Feverdream did loads of gigs during the last five years, touring through Europe 4 times, 5 pretty successful UK tours, quite a lot of Dutch shows and way too many weekends in Germany. Shows spanning the intensities of both yer regular punkrock-basement- 40-kids-show-up-and-have-a-blast (or be seriously annoying -) kind of show and outstanding quality fun or seriously important shows (in a resume sort of way), like Popkomm (Germany) and Noorderslag (Holland), like playing shows on National Radio (Club Lek, VPRO Radio), like touring along with bands such as Blonde Redhead, Karate, Challenger and Minus the Bear gave Feverdream a reputation which were still not quite sure of what it is (because these kids could never really explain), but its certain that it has something to do with live shows. Well, we dont really know what goes on then, since we all sort of get into the music, you know
We've been around since 1997. We made four records and some obligated punk rock style seven inches. Our last record did quite OK. Thats the one called FUTURE DIRECTIONS. It came out on COALITION RECORDS. That's a kick ass label, man. Especially when they help you out during unreal circumstances. Dude!
For press purposes we are more or less forced to speak about our influences or likes and dislikes. We pretty much dont give a fuck, but people tell us the following: you guys should be on Touch & Go!, Do you know any Trance Syndicate bands, you should really check those guys out! and Hey if you dig lesbian rock check out Kill Rock Stars for a change. So, there it is. We really never listen to that kind of advice, and barbecue in the park with girls and Ornette Coleman, Golden or Fat Joe blowing from our ghetto blasters. ZLAYA HADZIC did most of our recordings, mixing, cursing, listening, counselling, problem solving, problem creating, nagging, bitching, being an ass hole and being the coolest guy on earth to work with.
We played with a lot of friends. People you probably dont know. These shows mean a lot to us. But here are the really important bands we played with: 90 Day men, Blonde Redhead, Enon, The Thermals, Challenger, Minus the Bear, Archie Bronson Outfit, Karate. We also played with The Icarus Line, but werent sure if we should put it in here, since we think those guys are stupid gits. During all this god forsaken touring, sucky supporting and the unavoidable gathering of an elitist underground network, which everybody uses in order to get to that one contact to get shit done, get paid, make music all day, meet the interesting rich people, hang out with the models, get in touch with interesting and elaborate conversations between writers and cult shock actors and video artists and with our- SELVES!!!, we lost a bass player. Her name is Saskia. Shes gone to a better place. Namely, a shrinks office. Where she works. Not to be a client, of course. Since INCENSE (another quite known band, which youve probably never heard of) had split up some time before, their bass player was an immediate must have for our little industry out here. Har, we snatched that bugger!
Now Feverdream is ARNOLD VAN DE VELDE on drums, BART BAEKELANDT (NEW!!!) on bass and fi nally there is manager, performer and musical brain of this outfit guitar player and singer RENÉ VAN LIEN (from Rotterdam, Zuid Holland). Long time fan and riotgrrrl ELLE BANDITA sings some occasional fucked up yawp on our new stuff (which is better than our older stuff, because we are better men than we were before. Weve grown older and well, technically just better. There you have it. Its that and the thing that since weve heard tons more music (since one always experiences more stuff as time goes by, not less) and since we started diggin more musical styles and managed to sneak those into the music, without making to big a point of it. Were just starting to see through it all. And, yes, it IS funnier on the dark side of the moon. Guess what, Arnold even got himself a beard. (No sign of that on our keep-the-fanbase-happy EP ARNOLD yet!) Looks pretty fucking good on him too. Too bad we already made that album.
Anyway, Bart and the rest of us practised the old stuff and wrote some new jazz. Were ready to rock like we never did before and blah, blah, stuff like that.