Johan (band)
| Johan | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1996–2009 |
| Labels | Excelsior Recordings |
| Website | Official website |
| Members |
Maarten Kooijman Diets Dijkstra Jeroen Kleijn |
Johan was a Dutch band fronted by singer/guitarist Jacco de Greeuw. Their music has been primarily influenced by bands such as The Beatles, Crowded House, and The Byrds.
Jacco de Greeuw founded Thank God For Us in the late eighties, after having played in several other bands. The band was renamed Little Mary Big when joined by Marike Groot. With this band, he reached second place at the Grote Prijs van Nederland, an important music competition in the Netherlands. However, arguments with female vocalist Marike Groot (who later appeared on Always..., the debut album of The Gathering), forced them to break up the band. De Greeuw formed a new band named Visions of Johanna after a Bob Dylan song. In 1992 they competed once again in the Grote Prijs competition, reaching the semi-finals this time.
After some changes in the line-up, the band signed a contract with Excelsior Recordings in 1995 and released a single (Swing). One year later, in 1996, the band’s name was shortened to Johan. Under this name the band released a self-titled debut album. The album was received well by Dutch critics and became a commercial success.
SpinART Records signed the band for the US region. When legendary record executive Seymour Stein heard the band’s music he became interested, and travelled to the Netherlands to see the band play. Impressed, he licensed the record from SpinART in order to release it on Sire Records. Subsequently the band toured Stateside with Sloan, but then all went awry. For inexplicable reasons Sire pulled out of the deal and failed to give the album a proper release.
The band planned to record its second release in 1998, but De Greeuw’s clinical depression took its toll. Three more years would pass before Pergola was released, in 2001. The album received rave reviews and got a lot of airplay on national radio stations. That summer Johan featured on the Pinkpop festival. The following year the band even received the Dutch Edison award for Best National Pop Group.
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