DARYLL-ANN

'Daryll-Ann' was a Dutch rock band stemming from Ermelo, a small rural village in the east of the Netherlands. Between 1992 and 2004 the band released six studio albums, plus one live album. Daryll-Ann was the first signing of Dutch label Excelsior Recordings. Their album Weeps stands as one of the strongest offerings of the Dutch music scene.

Contents

History

Early days (1988-1991)

''Renko'' (1992)

Hut Records (1993-1995)

Excelsior Recordings (1996-2004)

Post Daryll-Ann

Band Members

Discography

Studio albums

History

Early days (1988-1991)

In the summer break of 1988 four high school students decide to form a band. They are Jelle and Coen Paulusma, Jeroen Vos and Frank van der Bij. Before long Anne Soldaat joins the fold and rounds out the line-up. They take on the name Daryll-Ann, based on a character that appeared in American television show Hill Street Blues. At this stage the band draws its influences from punk records and songs by The Cure.
After the band members graduate from high school they separately move to respectively Utrecht and Amsterdam to continue their studies. Still the band manages to record a first EP on the small Kelt label. It is received well by various music reviewers.

''Renko'' (1992)

In 1992 the band plays at the ''Noorderslag'' festival in Groningen, an important showcase for new talent. Later that year their debut album ''Renko'' sees the light of day, it is released on the ''Solid'' label. Just as the band name, the album’s name is based on a Hill Street Blues character

Hut Records (1993-1995)

A representative of Hut Records gets a hold of a Daryll-Ann demo and communicates that the label is interested in signing the band. But the label, a sublabel of Virgin Records, faces objection from Solid, with whom the band was still under contract. After a lengthy dispute an agreement is reached and Daryll-Ann signs to Hut Records.
The first fruit of this new partnership is the EP ''I Could Never Love You''. This EP marks the first time that drummer Jeroen Kleijn records with the band. In 1994 ''I Could Never Love You'' is released in both the Netherlands and in the UK. The British press is very enthusiastic about the EP and ''Melody Maker'' even proclaims it single of the week.
Daryll-Ann plays the two biggest festivals in the Netherlands ''Pinkpop'' and ''Lowlands''. The band also plays a multitude of shows in the UK, including concerts with ''The Smashing Pumpkins'', ''The Verve'' and ''Cracker''.
Hut Records, convinced of the band’s potential, budgets 50 thousand euro for the recording of the band’s album. The band records in ''Studio Sound Enterprise'', with Frans Hagenaars as producer. When the CD ''Seaborne West'' is released in 1995 it receives raving reviews from both the Dutch and the British press. Melody Maker once again declares a ''Daryll-Ann'' song ‘single of the week’, this time around it is ''Stay''. The band undertakes an extensive European tour with ''Bettie Serveert''. In August ''Seaborne West'' also gets a US release. Eventhough press reviews are positive, CD sales disappoint. This combined with the fact that Hut Records was in serious financial trouble caused for a discontinuation of the band’s contract.

Excelsior Recordings (1996-2004)

The band does not have to wait for a new record label for long, as manager Ferry Roseboom and producer Frans Hagenaars decide to form Excelsior Recordings in 1996. Daryll-Ann is one of the first bands to record for the label. Under the guidance of producer Hagenaars the band creates the ''Weeps'' album. This record too receives very positive reviews but it fails to sell. Much to the dissappointment of the band members. In August ''Daryll-Ann'' plays at the ''Lowlands'' festival for a second time.
After a hiatus the band returns for the Marlboro Flashback Tour in 1998. A special tour where Daryll-Ann covers a set of Byrds songs. The band initiates recording their next album ''Happy Traum''. Produced by Hagenaars once more, the album is released in 1999. Positive reviews follow, but a breakthrough still does not become a reality.
In 2000 the band submits a track to the album ''Trillend Op Mijn Benen'', a tribute to popular Dutch band ''Doe Maar''. Next to that the live album ''DA Live'' is released, a retrospective of ten years of Daryll-Ann. Bass player Jeroen Vos takes this occasion to bid his farewells, he is replaced by Dick Brouwers.
The next album ''Trailer Tales'' takes a little more time to come around. By this time Jelle Paulusma has taken the responsibility of group leader. He records a large portion of the songs by himself and most of the tracks on the album are written by him. The album is named ''Trailer Tales'' as Paulusma composed most of the songs for the album in a secluded trailer caravan. When the album is released in 2002 it is seen as a departure from previous releases, nonetheless its quality is praised by the press. There is a lot of media attention, but the sales numbers are not as high as hoped.
Late 2003 the band hires J.B. Meijers as the producer for their next studio album. Next to producing Meijers also assists in songwriting, arranging and engineering. On February 16, 2004 the album ''Don’t Stop'' is released. As opposed to ''Trailer Tales'' this album sounds like a true band album again. An extensive tour follows, but on May 26 2004 the band decides to call it a day and quits. No specific reason is given. All remaining concert dates are cancelled.

Post Daryll-Ann

Until 2006 the band members lay low. Jelle Paulusma is the first to break the silence and releases his first solo album under the moniker ''Paulusma''. Anne Soldaat in the mean time assists in producing ''GEM''’s second album. Next to that he also works on his new band ''Do-The-Undo'', in which he is joined by Daryll-Ann bass player Dick Brouwers. Jeroen Kleijn drums on the album ''THX JHN'' by labelmates ''Johan''.

Band Members

★ Jelle Paulusma - Vocals, guitar, keyboards

★ Anne Soldaat – Guitar, vocals

★ Coen Paulusma - Vocals (1988-1993, 1996-2004)

★ Jeroen Vos – Bass guitar (1988-2001)

★ Dick Brouwers – Bass guitar (2001-2004)

★ Frank van der Bij - Drums (1988-1993)

★ Jeroen Kleijn - Drums (1993-2004)

Discography

Studio albums