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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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!)…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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Trapper Schoepp