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| About |
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"The
Men From Nowhere"
are a group of musicians centered around guitarist Jelle van Atten AKA
‘Joe Sixpack’. Between 2022 and 2024 he recorded a great number of
instrumental compositions, with various lineups. 12 of these songs have
been selected for a new LP/CD” Joe’s international stage experience started many years ago. Most of his gigs occurred within the rockabilly subculture. Earlier with his band the Ragtime Wranglers he took an occasional side trip to a different musical genre; at live concerts as well as releases on the Dutch label Sonic Rendezvous. At the new release he expands and explores this trip. This album is a passionate statement for instrumental music and contains an eclectic mix of American roots styles such as surf, country, soul and rock'n roll. It will be in stores early 2025. |
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| Experiment |
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After
live performances all over the globe came to a halt early 2020, Joe found
himself overloaded with inspiration. He documented everything on tape in
the Homebrew Recording Studio. Track by track; drums, bass and guitar, he
transformed his creative ideas into a huge amount of demos. The
help of friends in the music scene subsequently lead to even more musical
discoveries and ideas. So he decided to continue experimenting without his
regular band the Ragtime Wranglers. In mid-2022 he started recording-sessions at the PAF! Studio in Rotterdam and later taking turns with Lightning Recorders in Berlin and his own Homebrew Recording Studio, also in Rotterdam. Everytime with changing line-ups. |
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| Instrumentals |
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Joe
has enjoyed many successful live performances over the previous decades,
for example touring in Europe and the US with Miss Mary Ann, supporting
Brian Setzer. Important musical influences are the American acts he
accompanied at various festivals around the world. In the 1950s and 1960s
these artists recorded for the leading record-companies such as Sun, MGM,
RCA, Columbia etc. These include The Collins Kids with guitar legend Larry
Collins who unfortunately passed away this year; Joe's main inspiration.
Larry Collins recorded exceptionally great guitar instrumentals in the
1950s and is known as one of the founders of Surf music. Another
of his influences is the never ending source of rare instrumentals,
especially those from the period between 1950 and 1970. According to him,
catchy pop songs without vocals are a neglected and almost forgotten musical
style. |
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| Recordings |
| For the recordings, Joe singularly handpicked musicians, all known for their versatility, virtuosity and technical skills and matched them with the specific musical approach of each particular composition. To name a few: Benjamin Herman on tenor sax when a red-hot jazzy/soulful vibe is needed, Arjan Spies (The Kick) on drums rocking up the sixties flavored sounds, Donné La Fontaine (T-99) on double bass for a soul-stirring exotic atmosphere and Joe Rivera plus David Rockenfeller (New Cool Collective) for superb sounding double trumpet parts and horn sections. With their special treat the songs reach the high level that he aspired. The recordings are mixed by Marcel Fakkers at PAF! Studio in Rotterdam and mastered by Warren Defever at Third Man Records Detroit USA. |
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| Style |
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Every
song on the new release is written by Joe except "The
Man from Nowhere" (Clive Westlake), from which the band’s name is
derived. The compositions are built around his guitar. Accordingly various
“guitar-sounds” often are at the center of the recordings, but without
constantly being up-front. The variety of stylistic influences makes it
impossible to link the album to one specific musical-genre. This is also
due to the intermediate forms that emerged. "The Men from Nowhere"
use a wide spectrum of American roots styles such as surf, country, soul
and rock'n roll, etc. for their inspirational sources. Summarizing: the new record by "The Men from Nowhere" is a lively and versatile album full of vintage vibes, transporting you to exciting musical landscapes, scenes and thrilling stories and creating the soundtrack of your own movie. Judge for yourself ... the music will be available early 2025. |
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