I still remember sitting in that little tent at the Sziget festival in Budapest, in the summer of 2007. Weeks before, I had bought my first video camera and reading Bob Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume One, I found myself underlining musicians he mentioned. Right there, the idea for The Influences was born. In 2008 I started asking musicians I admire, to play songs by the artists they love. To discover and explore their influences. Fast forward sixteen years, and 2024 was the most productive year to date. Something I couldn’t have dreamed of back then.
Photo by: Charlotte Blokhuis.
At the start of the year, I certainly didn’t think it would happen, as I was out and unable to film (or do pretty much anything) with another neck injury for over two months. Those of you who know me, know that was an unwelcome blast of the past for me – and one I’m very happy to overcome.
But here we are: this year I published 46 sessions, 131 videos in total. You added another million views to the YouTube channel, watching these videos for over 42.000 hours. As we head into 2025, I can tell you that I have over thirty brand new sessions already recorded and waiting to be mixed, edited and published – and then to be watched by you.
In 2024, I again was priviledged to collaborate with TakeRoot festival in Groningen, where I filmed a record eight session in one day – three of those are already live. I got to go back to Ireland, where a brand new collaboration with the Kilkenny Roots festival started, and I’m delighted to tell you I’ll be going back there next May.
This year had me film with some of my all-time favourite musicians, some old friends, and many new ones. And I got to do a couple of interviews and some writing along the way too.
Anyway, 2025 has a lot more in store for us all, starting with a new session later this week, and the launch of something pretty exciting (for me) soon after. I hope by now you’re subscribed to the YouTube channel and to the newsletter. If not, subscribe right here.
Further below there’s a YouTube playlist with all the videos released in 2024 and an overview of all the posts on the website. Find out if you missed any and please do let me know what your favourites of this year were, by email or comment on Instagram or YouTube.
Thanks and happy new year,
Matthijs van der Ven
There is no better way to discover music than watching great musicians cover the songs they love. The Influences has been producing these videos ever since 2008.
Read more.
-
Stephanie Struijk
Finally, after 15 years, a Taylor Swift cover on The Influences! Years after our first session plans fell through, Dutch singer Stephanie Struijk, her band and I met at the Beauforthuis in Austerlitz and recorded three songs: Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, a Dutch version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Side Now and her new single Zwitserland. As…
-
Hollow Hand
Had I taken the time to list my favourite records of 2023, Hollow Hand’s Your Own Adventure would be pretty high on it. There’s something about the Brighton based folk-rock group’s sound that is simply intoxicating to me. The amount of plays it’s gotten over here at the house are countless and there’s no end…
-
Malin Pettersen
When I heard her EP Alonesome for the first time, I knew I had to film with Norwegian singer Malin Pettersen at some point. I’d heard about her before, from Judy Blank I think (Judy Blank knows everybody, doesn’t she?), and listening to her songs confirmed she is something special. Pettersen has an incredible voice…
-
Robert Ellis
The biggest compliment any musician can give me, is to come back for another session. Truly. So, when Robert Ellis reached out to record a third session, it was a good day at The Influences’ home office. His latest record Yesterday’s News had been on repeat since its release (I actually think Willie Nelson should…
-
Spencer Cullum
When you get multiple reactions from other musicians after posting a photo of a session, you know you just filmed a great musician. Not that I didn’t know that before, of course. But this happened with Spencer Cullum’s session, who brought along Sean Thompson and Rich Ruth, and played covers of Michael Rother’s (of Neu!)…
-
Rachel Grace
When someone like Gavin Glass suggests another local artist to film with, you simply say: ‘Yes, please’. In The Influences’ fifteen years of existence, I’ve filmed many musicians who I knew for years and plenty that I only ‘discovered’ shortly before filming. Not often was I as floored and blown away by the sheer talent…
-
JP Harris & John R. Miller
Two songwriters and a fiddle player walk into a room… and record a brilliant session for The Influences. That’s – simply put – what happened eleven months ago at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, where JP Harris, John R. Miller and Chloe Edmonstone recorded a session together; playing covers of Blaze Foley and Michael Hurley and an…
-
Jerry Leger
Jerry Leger has become a regular here at The Influences. The prolific Canadian songwriter just keeps releasing brilliant record after brilliant record. His latest Donlands is no exception. Leger and his band made a pit stop in Utrecht during their last tour and joined me at Mailmen studios – a couple of hours after I…
-
Dylan LeBlanc
Ever since 2016’s Cautionary Tale, Dylan LeBlanc has been on The Influences’ wish list. The American songwriter released multiple beautiful records since, like 2019’s Renegade, 2021’s covers EP Pastimes and his best work to date: 2023’s Coyote. His voice never disappoints, but I feel like on this record every aspect of his songwriting and sound…
-
Broken Chanter
In just a couple of weeks, Chorus Of Doubt – the new record by Broken Chanter – will be released on Glaswegian label Chemikal Underground. It doesn’t take much to ignite my feelings of homesickness for Scotland, but filming this session with David MacGregor sure did. At the Kilkenny Arts Festival in August last year,…
-
Tami Neilson
Being cradled in Roy Orbison’s arms as a baby, and singing a duet with Willie Nelson are only some of the many impressive aspects of Tami Neilson’s life. Hours before she headlined 2023’s TakeRoot festival in Groningen, the versatile Canadian songwriter with an incredibly powerful voice, treated us to the very first live performances of…
-
Trapper Schoepp
‘I wish I was a trapper’, Johnny Cash sang on Neil Young’s Pocahontas. Well, on March 10th, I met ‘Wisconsin boy’ Trapper Schoepp in the apartment he rented in Maarssen, The Netherlands with his bass player Esten Bennett and drummer Nick Lang. Coffee was brewing, musicians were still waking up after their Amsterdam show the…
-
Omar Velasco
You’ll never be disappointed in Alela Diane‘s choice of support acts to bring over to Europe. Join us in exploring Omar Velasco’s tribute to Leonard Cohen’s You Know Who I Am and Silvio Rodriguez’s La Gota de Rocio for the Influences. With Alela Diane lending her voice to the mix on the Leonard Cohen cover…
-
Aoife Ní Bhriain
The Influences went to Kilkenny, Ireland and invited local musicians to join them in the tower of the monumental Kilkenny Castle to record sessions. And they did. One of the days started with real Irish music by fiddle virtuoso Aoife Ní Bhriain, recently named as ‘RTE Radio 1 Folk Instrumentalist of the Year 2024‘. Just…
-
Villagers
Last Friday, May 10th, Dublin singer-songwriter Conor O’Brien returned with the seventh Villagers album, named That Golden Time. A couple of weeks prior, I met up with O’Brien in an old school gym in Utrecht, and filmed breathtaking renditions of Radiohead’s Pyramid Song and his own new songs You Lucky One and I Want What…
-
Gemma Hayes
Gemma Hayes recorded ‘At Constant Speed’ and two covers of Sparklehorse’s ‘Sunshine’ and Jackson Browne’s ‘These Days’.
-
Caitlin Rose
After a 9 year gap, Nashville-based songwriter Caitlin Rose returned in 2022 with her third full-length record Cazimi – and it is a work of art. Rose’s album features some timeless songs like Modern Dancing, Nobody’s Sweetheart, Getting It Right (featuring Courtney Marie Andrews) and Carried Away. In the summer of 2023, I rented De…
-
Porcelain id
Porcelain id‘s maverick style and commanding voice have become a champion for authenticity. The Rwandan-born Hubert Tuyishime grew up in a small Belgian village. Here began a journey into the world of music at a young age, guided by perseverance. Just before their show in Utrecht, we recorded a cover of Ramses Shaffy’s Laat Me and…
-
Louien
Meet Louien, a Norwegian artist whose musical roots run deep. Growing up in a family steeped in creativity, Live Miranda Solberg developed a love for harmonies and songwriting and honed her craft from a young age. We’ve been waiting for about five years for the chance to meet up and film something, so you can…
-
David Murphy
David Murphy is a multi-instrumentalist based in Cork, Ireland known best for his work with the pedal steel guitar. Murphy’s unique application of the pedal steel guitar has resulted in his invitation to participate in many collaborations and projects over his years as a session musician and band-member. Acts like John Blek & The Rats,…
-
Emma Swift
Blonde On The Tracks, Emma Swift’s album containing a selection of immaculate Bob Dylan covers, was one of the most-listened albums of 2020 here at The Influences’ headquarters. The Australian singer-songwriter currently residing in Nashville and London (UK) really captured some of their essence and added to it with her incredible voice on the album that…
-
Small Town Jones
During the Kilkenny Roots Festival, Small Town Jones delivered an unforgettable session for The Influences at Bridie’s. The intimate performance featured captivating covers of Ray LaMontagne’s Jolene and James Warren’s Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime, alongside their original, The Mist and the Light from the new album Kintsugi – a day after its release. In…
-
Jeffrey Silverstein, Bobby Lee & Joe Harvey-Whyte
What could three musicians from Portland (USA), Sheffield and London (England) have in common you ask? Well, more than you’d think. In the case of Jeffrey Silverstein, Bobby Lee and Joe Harvey-Whyte, it led to a colorful collaboration in a live album and Cosmic Country Revue tours. During Kilkenny Roots in Ireland this year, the…
-
Rachel Baiman
Rachel Baiman stands out in the contemporary folk and Americana scenes with her voice, songwriting and musicianship. Raised in Chicago, Baiman made her way to Nashville at 18 with the dream of being a professional fiddle player and has since released multiple solo records, alongside session and side-person work with Kacey Musgraves, Kevin Morby, and…
-
Susan O’Neill
There’s a couple of albums being released in the autumn of 2024 that I’m really looking forward to playing, and high up on that list is Now In A Minute, the second solo full-length from Irish songwriter Susan O’Neill. I’ve loved her first album Found Myself Lost (2017) and the ep Now You See It…
-
Ro Yourell
The first session recorded during this year’s visit to Kilkenny in Ireland, was with Dubliner Ro Yourell. Joined by Finnish-born but Ireland-based Fanni Fagerudd on backing vocals, the singer covered David Gray’s Please Forgive Me and Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark, and played When You Look At Me off his debut solo album Commencer…
-
Kristina Murray
There’s something about Kristina Murray’s voice that speaks to me, whenever it comes through my speakers. The country singer from Nashville – but born in Georgia – showcased her voice and songwriting already on two albums – Unravelin’ and Southern Ambrosia – and an EP, and more recently on duets with Logan Ledger and Michaela…
-
Sheesham, Lotus & ‘Son
Sheesham, Lotus & ‘Son, a trio from Canada, bring a distinct and lively approach to traditional folk music. Specializing in old-time Appalachian sounds, the group – Sheesham Crow (fiddle, harmonica, vocals), Lotus Wight (the nom-de-guerre of Sam Allison – banjo, bones, vocals), and Son Sanderson (sousaphone, bass harmonica, vocals) – has carved out a niche…
-
Myles O’Reilly
As an extraordinary filmmaker, Myles O’Reilly documented a special era in emerging Irish music, mostly from 2009 – 2020. He calls it ‘an epic journey filled with enormous creativity and passion’. Since then, he’s returned to music and gradually embarked on a journey of writing and performing his own compositions. Resulting in many solo albums…
-
John Blek
Cheer up! That’s the simple message from John Blek, and the title of his brilliant new album coming in September. Leading up to the album, Blek released the songs Country Mile and Easy Now and we just so happened to film those songs in Kilkenny early May during Kilkenny Roots. I’ve been lucky enough to…
-
Giant Julie
The afternoon at the Volkshotel wasn’t my first time meeting Yulya Divakova, aka Russian musician and producer Giant Julie. About a year prior, she was the engineer who recorded the audio for The Tallest Man On Earth‘s session for The Influences. Not this time though, now she took her place in front of the cameras…
-
Daryll-Ann
To have one of your favourite and probably most influential Dutch band reunite after ten years, with their first new album after twenty, is pretty special. And to then be asked to film the first live session of three of the new songs for The Influences is really something else. Both songwriters – Anne Soldaat…
-
Andrew Combs
There are some artists who just keep getting better, the more they seem to let go of expectations or boundaries set by other people. Andrew Combs is one of them. His latest two records, Sundays and Dream Pictures feel free and assured. More and more, Combs is creating his own canvas. Last week, we set…
-
Marlene Bakker
Thanks to her captivating voice and her widely praised debut album RAIF, Marlene Bakker has secured a unique spot in the Dutch music world. Even listeners who don’t speak the Gronings regional language are moved by the cinematic quality of her music, rich with longing, nostalgia, and romance. Her second album Oaventuren only confirms that.…
-
Lindsay Clark
Lindsay Clark weaves together the threads of traditional English folk, country, and a personal take on experimental folk that feels both timeless and intimate. Her music unfolds like a quiet revelation – anchored by her multi-layered vocal harmonies. Drawing inspiration from an eclectic mix – The Beach Boys, Elizabeth Cotten, Joni Mitchell, Appalachian folk, and…
-
Jeffrey Foucault
In September Jeffrey Foucault released The Universal Fire, his first album of entirely new material since 2018. He calls the album ‘both a working wake – Foucault lost his best friend and drummer Billy Conway, to cancer in 2021 – and a meditation on the nature of beauty, artifact, and loss’. We talked about that…
-
Annika Kilkenny
Annika Kilkenny’s music is a harmonious blend of inspiration and originality. In our conversation, the twenty-year-old Irish songwriter opens up about the influences that have shaped her music and the way she is finding her own path. Last May, she was the first musician to record a session during The Influences’ visit to Kilkenny Roots.…
-
Willy Mason
He walked into Bridie’s Bar & General Store carrying nothing. Not an instrument or a bag, not even a cup of coffee. Upstairs, he picked up two of my friend David Froggatt’s guitars and picked one. Fifteen minutes later, Willy Mason’s session was done. A special experience this was, for all involved. Hours before his…
-
John Paul White
For the last seven years, The Influences has collaborated with the TakeRoot festival in Groningen, and filmed sessions with musicians from the festival’s line up. November 2nd this year, we filmed a record amount of eight sessions in one day. The first to see the light, is this one with non other than John Paul…
-
Christopher Paul Stelling
Before he left Europe, I caught up with my old friend Christopher Paul Stelling. We trekked out to an old repurposed airfield in Soesterberg at sundown and filmed a video of Better Days from his new double record Forgotten But Not Gone & Few and Far Between in just one take. Then we relocated to…
-
Erika Angell
Erika Angell’s musical universe is as expansive as it is unconventional, blending elements of classical, folk, rock, and pop with jazz, electronic, free improvisation, and avant-garde influences. She is best known as the co-leader of the celebrated and Polaris-nominated avant-rock band Thus Owls, a project she has shared with her husband Simon Angell since 2007.…
-
Tyler Ramsey
Five years after his first session for The Influences, Tyler Ramsey joined us at the same TakeRoot festival and recorded a new one, with covers of Ron Sexsmith’s Tell Me Again and Neil Young’s Sail Away and his own We Were A Small Town. That song is from his new stunning Phil Ek produced record…
-
Katherine Priddy
Since starting The Influences back in 2008, discovering new music has always been the driving force behind it. That fact remains sixteen years later. So, when I first heard Katherine Priddy’s music earlier in 2024, somewhere inside a light bulb switched on. Her music – although obviously different, reminded me of The Influence familiars like…
-
Abe Partridge
Abe Partridge isn’t your typical folk singer. Hailing from the Gulf Coast, he brings a raw, unapologetic voice to the Americana scene, mixing personal storytelling with biting social commentary. After years on the road, and with a growing reputation for his thought-provoking lyrics and captivating performances, Abe’s music feels as authentic as it gets. His…