Spinvis

Erik de Jong (Spijkenisse, February 2, 1961) is the mastermind behind Spinvis. Once a student of composition at the conservatory of Amsterdam, De Jong debuted in 2002 with Spinvis, a collection of songs he had composed behind the computer in his attic. The music could be described as lo-fi singer/songwriter/sample music, or as cut up mini film stories disguised as pop songs. De Jong's success story was an unlikely one. He was already in his forties when he debuted as a pop artist. Rumor has it that he had sent out his demo tape to a major label, BMG, and a smaller one, Excelsior, and was rejected by both. Only when a staff member of the latter put on his demo during a company party did the odds begin to turn. Label director Ferry Roosenboom became an enthusiast and signed De Jong, whose self-titled debut album released in 2002 became a massive success, surprising critics, music industry people and De Jong himself. As a teenager De Jong had played a variety of instruments in different bands. Consequently, he played all of the instruments on the Spinvis album himself. When Spinvis became a hit, however, he got together a touring band of top-notch session players (including his father, Walter De Jong, on guitar) and appeared at the Crossing Border Festival. A short string of live shows in the spring of 2003 turned out to be a great success. A few of these live tracks can be heard on Nieuwegein Aan Zee, released in 2003. In 2004, De Jong won the Annie M.G. Schmidt award, a prestigious award for the best theater song of the year, with "Voor Ik Vergeet," in the performance of Lenette van Dongen. He also wrote the title song to "Theo van Gogh"'s TV series Medea, and completed a radio play titled Het Hoofd Van Ferdinand Cheval. In the spring of 2005, Spinvis toured Dutch...