Interview: The Boxx Orchestra (Written)
Dutch prog rock band The Boxx Orchestra recently released their second album ‘The Horn of Plenty’ on OOB Records. We spoke to guitarist Jos van der Zanden, and learned a little bit more about The Boxx Orchestra.
1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.
I grew up with music from birth, coming from a very musical family: many members of my family are singing ore playing an instrument. Started as a youngster in the local philharmonic orchestra, playing bugle. Together with a friend, who was also starting with the guitar, I saw every musical show on t.v., just to see how the guitarists were playing the chords and melodies. We hoped to get on that stage one day. In my teens, I took lessons in classical guitar.
After finishing high school, I travelled Europe for a while, alone or with some friends. Playing as a street musician, from Amsterdam to Paris, even Barcelona. The sound of George Kooymans from The Golden Earing inspired me to pick up the electric guitar and getting into rock, blues and pop music.
In 2016 I met keyboardplayer and composer Jan Boekestein, who was eager for starting up a band: The Boxx Orchestra. For me this was a completely new experience to play and develop our own music, being used to playing covers.
2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?
We try to avoid labels but our music can best be described as progrock with a wide range of influences in it from very classical via folk towards metal. There is always an emphasis on melody. Further we like to experiment with several styles and think, indeed, out of the box(x). First of all we are a live band and in our live shows we put very much attention to the visual part of the performance with, among others, video projections.
3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.
As we just released our second album, The Horn of Plenty and the re-release of our first album Out of the Boxx by OOB Records, we are now planning to tour as much as possible to promote both albums and increase our fanbase. However Jan has already written more than enough new material for our next album, so I think we will soon start with recording sessions.
4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?
Making music is a way of life for me. Discovering new possibilities, improving my playing every day. Working hard on making an album and when finished feeling proud.
5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?
As I said earlier, playing and developing new music is a different ballgame than playing covers. Playing covers can be quite challenging and I did that for many years. However playing and arranging new music is a specific other creative process which challenges me to expand my limits resulting in a very rewarding outcome.
6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?
This is indeed a point of attention. That’s why we are very happy to be on board with OOB Records. With their great international network the promotional aspects have been scaled up. Besides this we ourselves do a lot on the promotional issues. We are really blessed to have Walter Hüsstege in the band, who is besides a very good bassplayer also a talented graphic designer and video editor.
7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?
Well, back in the ‘old days’ any band with own original material could find several stages to play and most of the time they had a full house. Nowadays many venues dare not take the risk and go for the safe option of programming cover- or tributebands. So when programmers would take a little more risk and give unknown music the opportunity to perform and of course it would be nice when the audience would be prepared to come and listen to these bands.
8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?
Ha,ha, well buy our albums of course or anyway stream our music, come visit our concerts and spread the word.
9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?
Riding my motorbike and, yes indeed, making more music.
10. Where can people find you?
Website | Facebook | YouTube | OOB Records
