Sonic Bazar is the name of the band of Ria Roerdink and Jan Hoenselaar. They met about 10 years ago. Ria is a visual artist and poet, Jan is an avid soccerplayer and musician. Both are looking for ways to create something new from their different backgrounds. Ria wants to sing, Jan wants to write lyrics. This results in a long-term collaboration that they call ‘Poetry Songs’.
It starts with an exhibition of Ria in Wim de Natris Gallery in Nijmegen.
Initially, Jan only plays guitar to accompany the poetry texts, and Ria moves into the field of spoken word.
After a few years and many performances later, this form begins to feel restrictive, too static. They seek new space to develop voice, text and music. Freer, more adventurous.
From the beginning on they are interested in sounds; sounds of spaces, sounds of materials, of iron balls rolling over the wall, of egg shells, of huge pan covers, of whistles and drums, organ pipes, together with ‘regular’ instruments. Being an artist Ria starts to make ‘instruments’, soon joined by Jan; the instruments, like ‘The Percussion Trolley’, are used during performances.
From the very beginning, images, projections and films have been important in their music and have become part of performances.
They make also videos for specific songs, such as Highway North or The Devil, in collaboration with Anton Houtappels.
Until now, almost all the songs are written by Ria. To make the transition from poetry to lyrics is quite a journey. Ria and Jan complement each other working on the lyrics; Jan adding realistic elements and Ria abstract dimensions.
The most important thing in Sonic Bazar’s lyrics is the unexpected. Nothing is what it seems. The lyrics are characterized by a layering that evokes images that can be both disturbing and comforting.
Jan is playing almost all the instruments: guitar, bass guitar, cigarbox, synthesizer, keyboard, harmonica, accordion, sounds, percussion.He is using his instruments in a very unconventional way, always improvising to the limit.
Ria is using sounds from covers and whistles, iron balls, and organ pipes, drums and percussion.
Ria is developing her voice, moving from Spoken word towards singing; it’s an exciting process to find the balance between melody and rhythm in which the voice does not become locked into the song, into the music.
Sometimes Ria and Jan sing together. In recent years, Ria uses several different voices in recordings, like in Come Baby or Release the enemy.
For the past seven years they have been working intensively to create their first album. Writing, composing, playing and singing.
Recording, mixing and mastering is mostly done in collaboration with Anton Houtappels.
It is music that takes shape while improvising; engaging, challenging, surprising and elusive.
It’s an adventure in which their music continually reinvents itself.
Recently was the release of their first album:
‘WALK BAREFOOT OVER ROCKS AND BROKEN GLASS’
