Michael van Merwyk - The Bear (CD)

“They call me the bear...” sings Michael van Merwyk with his dark and soulful voice and it is precisely this image of a bear that appears in one's mind as soon as one hears and sees the tall, relaxed, versatile and emotional guitarist, lap steel player, singer and songwriter. The almost 2-meter-tall giant calls himself a “songster” – a traveling musician who plays a mixture of folk songs, ballads, dance songs, and pop songs to earn a little money. “A good song is a good song, whether it’s an original, an old blues or folk song, or “Bankrobber” by The Clash,” says Michael, which takes him back to a time when there were no fixed genres, just musicians who wanted to entertain and delight their audience with their music. “In the music industry, people tend to put you into a clearly defined box so that you can use a suitable marketing strategy to sell your product. On the one hand, I understand that, but it's just so much more fun to play whatever you feel like playing - regardless of genre boundaries. For me, music and creativity clearly come first, and marketing comes second,” says Merwyk. Michael van Merwyk has already made a name for himself in the European music scene and has played countless concerts and sessions across Europe. He has already won several awards along the way, including being the first European act to take part in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2013, where he came second. But essentially, his performances in cafes, pubs, at blues festivals or private parties are always about the music and the people. On his new album “The Bear” he returns to the blues with stories about the ups and downs of life. Whether he plays alone with his beloved Dobro or is supported by his band, you can always feel a relaxed yet powerful energy in his music. He recorded the album live in the studio with Christian Dozzler on piano and harmonica, Micha Maas on drums and Tobi Fleischer on bass. The first track, “Shotgun Boogie,” sarcastically addresses the “shoot first, ask later” mentality that Michael experienced during his visit to Mississippi. But there are also love songs, like the kitschy “Sometimes Angels Come In Red,” classic blues pieces like “It's Fun Being Crazy,” folk-inspired melodies like “Deep Blues Sea,” and a homage to Michael's favorite slide player Tampa Red: a cover of “Dark & ​​Stormy Night.” On “The Bear” the focus is on steel and lap steel guitars – uncompromising, atmospheric and concise. The music is a mix of different genres from all over the world with a good portion of blues: Michael himself calls it “American Music – Euro Style”. The album was recorded at Watt Matters Studio in Bielefeld with only a homeopathic dose of overdubs and effects. Just a few musicians sitting together in a room and only needing one take for each song.

01 Shotgun Boogie
02 Blues Stop Knocking
03 Sometimes Angels Come In Red
04 The Bear (Acoustic)
05 We're Human
06 It's Fun Being Crazy
07 Deep Blue Sea
08 Bad Blues
09 Fool Yourself
10 Dark & ​​Stormy Night
11 The Bear (Reprise)