High above the trees, the towers of beautiful old churches stand out on the horizon in the north. This also applies to the desolate Frisian landscape. Many mounds are crowned by a medieval place of worship and these characteristic churches are a great source of inspiration for many.
This also applies to Meppel musician Timo de Jong. His new album will be released this spring in collaboration with the Alde Fryske Tsjerken Foundation and the Popfabryk: Kingdom of Mine. An ode to the old Frisian churches.
“I have been living in Friesland for the past six years and Friesland has the highest church density in Europe,” says De Jong. Recently he visited a number of the eight hundred churches there to gain inspiration. “Based on those visits, I wrote eight songs. I recorded them and they are now being released.” However, listeners should not expect heavily edifying songs. “It’s not as if I suddenly wrote songs about all kinds of apostles or something,” says De Jong.
Although, one of the songs does have something to do with that. In the village of Katlijk near Heerenveen is the Thomas Church, dedicated to the Apostle Thomas. The church bell hangs in a bell chair next to the church. “The last ten days of the year they have the Sint-Thomasluiden there,” says De Meppeler. “And then they have a kind of parade through Katlijk and then you can ring the bell and that is traditionally to chase away evil spirits.” He believes that chasing away ghosts works. “I haven’t seen them, so it works like a charm,” he jokes. Folklore inspired him for the Tom Waits-like song Ring them Bells.
Timo de Jong went from Meppel to Friesland, and now lives in Groningen. “I am really a child of the North,” he says. He sings about his love for the region in the song Kingdom of Minewhich will also be released on the new album at the end of April.