘Maps’ comes together with a lyric video, and is now available everywhere. Go check it out, and don't forget to pre-order the album in our webshop.

Great news for Donna Blue! They will go on their first international tour with full band through Spain this winter.
They will play 8 shows in nine days all the way from Santiago de Compastella to Murcia, and from Madrid to Barcalona.
Get your tickets here.

The long-awaited sixth studio album by I Am Oak is out now! 'Osmosis' is I Am Oak’s most sonically diverse and vibrant record to date, and invites you to navigate its scope and soothing ambiguity at your own desired pace, comfort, and leisure. The album includes previously released singles ‘Between Worlds’, ‘Will I Wake’, ‘Swells’ and ‘Hidden Cove’. Order the album in our webshop or listen to it right now!

I am Oak's new single 'Hidden Cove' is out now! The video, which pays tribute to Tarkovsky's Stalker is an absolute must-watch. Stream the song here.

Lian Ray releases his second single 'Rose' today. It's the title track of his upcoming album which will be released on the 22nd of November. Listen, watch the video and pre-order the album here: lianray.com

French singer-songwriter Lian Ray signed with Snowstar Records today. To celebrate the new collaboration Lian Ray releases his first-ever single ‘Mateo’ today, accompanied with a lyric video. ‘Mateo’ is now available everywhere.

Lian Ray is a French songwriter who recently exiled himself to Amsterdam after a decade spent battling his demons in Berlin. He excels in honest, nocturnal pop songs with an emphasis on dark romanticism. Lian Ray about the new collaboration with Snowstar: “The music from the Snowstar family has held a very very special place in my heart for the last decade so it feels like home already!”

‘Mateo’ is a song of longing written through the prism of a destructive love triangle. The singer tells the story of falling for his muse Rose, while at the same time aching at the thought of her going back to her boyfriend Mateo. It hurts, but it feels so good - something that can also be said about this melancholy pop noir gem.

'Mateo' came with a beautiful lyric video. Watch it here:

After releasing single ‘Between Worlds’ and announcing a tour through Germany earlier this year, I am Oak now announces their upcoming album ‘Osmosis’. With the announcement the Dutch band releases their brand-new single ‘Swells’, accompanied by an atmospheric video. ‘Osmosis’ is set for release on September 6th on Snowstar Records, after which a tour through the Netherlands will follow. Pre-order the upcoming album 'Osmosis' now in the Snowstar webshop and get a free tote bag!

I am Oak is known for their modest and calm songs with guitar at the core originally. But with their upcoming album 'Osmosis' they reinvented their sound, writing songs on the piano as a starting point, which can really be heard on their new song 'Swells'. Thijs Kuijken about the single: “In the song Swells I got to explore the more atmospheric aspect of the piano sound, using it to create both a very complex and full sound as well as a very minimalistic approach with a lot of open spaces - all combined into one song.”

The song also came with a beautiful video clip. The video for ‘Swells’ alludes to Eastern philosophies of harmony and balance. In the video we see video maker Martijn Bastiaans’ meditation on the evanescence of the natural world, shot during his residency on one of the Faroe Islands. A solitary, staggering horse at its center, subjected to the elements and surrounded by a landscape shaped over time by wind and water."I kept seeing a horse from the house we were staying at, on a mountain far away. I wanted to investigate further and looked for the owner. Years ago, the farmer got the horse for his daughter, but she lost interest in her almost immediately. Now the horse is almost 20 years old and has been standing in the same place in the mountains for years. Time has come to a halt there. The farmer wants to get rid of her, soon he will dig a hole.." According to video maker Martijn Bastiaans.

I am Oak announces a tour through the Netherlands as well, next to his already announced tour through Germany. They will play the following venues:
15-09 De Nijverheid, Utrecht (Release show) (NL)
25-09 Het Depot, Leuven (BE)
12-12 Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
13-12 Stille Nacht, Rotterdam (NL)
19-12 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht (NL)
20-12 Vera, Groningen (NL)
11-01 Merleyn, Nijmegen (NL)
01-02 Muziekcentrum, Dranouter (BE)

Get your tickets over at www.snowstar.nl/shows.

Donna Blue releases their brand new 7” EP today. The second self-titled EP features three songs: the cheeky French single ‘1 2 3’, the dreamy ‘Get Away’ and the all new ‘Arlene’s’, which is about a rendez-vous in another time and place. It mesmerizes you into believing that you will get to meet someone you feel you’ve known through many different dimensions. The new song 'Arlene's' comes with a beautiful video, which has been premiered earlier today on Clash Magazine (UK).

There’s only a limited amount of 300 hand numbered copies of the 7 inch available. The EP is now available everywhere and can be ordered in the Snowstar webshop. 

New song ‘Arlene’s’ also came with a stunning video, made by Donna Blue themselves, is their own version of a 70s sci fi cult movie. It zooms in on the idea of different dimensions than the one we are in. How we don’t know if ours is the only one, if maybe we are just tiny beings in a raindrop amongst many other raindrops. And how, in all of this, this gigantic overwhelming thought experiment, you can still find someone you feel like you want to float through space and time with. Watch it here.

After releasing the two singles ‘Will I Wake’ and ‘Golden Pavilion’ last year, it’s time for another new song by I am Oak. ‘Between Worlds’ is their first single of 2019, and there’s more to follow by the Dutch indie band. 

Between Worlds’ is about the search for a bridge between worlds. The song describes the feeling you can get when you’re not quite sure what you are doing or where you want to go. There are two sound worlds’ that co-exist together in ‘Between Worlds’ The focus alternates between them throughout the song, leading us from one world into the other and back again.

‘Between Worlds’ is now available everywhere. Next to releasing the new single, the Utrecht based band also announces a Germany tour in October, for which tickets are on sale now.

They will play the following venues:
17/10   Kassette, Düsseldorf
18/10   Musikbunker, Aachen
19/10   Cafe Nun, Karlsruhe
20/10   Hafen 2, Offenbach
21/10   Volksbühne am Kaulenberg, Halle/Saale
22/10   Knust, Hamburg
23/10   Tower, Bremen
24/10   BiNuu, Berlin
25/10   Altes Wettbüro, Dresden
26/10   Wohnzimmerkonzerte, Magdeburg
27/10   Pension Schmidt, Münster

Get your tickets over at www.snowstar.nl/shows

Broeder Dieleman releases a new single called ‘t Groot Eiland, written and composed for ‘Moffenmeiden’, a book by Rianne Oosterom. 

The song ‘t Groot Eiland tells the story of two women who were killed close before the end of the second world war on ‘t Groot Eiland. A creek area in the east of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, the last surviving remnant of the tidal current ‘Het Hellegat’ which had once crossed this area.

The new single 't Groot Eiland is now available everywhere.

broeder Dieleman (NL), Wannes Cappelle (BE) and cellist Frans Grapperhaus (NL) are doing their ‘Dit is de bedoeling’ tour across The Netherlands and Belgium. They will play the following shows:

28-04   de Roode Bioscoop, Amsterdam (NL)
14-09   CC De Mastbloem, Kruishoutem (BE)
04-05   Labadoux Festival, Ingelmunster (BE)
17-05   Gigant (filmzaal), Apeldoorn (NL)
18-05   Doopsgezinde Kerk, Utrecht (NL)
03-08  Dranouter Festival, Dranouter (BE)
14-09   CC De Mastbloem, Kruishoutem (BE)

broeder Dieleman will also play the following shows with band:

30  ’t Beest, Goes (NL)                          
31  Best Kept Secret Festival, Hilvarenbeek (NL)
14  Eindeloos Eiland Festival, Wissenkerke (NL)

Get your tickets here.

Donna Blue announced the arrival of their second 7" EP, which will be released on May 3rd. The 7" will feature three songs, the same as their first self-titled 7" EP. In case you can't wait until May 3rd, the new 7" will be exclusively available at An Evening With Donna Blue at Cinetol Amsterdam on April 25th. So get your tickets now.

Pre-order the 7" EP now in the webshop!

Donna Blue will play the following venues:
19 Apr – Motel Mozaique, Rotterdam (NL)
25 Apr - An Evening With Donna Blue at Cinetol, Amsterdam (NL)
04 May - Here Comes The Summer, Vlieland (NL)
24 May – Sniester Festival, Den Haag (NL)
25 May - Food for your Senses, Luxemburg (LU)

Tickets on sale at www.snowstar.nl/shows

Happy release day! 'Open Water' by The Fire Harvest is out today on Snowstar Records and Subroutine Records.

For ‘Open Water’ they entered the studio with Michael Feuerstack. The singer-songwriter and producer from Montreal offered the chance to help capture the next step in their sound within the familiarity of their own environment and studio while holding on to their principle of recording ‘live’. “For us the recordings are a documentation of a certain musical period. Therefore we find it important that the dynamics of rehearsing and performing can be heard in the resulting recordings: ‘this is where we stand and what we can do.” Thus singer/guitarist Gerben Houwer.

The Album is now available everywhere and can be ordered in the Snowstar webshop.

The Fire Harvest released the second single 'Picture Of A Man' of their upcoming album today! 'Picture Of A Man' will be on the album 'Open Water' which will come out next Friday, the 1st of March. Make sure to pre-order the album now. The new single 'Picture Of A Man' is now available everywhere.

The Fire Harvest will play the following shows:
01-03 La Garage, Liége (BE)
03-03 DS17, Dordrecht (NL)
15-03 dB’s, Utrecht (NL)
28-03 Willem Twee Poppodium, Den Bosch (NL)
29-03 V11, Rotterdam (NL)
13-04 Micro Pop Week 2019, Düsseldorf (D)
25-04 Houppe Brasserie, Namur (BE)
26-04 Sandershaus, Kassel (DE)
27-04 BAR am Funkeneck, Freiburg (DE)
28-04 Boden der Tatsachen, Chemnitz (DE)
29-04 Heppel & Etlich, München (DE)
30-04 WAKKER, Wiesbaden (DE)
01-05 Pizzini, Bamberg (DE)
02-05 Weltempfänger, Cologne (DE)
03-05 Willemeen, Arnhem (NL)

Get your tickets here.

It's release day for Donna Blue! 'Get Away' is out now, accompanied with a beautiful video. Check it out right here.

The Fire Harvest released new single 'Not Going To Work' today, which is now available everywhere. The song will be on their upcoming album 'Open Water' which will be released on the 1st of March, and which can be pre-ordered now in our webshop.

They will also go on tour, playing the following venues:
01-02 Parkvilla theater, Alphen aan den Rijn (NL)
10-02 Gluren bij de Buren Festival, Utrecht (NL)
01-03 La Garage, Liége (BE)
03-03 DS17, Dordrecht (NL)
15-03 dB’s, Utrecht (NL)
28-03 Willem Twee Poppodium, Den Bosch (NL)
29-03 V11, Rotterdam (NL)
13-04 Micro Pop Week 2019, Düsseldorf (D)
25/04 Houppe Brasserie, Namur (BE)
26-04 Sandershaus, Kassel (DE)
27-04 BAR am Funkeneck, Freiburg (DE)
28-04 Boden der Tatsachen, Chemnitz (DE)
29-04 Heppel & Etlich, München (DE)
30-04 WAKKER, Wiesbaden (DE)
01-05 Pizzini, Bamberg (DE)
02-05 Weltempfänger, Cologne (DE)
03-05 Willemeen, Arnhem (NL)

It's releaseday! 'Dit Is De Bedoeling' by Wannes Cappelle, broeder Dieleman and Frans Grapperhaus is out today.

Released together with Unday Records, it's now available everywhere.

Today is release day for Wannes Cappelle, broeder Dieleman and Frans Grapperhaus! The first single of their upcoming album 'Dit is de Bedoeling' is called ‘Vergeving’. It's the first song Tonnie and Wannes wrote together for musical project ‘Grensgeluid’, initiated by Dutch festival Motel Mozaique. They found out quickly that their West and Zeeuws-Flemish accents weren’t so different as they originally thought. Together with Frans Grapperhaus the first song was recorded in an old barn in Ermelo.

Listen to 'Vergeving' here and pre-order 'Dit is de Bedoeling' here.

For our 15th anniversary we made some really nice sweaters and beautiful tea glasses. Which you can buy now in our webshop, or at one of our Snowstar parties the coming two weeks:

08/12 15 year Snowstar at TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht with I am Oak, Kim Janssen and Donna Blue
14/12 15 year Snowstar at Vera, Groningen with Town of Saints, Kim Janssen and I am Oak

Town of Saints just released their new album 'Celebrate'. After releasing the songs ‘Up In Smoke’, ‘Weeds’ and title track ‘Celebrate’ their third album is now available everywhere. The band will also go on tour through Germany and The Netherlands. Tickets are on sale now.

How will we behave when the 'end of the world' is suddenly imminent? The third album of Town of Saints, ‘Celebrate’, is not about the end of the world itself, but about human behaviour around the apocalypse. At the same time it’s symbolic for leaving behind a chaotic, unpredictable time.

Dutch vintage pop band Donna Blue is back with an exciting new single called ‘1 2 3’, I's a cheeky French song about the lack of passion in a relationship. inspired by 60’s yé yé movement. Instead of a regular music video, the couple behind Donna Blue chose to create a visual monologue alongside the song. Used to announce the single to the public, it shows intimate footage, strengthening the nostalgic feeling of longing for the perfect relationship.

Listen to 1 2 3 right here.

I am Oak releases a new single and video called 'Golden Pavilion' today!

Before heading out on tour in Japan together with Kim Janssen, I am Oak releases new single ‘Golden Pavilion’ which is now available everywhere. After releasing their last studio album ‘Our Blood’ on Japanese label Sign-Pole Records, I am Oak will now go to Tokyo to play four shows. ‘Golden Pavilion’ is based upon Kinkaku-ji, a Temple in Kyoto. Thijs Kuijken (I am Oak) made the video accompanying the single himself.

In light of the four upcoming shows in Japan, I am Oak decided to write a new song for the occasion. Thijs Kuijken: “I grabbed my Casio SK-1 keyboard, which is a Japanese invention, fired up its built-in ‘Rock’ rhythm and went to work on a song inspired by Japan. This song became 'Golden Pavilion'”.

Town of Saints just released their new single with music video called 'Weeds'. It's the third single of their upcoming album 'Celebrate' which will be released on the 5th of October. Watch the music video here.

‘Weeds’ is available now on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer and Bandcamp.

The long awaited -and very special- album of broeder Dieleman is now available online and in record stores. ‘Komma’ is a limited release of a double album and photobook in one. Every single copy has been signed and hand numbered by broeder Dieleman​ himself. He also made all the pictures in the beautiful book, with an analogue camera.

Press so far is just as enthusiastic as:
***** "A successful mix of disciplines, which form a strong whole together"- Musicmaker​
"A unique work of art. A true masterpiece" - WoNoMagazine
***** - Lust For Life Magazine​

You can listen to the album here, or order it over here!

This is something really special. Apparently none other than sir Elton John likes 'Sunset Blvd' by Donna Blue! He'll play it on his Rocket Hour radio show on Beats 1 this weekend.

Make sure to tune in, it’s on air Saturday 9AM LA time and Sunday 6PM LA time. (Listen Live HERE)

‘De Groeten’ is the first single of ‘Komma’, the long awaited new double album and book by broeder Dieleman. The song is a spoken word jazz-ballad with folk instruments which partly consists of childhood memories and partly of reflections on a waterfront. It’s a first taste of what ‘Komma’ will be like when it’s released on the 7th of September on Snowstar Records.

‘Komma’ can be pre-ordered now, ‘De Groeten’ is available here.

Town of Saints just released new single 'Celebrate' and announced that a new album, with the same title, is coming out on October 5th! Listen to Celebrate right here and pre-order the album here.

It's release day for Donna Blue! They released their 7" EP, which is limited to 300 hand numbered copies and comes with a special Holiday postcard.

Order your copy now!

Dutch vintage pop band Donna Blue releases new single and video called Holiday. It’s the third single the band released after ‘Sunset Blvd’ and ‘Baby’. All three songs will be featured on a beautiful 7” which will be released next Friday.

‘Holiday’ is now available everywhere. Danique explains: “It’s a mellow song that will leave you longing for a Holiday. The accompanying video feels like an intimate glimpse into a dream, transporting you someplace where time slows down and you are free to bask in the golden sun, dip your toes into the sea, or sleep naked under the stars with your lover.” Watch the video right here.

This fall I am Oak and Kim Janssen will go on tour in Tokyo, Japan. Both artists released their latest albums there. I am Oak released ‘Our Blood’ on Sign-Pole Records and Kim Janssen released ‘Cousins’ on Lirico Records. Those releases will now be followed by four shows in the capital of Japan. Kim Janssen released a special video for ‘Tors’ to celebrate, premiered by Noisey earlier today.

I am Oak and Kim Janssen will play the following venues together:
27/09 Grapefruit Moon, Tokyo Sangenjaya
28/09 Grapefruit Moon, Tokyo Sangenjaya
29/09 Shibuya Showcase Festival, Tokyo Shibuya-ku
30/09 Marz Shinjuku, Tokyo Shinjuku

Kim Janssen also announced a Dutch club tour this fall! He’ll play the following venues:
12/10 Burgerweeshuis, Deventer 08/12 15 Years Snowstar, TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
01/11 Patronaat, Haarlem 13/12 Mezz, Breda
02/11 KAF, Almere 14/12 15 Years Snowstar, Vera, Groningen
04/11 Paard, Den Haag 21/12 Gebr. de Nobel, Leiden
07/12 Asteriks, Leeuwarden
Get your tickets here.

Town of Saints releases new single ‘Up In Smoke’ as the first single of a new album, about which we are able to tell you more soon. The band also announces a Dutch tour for this fall, for which tickets are on sale now.

Leadsinger Harmen about their new single: “'Up In Smoke' is a rather dark contemplation, describing the utter futility of our existence in a not too subtle way. The tune of the eternal defeatist, a drunk chorus conducted by a harbinger of doom… Perhaps one way to cope with the ‘end of the world’ is to drop everything you are doing, get wasted and never look back again. This is all in jest, of course and terribly exaggerated. Although…”

Up In Smoke’ is available now everywhere.

Town of Saints announces a club tour as well. They will play the following venues:
24/11 De Amer, Amen
25/11 TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
30/11 Merleyn, Nijmegen
07/12 V11, Rotterdam
08/12 Cinetol, Amsterdam
09/12 Hedon, Zwolle
14/12 Vera, Groningen

Tickets on sale at www.snowstar.nl/shows

We will celebrate our 15th anniversary this year! We are hosting two parties, so you can come and celebrate with us.

On the 8th of December there's a party at TivoliVredenburg.
I am Oak, Kim Janssen, and our latest signing Donna Blue will play there.

The second show will be on the 14th of December at Vera Groningen with Town of Saints, I am Oak and Kim Janssen.

You don't want to miss this! Tickets are on sale now at this website.

This fall broeder Dieleman will finally release a long-awaited new album, called komma. It’s already three years ago since the tall man with open arms from Middelburg released his latest album Uut De Bron.

There have been multiple albums, soundtracks and EP’s, but komma really is something different. Komma will be released on the 7th of September. After the release broeder Dieleman will go on tour through the Netherlands, playing multiple shows for which tickets are on sale now.
He will play the following city's:
30-09 Kapel van St Maarten, Hoogelande
12-10 Kantine Walhalla, Rotterdam
14-10 Paradiso, Amsterdam
25-10 EKKO, Utrecht
27-10 De Rozenknop, Eindhoven
02-11 Bleyenberg, Den Haag
15-11 Lutherse Kerk, Groningen
16-11 Statenzaal, Zwolle

Dutch vintage pop band Donna Blue signed with Snowstar Records today. To celebrate the new signing Donna Blue releases their new single ‘Baby’, which is available everywhere now.

Donna Blue is a collaboration between Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen; each other's muse, lover and band member. The creative duo plays sultry indie pop, under the influence of sixties yé yé, Lynch movies and old Hollywood romance - perfect for practicing those slow dance moves. Front woman Danique: “We’re so looking forward to work with Snowstar Records and to share beautiful releases, shows and movie recommendations. 1 2 3 - on y va!”

Their new single ‘Baby’ is a 50’s inspired ode to high school romance. It's available now on Spotify, iTunes and Bandcamp. You can watch the beautiful Twin Peaks inspired video on YouTube. ‘Baby’ is part of a physical release about which we will give you more information soon.

Donna Blue is confirmed to play the Popronde this coming fall and the band plays a free show at Club 3voor12 in Patronaat, Haarlem on the 1st of June. For more info visit www.snowstar.nl/shows

I am Oak will kick off his Solo Support Tour this Sunday. He will support Isaac Gracie and Noah Kahan at the following venues:

13 / 5 De Oosterpoort, Groningen (SOLD OUT)
15 / 5 TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (SOLD OUT)
16 / 5 Doornroosje, Nijmegen (SOLD OUT)
17 / 5 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht
19 / 5 Melkweg Amsterdam (SOLD OUT)

Two years after releasing their latest album 'No Place Like This', the band gathered some friends at Harmen and Heta's home studio to record another version of fan favourite 'Shapes'. The piano based track features big choirs and some fantastic (alto)violinists. The result is a modest, new version of Shapes including some beautiful strings. They also added a great dreamy Scandinavian remix from Samuli Kosminen (Múm) to their acoustic version.

'Shapes' is now available on Spotify, iTunes and Bandcamp.

Town of Saints just came back from the Tour Of Tours and now they are ready for a special Duo spring tour through Germany and Italy next month.

Heta and Harmen will play the following shows:
27 / 4 Melodica Akustik Festival Trier (DE)
28 / 4 Café Galeo, stuttgart (DE)
03 / 5 POMOPERO Breganze, (IT)
04 / 5 C.S. Catomes Tôt, Reggio Emilia (IT)
05/ 5 Deliri Cafè Bistrot, Sora (IT)
06 / 5 Vayu, Napoli (IT)
08 / 5 Na cosetta, Roma (IT)
09 / 5 Yellow, Roma (IT)
10 / 5 Bottega Roots, Colle Val d'Elsa (IT)
11 / 5 Eden Café, Treviso (IT)
12 / 5 Cicco Simonetta, Milano (IT)

The Fire Harvest announced a summer tour in the UK.

UK dates:
31 / 05 Dublin Castle, London
01 / 06 Jam Cafe (Nottingham), Nottingham
02 / 06 Long Division Festival, Wakefield
03 / 06 Louis Marchesi, Norwich

Today Ian Fisher will start touring in Italy. After a sold-out tour in Germany the songwriter is ready for more.

He will play the following city's:

08 / 03 POMOPERO Breganze, Breganze

09 / 03 Garabombo wine bar, Albinia

10 / 03 Mishima, Terni

11 / 03 Caffe del Borgo 1974, Monteprandone

12 / 03 The Alibi, Foggia

13 / 03 PALCO, Cosenza

14 / 03 Off Officine Sonore Catanzaro Lido, Catanzaro

15 / 03 Primaclasse, Ragusa

16 / 03 Sikaru, Catania

17 / 03 Zoo TV Music Hall, Augusta

21 / 03 Bolazzi, Palermo

22 / 03 Playmusic Festival, Reggio Di Calabaria

24 / 03 Mr.Rolly's, Vitulazio

24 / 03 Loud Bar, Terracina

27 / 03 Na cosetta, Rome

30 / 03 ex cinema aurora, Livorno

31 / 03 Circolo Kessel, Cavriago

It's Friday so that means I am Oak just released his new single 'Will I Wake'!

Blogs 3voor12 Utrecht, DJ St. Paul and Booooooom.com already enjoyed the single.

How about you? Listen it right here.

After releasing the Live EP ‘Pictures of the Floating World’ last year, its finally time for some new music by I Am Oak in 2018.
'Will I Wake' is the first new single by the Dutch band based around singer/songwriter Thijs Kuijken.

Thijs Kuijken made the video himself and it’s just as special as the song. It took him over 80 hours to make over 2000 drawings, eventually combining them all. The result is a beautiful video, which was premiered by UK blog The Skinny earlier today.

The single itself will be released on Spotify, Bandcamp and iTunes coming Friday the 23rd of February.

Ten years ago we released Kensington's 'YOUTH' EP. Back then we promised this band would become BIG.
Even we could not have expected how right we were. Now, 10 years later, Kensington has won the Popprijs, has multiple platinum and gold records and singles, sold out 10 shows in Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome and sold out many national and international clubtours. This year the band will play the Amsterdam Arena before they will start working on a new album.

We celebrate Kensington's 10 year anniversary with the release of a limited edition of debut EP 'Youth' on CD and blue colored transparent vinyl.
For the first time, after being sold out some time ago, 'Youth' is re-released as a limited 10 inch vinyl and CD.

Last year has been good to us; 'Cousins' by Kim Janssen is the second best Utrechtse album of 2017 according to 3voor12 Utrecht! Order your copy right here.

I am Oak will play a spring (band)tour through Germany, tickets on sale now!

Already seen I am Oak's session for VPRO Vrije Geluiden? You should!

I am Oak released new single 'Field Studies' today, which is now available everywhere!

Listen now on Spotify or buy on Bandcamp.

I am Oak's last shows of the year are coming up. In December they will play three shows in Germany and an exclusive show in EKKO, Utrecht where the vinyl reissue of 'On Claws' will be celebrated.

Get your tickets now!

On the 30th of December I am Oak will play at EKKO, Utrecht. It will be a special show, because they'll be playing debut album 'On Claws' in full! Get your tickets now!

I am Oak will go to Germany in December!

14/12 Warenwirtschaft Cafébioladenkollektiv, Hamburg
15/12 Rotbart, Berlin
16/12 die wohngemeinschaft, Köln

I Am Oak's 'Pictures of the Floating World' is out now! Order your copy right here.

After releasing multiple studio-albums, with the latest release being a vinyl-reissue for his debut album ‘On Claws’, I Am Oak will now release a new live EP with eight solo songs recorded in Brussels, Belgium. The EP is called ‘Pictures of the Floating World’ and I Am Oak will celebrate the release with a show at the 7 Layers Festival in Amsterdam on October 1st, two days after the official release, which will be on the 29th of September.

This release is limited to 333 hand numbered copies. It includes a beautiful 50 x 50 cm fold-out poster with drawings by ‘The Things We Are’.
Pre-order ‘Pictures of the Floating World’ now and receive an exclusive zine by The Things We Are made during the tour for free as well.

There's a split 7" coming out with a new I am Oak song called "Field Studies"! It's part of a project initiated by illustrator The Things We Are. He lived in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam botanical gardens for a week and drew pictures about his experience. I Am Oak was invited to visit for a day to explore the gardens with The Things We Are and to write and record a song inspired by this. This project has culminated into a 40 page book + 4 song 7" vinyl called "I See Plants Shaking Hands". The book + 7" will be released this Friday (September 8) at Hutspot Amsterdam from 18:00 till 22:00. More info at here.

This weekend Kim Janssen was at Into The Great Wide Open, where he did a session for 3VOOR12. He played 'Cousin' and it turned out great! Watch it right here.

Something new by I Am Oak? More info soon!

Kim Janssen just released a music video for his new single 'Rama VI' and he also announced a tour through Germany in December! Watch the video on YouTube and get your tickets for the tour right here.

Germany tour 2017:
13/12 Blue Shell, Köln (DE)
14/12 Kranhalle, München (DE)
15/12 Café Nun, Karslruhe (DE)
16/12 Auster Club, Berlin (DE)
17/12 Kleiner Donner, Hamburg (DE)
18/12 Ostpol, Dresden (DE)

I am Oak will play 7 Layers Festival this year!

Bhava, the debut album by The World of Dust (Stefan Breuer), was released on Snowstar Records as a book + cd in 2013. The beautiful 44-page collage book, with a cd containing 13 tracks of 'lo-fi progrock', quickly sold out. Now there's a new CD reissue (a collaboration between Snowstar Records and Tiny Room Records), so the music is finally available again. Essential for all adventurous music lovers out there. Order it right here.

He also made a brand new video for 'Pharaoh' to celebrate the CD reissue release of Bhava!

Kim Janssen added two new shows to his upcoming Dutch tour this fall. He'll also play Paard, Den Haag on the 2nd of November and Hedon, Zwolle on the 10th of December. Get your tickets now!

The reissue for I am Oak's debut album 'On Claws' is out now! Order it right here

Ian Fisher is kicking off his solo summer tour this weekend in München. He's also coming to Holland for two shows in Arnhem and Nijmegen!

The successful debut album ‘On Claws’ by Utrecht based folk band I Am Oak will be reissued on vinyl! Despite continuous demand the album hasn’t been available for a long time, but now it will be repressed on limited coloured vinyl.

It will be released on Monday June 5th, and will be presented on the same day at the Snowstar Records showcase during Utrecht Centraal.

Pre-order the album HERE.

Clash have just premiered Kim Janssen's video for 'Gouldians'. Directed by Wouter Stoter, it shows a 6-second time frame repeated 18 times from different angles.

At Culturele Zondag on the 5th of June we will be hosting three shows at Sonnenborgh, Utrecht! From 13:00 till 15:00 you can see The Fire Harvest, Town of Saints and I am Oak play at the observatory. Be there!

Exactly one week ago Kim Janssen was at Canvas Culture Club, where he played four songs after the live broadcast. Lucky you, because you can watch him play 'Gouldians', 'Rama VI', 'Cousin' and 'Bottle Rockets' down here now!

Yesterday morning Kim Janssen was at Ekdom In De Ochtend on NPO Radio 2 for a live session. They covered Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" and it's beautiful!

Before his show at Molen de Ster last month I am Oak did a session with AlleySessions. Watch him play 'Own' right here.

This just in; Kim Janssen is playing Lowlands Festival this year!

This is pretty awesome. 'Cousins' by Kim Janssen at Tower Records in Tokyo, Japan! And apparently a hero already..

Friday next week Kim Janssen will make his Belgian national television debut on Culture Club on Canvas.

He also did an interview with Humo and BILL about his new album!

Kim Janssen’s new album ‘Cousins’ has been released two weeks ago, and the first reactions were great!

***** “a beautiful record” - Musicmaker (NL)
**** - de Volkskrant (NL)
**** - Lust For Life (NL)
**** - NRC (NL)

“Janssen is of international class” - OOR (NL)
"Highly recommended!” - InMusic (DE)
“Great recording, amazing arrangements" - Soundkartell (DE)

Listen to the album here!

I am Oak added another show to the full-band Germany/Switzerland tour next month! They will play Forum in Mannheim on May 15th. Making the tour look like this:

11-05 Kassette, Düsseldorf (DE)
12-05 Tower, Bremen (DE)
13-05 Kulturzentrum Faust, Hannover (DE)
14-05 Hafen 2, Offenbach (DE)
15-05 Forum, Mannheim (DE)
16-05 Schüür, Lucern (CH)
17-05 Werkstatt, Chur (CH)
18-05 Bogen F, Zürich (CH)
19-05 Great Räng teng teng, Freiburg (DE)
20-05 Bollwerk 107, Moers (DE)

After UK, FR, BE & DE Kim Janssen announces a NL clubtour, where he'll play shows at the following venues with full band/orchestra:

05/10 De Spot, Middelburg
06/10 Altstadt, Eindhoven
11/10 Rotown, Rotterdam
12/10 Vera, Groningen
15/10 Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam

Get your tickets now!

Listen or buy Kim's new album 'Cousins' right here!

Janssen is of international class" – OOR
***** “a beautiful record” – Musicmaker
**** - de Volkskrant
**** - Lust For Life

Already got your tickets for the releaseshow tonight at De Helling? There are still some left!

MusikBlog just premiered a new live video for Kim Janssen's latest single 'Dynasty', recorded at TivoliVredenburg!

Ian Fisher just announced a new show at Luxor Live on the 10th of June together with Mercy John!

Here's a little something to get you in the mood for that show; the second session Ian did some time ago with Mokum Sessions!

Here it is, a brand new single by Kim Janssen, just before the release of his upcoming album 'Gouldians'.

Listen to 'Dynasty' now on Spotify, iTunes and Bandcamp.

Check out this great video by Sofar Sounds Utrecht, with Bart van der Lee singing 'Will You Think Of Me' together with his wife!

Bhava by The World Of Dust is available on Spotify! After being released on CD only in 2013, now it's your chance to listen to it online too!

'Cousins', the new album by Kim Janssen, will also be released on the 7th of April on Lirico Records in Japan! It will feature a bonus track, which will be a new recorded version of Tors. You can pre-order it right HERE!

On the 10th of May Kim Janssen will play at La Maison Sage in Paris!

I am Oak will go on tour through Germany and Switzerland this spring!

11/05 Kassette, Düsseldorf (DE)
12/05 Tower, Bremen (DE)
13/05 Kulturzentrum Faust, Hannover (DE)
14/05 Hafen 2, Offenbach (DE)
15/05 TBA, TBA (DE)
16/05 Schüür, Lucern (CH)
17/05 Werkstatt, Chur (CH)
18/05 Bogen F, Zürich (CH)
19/05 Great Räng teng teng, Freiburg (DE)
20/05 Bollwerk 107, Moers (DE)

The album he 'always wanted to make'. Kim Janssen's new album 'Cousins' will be released on the 31st of March!

Pre-order right here or on Bandcamp.

Big new announcement for Kim Janssen! He's playing Best Kept Secret Festival this year!

broeder Dieleman will do a new music project at Motel Mozaique Festival again this year, together with Wannes Cappelle! They are going to work together for GrensGeluid and will present the new material at the festival!

Kim Janssen​ released his new single 'Gouldians' today, which will be on his upcoming album 'Cousins'!

Listen now on Spotify, iTunes or Bandcamp!

I am Oak will play three solo shows together with Pitou at some special locations!

02/04 - Molen de Ster, Utrecht
06/04 - De Watertoren, Groningen
07/04 - Roode Bioscoop, Amsterdam

There is so much love for Kim Janssen right now, this time from the amazing Drowned in Sound who write
"he and his eleven piece band play a grandiose set that the likes of Matt Berninger and Sufjan Stevens would be proud of"

More new music soon!

Kim Janssen played a phenomenal Eurosonic Noorderslag show and we are not the only ones to say so:

"A great show...that only an idiot would miss" - 3VOOR12

"Near perfect, go see this show" - OOR

"Pastoral beauty" - NRC

Photo by Harold Zijp

Check out this beautiful live video for Kim Janssen's new song 'Cousin' which was premiered by 3VOOR12 and GoldFlakePaint!
Like what you see and hear? Make sure to come by when you are at Eurosonic Noorderslag next week!

2016 saw new albums for Town of Saints, Ian Fisher and I am Oak.
Together with Subroutine Records we released The Fire Harvest's beautiful debut album. broeder Dieleman recorded an awesome project for Motel Mozaique Festival we released. And -finally- we got to release Kim Janssen's first new song in 3 years.
We can't wait for what 2017 will bring!

3voor12/Utrecht decided I am Oak's album was the #4 best of their year, and The Fire Harvest follows them at #5. We'd just love you to listen to them all and have a wonderful NYE.

Cheers!

Go to our store now for a 10% Christmas Discount on all CD's and LP's by I am Oak!

Big News for Kim Janssen! He released his first single in three years today. The song is called 'Bottle Rockets', which you can stream and download now. There's also a brand new video for the song, which you can watch right here.
He also announced his own Dutch headline show for 2017. On the 31st of March he'll play De Helling in Utrecht. Tickets are on sale now!

The Line Of Best Fit just premiered 'Bottle Rockets' by Kim Janssen! And they also announced his first Dutch headline show of 2017; he'll play De Helling in Utrecht on the 31st of March.

I am Oak is touring through Italy right now and they're getting quite some attention! Here are some cool interviews to check out:

Music Coast To Coast
Troublezine.it
Ray Radio

And last but not least, here's a live version of 'Woandering' for L'Attimo Fuggente (around 01:27:00)

Big news for Kim Janssen! He's playing Eurosonic Noorderslag in 2017!

Ian Fisher's new album 'Koffer' is out now! You can order it right here.

Check out this awesome video by Town of Saints for their song 'Modern Life'. Good vibes!

Check out this great session The Fire Harvest did with Kapelsessies at the Popronde Nijmegen! They're playing 'Working Man', which is on their latest album Singing, Dancing, Drinking.

I am Oak's 'Our Blood' was released in Japan yesterday at Sign-Pole Records!

アイム・オーク - I am Oak
アワ・ブラッド - Our Blood

It's premiere time! Over at The Daily Indie you can listen to Ian Fisher's new song 'Candles for Elvis'. It will be on his upcoming album 'Koffer', which will be released on the 18th of November.

You can pre-order 'Koffer' at our webstore, and you can also listen to the song right here:

I Am Oak is touring through Italy this fall! He's visiting the following cities:

Ian Fisher is always writing and always traveling. With over a thousand songs under his belt and hundreds of concerts behind him, his new album Koffer highlights the diversity of his songwriting and captures some of the electric energy of his live performance. Koffer, which is the German (and Dutch) word for “suitcase”, is Fisher’s most uptempo record yet with a one-of-a-kind mixture of Viennese flirtatiousness, Berliner grit, and Midwestern Country longing that only a farm-raised American boy living in Europe for the last decade can pull off.

‘Koffer’ is a collection of singles written over the last ten years and recorded over the last five. As Ian says, “A song that I can’t share feels like dead weight. Like a bag you carry around but never unpack.” Koffer will finally be “unpacked” on November 18th in corporation with Snowstar Records in Benelux, Popup Records in Germany, Earcandy in Austria, and Rocketta in Italy.

Pre order the album HERE, and listen to first song 'Whole Lotta Room' HERE!

Yesterday there was a beautiful Live Video for Ian Fisher's new song 'Invisible Cities', and today he released a great Music Video as well! Check it out right here:

Intro Magazin just released the brand new Live Video for Ian Fisher’s song ‘invisible cities’, read the article and watch it right HERE!

I am Oak's latest album 'Our Blood' will be released in Japan on the 23rd of October on Sign-pole records inc.!
The release is preceded by a new video for 'Woandering' which you can watch right here:

Here's what Thijs Kuijken, frontman of I Am Oak, has to say about the new video: “The video shows images of a bird’s eye view over a landscape slowly carved out by a flowing river, showing us the path and the many forks that this river has travelled through. The song is about making a journey and not knowing exactly what will happen and where it will end, whilst taking in what happens along the way. The way a river can carry along small rocks and leave them as polished pebbles in a riverbank somewhere farther down the line.”

Order the album right HERE!

Order any of the following LP's and get a CD for FREE!
I am Oak - Nowhere or Tammensaari
I am Oak - Ols Songd
The Secret Love Parade - Mary Looking Ready
LUIK - Owls
Herrek - Waktu Dulu
broeder Dieleman - Gloria
broeder Dieleman - Alles is ijdelheid
Go to our webshop right now!

Indieberlin presented the official video for Ian Fisher's 'All Ya Need' today, from his album 'Nero'. Made by filmmakers Hanno Dall & Felix Giese, it turned out great! Check it out now!

And next to this, Ian just announced his full European Tour 2016, playing in Austria, Germany and The Netherlands this fall! Check out the full list below:

19/11 Kulturschranne, Dachau (DE)
20/11 Bart, Timelkam (AT)
22/11 Bart, Timelkam (AT)
23/11 Congress, Saalfelden (AT)
24/11 Grammophon, Wattens (AT)
25/11 Röda, Steyr (AT)
26/11 Blue Bird Festival, Vienna (AT)
27/11 Salon Ditta, Waldviertel (AT)
30/11 Feierwerk / Kranhalle, München (DE)
01/12 Ostpol, Dresden (DE)
02/12 Brohmers, Halle (DE)
03/12 Badehaus Szimpla, Berlin (DE)
06/12 Museumskeller, Erfurt (DE)
07/12 Frischzelle, Darmstadt (DE)
09/12 Blue Shell, Köln (DE)
10/12 Schon Schön, Mainz (DE)
11/12 Falkendom, Bielefeld (DE)
15/12 Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL) w/ Town of Saints
16/12 Rotown, Rotterdam (NL) w/ Town of Saints
17/12 EKKO, Utrecht (NL) w/ Town of Saints

NRC did a great interview with broeder Dieleman and Omer Gielliet which is a must read! Read it HERE

Last Saturday Town of Saints played their new single 'Needle in the Hay', with a special extended jam at BNN That's Live! Check it out below!

The Fire Harvest did a session with AlleySessions, and the first video is here! Check it out:

AlleySessions: The Fire Harvest - The Patient from AlleySessions on Vimeo.

Another show added to the I Am Oak fall tour! The band is also coming to 013 in Tilburg, making their tour look like this:

26-10 Rotown, Rotterdam
27-10 Luxor Live, Arnhem
28-10 Gebr de Nobel, Leiden
29-10 013, Tilburg
04-11 Podium Asteriks, Leeuwarden
05-11 Patronaat Haarlem
06-11 Paard van Troje, Den Haag
09-11 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht

A landscape project about the busy traffic junction in Rotterdam, recorded at Motel Mozaique Festival 2016 in April. It's a limited edition, handmade and handnumbered!

Order here

Town of Saints did a session with Mokum Sessions recently, watch 'Short Circuit Breakdown' here. And this Saturday, they will do an instore at recordstore Kroese in Arnhem (they might bring some friends!).

I am Oak is touring NL again! After a sold out V11 show March 31, Rotown is the next target in Rotterdam!

26-10 Rotown, Rotterdam
27-10 Luxor Live, Arnhem
28-10 Gebr de Nobel, Leiden
04-11 Podium Asteriks, Leeuwarden
05-11 Patronaat Haarlem
06-11 Paard van Troje, Den Haag
09-11 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht

The Fire Harvest is one of the 3VOOR12 talents of the upcoming Popronde Nederland. They're also included in the list of Never Mind The Hype's recommendations!

And de Volkskrant wrote a review about 'Singing, Dancing Drinking'.

Two weeks ago, we released The Fire Harvest's debut album 'Singing, Dancing, Drinking' and we're still very proud! Press agrees:

“Excellent record” – ThePostOnline / Sounds Tilburg
“A truly overwhelming album” – Thistle list
“Singing, Dancing, Drinking belongs to the best and most promising debuts of the moment” - Krenten Uit de Pop
“Comforting whilst provoking shiver, it mourns and it is uplifting, it is straightforward and layered, repetitive and dynamical, genuine and airy.” – de Recensent
“8/10” – HiFi Review

Order here

The Fire Harvest's releaseshow in Theater Kikker last Saturday was a blast! 3VOOR12/Utrecht wrote a live-review about the evening, read it here.

Next to that, The Fire Harvest is confirmed together with Jason Isbell in TivoliVredenburg August 17th, tickets available right away!

Four of The Fire Harvest's songs off of their debut album are featured in Subjectivisten/Caleidoscoop's underground playlist 'The Shadow Cabinet', check it out, it's a beautiful ambient hour of discovery!

Town of Saints was featured in last Friday's Dutch television programme 'De Wereld Draait Door', watch them play a 1-minute version of 'Short Circuit Breakdown' here.

They played the whole version of the song before broadcasting:

OUT NOW: The Fire Harvest - 'Singing, Dancing, Drinking'!

First press:
“wonderful slowcore” – Licking the Rabbit
“Beautiful? Yes!” – Rifraf (BE)
“music that should be heard across the globe…fantastic achievement!” – Subjectivisten
“Beautiful” – OOR
“The Fire Harvest is a winner in this segment” - WoNoMagazine
“promising debut” - daMusic​ (BE)
“melancholic indierock which lets you dream away” - CJP​

I am Oak tour NL clubs this fall. Get your tickets now!

I am Oak fall tour:
26-10 Rotown, Rotterdam
27-10 Luxor Live, Arnhem
28-10 Gebr de Nobel, Leiden
04-11 Podium Asteriks, Leeuwarden
05-11 Patronaat, Haarlem
06-11 Paard van Troje, Den Haag
09-11 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht

This Friday, we release The Fire Harvest's debut album, produced by Daniel Romano. Get your tickets for The Fire Harvest album release 'Singing, Dancing, Drinking' next week in Theater Kikker but listen to the album NOW via 3VOOR12 / Luisterpaal.

Pre-order the album in our store

Ian Fisher just played a dutch tour, including our 1,25 decades party, and a show in Hedon Zwolle. Livestreammagazine was there to take beautiful pictures and write an elaborate review, which you can read here.

He's coming back soon, including shows in December with Town of Saints:
30-04 Heartland Festival, Poppodium Metropool, Hengelo
04-06 De Nacht van Kunst & Wetenschap, Groningen
18-06 ZOOmeravonden, Artis, Amsterdam
18-06 Almere KOOKT | Esplanade, Almere
15-12 Paradiso Amsterdam w/ Town of Saints
16-12 Rotown Rotterdam w/ Town of Saints
17-12 EKKO, Utrecht w/ Town of Saints

The Village Coffee & Music presents their coffee in The Fire Harvest mugs. You can keep it when you buy a ticket for their debut album release show May 14 in Theater Kikker. There are just 100 tickets, so be fast.

Pre-order your copy of their debut album 'Singing, Dancing, Drinking' here

Upcoming shows:
04-05 The Loch, Enschede (NL)
05-05 Sinnbus Release Show, Schokoladen, Berlin (DE)
06-05 Muziekgieterij, Maastricht w/ Great Lake Swimmers (NL)
07-05 Weltempfänger Backpacker Hostel & Café, Cologne (DE)
12-05 De gym, Groningen (NL)
13-05 Podium Asteriks, Leeuwarden (NL)
14-05 Theater Kikker, Utrecht (NL)
11-06 OCCII, Amsterdam (NL)
29-09 Hall of Fame, Tilburg (NL)
02-10 Kloveniersdoelen, Middelburg (NL)

Meanwhile; Kim Janssen is in Los Angeles. Yesterday he played The Teragram Ballroom with Bombino and tomorrow he will play The Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles.

I am Oak is heading out to feature on some great festivals this spring/summer. After announcing they will be playing Best Kept Secret Festival, we can add Bevrijdingsfestival Amersfoort, Bevrijdingsfestival Wageningen (solo), Amsterdam Woods Festival and Into The Great Wide Open to the bill, awesome!

Glad that you all showed up at our 12,5 anniversary last week, we had a blast. It's great to have celebrated 1,25 decades of love, family and good indie music, that would not be possible without you. Read some kind words about our PARTY by Wono Magazine and 3VOOR12/Utrecht.

Mcklin Fotografie took some great photo's to relive the wonder. Enjoy! And cheers to the next 12,5 years!

And check out Ian Fisher playing 'Too Bad' on a session with FaceCulture below.

Ian Fisher did a tour last week in the Netherlands, including a show at our 12,5 anniversary party. We're super excited that he's returning in December to do a couple of shows with Town of Saints, and he's playing Heartland Festival in Poppodium Metropool in Hengelo the 30th of april, hope to see you there! He also played a session on NPO Radio 2 in Tros Muziekcafe De Vorstin, Hilversum.

Listen to 'Almost Darlin', 'Constant Vacation' and an interview with Ian.

15-12 Paradiso Amsterdam
16-12 Rotown Rotterdam
17-12 EKKO, Utrecht

Today, we will celebrate the fact that we're still in the game after 12,5 years! And we're happy that Ian Fisher, broeder Dieleman and Kim Janssen are partying with us tonight, all with a one-off special performance, just for you. Check out these beautiful flyers of 1,25 decades of FEEST and hope to see you tonight!

By the way, you can still buy a Snowstar release over at Plato Utrecht, and get a free ticket. Or you can buy your ticket here.

AND: First 50 visitors get a free limited Snowstar Records gift

broeder Dieleman took over Kleinpolderplein as a public project during Motel Mozaique Festival. Catch him talking about that with De Correspondent. We're super proud that he's performing on our party tomorrow.

We're thrilled to announce that I am Oak is playing Best Kept Secret Festival and Amsterdam Woods Festival​ this year. It's gonna be a blast!

Get your Best Kept Secret tickets here
And your Amsterdam Woods tickets here

Dutch music magazine OOR​ premiered Ian Fisher​'s beautiful new 'Too Bad' video. Check it out here. By the way, tickets for his Dutch tour next week are still available!

Ian's NL tour:
13-04 Paradiso, Amsterdam​
14-04 TivoliVredenburg​, Utrecht
15-04 W2 Poppodium​, Den Bosch
16-04 Vera, Groningen​
17-04 Hedon, Zwolle​

Town of Saints​ played 3VOOR12​ Radio yesterday, listen to their session here. On top of that you can also check out an interview and two songs at Giel​ this morning at 3FM. Radio madness!

Listen to their interview with Giel
And you can listen to Town of Saints playing 'Legions' and 'Short Circuit Breakdown' live on 3FM this morning. They also covered '1, 2, 3' by Lil Kleine & Ronnie Flex.

Canvas​' awesome tv show pop-O-rama​ joined broeder Dieleman​ through his Zeeuws Vlaanderen. Watch it from the fifth minute onwards. Or just watch the entire episode because this is TV that we in the Netherlands can only wish for!:

OUT NOW: Town of Saints - 'No Place Like This'! We are very excited, we hope you are too!

First press:
“certainly a hell of a job” - KindaMuzik
“the second album enables the five headed outfit to become famous. And they should.” - HiFi Review
“a very surprising album” - Keys & Chords (BE)
"what a fantastic album" - WoNoBlog
“Town of Saints is prepared for the festival season!” - Ingeplugd
"subtle patterns that deserve the thumbs up from George Porter Jr and Carole Kaye" - Here Comes the Flood

Buy yours here

Hope you all had a happy Easter! I am Oak did a session at ALEX Berlin whilst touring through Germany, check it out here:

The press is as happy as we are with the release:

"Gentle and beautiful" - The Four oh Five (UK)
"Rock solid comeback" – OOR (NL)
"strong to the fullest" - The Daily Indie (NL)
"Our Blood has become a mystical and atmospheric album, that comes very close to answer the secret of life." - Ingeplugd (NL)
"Enjoy all the details" - WonoMagazine (NL)
"It's heartfelt monument for his father and a musical statement as Holland's foremost folk singer rolled into one." - Here Comes The Flood (NL)
"Our Blood is mournful and uplifting, melancholic and optimistic, but above all peaceful and pure." – Festival-/Podiuminfo (NL)
“Shy, almost whispering, but with a powerful persuasiveness. Music at its purest” – Uitagenda Utrecht (NL)
"Bitte einfach bewegungslos liegen bleiben und zuhören." – Intro (DE)
"The most beautiful I am Oak record." – De Krenten uit de Pop (NL)
“A very special monument" – 3voor12Utrecht (NL)
"The Dutch brother of our Bram's Bony King" - Musiczine (BE)
"Brutally honest folk that strikes deep into the heart" - Rifraf (BE)
**** – de Volkskrant (NL)
**** – Music Maker (NL)
“8/10” - CLEEFT (NL)
“8/10” – Melodie & Rhythmus (DE)
“8,4/10 "Our Blood cuts, captivates and never lets go" – Daan’s Muziekblog (NL)
“8/10” – Muzine (NL)
“8/10” - "Beautiful and intimate"- PlatoMania (NL)

We are very excited to present our latest signing to you: The Fire Harvest. Their debut album ‘Singing, Dancing, Drinking' will be released on May 6. Recorded by Daniel Romano and Kenneth Meehan. We are teaming up for this release (cd/lp/digi) with Subroutine Records and Sinnbus. Listen to first song 'Working Man' here and check them tonight with I Am Oak in OT301!

Very proud to share with you: Ian Fisher recorded a Daytrotter session Four beautiful songs from his album, recorded live in Chicago. Enjoy at their website!
Also: Catch him live at SXSW the 15th!

Very much looking forward to seeing Ian Fisher play a showcase at Lamberts on Saturday, March 19th at SXSW. Come say hi!

OUT NOW: I am Oak - 'Our Blood'! Can't wait to hear what you think. We love it, media seem to agree:

"****" - Trouw
"the beautiful, deeply moving album Our Blood" - 3VOOR12
“A very strong album to cherish dearly" – Caleidoscoop
"artistic beauty" - KindaMuzik
“fingerlicking good” – CJP

To celebrate, we just decided that if you order the new album 'Our Blood' today, you'll still receive the bonus EP 'Wild Birch' with it, visit our store: www.snowstar.nl or listen on Spotify

I am Oak's albumrelease tour starts this Friday. Both V11 - Rotterdam and EKKO - Utrecht are completely sold out. The other shows are going fast, so if you want to visit, get your tickets now:

25/3 Hedon Zwolle, Zwolle
26/3 Merleyn, Nijmegen
01/4 Café Wilhelmina, Eindhoven
02/4 Grand Theatre, Groningen

Listen to the album now in 3voor12's Luisterpaal

This 4-track-bonus EP will only be availble to those who pre-order I am Oak's new album 'Our Blood'.

3voor12 premiered a new I am Oak track and video on 3FM yesterday, read all about it and watch 'Omen' now:

pre-order the album and receive a free bonus EP

I Am Oak is finishing the video for 'Omen', and we're releasing it tonight with 3voor12 at 23:30. 'Omen' is the first single of upcoming album 'Our Blood'. The song will be played on 3FM tonight at 23:30 and the video will come online right after that. So tune in!

Last weekend, broeder Dieleman was featured in the beautiful tv show 'Landinwaarts' on NPO 2 / NTR. He talks about his influences, and about Zeeland; the landscape and culture.

You can watch it here:

broeder Dieleman is featured in NPO 2's programme 'Landinwaarts'. He talks about the Zeelandic landscape, wooden sculptures and ghost stories and he visits the places the he used as an inspiration for his music. Watch it tonight; 19:20 on NTR.

GREAT NEWS! We're joyous and proud to announce that we'll celebrate our 12,5 birthday in TivoliVredenburg on April 14th! Come check out performances by Kim Janssen, broeder Dieleman and Ian Fisher and hang out with us. We'll also have a label-yardsale with lots of discounts and exclusives. And. We. Will. Have. PARTY! Who was there at our 10-year anniversary party in Tivoli Oudegracht? Let's do it all over again.

Get your tickets here

OUT NOW:

Ian Fisher's new album #Nero is out now! @ianfishersongs #outnow #country #constantvacation #notacat Get it now at www.snowstar.nl/store/all-products/nero/

A video posted by Snowstar Records (@snowstar_records) on Jan 29, 2016 at 2:30am PST

Check it out, the first single and video from Town of Saints's new album 'No Place Like This'.

Pre-order the new album 'No Place Like This' via iTunes and get the single instantly:

To pre-order the album on CD or Vinyl, please go to www.townofsaints.com

Tomorrow, we're releasing Ian Fisher's new album 'Nero'! We're super excited for his first release on our label. Some first media are hyped as well, Kindamuzik interviewed Ian about his new album:

"in a bittersweet way one experiences the purity, simplicity and perseverance of his rootsmusic" – KindaMuzik

Other media also wrote kind words about 'Nero':
**** "captivates from the first till the last note" – Lust for Life
"the soundtrack underscoring the emotional life story of the young American troubadour, voicing his lonely faith" – Written in Music
"a venomous and beautiful album" – Ingeplugd.nl
"Sheer beauty in music" - Wonomagazine

Order yours here

You can stream Ian's full new album 'Nero' here, it's featured on 3voor12's Luisterpaal:

Furthermore, a new video is also available now on youtube. It premiered in Germany by Intro Magazin as one of the videos of the week.

Watch it here:

We're reissuing Town of Saints' 'Something To Fight With' in handnumbered, bright orange vinyl! Order yours now

Also, we just received I am Oak's vinyl for new album 'Our Blood'. First 500 are sea foam green. What a beauty, pre-order now and receive a free bonus-EP

Check out this new I am Oak​ teaser for 'Our Blood'. This new album will be released on February 26, and the band will tour Europe with it!

Pre-order your copy today on www.snowstar.nl and receive a bonus-EP.

Next to that, Ian Fisher​ is busy with his extensive tour in Italy, he will definitely play songs off of his new album 'Nero' there.

To celebrate releasing the titletrack and first single of their new album 'No Place Like This' on January 29th, Town of Saints will do a 'No Pub Like This' tour through the Netherlands. Watch the teaser here:

Get your tickets now!

The first shows will be on homeground; they will be playing three times in Groningen this week including shows at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2016!

We 13-01: 20.45 - 21.30 (Huize Maas front)
Th 14-01: 18.30 - 18.50 (Coffee Company) 
Fr 15-01: 16.00 - 16.30 (The Barn)

Oh yes, and I am Oak will also be performing on the 13th, from 20:00 to 20:45 in der Aa Theater. Come over and enjoy both bands playing new material!

2015 has been a crazy year. It had fewer new releases than usual, due to rehabilitation from my car crash end of 2014, but the releases that we did were amazing! Personal favorites for sure. First the Bonnie 'prince' Billy & broeder Dieleman Record Store Day release and then our first book release together with Literair Productiehuis Wintertuin; broeder Dieleman's Uut De Bron. This release was loved so much by press we want to let you enjoy this with us.

Check out all press here on Facebook.

Still available as custom handmade unique cd here!

HAPPY 2016!

We are very much looking forward to January 29, the European release of Ian Fisher's album 'Nero'. Today we can also announce his first run of Dutch shows:

Amsterdam, Den Bosch, Groningen and Zwolle will be together with Roald van Oosten.
See you there!

Truth be told: we did not see this coming. Broeder Dieleman's new book + cd release 'Uut de bron' sold out in less than a month. All 500 limited and numbered copies of the book are gone! That's not all though, the release got some amazing press as well. A small selection of the many, many, impressive quotes:

✯✯✯✯✯ - Dagblad van het Noorden
✯✯✯✯ - Volkskrant
✯✯✯✯ - Festivalinfo
"an anthology that makes you hold your breath" - OOR
"so beautiful, it becomes mystical" - Kicking The Habit
"calmness on a cd of 51 minutes and 10 seconds" - Nederlands Dagblad
"majestic" - leeuwarder courant
"enchanting" - NRC

Because we still want this album to be heard, we reissued the album as a unique handmade release with a random cover photo shot by broeder Dieleman himself, all sleeves are signed and handwritten, and every copy is unique. You'll never know what you get.

New I am Oak album 'Our Blood' will be released February 26, 2016. But listen to the first song 'Volcano' now:

If you pre-order the album now, you will receive a free limited bonus EP with your copy of the album. Available in limited sea foam green vinyl as well!

Pre-order the album in our store

Pre-order I am Oak's new album now in our webshop, and receive a free bonus-EP on February 26. Plus; first 500 lp's will be in limited transparent sea foam green vinyl!

Pre-order the album in our store

Past Friday we released broeder Dieleman's new album 'Uut de bron' as a special book+cd release with Literair Productiehuis Wintertuin. We couldn't be happier with all the great responses we're getting. Here's a small selection:

"Masterfully efficacious" - KindaMuzik
"Total work of art" - De Subjectivisten
"✯✯✯✯✯ "Masterful Zealandic Folksymphony" - Dagblad van het Noorden
And this beautiful review by OOR

broeder Dieleman's new album 'Uut de bron' will be released this Friday, but it's already available on the 3VOOR12 Luisterpaal now!

Pre order your copy of the book plus cd and get a signed copy!

I Am Oak just added several dates in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to their Our Blood release tour in March. Details and ticket info available on the I Am Oak Artist page.

Ian Fisher - Nero is out in the USA now, European release will follow on January 29th. We are loving the first US press that is coming in while Ian is touring over there:

"Ian Fisher’s got a way with words only a traveled man can grasp. What began for him in Missouri, USA, has carried him all the way to Berlin in search of songs, and there’s humor, humility, and a sense of gravitas to watermark his latest album as official symbols of his wandering." – American Standard Time

"Fisher crafts simple, yet emotionally complex meanderings … with pen ready to strike a la Billy Bragg meets an old Johnny Cash notebook.” - No Depression

"Spare, gorgeously ambling indie-folk ballad with an instantly memorable guitar-and-piano hook, enticing bait for Fisher's lilting vocals and thoughtful lyricism." - Paste Magazine

"With a lifetime of travelling and experiencing things from all over the world few are as qualified as Ian to write and sing about life.” - Examiner

Pre-order the album in our store

I Am Oak just added several Belgian dates to their Our Blood release tour in March. Details and ticket info available on the I Am Oak Facebook page.

We're releasing the new I Am Oak album 'Our Blood' on the 26th of february 2016. You can pre-order the album already. With every 'Our Blood' pre-order comes an exclusive and limited EP with some of the album songs in a stripped down acoustic version. Only available during pre-order!

Check out the album teaser:

We're thrilled to announce that Ian Fisher has been confirmed to play at SXSW 2016!

And for more exciting news: if you pre-order Ian's album in our webshop you get the exclusive bonus track Thinkin' About It for free. Only available during pre-order.

I Am Oak will tour the Netherlands in support of a new album!

Get your tickets now:
26/2 EKKO, Utrecht
24/3 OT301, Amsterdam
25/3 Hedon, Zwolle
26/3 Merleyn, Nijmegen
31/3 V11, Rotterdam
01/4 Wilhelmina, Eindhoven
02/4 Grand Theatre Groningen

We're thrilled to share this news with you today! We've been secretly working towards this for months now and couldn't be happier to finally add the incredible Ian Fisher to our roster. Please take a minute to get to know this phenomenal singer who just premiered the title track of his upcoming album 'Nero'. Listen to title track'Nero' on Glide Magazine (US).

Ian Fisher is a little man with a big voice, who is based in Berlin, Germany, and was raised on a farm in Missouri, USA. He has played hundreds of concerts all over the world and has travelled so much that he has become a stranger everywhere. A 21st century Country musician… just without a country. His songs, like the man himself, are short, simple and honest. ‘Nero’, Ian Fisher’s debut album under his own name is a mix of classic country with modern indiepop. The songs on the album are lead by Fisher’s pristine voice and a consistent background of close acoustic guitar with spacious piano and pedal steel guitar.

If you like the opener of his album, as of today it is available for pre-order! The album will be released on cd and 12" black vinyl and will be available in the US on October 23rd 2015. European fans will have to be a little more patient, 'Nero' will be released in the EU on the 29th of January 2016. Don't wait for it: reserve your copy in our store now.

Together with Literair Productiehuis Wintertuin we are releasing a book plus new album of broeder Dieleman on November 27!
It will be a limited edition of 500, read more and pre-order on this website. All pre-orders will be signed by broeder Dieleman, listen to the first song here:

We're looking forward to Sunday, which brings another edition of Onafhankelijke Label Markt at Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam!

For this edition we're bringing something very special, we've been holding on to a couple of copies of the sold-out We're looking forward to Sunday, which brings another chance to get a hold of your edition of Bonnie "Prince" Billy & broeder Dieleman's 7" split Gloria / Drie Vragen.

If you missed out, get it this Sunday in Amsterdam.
More information and details on the event page.

We decided to step into the world called Instagram to give office-cat Isa more digital shine.

Follow her adventures here!

Past Saturday broeder Dieleman was station supervisor at Pinguin Radio. He got to recommend 25 special songs. We'll gladly admit we didn't know a bunch of those songs, but it also includes a few personal favorites, so definitely worth a listen.
The 25 songs broeder Dieleman picked:

Dirty Three – I Remember a Time When You Used To Love Me
June Tabor – No Man’s Land
Gang Starr – Above the Clouds
Pogues – Hell’s Ditch
Vic Chesnutt – I flirted With You All My Life
Kathleen Yearwood Ordeal – Remember Love
Idassanne Wallet Mohammed – Ahiyana
Vigilantes of Love – Double Cure
Sage Francis – Sea Lion
Rowwen Hèze – De Peel in Brand
Tirudel Zenebe – Gue
Willem Vermandere – Voor Marie Louise
Townes Van Zandt – Nothing
Holmes Brothers – I Want Jesus to Walk With Me
Madvillain – Great Day (Four Tet remix)
De Dopegezinde Gemeente – Amsterdam Huilt
Lift to Experience – Into the Storm
Mdou Moctar – Tahoultine
Smog – Say Valley Maker
Baby Dee – Black But Comely
Mahalia Jackson – Live the Life
The Oblivians – Final Stretch
Ries de Vuyst – Eben Haezer
Alasdair Roberts – Farewell Sorrow
Johnny Cash – Spiritual

Town of Saints are in the studio at the moment, recording their second album. To help them realise it you can support them on their Voordekunst crowdfunding page.

In exchange for your support you'll get acces to exclusive material, an unreleased song and more. Als you can buy the album up front, or even arrange for Town of Saints to play a show at your house. Check it out!

Nieuwe Revu published a 1,5 pages article on the Bonnie "Prince" Billy & broeder Dieleman Split 7".

**** + an interesting perspective on collaborations in general, as well as this one in particular.

Read the review and article here!

We just premiered the video for Bonnie "Prince" Billy's version of 'Gloria' at The A.V. Club!

The full split 7" 'Gloria/Drie Vragen' will be available tomorrow as an exclusive Record Store Day release. Get it at your local record store, make sure you don't miss out!

Watch the video now at The A.V. Club:

Record Store Day is coming up in just over two weeks! If you haven't yet planned your crazy Record Store Day runaround tour like TivoliVredenburg programmer Johan Gijsen has (check Johan's list!(Dutch)) there's probably some time left to squeeze in a Snowstar Record Store Day show. Here are your options:

18/04 Snowstar shows:
11:00 broeder Dieleman - De Waterput, Bergen op Zoom
11:00 I Am Oak - RecordFriend Elpees, Amsterdam
13:30 broeder Dieleman - Grey, Breda
16:00 broeder Dieleman - Velvet Music Leiden
16:00 Town of Saints - Plato Groningen

And of course we're also releasing the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & broeder Dieleman Split 7". That might just be the most exciting Snowstar release to date. Best of luck hunting down a copy!

It's gonna be a great day, we hope to see you there!

On April 18th it's record store day 2015. In honour of this year's record store day we present the extended collaboration between our own broeder Dieleman and folk legend Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

In 2014 they did a fully sold out tour of 8 Dutch churches, all shows were played entirely acoustically. This unique tour was sold out within the hour, a great succes which both artists felt was deserving of a follow-up.

For record store day they will be releasing a split 7" for which Bonnie 'Prince' Billy translated 'Gloria' into English. Broeder Dieleman covered 'Three Questions" in his distinct Zealandic dialect.

To celebrate the 7" (and his birthday!) broeder Dieleman will play in-stores on April 18th, followed by an Molenpark De Ster in Utrecht, hosted by EKKO.

The split 7" will be released on Snowstar Records and will be available in limited numbers during Record Store Day, both in the Benelux and the United States.

Read more in this 3VOOR12 interview!

Director Sacha Polak chose Town of Saints' The Silent Sea to be featured in a scene of ZURICH. The band can be seen and heard in the film, whilst playing the song.

Singer Harmen Ridderbos on the collaboration:
"The Silent Sea is about a desolate place where people do not talk about the past. The thought behind the song, as well as the atmosphere, match the film perfectly. The movie pictures a desolate place just like I envisioned while writing this song. We're very happy with the way the two got together."

While on tour in December I Am Oak recorded two songs for Berlin Sessions. Check it out!!

I Am Oak - Own

I Am Oak - Famine

We proudly present broeder Dieleman's new Single Brasil!

Broeder Dieleman's 'Brasil' is the soundtrack for 'Braziliaanse Koorts' (Brazilian Fever), a documentary that tells the forgotten but dramatic migration story of several hundreds of people from Zeeland who moved to Brazil between 1858-1862. Even today some descendants living in the Brazilian inlands still speak Zealandic. The film, made by Monique Schoutsen and Arjan van Westen will be screened in both the Netherlands and Brasil.

For more information and the trailer of Braziliaanse Koorts:
www.braziliaansekoorts.nl

For the rest of the month we're offering a special end of year bonus to everyone who orders something in our webshop. On every order we're including an extra surprise release as an early Christmas present. For you, or a friend. Enjoy!

Last week, on Friday 28-11-2014 we presented the first ever Snowstar Records Revue at Explore The North in Leeuwarden.

In one long three hour All-Star show featuring The World of Dust, I Am Oak, broeder Dieleman, Herrek, Kim Janssen and Black Oak we explored the north in true Snowstar fashion.

3voor12/Friesland wrote that the show contained enough highlights and diversity to remain interesting for the full three hours. Read the article here.

Melanie Marsman Photography made an aftermovie of the very special night:

Past Friday broeder Dieleman played a show at Le Guess Who? in Moira. At the exact same moment Will Oldham (Bonny 'Prince' Billy) was giving him praise for his work in front of a packed Ronda in TivoliVredenburg.

Read reviews of the Le Guess Who Friday by clicking the links below:
Kicking The Habit
FileUnder

photo by Juri Hiensch

While on tour Town of Saints released a making of video for one of their exclusive Tour Edition songs, Roísín, check it out here!

Recorded at Studio Helmbreker.

Today we're announcing a very special event, on November 28th we will present the first ever SnowstarRecordsRevue at Explore The North.

During one big 3-hour All Star show you'll be able to see I Am Oak, Herrek, Kim Janssen, broeder Dieleman, The World Of Dust and Black Oak perform live at De Kanselarij.

For more information click here.
Tickets available here!

Town of Saints is keeping a journal of their tour through Europe. Knowing the band they will no doubt encounter some of the strangest things you've heard in a while.

To read the first part of their journal on 3voor12 click the image below!

Over the past week broeder Dieleman toured across the country with Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) and The Cairo Gang. Today one week ago he spoke to 3VOOR12 in front of the Doopsgezinde kerk in Utrecht. In a lengthy conversation they discussed that particular Royal Dutch Tour, his new album 'Gloria', Dieleman's personal beliefs and playing a support show for Typhoon.

Read the interview here.
Really, do read it, amazing stuff (in Dutch).

Reactions on broeder Dieleman's new album 'Gloria' are amazingly beautiful:

***** "Unique" - Dagblad van het Noorden / Leeuwarder Courant
"A Record of intense beauty" - De Volkskrant
"Broeder Dieleman rises above himself and delivers a glorious masterpiece" - Subjectivisten
"Beautiful tragic and intensity. Intriguing artist, this brother" - Kindamuzik

You can listen to the full album on Snowstar.nl. Or order the album here!

Or listen to broeder Dieleman speaking about his album 'Gloria' on Radio1. (also in Dutch)

Today we're releasing Town of Saints' Something To Fight With Tour Edition!! The re-release of their debut album contains the original Stand Up recording (pts I & II) and four new songs, including single Miner's Song.

You can listen to the full album on Bandcamp. Or order the album here!

Several Snowstar artists announced new tour-dates lately, we wanted to pay extra attention to four of those announcements which we find really exciting.

broeder Dieleman is starting his tour with Bonny 'Prince' Billy and The Cairo Gang tonight (15 September). On their Royal Dutch Tour they will play 7 shows in small churches throughout the Netherlands, all of them fully acoustic.

I Am Oak announced a Tour in Germany and Austria in November, and another three German tour-dates in December. Last but not least, I Am Oak is also playing New Fall Festival in Düsseldorf in October!

The World Of Dust announced another one of his very rare live shows. He's playing at Ruimte voor Kunst in De Bilt on the 21st of September.

Town of Saints is going in an incredible tour in October and November. We've mentioned it before, so here's a link to their showlist.

This Friday Town of Saints is releasing the 'Something To Fight With Tour Edition, including new single Miner's Song

Following the re-release of their debut album they're playing shows in no less than 12 countries on their MTV presents Town of Saints Tour 2014. This amazing adventure will be kicked off in Ludwig, Amsterdam, coming Thursday: the 18th of september. For more information on their tour, including tourdates, click here.

See the video for Miner's Song here:

Last week we released broeder Dieleman's new album Gloria and the video for 'Adriana'.

We love it and so does everyone else:
**** - "Melancholic, slow, hopeful, but above all wonderful." - Revu
**** - "Americana from the Zealandic countryside." - Lust For Life
**** - "Songwriter albums are rarely as honest as with this Zealandic singer." - Music maker
"Gloria is without a doubt the most atmospheric album of 2014." - Ingeplugd
"Broeder Dieleman shows the light to others" - OOR
"The fact that Dieleman sings in a dialect, makes his words even more compelling" - Gonzo (circus)

The video for 'Adriana' is made by The Liberation Hunt:
It's about a farmer from Grijpskerke, who is forced to quit working. The makers of the video follow him around his land while he is saying goodbye to all the belongings of his former life. He sold all his cows earlier this year and in the video you see him burn all the last straw from his stable. Moving images, that become even darker with the addition of a song that is "a story about the daily impetuosity of religion", according to Dieleman.

Check out this great, mildly tipsy, interview with broeder Dieleman and Ondercast below.

They speak about his home province Zeeland, Netherlands, as well as his new album Gloria, which will be released this Friday.

The first reviews of Gloria are amazing:
"'Gloria' climbs to compelling heights." - Mousique
"sounds more hypnotising than ever" - Kicking The Habit
"broeder Dieleman has a voice that gets his message across" - Here Comes The Flood
"A collection that will, despite the dialect, be highly appreciated even across the borders of Zeeland." - PZC (paper of 25/08/2014)
"Melancholic, slow, hopeful, but above all wonderful." - Nieuwe Revu
**** "Gloria is without a doubt the most atmospheric album of 2014." - Ingeplugd

We're excited to announce that Town of Saints is going on a tour trough Europe. They will be playing in England, Scotland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and the Netherlands.

To celebrate and open their MTV presents Town of Saints European Tour 2014 there will be a kick-off party in Ludwig, Amsterdam.

See www.mtv.nl/townofsaints for all information on the European Tour 2014, as well as a chance to win tickets for the kick-off party!

We're looking forward to the Onafhankelijke Label Markt this Sunday!

Alongside all Snowstar records we've got some very special limited broeder Dieleman items available. Those items also include his upcoming album 'Gloria' that will be officially released September 5, so get your copy ahead! Come and meet us at the Tolhuistuin from 12:00 onwards.

There will be a lot of cool stuff going on at Tolhuistuin. All of our favorite Dutch Indie labels will be represented, there's live music to enjoy, as well as special demonstrations by Record Industry: they'll be making live singles on vinyl!

Check out this first song of the new broeder Dieleman album Gloria! The full album will be available on the 5th of September, pre-order now.

Right now you can listen 'Kauwtje' on YouTube, bandcamp or snowstar.nl

Enjoy!

Another sneak preview of the upcoming broeder Dieleman album Gloria. Out September 5th!!

We have some awesome news to share today: Town of Saints sold all copies of their debut album 'Something To Fight With'. Therefore we're presenting a re-print of the album, including no less than four bonus tracks!

This fall Town of Saints will be playing a huge tour through 11(!) European countries. To get a taste of more good things to come here's a new video for one of the old songs: 'Going Back in Time'. Expect more news and new music soon!

Something To Fight With - tour edition' out September 2014
European Tour: October/November 2014

As we announced yesterday, broeder Dieleman is releasing his new album Gloria on September 5th on Snowstar Records.

Have a glance at the album trailer here:

Broeder Dieleman makes a self-willed kind of gospel in Zealandish dialect. In 2012 he released his debut-album 'Alles is IJdelheid', which introduced him as a remarkable musician beyond the borders of his home province Zealand. His new album, 'Gloria', has been recorded in his living room while the kids were in school and tells the story of a quest for clarity in a confusing life. A story, which just like his debut is told in a Zealandish dialect.

The songs on 'Gloria' are on the one hand about little things in life, such as birdsong -jackdaws and cormorants play an important role - or unpaved roads. On the other hand the album deals with weighty themes such as religion and love. 'Gloria' is at times dark and heavy, but also very satisfied and always hopeful. This contrast makes the album to a diverse and even exciting whole.

‘Gloria’ has been recorded in broeder Dieleman’s home in cooperation with producer Pim van de Werken and contains contributions by Adam Casey (The Boy Who Spoke Clouds), Janine van Osta (o.a. Wolf In Loveland) and Ersha Sollgar. The banjo and guitar are still present, but a large role is fulfilled by the piano. ‘Gloria’ will be released on September 5th on Dutch record label Snowstar Records (I am Oak, Town of Saints and others). The release is celebrated with an album-presentation in Middelburg and a nation-wide tour, with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

Shows:
9 september / Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam (w/ Damien Jurado)
11 september / Vleeshal, Middelburg
12 september / albumpresentatie, Middelburg
15 september / Kapel van Hoogelande, Middelburg*
16 september / Doopsgezinde Kerk, Utrecht*
17 september / Statenzaal, Zwolle*
18 september / Kerkje van Persingen, Nijmegen*
19 september / Noorse Kerk, Rotterdam*
20 september / Obergumer Kerk, Winsum*
21 september / Red Cinema Sessions, Amsterdam*
26 september / Grote Kerk, Goes
* (/w Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy)

In November I am Oak will be touring Germany and Austria. This tour is presented by Kumpels & Friends. For all tourdates see the poster below:

I am Oak recently played five shows in NYC, two of which were part of Northside Festival in Brooklyn. Reactions have been overwhelming, read what New York thought in these great reviews and interviews:

"I was incredibly lucky to catch their (I am Oak's) opening set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg as part of Brooklyn’s Northside Festival." - All Things Go

"Songs infinitely larger than the small stage they were confined to" - Pancakes and Whiskey

"I Am Oak put on a great show" - Alt Citizen

"I Am Oak really turned on the rock with a fantastic guitar solo and an awesome instrumental outro" - Cultivora

"Great band" - Shortcake Breath

Interview with Leftbank Magazine

Photo by Shayne Hanley of Shutterhound Photography.

Last year broeder Dieleman made the soundtrack of 'Land van Verandering' (Country of Changes) in collaboration with Pim van de Werken, a documentary on the changing identity of 'Zeeuws Vlaanderen'.

On the occasion of the 200-years anniversary of 'Zeeuws Vlaanderen' Kimmo Films made a videoclip for the song 'Land van Verandering'. A striking visualisation of a region on the edge of a cultural shift.

Earlier this year the book 'Tussenland', written by Rachel de Meijer, has been published on the search for a regional-'Zeeuws Vlaamse'-identity. In this book a chapter has been incorporated on broeder Dieleman, who embodies this search for a regional identity, both on a musical and a personal level. His recent 'Jan de Prentenknipper' walking-tour is a perfect illustration of this cultural search for identity.

I am Oak just came back from their one week mini-tour in New York City. They played five shows, two of which were part of the amazing Northside Festival in Brooklyn (featuring Beirut, Fuck Buttons, The War On Drugs, Sharon Van Etten and many more)!

Especially the show with Dan Croll at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was amazing!

More on I am Oak's NYC adventure next week!

In a few weeks, I am Oak is going to the US for a mini-tour in New York, featuring two shows at the amazing Northside Festival in Brooklyn (featuring Beirut, Fuck Buttons, The War On Drugs, Sharon Van Etten and many more)!
Check out the poster for more details:

Check out this new video by Bart van der Lee for 'Waste of Life', made in cooperation with HOAX.

The song reflects on the life of Bart's grandfather. The video is a photographic portrait in which subtle changes emphasize on the nature of the song, with a starring role for Bart's distinctive beard. Watch the video:

In addition to the video release, Bart also announced a Living Room Tour.

We're very excited to announce that all tickets for 'The Royal Dutch Tour' were sold in a matter of minutes. For all those who got their hands on a ticket to one of the shows: enjoy!

Last week Tjeerd van Erve of Luifabriek joined The World of Dust a.k.a. Stefan Breuer to record two songs for 'The Modern Participation Society' project.

Read the article Tjeerd wrote on this very(!) interesting cooperation here. It's absolutely worth reading!

Also: tomorrow the new edition of De Ondergrond - a DIY art magazine - will be released. It contains some art by Stefan Breuer, and a link to a page set up especially to let you listen to The Universe; the final song of Bhava.
There's a small opening at the Toilet Gallery in Rotterdam to celebrate!

Last but not least, The World Of Dust contributed a new song to a video for Into The Great Wide Open. Joost Stokhof a.k.a. The Things We Are animated the beautiful little movie, to announce the first 20 names playing on the famous festival. Check it out below.

The one and only Will Oldham, a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is coming to The Netherlands! He will be performing in no less than seven lovely small venues supported by our own broeder Dieleman!

Tickets for the shows won't be able for reservation or online sales, and there are very few tickets available. Ticket sales are separate for each show.

Find out where to get your tickets here

At 3voor12 they were almost as stoked about this tour as we are: read what they had to say about it here.

Herrek will be touring the Netherlands and Germany with Minor Alps (Juliana Hatfield from The Lemonheads & Matthew Caws from Nada Surf)!!

April 29 Kantine Berghain, Berlin, Germany
April 30 Prinzenbar, Hamburg, Germany
May 1 Vera, Groningen, Holland
May 2 EKKO, Utrecht, Holland
May 3 Luxor, Cologne, Germany
May 4 Zoom, Frankfurt, Germany
May 5 Kantine, Augsburg, Germany

Busy times at Snowstar Records. We're loving every minute of it. The last month has seen a NL-clubtour by I am Oak and Town of Saints, who both finished with a sold out show at respectively Paradiso Amsterdam and Asteriks Leeuwarden. Both bands are going abroad soon to continue that run!

In between shows they still manage to find time to play live-sessions. Or as is the case for Town of Saints, they manage to find time to eat and sleep in between live-sessions and shows. They really played a heap of sessions over the last few weeks.

Here are three sessions by I am Oak, Town of Saints and Bart van der Lee for you to enjoy!

Town Of Saints - Stand Up :: Rockstone Sessions

Bart van der Lee - Majesty :: Rockstone Sessions

I Am Oak - How Long? (detektor.fm-Session)

I Am Oak has been asked to play the very first Mirliton Session ever, hosted by 3VOOR12/Utrecht. From now on they will organize two intimate and short shows in the Mirliton Theater in Hoog Catharijne in Utrecht each month. The shows will be captured on tape, are free to visit, and have a limited capacity of fifty visitors.

The first edition of the Mirliton Sessions, featuring I Am Oak, will take place Saturday 19th of April. Doors are open at 15.00, the I am Oak show starts at 15.30. At 16:30 Stropstrikkers will take the stage for their Mirliton session.

For more information about the event and the concept of these sessions, please visit the website of 3VOOR12/Utrecht. If you are coming, please do attend the Facebook-event! We hope to see you there!

Listen to latest album 'Ols Songd' here!

Herrek will be supporting Minor Alps ( Juliana Hatfield & Matthew Caws of Nada surf) on two of their upcoming Dutch shows. Don't miss out on these shows!
01-05 w/ Minor Alps - Vera Groningen
02-05 w/ Minor Alps - Poppodium EKKO, Utrecht

announced five new shows including a performance at Motel Mozaïque next week (4/4) in Rotterdam. They will also play a show in ACU in Utrecht (28/5) and in Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond in Amsterdam (5/6). For our German fans: Herrek will be coming your way since they've been confirmed to play at Freakstock (9/8)! Two weeks earlier, the band will be performing at Welcome To The Village Festival in Leeuwarden.

During these shows the band will play new songs combined with some older tunes (like 'Rain' underneath). And if you want, you can still listen to their latest release 'A M' via our website and/or Bandcamp.

And have you already read this review of 'A M' written by Krenten Uit de Pop? We love that last sentence of that review: "A deep bow for Herrek and their recordlabel Snowstar that still continues with making beautiful albums."

For the show of I am Oak in Poppodium EKKO this Saturday (29/03) Sophia Twigt is making these beautiful silk-screen prints which you can buy during the gig. You can watch a little sneak peak of the making of here:

Sneak peak: I Am Oak zeefdruk by Poppodium EKKO on Vimeo.

Within the context of this show Thijs of I Am Oak also did an interview with 3VOOR12 about his life as a musician and as a photographer.

More information and tickets for the gig of Saturday can be found on the website of EKKO. And if you are coming, make sure you are attending the 'Faceboak'-event.

When Thijs of I Am Oak was in Dusseldorf to play a show with The Black Atlantic for the release of 'Black Oak' he also recorded this beautiful live session of 'Cauliflower' recorded by Triggerfish.de. You can watch it below!

Also, Thijs will be playing a show at Kultuurkaffee in Brussels on the 4th of May. And there is a lot more coming up for all the Belgian fans of I Am Oak - so stay updated!

In addition to all this great news, our friends of Cutting Edge did an interview with Thijs. They talked about 'Ols Songd', the meaning of the word Yojihito and what Thijs is going to do in Belgium later this year!

Have a good weekend!

Tomorrow I am Oak & The Black Atlantic will perform their only show together on Dutch soil. Podium Asteriks in Leeuwarden will be the scenery for this special event.

Herrek and Björn Kleinhenz will also be playing. That's not all though. Arjen and Mischa from Wooden Saints will be there as well, playing with the Black Oak duo just like they did on the recordings. This is bound to be a very special night. There are still a few tickets left, better be quick!

Town Of Saints has had quite the day today.

First they brought their debut album Something To Fight With to South-Korea. Melon released the album today, making it available in South-Korea's 9(!) largest music stores.

Then things got really crazy when we found out Town Of Saints has been nominated for a 3FM award in the category 'Best Alternative'. You can help them by clicking here to vote!

Town Of Saints made a radical version of their new single 'Stand Up' for 3FM's Freaknacht. To celebrate carnaval they altered their song to something worthy of a 'polonaise'.

We suggest you click the top video to hear the carnaval version, then go for the live version of the actual song for comparison.

Take note of Harmen's ridiculous accent in the carnaval song while you're at it. Enjoy!

I am Oak & The Black Atlantic are currently touring Germany. So far it's a great ride and the venues are selling out. In between gigs they found the time to do a beautiful session for detektor.fm yesterday. Check it out here:

Listen to the full 'Black Oak' EP, or buy it, here!

Some bad news. Unfortunately, due to family related matters, some of the I am Oak x The Black Atlantic shows will be postponed.

Tomorrow's O'Neill in-store appearance @ Blue Tomato Shop Berlin will take place. But, only The Black Atlantic (solo) will perform.
The follow dates are being re-scheduled:
24.02.2014 - DE - Kontorkeller, Greifswald
25.02.2014 - DE - Waschhaus Potsdam
26.02.2014 - DE - Cinema Quadrat, Mannheim
01.03.2014 - DE - Kulturladen KFZ Marburg
Advance tickets will stay valid. More info on new dates soon!
The Swiss dates are canceled for I am Oak.

To end on a more positive note, Noisey just launched the first video of 'Black Oak', Rove:

The press has been very positive about Bhava, the debut album by
The World Of Dust:

Incendiary Magazine: "Now this is a GOOD record."
Progwereld: "Een uniek en zeer geslaagd album."
Mousique: "Een bijzonder album met een prachtig 44-pagina tellend boekje."
Luifabriek: "Bhava is an otherworldly patchwork of vibrant prog tapestry and morose folk delirium."
Subjectivisten/Caleidoscoop: "Een imponerend totaalwerk."
OOR: "Bij vlagen briljant."
ProgLog AFTERglow: "Een overweldigend en imponerend werkstuk."
Hifi.nl: "Een vrij unieke ervaring 8/10"
The Daily Indie: "Het luisteren naar deze plaat heeft op de één of andere manier mijn geest compleet geleegd en gezuiverd."
Here comes the flood: "A lo-fi prog rock trip to India, Egypt and even into space."

If you want to hear it for yourself, you will have to order the album (that comes along with a 44-page collage art book) in the webshop. Bhava is limited to 100 copies, and as we speak there are only 15 left... So be quick, don't miss out on this unique release!

Happy Valentinesday! We are proud to announce this very special new release: a limited 10" split EP by I Am Oak & The Black Atlantic, titled 'Black Oak'.

Listen to first song 'Rove' and pre-order now!
The EP will be officially released on Feb 24th. That same day Black Oak will start a Germany & Switzerland together. There will be one Dutch releaseshow after that.
Get your tickets now!

24-02 Kontorkeller, Greifswald
25-02 Waschaus, Potsdam
26-02 Cinema Quadrat, Mannheim
27-02 Treppenhaus Rorschach
28-02 BSCENE Magazine Festival, Basel
01-03 Kulturladen KFZ Marburg
02-03 PRIVATCLUB Berlin
03-03 Ostpol, Dresden
04-03 Wärmehalle Süd, Leipzig
05-03 Mojo Jazz Café, Hamburg
06-03 FFT Düsseldorf
07-03 Bürgerbanhof, Wüppertal
08-03 Café Nun, Karlsruhe
09-03 Hafen 2, Offenbach
10-03 Musikbunker Aachen
14-03 Podium Asteriks, Leeuwarden

Behold! The new Herrek video for 'Fading Waves', opening track of their new EP 'A M'. Watch and read all about it at noisey:

We're playing nothing but the new I am Oak in the office, and could recommend the same. So do these wonderful websites:

It's releaseday! Buy I am Oak - Ols Songd now in our webshop, or listen to it at bandcamp.

This Friday, 'Ols Songd' by I am Oak will be released. You can listen to it now already at 3voor12 Luisterpaal.

First reviews are verrrry positive;
"A soft-spoken album, but its contents speak volumes." - Here Comes The Flood: http://bit.ly/1hDr2ow
**** - "The first highlight of the new year!" - Ingeplugd:http://bit.ly/1fpFrmO

Read more in this interview with 3VOOR12
Pre-order cd/vinyl at www.snowstar.nl/store

End 2013 we released Bart van der Lee's new album 'Ballads for the Heathens or Dying', by far his best work to date. He already did some great shows with it, but is now announcing a new spring tour, check it out:

02 Feb: Storytelling @..., Culemborg
13 Feb: Rietveld Theater, Delft
23 Feb: Zimihc theater Zuilen, Utrecht
27 Feb: Stukafest Leiden, Leiden
01 Mrt: Melkweg Amsterdam, Amsterdam
06 Mrt: Patronaat Haarlem, Haarlem
14 Mrt: Rauw Hees Teder, Breda
26 Mrt: Quite Quiet, Leiden
20 Apr: Raspberry Sessions, Utrecht

Attend the Facebook event for the newest tourupdates:

Last weekend, Town of Saints blew away Groningen with eight (!) shows at Eurosonic Noorderslag. All of them were packed, and at the Grande Finale in De Oosterpoort, they played their single 'Carousel' together with Broken Brass Ensemble:

In the past weeks there have been written a couple of beautiful reviews about Herreks EP, A.M.

"Weinig bands in Nederland weten je op een zo schijnbaar achteloze wijze en met minimale middelen mee te voeren in eigen wonderschone wereld. Dit is absoluut Herrek op zijn best." – Kicking The Habit

"Vijf briljantjes van folky slowcorenummers(..)Herrek omsluit je als een warme deken in het midden van de koude nacht en dekken je toe met een prettige loomheid. " - Kindamuzik 

"Wederom een wonderschoon schijfje met liedjes die je eigenlijk door een koptelefoon in het donker moet luisteren." - Gobsmag

"Mournful, recapitulating like dreams, these songs unfold slow, stretching time with every low paced tone, like only the long unwinding hours of the deep dark can stretch time." - Luifabriek

This week we're heading north for Eurosonic Noorderslag. If you have to see ONE band play in Groningen this week, make it Town of Saints.
It will be hard to miss them anyway:

Thu 16-01 PlatoSonic CoffeeCompany 17:30 - 17:50
Thu 16-01 Energy Stage 20:45 - 21:30
Fri 17-01 Friendly Fire Friday 17:20 - 17:30
Fri 17-01 Eurosonic Der AA-Kerk 23:30 - 00:15
Sa 18-01 galerie with tsjalling 13:30 - 13:55
Sa 18-01 3onStage De Oosterpoort 15:30 - 15:45
Sa 18-01 Noorderslag Heineken Foyer 23:30 - 00:15

2014 could not have started better for Town of Saints. Album 'Something To Fight With' is 3FM Album of the Week.
Everyone has them on their one-to-watch-list for ESNS next week, from 3VOOR12 to Cortonville to OOR who labels them 'Dutch promise for 2014' and DWDD who named them 'The Sound of 2014'.

This morning Town of Saints surprised Giel3FM with an amazing Beyoncé cover! Besides their own single 'Carousel', they also played a very special version of 'XO'.

Check it out:

During our anniversary-party we held a beautiful listening session for The World Of Dust's debut 'Bhava'. We sold most of the 44-page collage books that accompanie the cd, and because this release is nowhere else to be found on the internet (and we still want people to hear it), we decided it would be time for Listening Session #2.

That's why we made an exclusive deal with VPRO's 3voor12: Bhava can be streamed on their Luisterpaal for ONE WEEK ONLY. Take this chance, grab your headphones, sit back & enjoy. If you like what you hear, make sure to buy one of the 100 limited copies in the Snowstar store. There are only a few left and we won't make a reprint!

On his Italy-tour, Kim Janssen recorded a beautiful session with the Corale Michelangelo for the Hipsteria Project in Florence. With this impressive version of 'Blyth Farjeon Choir', we'd like to wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful 2014! Thank you all!

Yesterday, we announced I am Oak's Dutch clubtour.
Before that, in February/March, I am Oak will do a solo-tour together with The Black Atlantic in Germany and Switzerland:

24-02 Kontorkeller - Greifswald (DE)
25-02 Waschhaus Potsdam (DE)
26-02 Cinema Quadrat - Mannheim (DE)
27-02 Treppenhaus Rorschach (CH)
28-02 BScene Festival - Basel (CH)
01-03 Kulturladen KFZ Marburg (DE)
02-03 PRIVATCLUB Berlin (DE)
03-03 Ostpol - Dresden (DE)
04-03 Wärmehalle Süd - Leipzig (DE)
05-03 Molotow - Hamburgd (DE)
06-03 FFT Düsseldorf (DE)
07-03 Burgerbahnhof - Wuppertal (DE)
08-03 Cafe Nun - Karlsruhe (DE)
09-03 Hafen 2 - Offenbach (DE)
10-03 Musikbunker Aachen (DE)

Kaufen Sie jetzt Ihre Tickets! Viel Spaß!

I am Oak - Ols Songd (cd/lp/digital) will be out January 31, read all about the album at 3VOOR12.

We are proud to present the Dutch release-tour:

21-03-14 De Spot Middelburg
26-03-14 Quite Quiet, Leiden
28-03-14 Paradijskerk Oud-Katholieke Kerk Rotterdam
29-03-14 Poppodium EKKO, Utrecht
05-04-14 Hedon Zwolle
12-04-14 De Kapel, Eindhoven
22-04-14 Paradiso Amsterdam

Tickets on sale now!

It was only February this year that Herrek presented their debut album 'Waktu Dulu', justly proclaimed "Best music from across the map" by The Guardian (UK).
Now, 10 months later, Herrek releases a new EP about memories and dreams. All these songs been created in the silence of the night, and influenced by red wine intoxication. Hence the title; A M; referring to the inner world, the time of creating this record, and the adviced time to listen to it.

The EP will be released in a limited edition of 200, and will be presented tomorrow, in Tivoli Utrecht
You can stream the EP at 3VOOR12/Luisterpaal

Herrek made a new EP about memories and dreams. All songs were created at night, so maybe you should listen to this at night as well. For example; Friday night! In Tivoli Utrecht, where they will present this new and beautiful record at our party. Listen to first song 'Fading Waves' here:

There's been a lot of great press on our 10 Year Anniversary. A roundup:

* 3voor12/Utrecht did an interview with Cedric about the most memorable moments of 10 years of Snowstar Records: read the interview; 3voor12 shared our Anniversary Sampler (incl. a new The World of Dust song) on their 'Luisterpaal': listen here.

* Our Belgian friends of the music blog Cutting Edge also did an interview: read the interview;

* Cedric was host for De platenkast van...: listen to the podcast and his music collection and selection here;

* Cedric made a V.I.P. playlist and did an interview with Dutch music blog Cortonville: listen here // read here;

* Snowstar Records has been nominated for 'Best Utrecht Initiative' by 3voor12/Utrecht: read the interview.

Other exciting news: Bart van der Lee has been nominated for a 3voor12/Utrecht Award for 'Best Utrecht album' : read the interview;
Bart van der Lee's video for 'A Mothers Song' has been nominated for 'Best video': read the interview.

The band's pre-release party will coincide with the Snowstar 10 Year Anniversary, at Tivoli Utrecht on Friday December 13th. We have been eagerly awaiting this album, for it contains live-favorites as ‘Birches’ and ‘Honeycomb’. These songs had thus far remained unreleased.

Kuijken talks about the album with Noisey, and lets you hear first song 'Kites in the Canopy' 

One of the things we wanted to do in our anniversary year, is help you discover all the beautiful releases through those 10 years. Just like the last few months, we will pick one release this month and present it to you for a discounted price.

For December, the last anniversary-discount-month, you can buy Bart van der Lee's album 'Between Tall Pine Trees (Sadness & Thunder)' for only 6 euro. Released on September 17, 2010. This was Bart's first album we released.

"Een prachtplaat die tijdloos mag worden" - MusicMaker
"Een jonge nazaat van Leonard Cohen" - BN De Stem
"Onze 'eigen folkzanger' met enorme baard" - LiveXS

Order right here

Today it's exactly 6 years ago that we released A World Full Of Melodies by The Subhuman. Since then, Stefan Breuer worked on an epic follow-up. Writing, recording, and glueing pieces of music together to create one giant progpop record.

That record will be out next week, and it's called Bhava. You can listen to the first two excerpts now, or watch the teaser on youtube. 

The album is intended to be a (musical) rebirth, a psychedelic view of the path Stefan went on over the years, loosely inspired by Hermann Hesse's Siddharta.
Musically, inspiration can be found somewhere between Robert Wyatt, Sparklehorse, Moondog and Robert Pollard.
The new artist name used for this record is The World Of Dust. You can hear the album on an exclusive listening party during our 10 year anniversary party in Tivoli, December 13th.
Subscribe for this event on www.theworldofdust.nl or via Facebook.

Founder of Snowstar Records: Cedric Muyres talked with Kindamuzik about punkrock, psychology and Snowstar's 10 Year Anniversary.
You can read it all right here: 

When the last band has played on our 10 year Anniversary Party December 13, we will continue in the Spiegelbar upstairs in Tivoli Utrecht with a lot of friends of the Snowstar family doing DJ-sets.

23.00 - 00.00 Shakalaka Boom Boom
00.00 - 01.00 Snowstar Records dj-set
01.00 - 02.00 Friendly Fire dj-set
02.00 - 03.00 Michieltjee dj-set
03.00 - 04.00 Kensington dj-set

So get your tickets while you still can!

We start this new week with Bart van der Lee's brand new stop motion video for 'Drown In These Arms', made by Harro van Aalderen. 160 kg of clay, a set of 1 by 1,5 meter, and six weeks of hard work.
His starting point was totally based on intuition, and his main goal was to create an stopmotion that would enhance the space of the viewers associations and linkages in relation to the music. His appropriation and additions developed during the making of each shot based on the rhythm, lyrics, melody and the arrangements of the song.

The musicvideo unfolds itself before your eyes.

Creator Harro van Aalderen made five beautiful multiples from the clay that was used to make the music video. These are distinctive forms in the story molded by Harro. Only three will be given away, of which only one this week. All you have to do is share the video online, and maybe you’ll be the lucky one to receive multiple 3/5!

Title: Point of no return
Material: ceramics and engobe
Dimension: 11 x 11 x 4.5 cm
Edition: 5
Year: 2013

Our labelboss Cedric is this weeks Stationchief at the wonderful Pinguin Radio. This means he made a playlist of 25 tracks, featuring Snowstar Records gems of course, but also personal favorites. And an interview with Bazz that you can hear tomorrow from 19.00 - 21.00.

So listen to Pinguin Radio!

Tomorrow, Town of Saints will play their last show of the Italy tour. Reactions have been really great and Italy seems to be conquered! Next: Germany!

A highlight of Italian press:

"It's hard to image a better debut for Town Of Saints." (XTM!)
"The cd released by these three musicians seethes of energy and passion." (IyeZine)
"Town Of Saints has something really special in its way of making music." (VivaLowCost)
"If you want an hour of pleasure, Something To Fight With is what you seek." (Mumble)
"There's so much life in this album." (Sound Magazine)
"We really like this folk album with its sharp lyrics." (Livin Cool Magazine)
"Something To Fight With reflects a crossroad of warm and enveloping sounds, physical horizons ready to embrace the whole universe." (Rock Action)
"Delicious." (Rock Garage)

On wednesday December 4, broeder Dieleman will perform at De Roode Bioscoop, Amsterdam.
He will host and support Richard Buckner's show. This will be an extraordinary evening at a beautiful location. And the only Dutch Snowstar Records show this week. So don't miss it!

Here you can buy tickets and get information.

We are very proud to have been nominated for a3VOOR12/Utrecht award as 'Best Initiative/platform'. Perfect timing in our 10 year anniversary year. Other nominees are Knalland and Woot!Woot!Woolf.

The award ceremony will be on Saturday december 14 in Poppodium EKKO. The day after our 10 year anniversary party in Tivoli Utrecht.

January 31, we will release I am Oak - Ols Songd. The long awaited new album, that will have its own pre-release-party in Tivoli Utrecht at our 10 year anniversary, December 13. On this day only, the album will be available for purchase before it will be officially released on CD, LP and digital formats on January 31st 2014.

Read all about it on Kicking the Habit

Last weekend we hosted a 'Snowstar Records presents' at the beautiful Explore The North festival in Leeuwarden. People attending these magical locations enjoyed wonderful shows by broeder Dieleman:
"Zeldzaam mooi" - 3voor12/Leeuwarden

Bart van der Lee: "Deze jongen is subliem in het schrijven van teksten die perfect de duistere kant van de ziel uitspreken." -3voor12/Leeuwarden

And Kim Janssen:
"Een van de grootste hoogtepunten" - Explore The North Festival
"Eén van de vele hoogtepunten van Explore The North 2013" - 3voor12/leeuwarden

Klein Zieltje is a beautiful and dark song of broeder Dieleman.
This time Town of Saints and Saint Helena Dove played along at Kapelsessies.

We happily announce Town of Saints will be playing at both Eurosonic AND Noorderslag! Yesterdaynight 3FM's Domien Verschuuren called the band in Italy to tell them they will play at Eurosonic Noorderslag.

You can hear the surprise-phone call right here.

On November 30, broeder Dieleman is going to host a stand at Le Bazarre, Utrecht with selfmade prints and tickets for his christmas show in Podium EKKO (with Meindert Talma & Cairo Liberation Front), December 22nd. Even more special; for only 1 euro you can listen to one new song at Le Bazarre!

Next weekend we will host our own 'Snowstar Records Presents' at Explore the North festival in Leeuwarden with Kim Janssen, Bart van der Lee, and broeder Dieleman. Hope to see you there!

Because of our 10th anniversary, we asked people in Utrecht for their reactions to our music. These were some of them on Town of Saints' song 'Stand Up'. Also, if you buy tickets for our Tivoli party (13-12) at @Plato Utrecht, the first happy few will receive a FREE cd! So don't wait on it!

Kim Janssen is still touring in Germany and Italy. He even recorded 'Blyth Farjeon Choir' in an old church in Cavriglia with a choir from Florence! The official video will be released soon!

Furthermore Kim Janssen will do supportshows for Jacqueline Govaert's in Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh, Utrecht and De Duif, Amsterdam.

Meanwhile we are preparing our 10 Year Anniversary party, Marie-Claire hosted a campaign to win tickets and our compilation album! You can buy tickets or join the Marie Claire Netherlands action. WIN tickets here!

Town of Saints just got nominated for 3VOOR12's 'Song of the Year '. For the next two weeks you can vote for their single 'Carousel'!

This month's OOR has two wonderful reviews of both Town of Saints and broeder Dieleman.
See for yourself:

Meanwhile in Finland.... Town of Saints is touring and touring, and found some time for an interview with 3VOOR12Radio on 3FM.

ALSO, their album 'Something To Fight With' is now in discount on Amazon.de, get it for only 5 euro:
http://bit.ly/SomethingtfwNf5

In December, Town of Saints will tour Germany for the About Songs Christmas tour together with HONIG and Dad Rocks! They even recorded a special Christmas-song together, which you'll be able to hear soon!

Yesterday, 3FM interviewed Harmen from Town of Saints and presented their first own headline-NL-tour, in March/April 2014:

Check out al the details here

One year ago we released Lost Bear's record Shingolai on transparent vinyl. They have been writing new songs ever since, and now decided to release a preview of four of these new songs, recorded on 4-track cassette recorders. It's called 'Baboon Deluxe' and a limited edition of 50 was released on their very own Shaky Maracas label last Friday, when Lost Bear was supporting their long-loved heroes of Sebadoh.

Bart van der Lee is doing his albumrelease tour for 'Ballads for the Heathens or Dying' at the moment. KindaMuzik did an interview with him about children, The voice of Holland, and Wovenhand.

Since some weeks now, you can hear Town of Saints quite regularly on 3FM. Be it on playlist, or because of their 'Serious Talent' label and studio-visits.

Yesterday, VPRO De Avonden interviewed broeder Dieleman about his new EP 'Klein Zieltje'. While walking to and through the Zeeuws Museum, they talked about authenticity, nostalgia and Zeeland.

The interview starts at 33:00

Only one more show of Kim Janssen's Dutch tour (Luxor Live, Arnhem) before he will go to Italy and Germany for a big tour there.
Kindamuzik interviewed him right before his sold out show at Kargadoor about punk, SXSW, and Sufjan Stevens. You can read it here. 

Yesterday, Omroep Zeeland aired a special on broeder Dieleman including footage from his show at Paradiso, watch it:

Since their sold out album release at Vera last week, Town of Saints is going like crazy. Tons of shows coming up (see www.snowstar.nl) and raving reviews:

"***** Ze pakken de luisteraar bij de strot" - MusicFromNL
"**** Town of Saints staat op dezelfde hoogte als zijn grote voorbeelden” – Revolver's Lust For Life
"***** On-Nederlands goed" - Muzify
"Een topplaat!” – 3VOOR12
"Een waardevolle verrijking voor het muziekgenre" – Rootstime (BE)
“Een sterke plaat met mooie liedjes, zorgvuldige orchestratie en de juiste dosis pit” - mousique
“Een uniek debuut van wereldklasse afgeleverd.” – Krenten Uit de Pop

Watch broeder Dieleman's new video for 'Klein Zieltje'. A beautiful, dark and mysterious video made by Eduard Walhout. Dark country-gospel the way we like it!

Yesterday Town of Saints played their new single 'Carousel' at Dutch tv-show DWDD:

At the show, they were surprised to be anounced 3FM Serious Talent! 

Happy October 4! Releaseday of Town of Saints!
We LOVE their new album, here's what others think of it:

"We're expecting to hear a lot of this!" - Festivalinfo(http://bit.ly/15LYtUd)
“An addition for the popvenues” + Album of the week- Ingeplugd (http://www.ingeplugd.nl/)
“Qualitypop” – mousique (http://bit.ly/1aQMoeA)
Best new Dutch act of the Month – 3VOOR12

Catch them on their never ending tour:http://townofsaints.tumblr.com/shows

Yesterday, VPRO's Vrije Geluiden aired their IntoTheGreatWideOpen-special featuring broeder Dieleman and a children's choir on NL1. There will be a rerun next Saturdaymorning at 9.00. Or you can watch it right here, right now!

Lost Bear is currently working on new material, but they're also doing some mighty fine shows! The first dates for the (now) quintet are coming up very quick, first up is the Molotow club in Hamburg on the 21st of September. Joris Diks designed a beautiful handprinted 4-color screenprint!

Also: Lost Bear will support their long loved, all-time favourite, indierock heroes of Sebadoh in Tivoli de Helling on October 25th.

October 4 is the releasedate of Town of Saints - Something to Fight With. To celebrate they will do a HUGE releasetour. First announcement: The Netherlands. Also near you cause they play everywhere!

Pre-order now and get bonustrack 'All You Need (Ian Fisher & the Present cover)' for free!

Good morning! Kim Janssen surprised us with a new video for a new version of his song 'Britten'. Synths and beats in a forrest! Enjoy:

We are very happy to let you know that we are going to release both broeder Dieleman's debutalbum 'Alles is ijdelheid', and his new EP 'Klein Zieltje'. His songs about the mystical landscapes of his home, Zeeland, have filled our office many times over the last year, so it feels more than right to have broeder Dieleman join our family.

On the EP that will be released on vinyl on October 12, broeder Dieleman digs deeper into his roots. Side A holds two songs that have been recorded for the radioshow 'Onder de Groene Linde' in the 60s in Zeeuws Vlaanderen. Side B has 'Land van Verandering', coming from the soundtrack broeder Dieleman made with Pim van de Werken for the documentary with the same title about West Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and its people.

The album 'Alles is ijdelheid' will be released on September 19, with two new bonustracks as an encore.

Listen to the first new song 'Dankt dankt' here:

Pre-order both releases now, and receive free bonustrack 'Water'.

October 4, we will release Town of Saints' debutalbum 'Something To Fight With'. Here's first song 'Trapped Under Ice':

Pre-order the album now, and get bonustrack 'All You Need (Ian Fisher & the Present cover)' for free!
More info in our store.

Proud to present 'Bart van der Lee - A Mothers Song': the first video (and song!) of his new album 'Ballads for the Heathens or Dying'. Made by Job Kind & Nick Liefhebber.

Out September 6; pre-order in the webshop

One of the things we wanted to do in our anniversary year, is help you discover all the beautiful releases through those 10 years. So we are picking one release every month to present it to you for a discounted price.

This month, we present you our compilation album on cd for only 5 euro. It holds 10 previously unreleased tracks from all our artists. It's a free download, but we made a physical cd for Record Store Day. We still have some in stock, so are offering them for only 5 euro on cd (valid until August 31).

Behold! Bart van der Lee's new album will be out September 6 and you can go see him live on these dates!

Pre-order the album Ballads for the Heathens or Dying in our store.

During his stay in Tokyo, I am Oak took the time to play a BRAND NEW song for ON THE SHELF TV. Check out this new song called 'Kulta'.

With Kim Janssen's vinyl release of 'Ancient Crime & The Lonely Mountains' comes a Dutch clubtour:

Go get your tickets now!

To celebrate this good news, we give you this free download of a Damien Jurado-cover Kim recorded in LA:

Last Friday, we surprised Kim Janssen with the vinyl release of his albums 'Ancient Crime & The Lonely Mountains'. Everything was realized thanks to the help from friends, without Kim knowing anything about it, as a gift for his 25th birthday he spent in LA.

Kim's look in this picture says it all; Thanks to everyone for joining, and enjoy this LP!

One of the things we wanted to do in our anniversary year, is help you discover all the beautiful releases through those 10 years. So we are picking one release every month to present it to you for a discounted price.

This month, you can buy Lost Bear's debut album 'Limshasa' for only 5 euro. In 2011 this release introduced these seven hungry (and hairy!) bears. 3voor12 called them "THE 2011 act of Utrecht", OOR wrote that "indierock rarely sounded as fantastic as Lost Bear" and Music Maker said "Wonderful! We want more!"

Get it now for only 5 euro on cd or digital (valid until August 1).

On September 6, Bart van der Lee's new album will be released. A lot happened since his 2010 debut. Van der Lee became a father. He found happiness, love and hope outside of religion, and took distance from it.

Inspired and strengthened he writes and records his new album 'Ballads for the Heathens or Dying' on which he sings about the sadness of letting go, but also of that what was missed. Raw, autobiographical lyrics, sung by a dark, raspy voice, in honest songs. A staggering ode to life.

If you pre-order now the first lucky few will receive a very limited riso print, while stock lasts:

This weekend, we will travell to the very first Best Kept Secret Festival. We are looking forward to this already sold out festival. We won't just be enjoying the great line-up, but will also be present at their labelmarket on Saturday, from 11 - 15. We'll bring some sweet goodies, incl. some 10-year-anniversary-compilations, so see you there!

Snowstar Records CEO Cedric did an interview with Noisey about the label's 10-year-anniversary, its artists and their crazy relations. And he had to answer who in 'the family' is the funniest drunk. (Guess!)

Read the interview (In Dutch) here.

One of the things we wanted to do in our anniversary year, is help you discover all the beautiful releases through those 10 years. For the following months, we will pick one release every month and present it to you for a discounted price.

This month, you can buy The Secret Love Parade's self-titled debut album for only 5 euro. In 2009 it was the perfect introduction to these dreamy indiepopsongs. LiveXS called it "an amazing record", 3voor12 found it "tasteful" and OOR warned us for "dangerously addictive songs".

Get it now for only 5 euro on cd or digital (valid until July 1).

Last Saturday we had a tremendous Le Mini Who?! at Kapitaal. The Future's Dust played a beautiful set. I am Oak played a great show, with a very large attendance (sorry to everyone who couldn't get in), and Herrek (ft. Lukas of LUIK) surpriced us with some amazing covers!

Fortunately somebody in the crowd captured the last two songs. We don't know which one we like best, so we recommend them both!

Revenge (Sparklehorse cover):

Wounded Knee (Ratbone cover):

Thanks to everyone who was there and helped make it happen!

In 2010 we released I Am Oak’s debut-album ‘On Claws’. Three years, two albums and a sold out 7" later, On Claws is sold out and deserves a reissue! This reissue is the same warm record based on acoustic guitars and vocals, completed with banjo, bass, organ and beats, but with the addition of two beautiful bonustracks, also recorded in 2009.

We've sent the master to print today, so you can pre-order the 'On Claws' (reissue) cd now, all items will be shipped within two weeks: Pre order in our store

If you already own 'On Claws' and are anxious to hear the new songs, they are available to check out at our bandcamp:

The Daily Indie, a cool free Dutch magazine that brings you the latest and finest indie published their fifth issue, with a 14! page counting Snowstar special.

Interviews with Herrek, Kim Janssen and Cedric Muyres to read and 3 goodie bags to win. Read the Daily Indie here:

The Snowstar special starts on page #69, enjoy!

On their German tour, Town of Saints made a video for 'The Endless Unknown', check it; it is the perfect tourmovie! The song is from our Anniversary Compilation, which you can download (pay what you want!) on our bandcamp.

Earlier this year we started making Spotify playlists to introduce you to the gems of our release-collection. This time we've asked Stefan Breuer for his favorites:

"For the Snowstar Records 10-year-anniversary, I made a selection of my favorite Snowstar-released songs (first half of the playlist). My Secret Love Parade by The Secret Love Parade always meant a lot to me and therefore opens the playlist. This was the first song I mixed for Snowstar Records and it's still an amazing song. I had to add some of my own projects (Lost Bear, The Subhuman), to have enough songs to create a proper playlist. It's not that I prefer my own songs, that's why I put them last :) The tracks by Herrek and Kim Janssen prove that this year is also a very good year for new music; these beautiful songs blew me away.

The second half of the playlist consists of songs which in one way or another remind me of, or relate to, the Snowstar songs of the first half, arranged in the same order. For instance, the choir of Herrek's My People always reminded me a bit of The Microphones' song, and the vibe of LUIK's I am Oak cover Pollen of the Plains is similar to me as the Sparklehorse song's vibe. Altogether, the songs on this part of the playlist has been HIGHLY influential to my own music, and all these songs mean a lot to me. I hope people start exploring the beautiful catalog of Snowstar Records through this playlist, and maybe gain a little bit of an insight to where my own influences and taste is coming from."

Earlier this year, Kim Janssen released the impressive ‘The Lonely Mountains’, the sequel to ‘Ancient Crime’, Kim’s second full length released in 2012. Because of this Kim was invited to the SXSW showcase festival in Austin, USA.

After returning from the United States, Kim now leaves for a Geman tour of two weeks, and announces a Dutch clubtour at the same time.

02-05-2013 Gueterbahnhof Halle 11, Bremen
04-05-2013 Motoki, Cologne
05-05-2013 Brause, Düsseldorf (w/ Honig)
06-05-2013 Nelson, Mannheim
08-05-2013 Heimathafen Im Pools, Göttingen
09-05-2013 Blaue Fabrik, Dresden
11-05-2013 Livingroom concert, Berlin
12-05-2013 Franz Mehlhose, Erfurt
13-05-2013 Pension Schmidt, Münster
31-05-2013 De Klos, Emmeloord
31-05-2013 TU Delft, Delft
18-08-2013 Mezz, Breda
19-09-2013 De Kargadoor, Utrecht
22-09-2013 PLLEK, Amsterdam
25-09-2013 Burgerweeshuis, Deventer
26-09-2013 Patronaat, Haarlem
29-09-2013 Gigant, Apeldoorn

Go see him live, you won't regret it.

Last week we've been amazed with the kind words on our anniversary compilation!

A small selection:
- “Enough reason to call ten times 'Hurrah!'” – Kicking the Habit
- “Gefelicitaart, amigo’s!!” - FHM
- “Quality music released with love for the music and therefore 10 years with a modest but very strong catalog.” – Caleidoscoop
- “Beautifully orchestrated….. exciting rootsmusic….. intangible pearl ….. slowcore is in safe hands” - Mousique
- “Ganz grandiosen Songs….Hurra und auf weitere (mindestens) zehn Jahre mit Snowstar-Musik!” – YouSoundGreat (DE)
- “It’s an exhilarating listen, starting with the stellar ‘City of the Dead’” – Knox Road (US)
- “They have some really cool releases on Snowstar, you should check them out.” – Dedicated Ears (US)
- “We ought to have gifts for them, seeing as they’ve been treating us for the last 10 years” - Incubate blog
- “All nine songs hit the sweet spot.” – Daan's muziekblog

Thank you on behalf of all artists and people involved with Snowstar

I am Oak is still touring Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Right now they are in Italy, but when they were in Switzerland for three shows, they also visited Radio 3Fach for an interview and two songs. Check it all out below.

Let's do this!; Today, on Record Store Day, 5.000 people will find our '10 Year Anniversary Compilation' in their goodiebag. It will be a great day, with six instores by Herrek and Kim Janssen!

Yesterday 3voor12 published their interview about our anniversary and the story behind our label (in Dutch) which you can read here.

Listen, stream and download our compilation for free on our Bandcamp and on this website.

Feel free to share it, and we can't wait to hear your reactions!

Yesterday, Kim Janssen played at 3FM's Xnoizz. He took the challenge to write and create a brand new song in an hour. The result is called 'Make Me Belong' and we're glad to share it with you!

Great news: Town of Saints signed to Snowstar Records!

We are very proud to announce that Town of Saints will be the next addition to our label! This Finnish/Dutch indie folk trio has been touring Europe and Great Britain for three years, and blew us away at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival this year.

We will realease their debut album on October 4, but from today you can already listen to the first song 'The Endless Unknown', that will be released with our '10 Year Anniversary compilation' this saturday.

I am Oak will be heading South for their 'Take it Slow' tour next month. So people of Germany, Switzerland and Italy, go say hi!

Kim Janssen had a great time playing the SXSW festival last week!
The coming months Kim will play in the Netherlands again:
06-04 Lakei, Helmond
10-04 Paradiso, Amsterdam
21-04 De Unie, Rotterdam
25-04 Hedon, Zwolle
25-05 De Klos, Noordoosterpolder
31-05 ZOMERfestival, Delft

To set the mood, we have this beautiful song played during the releaseparty of 'The Lonely Mountains' for you.

We might have told you that this year is our 10 year anniversary. Of course we are proud of this fact, so let's celebrate! On April 20 (Record Store Day), we will release a free compilation album with new songs from all artists of our beautiful roster; our '10 Year Anniversary Compilation'. This album will be presented to the first 5000 people to purchase anything in Dutch independent record stores this day.

The ’10 Year Anniversary Compilation’ serves as a prelude for our big anniversary event, on December 13 in Tivoli Oudegracht, Utrecht. So please mark your calendars.

Last week Kim Janssen played the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. He took the occasion to play 'The Lonely Mountains' on the 18th floor of the Hilton, with this beautiful panoramic view.

Kim Janssen plays the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas (USA) this week. When he returns he will play some shows:
06-04 Lakei, Helmond (NL)
10-04 Radio Mortale, Amsterdam (NL)
25-05 De Klos, Noordoosterpoort (NL)
31-05 ZOMERfestival, Delft (NL)

For now, we have three beautiful songs played during the releaseparty of 'The Lonely Mountains' for you.

Bart van der Lee is working on his new album called 'Ballads for the Heathens or Dying'. It's going to be a very special album that he is finishing right now. It will be released in this year's fall.

Watch this new video with Kim Janssen's title-track: 'The Lonely Mountains'. Filmed by Roald van Stijn (Pyropix Viral Videos) on the building of Station Vaartscherijn.

Last week we've been overwhelmed by these wonderful reactions on 'The Lonely Mountains'

"The EP is nearing perfection ... a masterpiece." – Recensies en Meer
"Enough to stop listening to any other music for at least one day." – Mousique
"An incomparable, breathtaking and majestic little gem!" - Caleidoscoop
“The Lonely Mountains ist – wie sein Vorgänger “Ancient Crime” auch – ein kleines, warmherziges und meisterhaft ausgedachtes Wunderwerk." – You Sound Great (DE)
"Ein Unvergessliches Erlebnis!" - Vampster (DE)
“Continue to watch over us, Kim.” – On Da Rock (IT)
"Kim: Thanks again for a wonderful album." – Stilllife

This Thursday Kim's new EP will be released, and you can listen to it now on 3voor12/Luisterpaal.

There are still a few tickets left for the releaseparty in Club Ziggo, Amsterdam. And the best thing is, they are FREE! Add yourself to the guestlist and come celebrate with us. See you Thursday!

Here's a little teaser for Kim Janssen's new EP 'The Lonely Mountains'.
Pre-order now at our webshop and receive it on February 28!

Herrek is on air these days. Last week they played 5 songs at Live @Lloyd on RTV Rijnmond, listen to the full hour here: http://bit.ly/Zad8Rj.
Sunday they were invited at Radio 1's 'Nacht van het Goede Leven', which you can listen here: http://bit.ly/ZrpYyL 
and the next day, they played 3 songs at 3voor12/radio on 3FM, listen to these songs here: http://bit.ly/WHqJ2g.
Herrek surprised us with a new song called 'Fields' Listen it here:

Today we release the new video of Kim Janssen: 'Drift'. It's the first single of his upcoming EP 'The Lonely Mountains' The video is shot and directed by Martijn Bastiaans. Watch it here!

Today we release Herrek - Waktu Dulu!
You can now listen to the full album on our Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube, Spotify and it's still on the 3voor12 Luisterpaal, so there's something for everyone!

Great reactions reached us this day:
"Herrek's music is of an almost unreal beauty" - Krenten uit de Pop

(4/5) "Beautiful debut" - Nederlands Dagblad
(3,5/5) "This debut is promising" - Festivalinfo
(3/5) "Authentic and Mysterious" - Dagblad van het Noorden

Also 3voor12 had an interview with Thomas Azier, mentioning Herrek and LUIK as two beautiful new bands which arose out of his Zero's hero: Adept.

You can buy or download Herrek's debut now in our store, on iTunes or on our Bandcamp.

We already told you Kim Janssen will release his new EP 'The Lonely Mountains' on Thursday February 28, but now we have more news!
Here is the artwork of the EP, and this will be the tracklist:

1. Britten
2. The Stiles
3. Drift
4. Op. 15, No. 3
5. The Lonely Mountains
6. Can I Not Come To Thee?

On ‘The Lonely Mountains’, Kim again collaborates with Marla Hansen, known from The National and Sufjan Stevens. He rearranged Chopin and Britten, and added new verses to poems by Robert Herrick and W.N. Hodgson. He also wrote new material and rearranged his earlier work.

‘The Lonely Mountains’ will be presented in Club Ziggo, Amsterdam. The performance will be recorded by television program Ziggo Live. This will be the only Dutch show for Kim Janssen as after this he’ll be playing the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, followed by a German tour. Best news about this: The show in Club Ziggo is FREE to visit. For guestlist, go to www.ziggo.nl/ziggolive.

The first single and video will appear next week, when the EP will also be streamed on 3voor12/Luisterpaal.

Herrek's debut 'Waktu Dulu' is ready for your first listen. You can pre-listen the full album on the 3voor12/luisterpaal.

Press is receiving "Waktu Dulu" very well. Herrek had this great interviews with VICE and FileUnder and there we're lots of reviews:

"Beautiful slow, sometimes slightly mystical folksongs" - OOR
"It's early February, but I think that we might have a nominee for our yearlist already." - Mousique
"With the song 'Tiger Eyes' Herrek gives me the feeling that he has a beautiful career in prospect" - Magazino
"Waktu Dulu is a beautiful piece of indie" -3voor12/zuid-holland
“4/5: A fascinating listening experience.” - 8Weekly

Herrek - Waktu Dulu vinyl is in the making, and Yes, the vinyl has a different cover than the cd! 'Waktu Dulu' will be released on February 15, pre-order it now to get that free tote-bag.

Good news everyone! Kim Janssen is recording a new EP at the moment. It’s been almost a year since "Ancient Crime" took us into a world of ambition, loneliness, disconnection, desire and friendship. And because it is as good as sold out already, we thought it deserves a sequal. Kim has been writing new material, rewriting his old songs and rearranging parts of Chopin and Britten. The result will be released as “The Lonely Mountains”. A new EP, following the same themes and sounds of 'Ancient Crime'.

Kim already recorded strings, a choir, and, again, Marla Hansen (known from The National and Sufjan Stevens). “The Lonely Mountains” will be released on February 28.

It’s three weeks before we release Herrek’s ‘Waktu Dulu’ and the international press already confirms our feeling about this album. The first single ‘Rain’ was tipped by the Guardian (UK) as ‘best music from across the map’ and there are many more positive reactions, here is a selection:

"Fantastic slowcore" -Perfect Porridge (US)
"Herrek makes the best music in the world" -Radio 501 (NL)
"a succesful album with a very authentic sound" -Keys&Chords (BE)
"Un altro buon colpo targato Snowstar" -OndaRock (IT)

We also added package-shots to our webstore, where you can pre-order 'Waktu Dulu', so check it out!

There are only seven days left for Bart van der Lee to achieve his goal on VoordeKunst.nl.

Bart has been working on new songs to make an album. The Voordekunst project is at 68% now. If the limit of 80% is exceeded, it is a successful project, so you can really help out here by donating those last percentages.

Listen to the almost instrumental summary of the new album "Ballads For The Heathens Or Dying" or visit VoordeKunst for more updates.

Check out the brand new split screen Lost Bear music video, shot in Utrecht, Deurne, Vlaardingen, Zwolle, Bordeaux st. Clair and Harderwijk.

We're going to try and start a new tradition here, for our 10-year-anniversary. We present to you a semi-regular Spotify Playlist, in which we'll ask people in and around Snowstar Records to make a playlist of their favorits. Starting with our brand-new intern Jacky. Nine songs from our catalog and one special bonustrack. Enjoy!

For everyone who just wants to listen to everything, here is our entire catalog that's available on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/10BI41R

Great news, I am Oak announces their new tour in the Netherlands and Herrek will support! So all you Dutch snowstar folks.. Get your tickets now and go see them in Zwolle, Arnhem, Leeuwarden, Haarlem and Breda!

After the Music Alliance Pact (a collective of impressive blogs worldwide) already selected 'Rain' as their featured track for the Netherlands, we now proudly present you the video of the song.  
 
It is a video that's shot 20 years ago, in the village in Papua where Gerrit grew up. You can recognize a very young Herrek, as well as locations that also serve as artwork for the album. Enjoy:

We hope to see you in Groningen this week because it's going to be a fun ride. Herrek will be playing both Friday and Saturday, so come say hi:

20.45 - 21.25 Groninger Museum Auditorium
14.20 - 14.45 Sign Gallery (this one is free for everyone!)

Plus we will be present at the Onafhankelijke Labelmarkt #2 on Saturday. From 11.00 - 16.00 at Ebbingekwartier.
We can secretly tell you that we will be selling Herrek's debutalbum (releasedate 15-02) there.

It is amazing to have seen all our releases from 2012 appear in all your yearlists. We did our best to collect them all on our facebook. One in particular we wanted to share:

We are very proud that I am Oak's 'Palpable' is voted Song Of the Year 2012 by 3voor12/Utrecht. And even better; the rest of the list is filled with Snowstar artists: The Subhuman at #2, Kim Janssen #6, Lost Bear #11 and LUIK #13. That's why we love this Utrecht-scene.

The Subhuman made a video for his winning song, and the album it came from is now available for free.

Here's all the releases we did in 2012, please enjoy them, for free:
- I am Oak - Skulk
- LUIK - Owls
- The Secret Love Parade - Mary Looking Ready
- Kim Janssen - Ancient Crime
- I am Oak - Nowhere or Tammensaari
- Lost Bear - Shingolai

Happy new year everyone!

We hope you had a great night full of party, champagne and friends. 2013 is going to be a special year for us because it marks the ten year anniversary for Snowstar Records.

There will be good music, great shows, and surprises!
Thanks for all the support, and enjoy!

Next week, Saturday December 22, I am Oak and Herrek will give a Christmas concert in Ekko, Utrecht. The unofficial end of the concertseason comes with a fully decorated Ekko.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, so wear your most comfortable knitted sweater and come drink some hot chocolate or an even hotter gluhwein, jah!

Because Christmas is coming up: Until December 25 it's 'Buy 1 get 1 free' for both The Secret Love Parade albums! So order any cd, and receive two copies of it so you can give one away to a friend, or someone you love or like, or one you want to like you!

Get them while it's cold.

Last weekend, we hosted a party at Le Guess Who?'s Le Mini Who, in Tilt Utrecht. It was a really great afternoon and we want to thank everyone involved and everyone who came to see The Secret Love Parade, The Subhuman, Herrek and sang along with Lost Bear.

A lot of Kim Janssen related news today! First of all, he is one of the first six Dutch artists that will be playing the worldfamous SXSW festival in Austin, Texas (USA) March 2013. There will be more US-shows added over time.

Also, Kim's album 'Ancient Crime' is nominated for Best Album of the Year by 3voor12/Utrecht, together with Blaudzun and Bodypolitics. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Ekko December 15.
And then there's a new song Kim sang for How To Throw A Christmas Party, check it out here:

You could have already seen them live at our Le Mini Who party last Saturday, but now it's official: we will release Herrek's debutalbum 'Waktu Dulu'.

Partly inspired by the contemporary Brooklyn-scene, but most of all doing their own thing, Herrek made a beautiful debutalbum full of atmospheric, dark folk with haunting vocals and keys.
Listen to the first song 'Tiger Eyes' here:

On January 11, Herrek will play Eurosonic in Groningen. From February 15 on, 'Waktu Dulu' will be available on vinyl and cd on Snowstar Records.
Pre-order now, and receive a free tote-bag when the album will be released.

It has been five years ago since The Subhuman released his first album on Snowstar Records, the full-length A World Full Of Melodies (2007). Since then, The Subhuman played shows in various countries, put out self-released cd-r's and worked with other artists.

Here's a nice video of Kim Janssen playing 'Drift' for Onder Invloed:

Bart van der Lee has been working on new songs to make a new album, and he is now asking your help to make this happen. Read all about this crowdfunding project on Voordekunst.nl, watch the movie and donate if you like what you see and hear. It is promising to be a big step forward from his already beautiful 'Between Tall Pine Trees: Sadness and Thunder'.

Kim Janssen is currently doing a small Dutch tour with Rue Royale. For this tour he recorded a new song, 'City of the Dead', which is released on a limited (100) edition split-cassette which also holds a new Rue Royale song.

Listen to 'City of the Dead' on Soundcloud.

On this tour, Kim is on stage with nine musicians, which sounds absolutely amazing. Yesterday was the first show in Den Bosch, don't miss the other three shows:

Friday: De Spot, Middelburg

Saturday: Ekko, Utrecht

Sunday: Trianon, Nijmegen

Tip: Watch it in HD

The new Lost Bear 12" will be released on November 1. but you can already stream it on the 3voor12 Luisterpaal.

You can still pre-order the transparent 12" vinyl with different covers here.

Check out the first song of the upcoming Lost Bear record in this great video. Pre-order in the store to receive free vinyl and cd's!

I am Oak and The Secret Love Parade will fly to Jakarta, Indonesia tomorrow for a couple of shows together. If you happen to be in the neighbourhood, this is where you can catch them:

18-oct-12 / Stingray Club | Crown Plaza Hotel / Jakarta
19-oct-12 / Erasmus Huis / Jakarta
20-oct-12 / Rolling Stone Cafe / Jakarta

I am Oak just returned from their tour through Germany and Switzerland, where they sold out 3 shows and visited at least that amount of recordstores.

'Shingolai' is the new alternative rock record from Lost Bear. Released only on transparent 12" vinyl, and with different covers. Five songs in cooperation with Shaky Maracas. If you pre-order now, you will be buried in extra gifts on releasedate November 1:
- a free The Subhuman 7"
- a free Monotones 7"
- a free surprise Shaky Maracas release
So that's 4 releases for the price of 1! I wouldn't wait. Click on the picture for more detail:

Lost Bear has been working on a new release. Five new songs on clear vinyl will be released here November 1st under the name 'Shingolai'. We will start a pre-order with fabulous gifts next week. In the meantime, check out their releasetourposter. More shows will be added soon.

You've seen it, we have a brand new website. Do you remember this?

This is what this place used to look like. Hope you like the new environment as much as we do. Best enhancement according to us: you can listen to all our releases, on this very website. So enjoy!

Last January we released LUIK's debutalbum 'Owls' with success. Both we, and the press loved it.
Some quotes:

**** -nu.nl
**** "Prachtig" -volkskrant
"verbijsterend mooi" -3voor12
"Betoverend" -NRC
"geen woorden nodig om te ontroeren" -OOR

So now we decided to still release it on vinyl as well. We made a limited (300) handnumbered, silkscreened, beautiful release of it that we sold for the first time at the labelmarket and will be released on Incubate Festival. But you can pre-order it from today to make sure you won't miss it. All pre-orders will ship on September 14.

I am Oak announced a lot of new tourdates. There's two Dutch dates:
September 28 - De Oosterpoort - Groningen (with LUIK)
September 29 - Effenaar | Studentenkapel - Eindhoven (with Broeder Dieleman)

and right after that they will be on another German tour. Check all the dates on this poster:

On September 2nd The First Dutch Independent Label Market is going to take place at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam-Noord.

During this record market various record labels are showing and selling their stuff directly to the audience. The market is free of charge.

Among many other Dutch indielabels, Snowstar Records is present with a stand, of course. Next to us you’ll be seeing NON Records, Top Notch, Excelsior and many more.

This label market is going to be a celebration of the independent pop culture. Among the stands there are small acoustic performances, dj-sets and some fine drinks. Hope to see you there, come say hi!

I am Oak releases their video of single ‘Palpable’ today! The video is recorded in one single shot and directed by Wouter Stoter. Watch it here:

After our release of I am Oak’s new album more and more international press gave beautiful reviews. Cutting Edge gives ‘Nowhere or Tammensaari’ four stars and says that “The Netherlands can be proud of this musical export product”, Platomania calls it a better album than the two predecessors and God Is In The TV Zine gives 4/5 stars for “A gem of an album”. These weeks, the album is also being released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the UK and Ireland. And more good news; next week, a video for first single ‘Palpable’ will be released. It was shot in Slovenia and is going to look very nice. Can’t wait!

Ondarock.it wrote a beautiful article about Sowstar Records, including interviews with Cedric Muyres, I am Oak, Kim Janssen en LUIK. Read it here!

Le Mini Who? was a big success! Thanks to Le Quess Who?, Plato and everybody who was there! 3VOOR12 and 8 weekly agreed with us in their reviews, which you can read here and here.
Alice Nell made beautiful pictures that day, which you can see here.

I am Oak’s new album ‘Nowhere or Tammensaari’ will be released on june 1, but you can download their first single ‘Palpable’ already now here!

It is still possible to pre-order ‘Nowhere or Tammensaari’ in the store.

This Friday is the release of the new I am Oak album, and we are already more than happy with the first reviews. Nu.nl gives 5/5 stars and says it’s even better than ‘Oasem’, which they called “hard to surpass”. German Intro.de tells Bon Iver and Iron and Wine to “watch out for this big band from those small Netherlands”. OnDaRock from Italy calls the album a succes
and there’s more and there’s more coming.

Snowstar Records will be present at festival le Mini Who? in Utrecht on May 26th. The small version of Le Quess Who? added five Snowstar acts to their line-up yesterday. The Secret Love Parade, Lost Bear, Kim Janssen, LUIK and Bart van der Lee and will play at Plato between 12.00 and 18.00.

More information: www.facebook.com/leminiwho or keep an eye on our website

Last week Kim Janssen played “LA” and “Casket” backstage in the Vera for “De Kemenade Sessies”.