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In the context of bass players, I would also like to introduce you to one of the most famous bass players in the Netherlands, Henny Vrienten.
Henny Vrienten is synonymous with Doe Maar in the Netherlands. Doe Maar is one of the most successful Dutch bands of all time. The band played a mix of Ska, punk and reggae and sang in Dutch. Lyrics were recognizable, a bit cult and it appealed to young people enormously. Henny was the frontman of the band. With Doe maar, the scenes were comparable to a performance by the Beatles. Crying teenagers who sang all the songs one by one.
I used to enjoy listening to Doe Maar myself, only I wasn't that hysterical ;) But what always appealed to me was the typical bass sound, stacato but melodic. Of course a characteristic of Ska and Reggae, but Henny Vrienten really turned it into his own sound.
The next video is the song "Smoorverliefd" (madly in love). Doe maar sang in the Dutch Language, I think thats one of the reasons they were so populair. Kids could relate to the lyrics. When I was in de band "Dogz" we played this song to, it was always a succes.
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Another big hit was "Is dit alles" (Is this everything). The song is about a man who asks himself if there is nothing more then the live he is living. A massive hit in the netherlands. The video below is during a comeback concert in 2012. It's awesome to see with the music nothing has changed and in the crowd there are a lot of people my age, enjoying a piece of history.
in all their songs the bass plays an important role. It makes the flow of the music. While the bass is difficult itself, Henny sings also. Something I couldn't do for sure :)
Henny got his own signature acoustic bass guitar of Homestead.
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Besides being the bass player of one of the most popular bands in the Netherlands, he has had great success as a composer and song writer after that career. He has written many songs for the Dutch version of Sesame Street, for which he has also received several awards.
In the time of Doe Maar they also had a number of controversial songs. one of them is "Nederwiet" (Weed from Holland). This issue fully explains how to grow a cannabis plant. Besides the lyrics, it's such a nice laid-back reggae tune.
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The other song is "Heroine godverdomme" This song has the theme of Heroine and how destructive it is and what it does to your environment when you are addicted. A hard, clear text that generated quite a few reactions at the time. Regardless of the subject, an amazing bass line :)
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Unfortunately, Henny passed away April 22, 2022 after an illness at the age of 74. A striking man with enormous charisma and musicality.
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Take care,
Peter