Burma Shave

about

In April 1984 Burma Shave first came together. No one could have thought then that more than twenty years later the band would still exist. Its name was chosen from a song of Tom Waits and based at The Hague (the Netherlands), Remco Prins (guitar, vocals), Paul Martin (lead vocals), Niels Göbel (guitar), Michiel de Vos (bass) and Lennart Bess (drums) played their first gig in November of that year. At that time, their music was clearly influenced by new wave and early-eighties pop. In between many gigs and festivals in the Netherlands, in 1990 Burma Shave first played international at the Down By The Laituri festival in the Finnish town of Turku. This first stay in Finland resulted in close contacts with the drummer of Urban Dance Squad: Michel Schoots (Magic Stick). In the Summer of 1991, he produced Burma Shave's first album, recorded at the Orkater Studio in Amsterdam. By then, their style of music had already changed a great deal. Over the years it had grown into a mix of rock, funk, blues and rap, with a leading role for double lead vocals, groovy rhythms and an odd combination of guitar styles. 1991 was also the year that Burma Shave went back to Finland to perform at the Nummi Rock and Ilosaari Rock festivals. This and the growing enthusiasm for the band in the Netherlands led to their first recording contract with the independent label Top Hole Records. The untitled debut of Burma Shave appeared in the Spring of 1992. With the release of the single 'Hippies', Belgium