RAY - I kinda
came into THE COTTON SOETERBOEK BAND blind, meaning that
I heard the CD without having any prior knowledge of any
of the musicians and what they’ve been involved in
before. Since, I’ve learned that there is a history
involving bands like Halford, as well as the vocalist
(Robert Soeterboek) being involved in Ayreon’s band.
With prog and metal involved in some of the pedigree
here, how did the band end up doing such straight-ahead
hard rock?
ALAN -
We wanted to record an album of the music we loved and
grew up on. Blues based hard rock and we wanted to
record it like they did in the old days. Just trying to
capture the magic of the moment. Just a good old Rock
and Roll album. The band started out all Americans and
one Dutch member, now it's all Dutch members and one
American haha. Bassist Wim den Boer and drummer Wilfried
Broekman joined the band soon after we had completed
recording the album. Robert and I couldn't be happier
since they have joined and we can't wait to hit the road
together with the new line up.
RAY - I
understand that the band released an EP before this
full-length album. Was it pretty much the same
style?
ALAN -
Yes, the EP is along the same lines as “Twisted”. Robert
and I try not to write the same songs twice. Since the
EP is only two songs, it's hard to get a full picture of
the band, but if you listen to it back to back with
“Twisted”, the songs fit right into
place.
RAY -
How did the band end up settling in
Colorado?
ALAN -
It's one of the most beautiful places in the States to
live. I can see Pikes Peak from my front yard. I had
just gotten fed up with the rat race of LA and New York
and needed a change. I can take care of most business
from here and fly to LA when I need to so it has worked
out really well so far.
RAY -
What are the chances of Coors Brewing Company giving you
an endorsement? Do most of the people in Colorado
actually drink their beer or do you think it’s just
typical weak American shit? Is it true what their ads
say, that if you address an envelope simply Coors,
Golden, Colorado it’ll get to them? Are you wondering
why I’m asking you this crap?
ALAN -
Chances of endorsement with Coors? Probably pretty good
because we have a song about Colorado. Most people here
in Colorado do drink Coors. I won't say anything bad
about them in case they want to give us a wheelbarrow
full of money to use one of our songs, but our preferred
drink is Heineken. And yes, if you address an envelope
as Coors, Golden, Colorado it will get to them. The
Coors factory takes up the whole side of a mountain.
This is definitely one of the most entertaining
questions I have gotten in a long
time.
RAY - To
me, the album has a great sound that reminds me of
classic British bluesy hard rock. It has a real nod to
the best parts of a band like Whitesnake without being
anything like a clone. Is that the kinda vibe you guys
were trying for?
ALAN -
Thank you so much. That's it. We play blues based hard
rock, so we fall into the same category with bands like
Whitesnake and Deep Purple, but we try and bring our own
unique take to the music.
RAY -
That being said, there’s also a track like “Colorado,”
which not only pays tribute to your home state but also
has a distinctly Southern rock feel. It’s a track that
has a very rich, honest feel, almost like some of
Skynyrd’s better melodic numbers. Care to
comment?
ALAN -
I'm actually a Southerner with Colorado being my adopted
state. Southern music was such a huge influence on me
growing up, so we just tried to bring that honesty to
our music.
RAY -
RED LIGHT CHALLENGE: Miss Colorado walks up to you at a
COTTON SOETERBOEK show and says “I’ll give you a choice!
A lifetime supply of Coors, a vintage Les Paul or me for
the night.” Which one do you choose?
ALAN –
That’s an easy one. The vintage Les Paul.
Haha.
RAY -
Alan, one thing that strikes me about “Twisted” is your
guitar solos. The thing I like about ‘em is the fact
that they’re not long but they just fit perfectly in the
songs, they’re lyrical in the sense that they say
something very concise and yet powerful in each track.
Again, I’m reminded of the Marsden/Moody work in
Whitesnake. Or am I just a musical
ignoramus?
ALAN -
Once again thank you for your kind words. My take on it
is just play for the songs. That's the most important
thing you can do. Bernie Marsden and Mick Moody were
also influences on my playing. For somebody that has
probably sold 20 million records, Bernie Marsden is such
an underrated guitarist. Not only is he a soulful and
melodic player, he's a fantastic song
writer.
RAY -
How’s it going with the band as far as live shows go?
Done a lot in the Denver area? How about elsewhere, have
you taken this show on the road yet?
ALAN -
Because of the delays between the EP and getting
“Twisted” out, we decided to do a full tour behind the
second album. We will let you know how it
goes.
RAY –
What’s next for the COTTON SOETERBOEK BAND as far as
recording, any new tunes in the pipeline? Any chance
we’ll see you doing a “Nostradamus”-styled concept box
set about a race of guitars that rise up out of the
country hills and take over the world? Gotta love that
album cover?
ALAN -
I've have just begun writing the second album this week.
It should be a pretty eclectic mix of songs and there
will be a few heavier and faster songs as well. Concept
album? Haha. I tend to like shorter and more concise
songs. I think it would actually be pretty hard to keep
a common thread tied through out one of our albums but I
do like your suggestion. How about just a four minute
song about guitars ruling the planet?
Haha.
RAY -
Tell me something crazy. Tell me a story, an anecdote, a
bizarre tale or a wild story about the most unusual,
insane or God knows, obscene thing that has ever
happened to the band in it’s history, either onstage, on
the road, etc. Be as truthful or creative as you can
without flat-out lying!
ALAN -
Just being in this business is crazy enough. OK, one
night after a show, somebody was so touched by my
playing they gave me a Fender Stratocaster! How cool is
that? Just thinking about it right now, where did that
guy get the guitar? I hope it didn't belong to the
opening band Haha.
RAY -
Any final comments for the Raysrealm
readers?
ALAN -
Thank you Ray for this interview and also for supporting
new music like ours. To all of Raysrealm readers, thank
you for taking the time to read it. Please stop by our
website or myspace page and check out the band. Help
support the music you enjoy and also support websites
like Raysrealm that make interviews like this
possible.
_____________
If you listen to a
classic hard rock station in your town and they’re not
playing cuts from THE COTTON SOETERBOEK BAND’s “Twisted”
between tracks from Skynyrd, Whitesnake & Stevie Ray
Vaughan, then, like most classic rock programming
directors, they’re idiots. And, hey, if you’re reading
this site, then what the hell are you doing listening to
the radio anyway?! Get off yer ass & order this CD
now!
http://raysrealm.blogspot.com/2009/01/sometimes-simple-is-best-you-know-i.htmlNew interview with Alan
Cotton by Patrick Hawke
The Cotton
Soeterboek band was formed in 2003/4 when guitarist Alan
Cotton decided the time was right to gather a band of
like minded musicians around him and play the type of
music he loves, after doing session work and producing
other peoples music for many years.
Alan
contacted Robert Soeterboek, a brilliant vocalist
capable of injecting great amounts of soul into anything
he
sings.
Robert was born march
21 1968 [Ed's note, that makes him younger than me! I
feel old] in Rotterdam Holland. He started his music
career at the age of fifteen in a band called Tempter.
Later on he played in several bands like: Vulture,
Bodine, My brother jake, renegades, overrated,
bulletproof, showdown, planet nine, Wicked sensation,
Highway chile, Silver Dollar Star one and the
Cottonsoeterboekband.
Robert made
albums with: Vulture, Wicked sensation, My brother Jake,
Highway Chile, Erik Norlander, Lana lane, Ayreon, star
one, van Ee, Silver Dollar and the
Cottonsoeterboekband.
Luckily,
Robert was very much up for working with him and the
Cotton Soeterboek band was formed. Rounding out the band
originally was Drummer Reynold Carson, Bass player Mike
Davis and keyboardist Joost Van Den Broek. Carson and
Davis have recently been replaced by Wim Den Boer on
Bass and Wilfried Broekman on
drums.
My own
interest began when I heard Robert sing in Wicked
Sensation. My immediate thought was that this guy is
magnificent, and I have been watching from afar as his
career unfolds. While I admit to being disappointed when
he left Wicked Sensation, it is perfectly clear that the
Cotton Soeterboek band more than makes up for
that.
I feel
very privileged to be able to bring you an interview
with Alan Cotton, my first such
interview
[Paddy] Hi
Alan!
Thank you
for agreeing to answer a few questions. This is the
first time I have ever done this. I hope I don’t sound
to stupid. I composed a few questions then googled your
name to help me get more and I found an interview you
did on Youtube….that dude stole most of my questions! I
don’t want to ask you stuff you get asked by everyone
else. You must get sick of answering those
ones.
[Alan] Haha. No, you
just try and think of inventive ways to say the same
thing.
[Paddy] I
thought once you replied I would put the youtube
interview underneath this one, so anyone surfing in will
have a large amount of info about
CSB.
[Alan] Perfect, that
was a fun
interview.
[Paddy]
There is also a CSB song on youtube, Cold and Grey,
would it be ok with you if I also put that in as a
sample of your
stuff?
[Alan] No Problem at
all. I don’t who posted that but you can post or link
anything you would
like.
[Paddy] I
am going to add an “in profile” section to the site,
where I go into a reasonable amount of depth about bands
I like. CSB is going to be the
first!
[Alan] Thank you so
much Patrick, that is
excellent.
[Paddy]
I’ll just ask you the things that I really am curious
about.
1) I
imagine that for the time being at least this album,
this whole genre of music will go over much better in
Europe than in the US, are you prepared for long trips
away from
home?
[Alan] Actually the
response here in the U.S. has been pretty amazing. There
are a lot of people here that love this style of music
and in the past didn’t always have a chance to discover
new music. Because of the specialty radio shows, online
magazines and myspace, we have been able to reach an
audience world wide. But back to your original question,
yes, I have my passport ready
haha.
2)
[Paddy] There is a curious mixture of the classic
Southern Rock sound and the mid seventies British hard
rock sound which for my money, gives this album a
refreshing “newness” about it while at the same time
tipping it’s hat to the old masters. Was that a
calculated aim or is it just the influences merging to
create something
unexpected?
[Alan] That’s a great
question. Robert and I just wanted to make a rock and
roll album. Being a Southerner, I’m influenced by the
blues but also all the great British bands, so we just
tried to have a unique take on
it.
3)
[Paddy] When you eventually go on the road, will you be
taking this same line up out with you? (PS…how many
copies do I have to buy to get you to
Australia??)
[Alan] Bassist Wim den
Boer and drummer Wilfried Broekman joined the band soon
after we completed recording the album. We couldn’t be
happier since they have joined and can’t wait to hit the
road for a nice long tour and would love to include
Australia on the schedule. We will have to
see…
4)
[Paddy] What do you listen to…you know, when your just
chilling.
[Alan]
I was listening to Rory
Gallagher today haha. You know, that’s just the music I
love. What a great, honest musician.
5)
[Paddy] Do you have any other “irons in the fire” at the
moment? (As in, still doing some session work or
appearing on other peoples
albums?)
[Alan] Caf Fine Records
is a company Robert and I started so that takes up most
of my time. Between the company and promoting the album,
I don’t have a lot of free time at the moment for any
thing
else.
6)
[Paddy] It took a long long time to finally get the
album out there, was it a rocky
road?
[Alan] It did take a
long time. The biggest thing was finding the right
producer. We had several that we wanted to work with but
it came down to a matter of scheduling conflicts and
that just kept moving the dates back. We ended up
working with Robert Selvaggio, who has worked with Creed
and Jewel. Great guy and we are going to be working with
him again on the second
album.
7)
[Paddy] I believe the band has another album coming out
very soon, were they both recorded at the same time,
like Ozzy Osbourne did with his first 2 solo
albums?
[Alan] We have about 6
songs written already for our follow up album. I should
be back in the studio in the next few weeks to finish
writing. The plans are to have the second album out by
the end of 2009 or beginning of
2010.
8 )
[Paddy] With Robert living in Holland and yourself in
Colorado, that must create logistical nightmares. Do you
know of any other bands in a similar
situation?
[Alan] Logistics really
aren’t a problem for us. We have a great airport close
by. Robert and I just have to schedule every thing in
advance. It actually works out great for us because we
get everything taken care of ahead of time. I don’t
think many of the larger bands still live in the same
areas, like
Aerosmith.
9)
[Paddy] It’s no secret that Robert has that “Coverdale”
style, which is of course a good thing, but do you think
there is a danger that people may hear him and write him
off as an imitator? (Much like they did with Jorn Lande
for a little
while)
[Alan] I can see some
of the comparisions to a young Coverdale because they
both share that soulful vocal style but I’ve worked with
Robert for so long I just hear his voice. So no, I don’t
think it will be a problem at
all.
10)
[Paddy] As a self financed band, does it bother you that
so many lesser (read crap) artists get so much exposure
in the mainstream media? (Pink
anyone?)
[Alan] As long as there
has been a “music industry”, it has always been that way
so you really can’t let it bother you. We are just
trying to reach out and build our audience and thanks to
people like you, we are able to do
that.
11)
[Paddy] There seems to be somewhat of a swing back to
the classic hard rock sound, at least here in Australia
(bands like Jet, Wolfmother, Hell City Glamours,
Airborne, a hugely successful Angels reunion and a lot
of younger bands without any cd’s out yet) do you feel
that in the US? If so do you reckon you can capitalize
on it? (I myself live in
hope!)
[Alan] I see it too. We
really didn’t take any of that into consideration when
we started recording the album. I believe games like
guitar hero are introducing kids to classic rock in ways
that the radio never could. Our audience is probally
about half younger people who are just discovering
classic hard rock for the first
time.
12) In
Robert you have what sounds like the perfect vocalist
for your “smokin” guitar style, do you anticipate
longevity, can we fans look forward to many more Cotton
Soeterboek Band
albums?
[Alan] Robert is the
singer I’ve been looking for my whole life and with Wim
and Wilfried joining the band, I can’t imagine playing
with anybody
else.
[Paddy]
Last question, I bet your glad about
that!
13) As an
artist, in a new band working very hard to be heard
above the pack, do you think file sharing is good or
bad? There seems to be 2 trains of thought on this. Some
take the “steal the food from starving artists mouths”
line and others say it gives them free exposure and
brings many people in for live appearances. What do you
reckon as a person with a vested
interest?
[Alan] I can see both
points of view. People tend to look at downloading music
as commercial free radio. There is no way to completely
stop it, but it does hurt to see your album being
bootlegged before it has even arrived at all the stores
yet. People should know about the effects of piracy on
artist and try to minimize
it.
Thank you Alan, I will get that “in
profile” up as soon as I can and let you
know.
Much respect and I wish you all the
luck in the world!
Patrick
http://www.patrickhawke.com/?page_id=600
Get Ready to ROCK! Best of 2008
Jason Ritchie at Get Ready To Rock has
named Twisted as one of his top ten albums for 2008.
Reviewers choices will be featured in an end of year special on Get Ready to
ROCK! Radio, Sunday 28 December 15.00
http://www.getreadytorock.com/best_of_2008.htm
Timeline:
New Ayreon compilation album
Robert Soeterboek appears on the new
Ayreon compilation album Timeline.Timeline follows the
thirteen-year evolution of the Ayreon sound from the
1995 debut The Final Experiment to the release of
01011001 in 2008. In addition to selecting tracks from
the existing Ayreon discography, Arjen has also written
and recorded a new Ayreon song exclusively for Timeline,
titled Epilogue: The Memory
Remains.
In
addition to The Memory Remains, TIMELINE's 3 audio CDs
comprise 32 essential Ayreon tracks (almost 4 hours of
music), all carefully remastered specifically for this
release. The accompanying DVD features nearly two hours
of released and unreleased video clips,
behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5.1 mixes, and live
performances of Ayreon tracks (Star one and Stream of
Passion
versions).
TIMELINE will be available from
InsideOut Music on 7 November 2008 (G.A.S), 17 November
2008 (Europe), and 13 January 2009 (N.
America).
http://www.ayreon.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ayreonauts
The Cotton Soeterboek Band on ARFM
Radio
ARFM is playing
The Cotton Soeterboek Band
song "Little Sister". You can email your request to the
station to play "Little Sister" or any of your other
favorite CSB songs at studio@arfm.co.uk and can visit their website at http://www.arfm.co.uk/
Wilfried Broekman on tour with Martyr
Cotton Soeterboek Band drummer Wilfried
Broekman will be on tour with Martyr in support of Lizzy
Borden on their European tour. The band will play in
Holland, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Denmark and Sweden.
To all CSB fans, please go out and
show your support for Wilfried, Martyr and Lizzy
Borden. Martyr Tour Dates with Lizzy
Borden
06/12 - Turock, Essen - Germany
08/12 -
Frontline, Gent - Belgium
09/12 - Die Halle,
Frankfurt - Germany
10/12 - Mayday, Glogow -
Poland
17/12 - Rockland, Sala - Sweden
18/12 - The
Rock, Copenhagen - Denmark
19/12 - Sticky Finger,
Gothenburg - Sweden
20/12 - Treibsand, Lubeck -
Germany
21/12 - Metropool, Hengelo -
Holland
New Interview with Robert
Soeterboek at True Metal
Cotton Soeterboek
Band (Robert Soeterboek)
Inviato il 28/11/2008 da
Fabio Vellata
Breve chiacchierata con Robert Soeterboek - talentuoso singer olandese giŕ
ascoltato piů volte nei vari prodotti di Arjen
Lucassen - di nuovo sulle scene, dopo un
periodo d’inattivitŕ, grazie ad un interessante progetto hard rock vecchio
stile, in cui la tradizione degli anni settanta e qualcosa
di piů di una semplice influenza.
Robert, iniziamo come da
routine, con una breve panoramica sul tuo nuovo
progetto.
Lascio a te introdurre la Cotton Soeterboek
band ai nostri
lettori.
Il gruppo, come dice
il moniker stesso, č l’unione di Alan Cotton con me,
Robert Soeterboek.
Naturalmente non siamo gli unici
membri del gruppo. In formazione ci sono anche Wim den
Boer al basso, Wilfiried Broekman alla batteria e Joost
Van Der Broek (After Forever, Ayreon, Star One) alle
tastiere. Il nostro primo cd “Twisted”, č stato inciso
un po’ a Los Angeles ed un po’ in Colorado.
Tengo a
sottolineare che, durante le registrazioni, abbiamo
potuto contare sull’aiuto di un paio di artisti di
grande valore: Butch Reynolds dei Driver, alla batteria
e Mike Davis (Lizzy Borden, Rob Halford) al
basso…
Come č nata l’idea e come sei venuto
in contatto con Alan
Cotton?
Č stato lui
stesso a cercarmi, per chiedermi di ascoltare qualcuna
delle canzoni che aveva scritto. Mi sono piaciute subito
e l’ho raggiunto immediatamente negli Stati Uniti.
Abbiamo
passato un po’ di tempo insieme in una baracca in mezzo
alle montagne rocciose, vicino ad una piccola cittadina
chiamata Florence. Poco piů in lŕ, due miglia circa,
c’era niente meno che la prigione federale piů dura di
tutti gli USA. Un posto desolato
insomma!
Ci siamo
dotati di una camionata di Heineken ed abbiamo ascoltato
la nostra musica preferita per qualche giorno, mentre
orsi e lupi vagavano tranquillamente fuori della nostra
capanna.
Dopo che ci
siamo conosciuti quanto bastava, abbiamo registrato un
paio di canzoni, che ci sono sembrate buone. Una nuova
partnership era
nata!
Sai, a mio
parere tu sei, insieme ad un tale Jorn Lande, uno dei
migliori singer della cosiddetta “nuova generazione”.
Sei scomparso dalle scene per alcuni anni e mi sono
sempre domandato i motivi. Cos’č successo dopo la tua
partecipazione ai Wicked
Sensation?
Beh, dopo i
Wicked Sensation sono successe molte cose. Oltre ad
iniziare questa collaborazione con Alan, sono diventato
padre, evento che, come puoi ben immaginare, ti cambia
la vita e ti tiene lontano dal palco per un po’. Ma
eccomi di nuovo, pronto a fare ancora del mio meglio…
Hey a
proposito. Grazie per le belle parole che hai speso nei
miei confronti. Č esattamente questo, ciň di cui un
musicista ha realmente
bisogno…
Veniamo al
vostro debut album dunque. Come giustamente riferito
dalla bio, le vostre influenze principali sono Deep
Purple e Whitesnake.
Cos’altro?
Molte cose
in veritŕ. Tutto ciň che riguarda il soul, il vecchio
funky, il country e la musica rock in generale. Sono
aspetti che credo siano comunque determinanti e ben
riconoscibili nelle nostre
canzoni.
Ti occupi tu dei
testi?
Si certo,
ma ad essere sincero, non ho mai una vera storia in
mente quando inizio a scrivere. Un paio di righe lette
sul giornale, una notizia ascoltata alla TV e bam, ecco
che mi viene
l’idea!
Come sta
andando Twisted e quali obiettivi ti sei posto con
questo nuovo
gruppo?
Sta
andando bene, meglio del previsto. Sembra che la gente
sia ancora interessata al rock della vecchia scuola.
Continuerň a comporre e scrivere
musica e ad incidere album con questa band sino a quando
ne avrň la possibilitŕ. Č una cosa di cui ho
semplicemente bisogno. La musica mi scorre nelle vene.
Siamo giŕ in pista con le registrazioni di un secondo
cd, che speriamo di far uscire molto presto. I pezzi
nuovi sembrano ottimi, addirittura migliori di quelli
incisi su
“Twisted”!
Domanda a
bruciapelo. Da appassionato ad appassionato, cosa pensi
del nuovo disco dei
Whitesnake?
Mah…preferisco i vecchi Snakes.
Quelli con Micky Moody e Bernie Marsden.
“Good To Be Bad” č uno spettacolo e
suona incredibilmente bene…ma non posso negarti di
preferirli ancora alla vecchia
maniera!
Mi pare di capire, che il tuo
decennio preferito a livello musicale siano gli anni
70…
Assolutamente, i seventies sono gli
anni che musicalmente amo di piů, non c’č
dubbio!
Cosa mi
dici del tuo amico Arjen Lucassen? Vi sentite
ancora?
Certo,
siamo ancora in stretto contatto. Siamo amici da
tantissimo tempo! Tuttavia, non so se collaboreremo
ancora insieme in futuro. Non si puň mai dire
perň…
Il futuro
di Mr.
Soeterboek?
Come
detto, stiamo terminando il songwriting per il prossimo
disco dei Cotton – Soeterboek.
Nel frattempo ho concluso un nuovo
album in Germania, in compagnia di Dennis Ward dei Pink
Cream 69 e Michael Klein, mio vecchio compagno nei
Wicked Sensation.
Dovrebbe
uscire intorno a marzo / aprile del prossimo
anno!
Direi che
puň bastare Robert. Io ti ringrazio e ti lascio la
parola per
chiudere.
Io ringrazio te e tutti i
lettori!
Continuate a supportare il rock
classico e vi prego, date un’opportunitŕ al nostro
disco. Potrebbe piacervi. Se vi capita poi, non perdete
l’occasione di venirci a trovare ai nostri shows!
Ci vediamo!
Fabio Vellata
http://www.truemetal.it
New Interview with Alan Cotton at Eternal Metal Flame
01. EMF: HI, it’s really cool
to have an interview with you. It was surprise to get
your CD, cause I know Roberts Voice since his time with
the German Band Wicked Sensation. Your music is
some times compared with White Snake and Deep Purple,
but you have your own trademarks , a little bit of blues
and country sound. Where do you see your
typically trademarks of your music
by
yourself?Alan Cotton : I like to call it New
Millennium Hard Rock! It has a lot of the best elements
from all the classic bands, but still has modern
production values. The best of both worlds.
02.
EMF: What facts can you tell about making the
Twisted?
Alan Cotton : I had
decided to put a new band together, and Robert’s name
was recommended to me. I gave him a call and the next
week he jumped on a plane and we started writing
together. It was that fast. By the time we started to
look for the other members, we just wanted friends of
ours. I gave Butch a call and he jumped on board. Robert
had just finished touring the Star One cd with Joost, so
he was next. Butch recommended Mike, and that’s how it
all came together. The whole idea was simple, just write
music we love and record a classic rock and roll
album.
We began searching for the right
producer but it became more of a problem with scheduling
conflicts than "musical differences" with them. By the
time Producer Bobby Selvaggio (Creed, Puddle of Mudd,
Jewel) came on board, all the main tracks had been cut.
Since the release date of the album kept being moved
back, we knew it was going to be a problem taking Butch
and Mike out on the road, so that's when bassist Wim den
Boer and drummer Wilfried Broekman joined the band.
Robert had worked with both of them in the past, so we
all got together in Boulder for full production
rehearsals and it went over so well. It just clicked
from the first note. Couldn't be happier. These guys
have amazing chops and can play anything, but they know
exactly what to play for the songs. That's why we are
really looking forward to start recording the second
album.
03.
EMF: Can you tell something about the
background work in the
band?
Alan Cotton : People will know
Robert Soeterboek from his work on many of the Ayreon
albums and the Star One album as well as with Wicked
Sensation. Bassist Wim den Boer is best know for his
work in Abyss and Jeff & Co. Drummer Wilfried
Broekman comes to us from Martyr. My background is from
working with Maestro Alex Gregory as well as years
playing on sessions in the
studio.
04.
EMF: Where is the CD available via Internet or in
special
shops?
Alan Cotton : In Europe the album
should be available in your local shops as well as the
larger online music stores. In the US, Twisted is
available at Amazon.com, Target.com as well as the
online shop at our website http://www.cottonsoeterboekband.com.
05.
EMF: To get an impression of the songs on the CD,
can you give a short comment, track by track
?
Alan Cotton : Since Robert writes
all the lyrics, I will try to stick to answering mostly
about the
music...
01. Set Me
Free
I actually came up with the
main riff a long time ago. It had changed quite a bit
and ended up being a song I recorded with Mike Stone
from Queensryche on vocals. I always liked the heaviness
of the original riff better, so I pulled it out and we
wrote a new chorus and lyrics for
it.
02. Pretty
Maureen
A song Robert wrote for
his wife Maureen. A nice crunching and rhythmic riff
through out and a song that has a lot of meaning for
Robert. I like it a
lot.
03.
Twisted
The riff just came to me
while I was playing. Listen closely and you will hear
the guitar army going on here. A lot of different guitar
lines through out and some cool slide parts. Robert
already had these lyrics, and they just fit together
perfectly.
04.
Colorado
This is one of those
times when the whole inspiration for a song comes to you
at once in a flash. It has the Jimmy Page type
descending riff slowly building to the bridge, then the
heavy chorus kicks in. I had just played it for Robert
and we went out in my front yard just looking at Pikes
Peak and he said "I have it". I think it struck him the
same way it did
me.
05. Leave
Me Blue
A real southern sounding
song using a sparse arpeggio motif to outline the chord
movement leading in to a simple but effective chorus.
Very
nice.
06. Little
Sister
Big classic rock groove
that goes in a slight different direction for the
chorus. When the refrain kicks in, it's pure soul. Ha ha
Love
it.
07. Gold
and Gray
Another southern
influenced song. It has that Alabama swamper meets the
Stones
feel.
08. Still
of the Night
Just a classic Rock
and Roll romp. I've heard so many groups base there
whole sound off of this one idea. I just wanted to say -
"hey, here's our take on
it".
09. The
Game
The most European sounding
song on the album. Heavy but in an even more modern
direction than the rest of the album. It has a real nice
Mick Ralphs type solo on
there.
06.
EMF: What are the current Band
activities?
Alan Cotton : Right now most of our
time is spent promoting the album. Caf Fine Records is a
company Robert and I started so it is a full time
job.
07. EMF
: Can we hope to see you live in Germany in the
next time, may be at some Club
Shows?
Alan Cotton : Yes, we will
definitely be playing Germany. It looks like we will be
appearing at some of the larger festival shows but
nothing confirmed
yet.
08.
EMF: Where do you play live at the moment
and how run your
shows?
Alan Cotton : We decided to wait
until the second album is done before we do a large
tour. We will be touring through out Europe and the
US.
09.
EMF: Have you already any plans for new releases
within the next 2
years?
Alan Cotton : Yes, Robert and I
have written half the new album already. I am trying to
get back to writing in the next few weeks to finish the
rest of the songs. The plans are to have the second
album out by the end of 2009 or beginning of
2010.
10.
EMF: From your point of view, what is important
for a perfect teamwork within a
band?
Alan Cotton : That’s a good
question. My perspective is a band can’t just be a group
of great musicians, they also have to be a group of
great friends. If you don’t like the people your working
with, it’s almost impossible to create that magic.
11.
EMF: What means internet promotion on Myspace and
You tube for you?
Alan Cotton
:Myspace has really been great for us. We have been able
to expose our music to people from all over the world in
a very short time. But Myspace is just one part of it.
The online ezines and print magazines as well as radio
are still a very important part of promotion for us.
12.
EMF: Some reasons for the Fans to give Twisted a
Chance?
Alan Cotton :Are you
tired of going to the store and not finding any music
that interest you? Want to hear an album full of music
the way it use to be played but with a modern twist? If
you like rock and roll, you will love this album. It's
New Millennium Hard
Rock!
13. EMF: At the End
of the Interview some words for the Music
Fans?
Alan Cotton :First, I want to thank
Stephanie and Eternal Metal Flame for this interview and
for supporting new music and to your readers for taking
the time to read it. Please stop by our website or
myspace page and check out the band. Help support the
music you enjoy and also support magazines like Eternal
Metal Flame that make interviews like this possible.
http://www.eternalmetalflame.com.
CSB on the CMS
The Cotton Soeterboek Band would
like to thank our friends Wendell Neeley and Chris Akin
at the Classic Metal Show for having Alan on November
15th to talk a little bit about the new album Twisted,
as well as the history of the band and the current state
of the music industry. Other guest on the show were Snew
lead singer Curtis Don Vito (http://www.snewyou.com) and Pro-Pain's Gary
Meskil (http://www.pro-pain.com).
New Interview with Robert and
Alan at GRTR!
GRTR! Get Ready To Rock
Interview
10Q’s
with COTTON SOETERBOEK
BANDThe Cotton Soeterboek Band have
just released a very enjoyable debut album, ‘Twisted’
perfect for fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchett and
Deep Purple. For more on the band click here and now
over to guitarist Alan Cotton and vocalist Robert
Soeterboek…
csb
1. What are you currently up to?
(recording, gigs,
plans)
Robert: Well, with our new album
Twisted just coming out, that has been taking up most of
our time right now. We just signed a distribution deal,
so the album should now be available at record stores
all across
Europe.
Alan: With the new album out now,
I’m having to juggle between the business aspects of
things and trying to finish writing the second album so
I’m staying very
busy.
Robert: I did recently record an
album in Germany with Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69),
Michael Klein (Wicked Sensation) and Dirk Bruinenberg
(Elegy, Dial). It’s a project and it doesn’t have a name
yet, but I think it sounds
great.
2. How did the band come
together?
Robert: I suddenly received a call
from Alan and he said: I finally found you! We ended up
getting together in the Rockies and recorded our first
two songs together. It meant we had a partnership so we
ended up writing about 20 songs together and 9 of them
made it on the
album.
Alan: Yeah, that's basically it.
Robert and I hit it off right away, it just clicked and
the whole idea was simple, just write the type of music
we
love.
Robert: By the time we started to
look for the other members, we just wanted people we
knew so it was that easy. When the release date of the
album kept being pushed back, we knew it was going to be
a problem because of previous commitments, so we did
have a line up
change.
3. Could you take us through your
excellent debut album ‘Twisted’ please (e.g. story
behind the song, song writing
process)…
Alan: Either Robert or I will come
up with a song and we will sketch out a rough idea for
an arrangement. By then, Robert already has the melodies
and lyrics in mind but we might still bounce some lyric
ideas around at that point. Then we will record them. We
try not to spend too much time going over something
endless times. It either works or it
doesn’t.
Robert: I must say that I really
wrote the lyrics fast. I don’t have to think a year
about it. I just write down what I feel. Traveling to
the States always gives me much of the inspiration for
our music, except Pretty Maureen. That song is about how
I feel about my
wife.
4. Have you seen an upswing in
interest over the past couple of years in classic/hard
rock? How easy/hard is it for a band like yourselves to
get onto tours with established
bands?
Robert: A while back I did a
concert in Holland called Classics in Rock with many
well known singers. I worked with Graham Bonnet, Glenn
Hughes, John Anderson, John Waite and Chriss Thompson. I
ended up singing at a secret show with Chriss Thompson,
Neil Murray and the keyboardist and second guitar player
of Queen. After that we had a big show in front of ten
thousand people. That proved to me that classic rock was
back.
Alan: You know, we get so many
people that like our music who grew up listening to all
the classic bands, but also because of things like
Guitar Hero, we probably attract as many young
listeners. People who are just finding out about
“Classic Rock” for the first time. I have to say that
the response so far has been
amazing.
5. Alan - what made you want to
start playing guitar and what piece of advice would you
pass onto budding
musicians?
Alan: Music has always been a part
of my life. It’s something you’re born with, just part
of your DNA, so you really don’t have a choice. My
influences would be all the greats like Jimmy Page, Gary
Moore, Allen Collins, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie
Montrose, Tommy Bolin, Robin Trower, Michael Schenker,
Billy Gibbons. Those are the guys who made me want to
play guitar. As far as advice for budding musicians,
besides practicing and songwriting? If you can touch
some ones emotions with your music, make them smile or
bring joy to their life, even if just for a little
while, you have accomplished your goals as a musician
and that is what you should always strive
for.
6. Who are the bands musical
influences and if given the chance who would the band
love to tour with &
why?
Robert: We didn’t write with any
band in mind, but I would love to tour with Lynyrd
Skynyrd and Deep Purple. And don’t forget the Allman
Brothers. There’s a lot I could learn from those bands,
and they mean so much to
me.
Alan: Any of those bands would be
great. Just having the chance to watch them perform from
the side of the stage every night would be
amazing.
7. Robert - How did you hook-up
with Ayreon/Star One? What have been the highlights,
both recording and live
wise?
It’s easy, Arjen is a good friend
of mine. We had played in bands together for years, so
Ayreon was the next step. It was great doing the tour
with Star One, we all got along really well. Recording
with Arjen is always funny. We have the same sense of
humor so it’s always
great.
8. What have been the most
memorable live shows from you and
why?
Robert: Supporting Status Quo, the
Classics in Rock show and the Star One
tour.
Alan: Probably doing a live show
for MTV. There were about 7,000 people there so that was
crazy. The Gibson Guitars All Star Jam was also a lot of
fun.
9. What do you like doing with your
spare time outside of
music?
Robert: I like to shop, cook and
BBQ and enjoy my
kids.
Alan: I don’t have any free time
outside of
music.
10. Message for your
fans….
Robert: Thanks to everyone for the
tremendous support you have shown us so far. It means
the world to
us.
Alan: If you like our music, please
tell your friends about us. That is the only way bands
like ours can survive and as always, please support
websites like Get Ready To Rock that brings you the
music you
enjoy!
New Interview with Alan Cotton at
Review Busters
Interview with Alan Cotton of The
Cotton Soeterboek Band
Eric:
Tell us a little about the bands
history.
Alan: I
had decided to put a new band together, and Robert
Soeterboek's name was recommended to me. I gave him a
call and that was that. Robert's the vocalist I had been
looking for my whole life. Not only is he a fantastic
singer, but a true friend. Well, we ended up getting
together here in Colorado and just started writing
together. Locked away in a cabin up in the mountains.
That was great, nobody to bother
us.
The idea from the beginning was
just write music we love. When it was time to put the
whole band together, we just starting thinking of our
friends that we would like to work with. That's when
Butch, Mike and Joost came on
board.
Eric: The
bands first release was the self-titled EP. At this
point in your career the release was put out with no
label help. Did it take long for a label to take notice
after the EP's
release?
Alan:
After the EP came out, we had some offers from small
labels but nothing we felt that great about. What we
really didn't want was a label trying to make artistic
decisions for the band. Pushing us in any one direction.
Caf Fine Records is a company Robert and I ended up
starting
together.
We recently signed a distribution
deal, getting the album into stores worldwide. That has
really helped because we have a large fan base across
Europe.
Eric: Has
The Cotton Soeterboek Band's sound really changed since
the
EP?
Alan: Not
really. We try not to write the same song twice. If you
listen to any one of our songs alone, you would get a
limited perspective on what the band is all about. But
if you listen to the ep and album as a whole, they fit
together perfectly. Actually, Good Morning Georgia is
such a great song, we might end up re-recording it and
putting it on the second
album.
Eric: The
first single off of Twisted is Set Me Free. Is there any
chance that we'll see a video for this songs
release?
Alan: I
would love to see a video for it. Set Me Free is the
song that's really being pushed to radio right now and I
think that would be the best song to expose the band to
a larger audience through
video.
Eric:
Twisted came out on October 14, 2008. Have the sales of
this album been better than you
expected?
Alan: They
are doing quite well. Sales seem to be strongest in
Europe right now, but the radio campaign has just
started over here. The good thing is we are seeing a
whole range of ages in people buying the album. From
kids who are just getting turned on to "Classic Rock"
for the first time, to adult's who grew up listening to
Whitesnake and Deep
Purple.
Eric:
Which bands influenced you when you were starting out
with
music?
Alan: Led
Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers,
Bad Company. All the classics. As far as guitar players
go, Jimmy Page, Ronnie Montrose, Johnny Winter.... too
many to
count.
Eric: Are
there plans for a full length tour to support
Twisted?
Alan: The
plans right now are to finish writing the second album
and then a full length tour across the US and Europe. It
took us a while to get the first album out so we want to
make sure the second album is going to come out on time.
That's our main focus right now but if a large tour
offer comes our way, we would take
it.
Eric: If
you had to pick which bands you'd like to go on tour
with whom would they
be?
Alan: All
of the bands I listed as influencing us. The good thing
is that they are all still touring right now. I actually
would like to do some shows with Airbourne, The Black
Crowes or The Answer. I think that would be a lot of
fun.
Eric: I
like to get silly with my interviews so now you have to
answer some not so normal questions. Do you think they
should make a sequel to Kindergarten Cop in the near
future?
Alan: Are
you kidding me? That would be a fantastic sequel to
make. They could get Steve Buscemi as the cop and
Jeffrey Combs as the drug dealer and maybe Jessica
Simpson as the wife. Getting Troy Duffy to direct would
be the icing on this block buster cake.
Haha.
Eric:
Would you rather play baseball with a bunch of rodents
or play tennis with music legend Celine
Dion?
Alan: Am I
playing with them on my team or against them? I'll take
on those rodents any day of the week. I'll even give
them a point spread and still beat
them.
Eric: Time
for the plug. Tell our readers why they should pick up a
copy of
Twisted.
Alan: If
you are a fan of classic Rock and Roll, please check the
band out. If your on Myspace, drop on by and say hello
and if you like what you hear, please pick up the cd.
That's the only way bands like ours can continue to
release albums. Also, please support the websites like
Review Busters that support the music you enjoy and make
interviews like this
possible.
Eric:
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I
wish you and the band the best of luck in the
future.
Alan: Thank you
Review Busters and to your readers, thank you for taking
the time to read this interview.
Interviewer: Eric
http://www.reviewbusters.net
Twisted on
SQRR Radio
On Sunday, Novenber 2, 7:15 pm
(Central European Time), Status Quo Rockt Radio http://www.sqrr.de will
be streaming the complete Twisted album. Please tune in
and you can stop by later and have a chat about the
band, music and anything else concerning Rock and Roll
at http://www.sqrr.de/chat.html
Thanks to our friend Andreas and everybody at SQRR
Radio.
Alan on The Classic Metal
Show
November 15th, Cotton Soeterboek
Band guitarist Alan Cotton is scheduled to appear on The
Classic Metal Show with Wendell Neeley and Chris Akin.
Alan will be calling into the show to talk about the
bands new album Twisted, as well as the band's plans for
2009. Also appearing on the show will be Laaz Rockit.
The Classic Metal Show can be streamed online at http://www.cmsradio.net.
Ayreon Fanmeet on October 11, 2008
Robert Soeterboek will be making a
special appearance during the Ayreon Fanmeet October 11
at the P3 in Purmerend, Netherlands. To all Cotton
Soeterboek Band friends and fans in The Netherlands,
please stop on by and say
hello.
Date: 11 October, 2008
Time: Doors open 13.00
Venue:'P3' Purmerend (NL) www.p3purmerend.nlTickets: 10 Euro
The press release from the Ayreon
fanmeet organization reads:
The Ayreon Fanmeet on
October 11 is being arranged by and for people that
admire Ayreon and Arjen's other projects. Together we
want to have a marvellous day with (live) music related
to Arjen.
This year's event features
performances by the bands Galanor (www.galanor.com) and LadyLau
(www.ladylau.com). Both bands
will be playing Ayreon songs in addition to their own
music. LadyLau and members of Galanor were part of The
Ayreonotes, a band formed by musically talented fans for
last year's fanmeet.
Besides the live music, the fanmeet
offers a chance for Ayreon fans to meet and mingle.
There will also be a few special guests (musicians that
have played on one or more of Arjen's albums). You can
talk to them and they'll bring their merchandise as
well.
Tickets are 10 Euro each. Fanmeet
visiors attending the Alquin (www.alquin.org) concert
later that evening will receive a 5 euro discount on
their Alquin ticket! For fanmeet tickets and all the
latest info, please visit www.ayreonfanmeet.com. And feel
free to contact us if you have any
questions.
All together it will be a great day
for anyone who likes Arjen's music; hope to see you
there!
~Ayreon Fanmeet
Organisation.
Cotton Soeterboek Band Signs
Distribution Deal - Sep. 21, 2008
U.S.'s Cotton Soeterboek
Band recently inked an exclusive European distribution
deal with NL Distribution for the bands new release
"Twisted" on Caf Fine
Records.
On this partnership, Robert
Soeterboek comments, "The Cotton Soeterboek Band is very
happy to announce that we have become a part of the NL
Distribution family. It is a mutually beneficial
relationship, making it much easier for people to
get "Twisted" through out Europe."
The band recorded the album in Los
Angeles with producer Robert Selvaggio (Creed, Puddle of
Mudd, Jewel). Mastering was handled by Rodney Mills
(Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers).
The album
really shines due to sharp songwriting and the band’s
ear for strong riffs and chorus melodies. Not to mention
Robert Soeterboek`s (Ayeron, Wicked Sensation)
appropriate vocal swagger and the gritty muscular guitar
work of Alan Cotton.
On “Twisted”, the band offers a
tough, streamlined fusion of American and British hard
rock, that combined with Robert Selvaggio`s clean
production, sounds utterly modern
yet timeless. All of the parts blend into powerfull
distinctive sound to create a unique hybrid that recalls
the past without being indebted to
it.
The Cotton Soeterboek Band's first
full length album, "Twisted", will be officially
released on October 14th in the United States
and
Europe.
Cotton Soeterboek Band in
Aardschok
Twisted gets a great review in this
months issue of Aardschok Magazine. We will be posting
excerpts of the review by Liselotte Hegt shortly.
Twisted on the
radio
Twisted is starting to be added to
play list's across the country, starting with Curt
Mason's show The Rocker at KKFI in Kansas City. Please
request Twisted by phoning the station at (816)
931-5534.
Interview with Alan Cotton
in Revelationz Magazine
Cotton Soeterboek Band guitarist
Alan Cotton recently did an interview with Revelationz
Magazine and it is now posted online.
Here are some
excerpts....
What is your name and your
current position in the band?
Hello Revelationz Magazine,
this is Alan Cotton and I am the guitarist in the Cotton
Soeterboek Band.
How would you categorize the style
of the band? And did you ever consider or try playing
other styles of music than the one(s) you are playing
now?
New Millennium Hard Rock! It
has a lot of the best elements from all the classic
bands, but still has a modern twist also. Best of both
worlds as they say. We have all appeared on albums of
different genre's, but this is the style of music we
love playing the most.
What is your latest album and why
should people buy it?
Twisted is the band's first
full length album and it comes out August 12th (updated
to October 14th). We get compared to Deep Purple and
early Whitesnake a lot, so if you want to hear a very
honest Rock and Roll album, please give Twisted a
listen.
Tell us about the history of the
band. More specifically, when was the band formed, how
did you meet, and have there been any particular
highlights or low points in your career, any crucial
events that have taken you where you are
today?
I had decided to put a new
band together, and somebody had recommended Robert
Soeterboek to me. I gave him a call and we hit it off
right away. He jumped on a plane and we holed up in Old
Jacks Cabin in the mountains of Colorado and started
writing together. By the time we started to look for the
other members, we just wanted people we knew. No big
cattle call auditions.
Butch Carlson and I had
always wanted to work together so his name was the first
to come up and he jumped on board. Robert had just
finished recording and touring the Star One cd with
Joost van den Broek, so he was next. Butch recommended
Mike Davis, and that was that. We all had agreed to tour
behind the album, even though Mike had commitments to
Rob Halford and Joost had just joined After
Forever.
The whole idea was simple,
just write music we enjoyed and record a natural and
real rock and roll album. We began searching for the
right producer but it became more of a problem with
scheduling conflicts than "musical differences" with
them. By the time producer Bobby Selvaggio (Creed,
Puddle of Mudd, Jewel) came on board, all the main
tracks had been cut.
Since the release date of
the album kept being moved back, we knew it was going to
be a problem taking Butch and Mike out on the road, so
that's when Wim den Boer and Wilfried Broekman joined
the band. Robert had worked with both of them in the
past, so we all got together in Boulder for rehearsals
and it went over so well. It just clicked from the first
note. Couldn't be happier. All of these guys have
amazing chops and can play anything, but the best thing
is they all know exactly what to play for the
songs.
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