Closer (band)
Encyclopedia
Closer is an acoustic
indie pop
band from The Netherlands. Its band members are Roel Kessels as guitar
ist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen as cello
player and backing vocalist. The band was formed in September 2006 by Kessels who had been performing as a singer/songwriter under the same artistic name.
and Elliott Smith
he already wrote and recorded songs on his own. This filled him with much satisfaction, but he also felt there was something missing. After seeing the movie Closer (film)
, with Damien Rice
's song 'The Blower's Daughter' accompanying the ending, he got inspired to enhance his music with bowed strings.
A couple of years later he met Thomas on the train. Thomas played the cello
, and it wouldn't be long before they started playing together and planned their first gig.
Closer is now Roel Kessels as guitar
ist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen on the cello
, singing an occasional second. They had their first gig together with Lotte, who plays the violin
. Lotte still plays with them every now and then, but most of the time you'll find them playing by twos.
They started performing at small venues in Tilburg
and Breda
, and even on some small festivals in Breda
(Troubadourfestival and Bluesfestival). In 2007 Closer won the Amsterdam Student Festival (Amsterdamsstudentenfestival.nl).
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from The Netherlands. Its band members are Roel Kessels as guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen as cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
player and backing vocalist. The band was formed in September 2006 by Kessels who had been performing as a singer/songwriter under the same artistic name.
History
Closer started out as a dream of singer/songwriter Roel Kessels. Inspired by many great artists like Damien RiceDamien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
and Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
he already wrote and recorded songs on his own. This filled him with much satisfaction, but he also felt there was something missing. After seeing the movie Closer (film)
Closer (film)
Closer is a 2004 romantic drama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. It was produced and directed by Mike Nichols and stars Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen...
, with Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
's song 'The Blower's Daughter' accompanying the ending, he got inspired to enhance his music with bowed strings.
A couple of years later he met Thomas on the train. Thomas played the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, and it wouldn't be long before they started playing together and planned their first gig.
Closer is now Roel Kessels as guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and lead vocalist, and Thomas van Geelen on the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, singing an occasional second. They had their first gig together with Lotte, who plays the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. Lotte still plays with them every now and then, but most of the time you'll find them playing by twos.
They started performing at small venues in Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
and Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, and even on some small festivals in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
(Troubadourfestival and Bluesfestival). In 2007 Closer won the Amsterdam Student Festival (Amsterdamsstudentenfestival.nl).