David Keenan
David Keenan, the songwriter from Dundalk in Ireland, is one of the most inspired and inspiring songwriters I’ve gotten to know in the past few years. Ever since that acoustic ...
Fantastic Cat
When four songwriters join up and start a super group, and you’ve filmed with three of them before, chances are you’re going to like their group efforts. Well, I don’t ...
Niamh Bury
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 them ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
Diana Jones
The first time I heard Diana Jones sing live was over a decade ago in Glasgow. My friends of Doghouse Roses opened for her at – I think – the ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
Tyler Ramsey
Not unlike myself, Tyler Ramsey some years ago moved closer to nature with his wife and daughter. For me personally, I can tell you it was the best decision I’ve ...
Sophie Janna
Sophie Janna played ‘Thistle’, and gorgeous covers of Nick Drake and Anaïs Mitchell in an 19th century church. She also wrote an essay about her love and admiration for Mitchell.
Erin Rae
Since her first session for this website, Erin Rae has released her album Lighten Up – a gorgeous collection of songs, with a slightly new sound to them, compared to ...
Christopher Paul Stelling
What do you do when filming a session before the show isn’t an option? You film it after midnight. With that solution, Christopher Paul Stelling and I walked into Utrecht’s ...
Gill Landry
When you take a peek at Gill Landry’s Instagram account, you’re bound to see many gorgeous landscapes and still images of his surroundings, wherever that may be at that time. ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
Cedric Burnside
A lot of the times when I’ve just finished filming a session, I can’t stop smiling. At Take Root festival, the smiling began as soon as Cedric Burnside walked into ...
Tom Cunliffe
Tom Cunliffe’s record ‘Template For Love’ is great, so we met up in Utrecht to film Bruce Springsteen and Paul Anka covers and two originals.
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
Gold Star
During Take Root festival 2018, Los Angeles-based songwriter Gold Star recorded two songs from his latest record ‘Uppers & Downers’ and a raving cover of The Velvet Underground’s ‘I Found ...
Sessions, Down By The River festival, USA
Caleb Elliott
Caleb Elliott and I spoke about staying hungry for music, discovering fairly late there’s more than just classical music and the important people in his development; his high school orchestra ...
John Alexander
Earlier this week I dreamed of walking through Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park. I looked at the wild squirrels, sat on a bench, ate a curry at Mother India’s Cafe, strolled through ...
Farmer & Lewis
Some time in the Spring of 2017 I flew to Glasgow Scotland to film Ryan Joseph Burns’ album launch. That night in Saint Luke’s, I single-handedly filmed with six cameras. ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
American Aquarium
It was Anthony D’Amato who introduced me to American Aquarium. The singer from New York – who’s releasing a new EP soon – said I had to check them out ...
Israel Nash
The times have been good for Israel Nash. He’s focusing on the positive, rather than the negative. In this session he covered Neil Young and Radiohead. ‘I’ve always known there ...
Josh Ritter
‘The first thing you’ll notice at a Josh Ritter show is his smile. It’s a grin of elation, a grin of communion, a grin of gratitude. It’s the grin of ...
Fiskur
‘What I’ve learned from Scott is that kind of pride in songwriting; being able to put yourself into it, the drive and ambition for yourself in music.’ Fiskur’s Ross Clark ...
Carson McHone
The Austin-based songwriter Carson McHone visited us in Utrecht’s finest record store Plato with her band to record two originals and a dangerously addictive Teddy Thompson cover.
Lilly Hiatt
When Lilly Hiatt’s third record Trinity Lane surfaced in 2017, something just seemed to click. Her songs and the records sound blend so seamlessly. ‘It was a pretty natural thing’, ...
Jerry Leger
TakeRoot just announced its first names for 2019, featuring Brandi Carlile, Nikki Lane, Erin Rae, Caroline Spence and many others. In november 2018 I got to work with the lovely ...
Douglas Firs
Douglas Firs is a Belgian band that has been around creating great music for years now, but it was on their most recent record ‘Hinges Of Luck’ where they really ...
Hannah Epperson
There aren’t many feelings better than discovering new music and getting fully emerged in its beauty. When it happens, nothing else matters. Hannah Epperson’s ‘Slowdown’ did that for me. So, ...
Gregory Ackerman
Los Angeles-based songwriter Gregory Ackerman covered Jack Johnson and Neil Young for The Influences. ‘I’m inspired by anyone who is writing music that people can really connect to – music ...
Demi Knight & Ryan Joseph Burns
When Ryan Joseph Burns came to Utrecht from Glasgow earlier this year, I set up a meeting with the Dutch country singer Demi Knight. After a quick rehearsal, they recorded ...
Awkward I
Awkward I is one of The Netherlands’ finest songwriters around. He recorded this new session, including a mind-blowing cover of Judee Sill: ‘What I particularly love about her compositions is ...
Judy Blank
‘When I see The Wood Brothers play, I know: this is it. Seeing them makes it easier for me to not care about things. Fuck that shit, I’m doing what ...
Ryan Joseph Burns
Ryan Joseph Burns couldn’t believe his eyes, when we entered the Soesterduinen, a stunning nature reserve just East of Utrecht. It’s a surreal sight at first. As you’ll know by ...
Roald van Oosten
After sitting directly in front of him, focussing on filming him the best I know how to, I’m happy to report Roald van Oosten’s voice and songs still manage to ...
Christopher Paul Stelling
Christopher Paul Stelling has quickly become one of my very favourite folk singers from the last decade. The American already recorded a session for The Influences some years ago and ...
Kim Churchill
Meeting Churchill in Amsterdam, I saw a polite, very determined and self-assured musician, who knows what he wants and how he wants to get there. No shortcuts allowed. I like ...
Courtney Marie Andrews
I’ve been fascinated by Courtney Marie Andrews’ talent as a songwriter and a singer since the instant classic ‘Honest Life’. Now, with her equally daring and striking new record ‘May ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
Michaela Anne
Sometimes a voice simply forces me to keep listening. Luckily, combined with Michaela Anne’s songwriting that’s hardly an ordeal. Anthony D’Amato told me to check out her most recent record ...
Sessions, TakeRoot festival, USA
The Secret Sisters
If you’d asked Laura and Lydia Rogers some time ago, they’d have told you that there might never be a third The Secret Sisters album. They really didn’t know if ...
Fiskur & Ryan Joseph Burns cover The Milk Carton Kids
In late May this year, we organized mini festival Caledonia. Like A New International, fellow Glaswegians Ryan Joseph Burns and Fiskur got on a plane to play. As they already ...
Siv Jakobsen
”Jolene’ is such a stunning piece of music – the lyric is incredible and really draws me into the atmosphere of the song. It makes me feel like I’m singing ...
I Won’t Back Down
‘I’d always been a fan of Tom Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’, but with a professional bully in the Oval Office, the urgency of those verse lyrics hit me harder ...
Gregory Page
Gregory Page recently released his new record ‘So It Goes’ and it’s as charming as its creator. “Please make me look like Clooney”, was all he asked after recording covers ...
Alasdair Roberts
Last November, I had a short visit in Glasgow to film with Doghouse Roses and asked Alasdair Roberts if we could meet up the following morning and film a couple ...
Brooke Sharkey
Last month Brooke Sharkey and I met in Amsterdam and filmed a couple of songs at the Backstage Hotel. She treated us to beautiful covers of Tom Waits and Lhasa ...
Doghouse Roses
Last November, I was invited by the Scottish alt-folk duo Doghouse Roses to attend the launch of their third record Lost Is Not Losing in Glasgow and to film a ...
Tangarine
I remember seeing Tangarine play in the finals of the Grote Prijs van Nederland in 2010, along with Case Mayfield. I remember thinking the wrong person won, but most of ...
Onder Invloed sessions in 2016
As almost every year since the start of Onder Invloed (The Influences) in 2008, last year has often managed to surprise me. After many sessions I found myself listening to ...
Paul Tasker
There aren’t many better folk guitarists around than Paul Tasker, however subjective such a statement might be. He’s often compared to his great hero and influence Bert Jansch or named ...
Robert Ellis
In June of this year, Robert Ellis released his latest, self-titled record on New West Records and I found myself listening to it over and over. The singer from Texas ...
Jenny Berkel
Jenny Berkel’s got one of these voices that you’ll end up recognizing instantly and there’s a timeless quality to her songs that often have poetic lyrics and original instrumentation. Listening ...
Paul Tasker
Paul Tasker has been one of my favourite guitar players for a good amount of years and still manages to surprise me whenever I hear him play. Earlier this year ...
Chatham County Line
The great thing about Chatham County Line is that they combine the typical bluegrass sound with a more traditional element and an impeccable songwriting talent. Everything about this band just ...
Kacy & Clayton
It’s hard not to think of Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention when listening to Kacy Lee Anderson’s voice, but luckily there’s a lot more to Kacy & Clayton than just ...
Cale Tyson
Born and raised in Texas, but now a resident of Nashville, it is no surprise Cale Tyson sings country songs. But, he does it very very well.
Son Little
Aaron Livingston can hear the different places he’s lived in his songs and he doesn’t shy away from political topics, although written from his personal perspective. The LP has very ...
Small Houses
It’s a small crime that nowhere near enough people know Small Houses’ latest LP ‘Still Talk; Second City’ yet. Nowhere near enough people are enjoying this record by Jeremy Quentin ...
Yori Swart
About four or five years ago I was a judge for one of The Netherland’s biggest alternative music competition ‘De Grote Prijs van Nederland’, in the singer songwriter category. One ...
Lori Lieberman
Back in 2010 I met Lori Lieberman for the first time, in Amsterdam where we filmed her first session for this site. Five years later I invited her back for ...
A New International – Sammy (Ramses Shaffy)
It was a rainy night in Glasgow when I hijacked Biff Smith’s computer to play him some Dutch songs. Knowing the A New International singer’s love for French music, I ...
Ryan O’Reilly
Ryan O’Reilly covered Lissie and Loudon Wainwright III for The Influences in this session, filmed before his show in Amsterdam.
The Young Folk
Early in 2015 I met The Young Folk from Dublin and filmed a session with them in Amsterdam. Later in the year we got to hang out a couple more ...
Demi Knight
Although still only 19 years old, Demi Knight says she has discovered her own style and sound. The country singer from Tiel – who in everyday life listens to the ...
Phil Cook
Early in 2014 I filmed a session with Michael Taylor a.k.a. Hiss Golden Messenger, because I had become addicted to his records. Learning more about his music, I found out ...
Bertolf
In November it’ll be four years since I joined Bertolf Lentink in Carpentras in the south of France where he recorded his third, self-titled record. Filming and witnessing that process ...
GFJF
I remember seeing Tenement Kids perform live on Dutch television some years ago and playing their self-titled record the morning after. I remember liking it and listening to it a ...
Small Houses
Ever since Jeremy Quentin, aka Small Houses, recorded his session for Onder Invloed two years ago, I’ve become a frequent listener of his music. Just about anything he’s released is ...
The Young Folk
The first person to introduce me to the Irish band The Young Folk was Davie Lawson, who you might know of one of his hundred sessions for Onder Invloed. Not ...
Nana Adjoa
Nana Adjoa is a young musician who’s played bass in quite an impressive collection of bands already, one of the latest being Janne Schra. It wasn’t until last year though, ...
Grasnapolsky, Live, Sessions, USA
Stephen Steinbrink
When I was talking to Grasnapolsky promoter Jelte Heringa about filming sessions during the festival, the first act on his line up he talked about was Stephen Steinbrink. I didn’t ...
Love Like Birds
When Elke De Mey confirmed to record a session for Onder Invloed at Grasnapolsky, I was really pleased. The Love Like Birds’ EP from 2011 had impressed me a lot, ...
No Ninja Am I
Back in 2010 Onder Invloed hosted a stage at the first ever edition of the Grasnapolsky festival in Bunnik. Since then, the festival has exploded into a way bigger version ...
Peter Broderick
It’s hard to keep up with the productivity of Peter Broderick, who’s released over fifteen records, EP’s and cassettes in about seven years, one of them being a website that’s ...
My Bubba
My bubba is another one of those acts that I’ve seen and read about for a couple of years, and when I heard their latest records Goes Abroader, it was ...
Courtney Marie Andrews
Whenever musicians that I like announce shows in The Netherlands, I tend to keep an eye on who their support act will be. Especially when they’re bringing someone with them ...
Alasdair Roberts
It’s taking me crazy long to edit all these wonderful sessions some of Glasgow’s finest musicians performed during our The Influences night at The Glad Cafe in November 2013. But ...
The Wood Brothers
‘When I die, I wanna be sent back to try, try again.’ (From: Neon Tombstone) It’s one of many beautiful sentences in the lyrics by Nashville-based group The Wood Brothers, ...
Blue Grass Boogiemen
The first time Blue Grass Boogiemen and I spoke about filming a session must have been about four or five years ago. Somehow it didn’t happen earlier than late 2013. ...
Jay Nash
Back in 2010 I filmed a session with three American songwriters; Joey Ryan, Jeff Klein and Jay Nash. In September 2013 Nash was touring again in The Netherlands and we ...
Bent van Looy
In the last four months of 2013 I saw Bent van Looy perform live three times: at Into The Great Wide Open at Vlieland, in Tivoli’s Spiegelbar and at EKKO, ...
William Tyler
If you don’t know the Dutch booking agency Belmont Bookings, you should check their roster, because it’s an overload of great acts to go and discover. One of them is ...
Small Houses
If I’m honest, I didn’t know anything about Jeremy Quentin, a.k.a. Small Houses, until I received an email and started listening to his songs. Usually I’ll have been following musicians ...
Kevn Kinney
In 2012, Tim Knol toured in the United States, together with the American songwriter Kevn Kinney of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ fame. Earlier this year Knol founded his own record label ...
Basia Bulat
On the promotion tour for her third record Tall Tall Shadow, out now on Secret City Records, Canadian songwriter Basia Bulat made some time to record a session in Amsterdam. ...
Three Blind Wolves
Last Thursday, Three Blind Wolves played a truly great show at Tivoli in Utrecht. It was their first show in Utrecht that I had nothing to do with, which was ...
Lukas Batteau
I met this guy at a local radio station where he played some songs. It was his voice I liked. And so, a couple of weeks later Lukas Batteau recorded ...
Dead Fingers
If I’m completely honest, I didn’t know Alabama duo Dead Fingers for long when I heard they were going to be touring in The Netherlands this Spring. I knew enough ...
Tim Knol
It was in May 2008 that I saw Tim Knol perform live for the very first time. It was at EKKO in Utrecht, where I talked to him earlier that ...
Rachel Sermanni
Rachel Sermanni‘s music has been in my favorites ever since a friend from Glasgow played me one of her songs. From that moment on, I’ve been meaning to organize a ...
Peter Katz – Dear
After his session in the autumn of 2012, Peter Katz also played one of his own songs, called ‘Dear’. When you’ve watched this video, make sure you check his covers ...
Theo Sieben – Late Will I Know You
I’ve posted many times before about Theo Sieben and how good his songs are. He was one of the musicians on the second Traditionals album and both his session and ...
Awkward I – ‘The Unknown Character’
Awkward I is currently touring in Indonesia with his band and Tim Knol’s drummer Kees Schaper. Why not. While they’re enjoying the sun, we’re freezing in snow and ice. But ...
Peter Katz
Over the last few years, I’ve attended every official Onder Invloed show there ever was, except for one in Amsterdam. I was sick as a dog and I was supposed ...
Kim Janssen – Drift
This weekend, Kim Janssen played his last Dutch shows of this year. We had the pleasure of having him and his band play the Onder Invloed night at De Spot ...
Davie Lawson at the beach
It’s almost two months ago already, but I still have some unpublished footage shot at Into The Great Wide Open lying around, gathering dust. So before I start to sneeze, ...
Bertolf – Wall
In November 2011, I flew to the South of France to film the recordings of Bertolf‘s third album in a town called Carpentras. Just outside of the studio there was ...
Jeroen Kant
For the second time in the history of this website, I believe, there’s a session sung in Dutch. International readers, don’t go anywhere, I bet you can enjoy the session ...
Mathijs Leeuwis
The first time I met Mathijs Leeuwis, he was as drunk as David Hasselhoff on an average Tuesday. Hours before, Leeuwis won the public’s prize at ‘De Grote Prijs van ...
Ro Halfhide – Rather Be A Sinner Than A Priest (Davie Lawson)
Every now and then, I’ll have a look back in the ever growing archives of Onder Invloed. There are a lot of tapes and external harddrives that contain not only ...
Ryan Joseph Burns
It would seem you don’t need an introduction to Ryan Joseph Burns anymore on this website. He’s been featured a lot of times, not without reason though. In March this ...
Solo live at U ROCK Cafe
In the first three years of Onder Invloed I’ve filmed a lot. I mean… A LOT. Seen as I also have to sleep sometimes, I didn’t have the time to ...
Larry Guild
Whenever I go to Glasgow, I get to stay at Paul Tasker and Iona MacDonald’s flat, right on the edge of the city centre. Paul and Iona (Doghouse Roses) had ...
Best Of, Grasnapolsky, Live, News, Scotland
Best of Onder Invloed in 2010
I can’t do it. The idea was to make a Top 12, just like in 2009. I just can’t do it, I’m sorry. These thirteen videos all make me want ...
Lori Lieberman
Once upon a night, Lori Lieberman saw Don McLean play live and wrote the poem ‘Killing Me Softly’. The rest is history. But if you think that’s all to it, ...