Soothsayer Orchestra
Soothsayer Orchestra
Born in the early '80s in a small town in the south of The Netherlands, Pieter Hendriks was at a young age introduced to play instruments by his parents. Their large record collection, got him hooked on a wide range of music . Early '90s the big city called and introduced Pieter to new music and horizons. At the age of 15, he started touring in various punk and hardcore bands across the globe. Long drives in shitty vans to play in squats in faraway countries was a reality check and shaped character. Years of touring the world were followed by a move to Eindhoven that culminated in 2015 in setting up a home studio. Here he started recording songs by himself. Pieter is a musical solitudinarian who has enough gumption to leave the commonplace behind and only take with him what can enrich his music and performance. There is a certain weight of tragedy in his music. His gravelly voice possesses sometimes an uneasy moodiness that reflects doom and despair. It immerses you in the dark side of life. Then, amidst this darkness Soothsayer compositions shift to new found hope. Warm and flowing, creating a longing, yet bold mood. Especially in a live performance, with the backing of a band who got their routine down, Pieter Hendriks' songs come to peak dramatically. For self titled debut album, most lyrics and song ideas were written in an old caravan in the middle of the dark forest of the Eifel in Germany. Pieter isolated himself there without a phone and TV. Just loneliness and silence to focus on his music. All these roads resulted in this self titled Soothsayer Orchestra debut album, released by Lay Bare Recordings. Dark Americana, folk noir and apocalyptic blues for fans of Wovenhand, Mark Lanegan and Nick Cave. Limited to 250 copies.