The Strikes

The blues had a baby and they named it rock ‘n’ roll’, blues legend Muddy Waters once said. Damn right! And Holland’s the Strikes got the message.

Now here’s a young blues band that rawks like hell. This is blues the hard way. Forget about those blues bands providing thin imitations of their heroes. This is hardcore. Like the infamous Red Devils and their heirs Thirteen in the early ‘90s did, this is blues ‘you can fight too’. These streetwise kids rock da house like the Paladins or the T-Birds in their heyday.

You can’t recognise a good band by its music only. Oh no, the band picture should give it away too. Every picture tells it’s story. Right? Well, singer Big Pete fully lives up to his name. You better hide in an alley if you don’t want to be blown out off your boots by his harmonica. Wearing his Ramones T-shirt, guitarist Jimmy Stringbreaker, looks like a carefree punk rocker. Casually smoking his fag, bassist Spools is a dude with a ‘don’t mess with me’ cool. If you don’t want a bruisin’ while you’re cruisin’, then stand clear of drummer Jody ‘the hitter’.

Is it possible to condense so much attitude and stage presence on an album? Oh, hell yes, it is. Listen to their debut CD “Bathroom Acoustics”, which will hit you like a steamin’ hot shower. Or stone cold, if you prefer. Whereas most contemporaries fail to transform their live act to the silver disc, these rookies have succeeded hands down. With frightening authority they play Buddy Guy and Arthur Crudup songs alongside self-penned originals. 

Around the time of the release of their debut, they already played at Holland’s biggest blues festival, the renowned Moulin Blues Festival in 2004, sharing the bill with the likes of The Imperial Crowns, Junior Watson, Eddie"The Chief"Clearwater and Kenny Brown among others.

Unfortunately in 2006 the band split up due to musical differences.

Album
Bathroom Acoustics (Cool Buzz, 2004, CLBZ 17)