Triggered

I wrote twelve new songs and it does not look like I am finished. A lot of inspirational things happened. Bad things, like a disease that won’t go away and a world that now seems to be dominated by people shouting hateful things at the top of their voice. But also good things like the discovery of some great music and an old crappy guitar saved from the trash, that reminds me of Willy Nelson’s Trigger (complete with holes and everything). I used that to write some of the songs. To give you a sneak preview, here’s part of a new song:

Are hate mail and death threats all you can come up with

When the sword of justice fails to make a clean cut

Don’t you understand that sword is all we’ve got

It’s all that keeps us from the big black nothing

Can you tell, Can you tell,

Can you tell a black crow from a white dove at a crossing

All we know for sure is next to nothing

If I can get it organized I’d like to record a new album in the summer with a band. I only have to find musicians, a place to record and a way to release this album. And all I have to spend is next to nothing J

Grumpy?

The year 2015 is gone. It was the best of years. It was the worst of years.
The Rocket Swing was released in February. It had a ton of good reviews. I played a bunch of shows, first with Jeewee Donkers and then with a trio featuring Jeewee on guitar, lap steel and mandolin and JD Dekker on bass. My wife started singing backing vocals. You can see and hear some of it on my youtube channel: http://tinyurl.com/jmcuqyn
And then I was losing control of two fingers on my left hand due to an ailment that also drains my energy. I can play guitar, but not good enough to play on stage and I had to cancel the shows for 2016. But who says you cannot be a singer-songwriter when you are not playing an instrument. So I am writing new songs. After all, that is what makes me tick. I don’t know yet what I will do with them. I will probably record them in one way or another and get them out on the internet. I will keep you posted.
One of the things that are nagging me, is that I was selling cd’s at shows. Now that I don’t play shows anymore, I am left with a whole bunch of them. So, if you know people who might be interested in buying one, please tell them they still can.

For Europe @ Lucky Dice http://tinyurl.com/rocketswing

For North America @ CDbaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/diftong4

Who the Hell is Dow Jones

In 1992, I wrote a song that suddenly connects to the grim reality of today. To quote Brian Hansford (UNHCR Spokesperson in Washington): 'Refugees are part of humanity and we can't leave them behind'. That's it. There are refugees. They come from the worst of circumstances. As long as there is a chance of a slightly better life somewhere else, they will go somewhere else. So would you.

You can find the song on youtube.

The lyrics of "Who the Hell is Dow Jones"
Copyright Diftong 1992

Spokesmen of the government complain
They have no money in their purse
Social security costs to much
And the situation is getting worse, they say
Shiploads of refugees coming in
All asking for their share
Economic growth not fast enough
The costs are more than we can bear, they say

They show us graphs on the news
Lines going up and going down
No smiling faces at the stock exchange
They got reasons to frown, they say
They show us pictures on the news
Of people skin over bone
And then they tell us it’s too hard
To get some food to the war zone, they say

Who the hell is Dow Jones anyway
Someone I should know
Can I get him on the phone
Can he tell me where the money goes

Don’t bet your money on the wrong horse
You’d better save it for the right cause

And then there were three

Diftong revisiting Goudargues

On July 2, the fantastic e-zine Americana-UK, the UK home of Americana music, honored me by publishing an interview with Rudie Humphrey. Who could wish for a better start of the summer? A summer spent rehearsing my new and old songs with a trio! I already played some shows with Jeewee Donkers on guitar, mandolin and lap steel. Now, JD Dekker, my companion in The Understate Men, has joined us on bass. Our debut will be on October 8 at De Bunker in Gemert. There will be a mystery guest involved and a new version of my old song "Who the Hell is Dow Jones" that suddenly gained relevance in the current fuss about refugees.
After a refreshing vacation in the South of France, I am really eager to play. Especially after visiting Goudargues on this trip, the lovely French town where I played the Goud'acoustic Festival in 2008 and where I return once in a while to have a good meal, enjoy the atmosphere, visit some friends and play some songs.

I hope to see you at one of my shows.

Anniversary

Opening for Christina Martin on May 20, 2015

It has been exactly one year since I was in Nova Scotia, recording The Rocket Swing with Dale Murray. A lot has happened since then. The tragic passing away of Fleur Mainville who played fiddle on the album. The release of the video of Dying of the Light on Dylan Thomas' 100th birthday. The album release on February 1, 2015. The appearance of a whole bunch of good reviews in The Netherlands and in Belgium. The booking of a tour in the Netherlands. The bandcamp release of Wakeman's Peace and some heartwarming reactions to that song coming from Canada. And as the icing on the cake: Diftong and JeeWee Donkers opening the show of Christina Martin and band in my hometown. Where I had the honor to play The Rocket Swing with Dale Murray on lap steel.
All in all, it has been a great year for Diftong and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning. A good moment to thank all who supported my music in the last year. I will see you whenever and wherever our paths cross. Thanks!

Don't forget to check my website for the tour schedule and the latest news: http://www.diftong.nl

Seven decades of freedom

On October 5 in 1944, Canadian flyer Harold Frederick Wakeman crashed near my hometown Veenendaal. He was only 22 years old. His squadron was bombing a train, when one of the bombs hit the tail of Wakeman's Typhoon plane. When I heard the story from local journalist Sjoerd de Jong, I decided to write a song about this tragic event. And so, after 70 years, I was present at the annual commemoration by Wakeman's grave, under a blue sky on a beautiful October day.

R.I.P. Harold Frederick Wakeman.

The song is called Wakeman's peace. It is on my bandcamp page:
http://diftong.bandcamp.com/track/wakemans-peace
Here you can listen and if you like it, you can download it for free.

Wakeman’s peace

This is the story of two fliers
And a girl witnessing their fate
Filed under friendly fire
One down, one devastated

Typhoons, still with their deadly load
Came flying back from the East
People wondered, friend or foe
One girl dared to wait and see

An aborted mission made them eager
They dropped their bombs on an empty train
There was a slight miscalculation
One of those bombs hit Wakeman’s plane

After the crash she saw him lying
On the road as she came near
Surprised to see his face so peaceful
Without a single trace of fear

Back in October ‘44
The sky was the same shade of blue
A cold hungry winter still in store
Before the war
Ended without you

Under a blue October sky
We are standing by a grave
In a moment of silence
We appreciate
Seven decades of freedom
Seven decades to date

Radio and live shows

Picture by Betty van de Bunt

A long time ago, radio was the only way to get to hear new music. These days, there are many other ways. Internet radio, streaming services, you name it. So, don’t complain about radio, turn the thing off and use the time to find music you like. Find friends that share your tastes. Go to one of the few remaining record stores or order your music at a small expert webshop, where you will find the good stuff. And the best way is to go to a live show and buy your CD from the artist.

Two months after releasing the Rocket Swing, I have had several very good reviews, some airplay on internet radio, a ton of praise from a ton of people and bookings for live shows all the way up to February 2016. See the calendar on my site: http://diftong.nl/live.php

If you are on facebook, don’t forget to like my Diftong page: https://www.facebook.com/diftong

You can buy my CD and loads of others here: http://www.luckydice.nl/

You can read The Rocket Swing reviews in Dutch:

http://www.bluesmagazine.nl/recensie-diftong-the-rocket-swing/

http://www.ctrlaltcountry.be/Pagina1.htm#Diftong

http://rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEUW/2015/FEB1/CD77.html

http://www.altcountry.nl/blog/2015/03/diftong/

http://barnowlblues.punt.nl/content/2015/03/Diftong-The-Rocket-Swing

http://www.thenextgig.weebly.com/albums.html

http://muziekis.nl/singer-songwriter/diftong-the-rocket-swing/