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Ad van Meurs, also known as the Watchman, is one of Holland's greatest singer
songwriters. Ad describes himself as "a man marooned on an island in the mid
Atlantic, somewhere between Ostend and Graceland". On his first tour of the
U.K., we're pleased to welcome him to The Bullfrog Blues Club. He was
personally recoomended to The Bullfrog by our good friend Claude Bourbon, so expect a
great evening!
The Watchman is not easily categorised. If you say The Watchman plays blues,
you're right. If you say The Watchman plays American folk, you're right.
The music of The Watchman is a search for originality along a road full of
traditional elements, 'roots', improvisation and happy songwriting. If
anything, his music is straight from the heart, a heart that knows more doubts than
certainties and is always hopelessly in love with life itself.
"Carnival of Circumstance", The Watchman's eighth CD, is a wash of acoustic
guitars, irresistible melodies and unabashed love songs. Ad's lyrics walk a
line between evocative poetry and plain speaking, woven with delicate guitar
work.
Ad van Meurs started out playing keyboards in a folk-rock band called Deirdra
in the mid-'70s. After the punk revolution, he switched to guitar and formed
the punk band Bleistift. By the early '80s, the group had become an
experimental noise band, including van Meurs's girlfriend, Ankie Keulthes. In 1983, the
duo formed World According To, a less abstract band, featuring Keulthes on
lead vocals. When Keulthes took time off to have a child, Ad van Meurs began his
solo career under the name of the Watchman. He's supported Alex Chilton,
Michelle Shocked and Jonathan Richman.
Ad Van Meurs - The Watchman - appears at The Bullfrog Blues club, South
Parade Pier, Southsea, on Thursday 25th September. Doors open at 8 p.m.