The Lowland Paddies consist of 5 young musicians, all aged around 20 and coming from the Bergen op Zoom region. The Paddies have been around for about two years. Towards the end of 2004, one could already hear folk music in Dennis' living room, produced by a group of enthusiastic music-lovers. Soon Dennis, Robbert and Wouter (now Jolly Beggars) came up with the idea to continue these jam sessions on guitar, banjo and mandolin in the form of a band. They asked Hanneke, one of their former schoolmates, to join them with her tin whistle. Later on, they chartered Albert-Jan as a frontman and singer, and finally Jasper joined the group as an accordeonist. During a quiznight at the local pub - O'Carolan's, their home base - Robbert came up with a fun name, and 'The Lowland Paddies' was a fact.
At this moment - 4 years on, minus one bandmember (Wouter left the band late 2005) - The Lowland Paddies still rehearse faithfully every Sunday. Their repertoire has been extended significantly and they perform live on a regular basis. October 2006 saw the release of their first full-length CD "For Fun and Diversion". Together with befriended musicians Isja, Sharon, Wouter and Jeroen the Paddies recorded this album with much joy and inspiration. Understandably, the title speaks for itself!
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History and melancholy can be heard mainly in the lyrics of gripping ballads, as well as in the true drinking songs. The music from bands such as The Dubliners, Wolfe Tones, The Jolly Beggars, Amádan and Rapalje has influenced their music greatly.
The instrumentals and up-tempo songs form the inciting part of the Paddies' music. With songs such as "Wat Zullen We Drinken" and "Al Die Willen te Kap'ren Varen" the Paddies add a pleasant Dutch twist to their folk. Recently Albert-Jan started to play bass which adds another great sound to the already great combination of instruments.
