Joost Dijkema. Pronounced "Yowst Dykuh-ma". 

The dutchman saw the light of day in 1989. Although originally a drummer, he picked up the guitar when a teenager and it quickly became his main focus. After hearing Leo Kottke's 1969 album ´6- & 12-string guitar’ and Michael Chapman’s ‘Time Past And Time Passing’ he was determined to develop the fingerstyle guitar technique. From then on the guitar was his guide through some messy years. The introspective aftermath resulted in his first solo guitar record ‘Sacred Revelations’ (LP/CD/Digital) in 2016 on the local record label Twin Dimension Records. Playing 6- and 12-string guitars with a spontaneous approach to composing, ‘Sacred Revelations’ was an artistic reflection on the ‘wasted years’ and his personal redemption. Long, deep instrumentals like ‘The Sun Behind The Mountain’, ‘Heathland Home’, ‘Both Sides Have Two Sides’ and ‘Cutting Loose’ go hand in hand with heartbreaking ballads with vocals like the title cut, ‘Gold Wing’ and ‘To Be Here No More’. The record received some rave reviews locally, nationally and internationally. (See Reviews)

 

The colourful follow-up 'Time Thief' (2019) expands the horizon of Dijkema’s music with meandering and intense guitar explorations on acoustic (6- and 12- string) and electric guitar, mutated bluegrass and lazy yet lingering folk-rock. On 'Time Thief' Dijkema explores the concept of time in regard to (sudden) loss, failure, anxiety, corrupted memories, love, strength, and the hope and insecurities relating to the near future. Again, Dijkema’s mesmerizing guitar playing – lively, transcendental and sometimes slightly rushed - and melodies are staggering.

In the beginning of 2023 his third solo album 'After Thunder Sun' will be released including 10 creative various songs. 

 

Besides his solo records Dijkema collaborated with dialect singer-songwriter Bert Hadders on the full length ‘Kokeleko’ (2019). Dijkema and Hadders also provided the atmospheric and haunting soundtrack for ‘De Poolse Bruid’, a play by TgECHO and Noord Nederlands Toneel (NNT) based on a movie with the same name. The play was staged in a monumental farm in Onderdendam from 2019 to 2022. Since 2011 his other musical output is Reverse Cowgirls (with Michiel Hoving and Harry Kingma).

A band playing country rock/bluegrass/swamprock with footdrums, guitars, banjo and upright bass.