‘Not only Tralala’, Rowwen Hèze is in the Top 900 ten times

“That is nice to hear,” laughs singer Jack Poels. We meet him and accordionist Trent van Enckevort in their rehearsal room in America. “It is a confirmation that our music is still alive.” Not that Rowwen needs confirmation. For decades they have turned festival tents, concert halls and theaters upside down.

“We may prefer to perform in Brabant,” says Van Enckevort. After Limburg, Brabant was one of the provinces where the band was closed by the public from the start. “The Limburger has withdrawn a bit more. If we played in Brabant, the fence was off the dam. So nice!”

‘Not just Tralala’
Because the songs are sung in Limburg, not everyone goes every word in it. But according to the band, that doesn’t matter at all. “It’s about feeling. I don’t understand Eros Ramazotti either, but I understand his feeling,” explains Tren van Enckevort. Frontman Jack Poels adds: “The Netherlands is actually one large village. That village mentality, those expressions. That is universal.”

Everywhere they go, the texts are sung. “That remains a nice feeling, you do it for that,” Van Enckevort beams. Then Jack Poels laughs hard: “You often hear differences in sound. Matter of patience with a ‘hard g’ for example. You will hear the typical things of every province back.”

‘Set your signature’
In addition to the big party repertoire, the band has also recorded a lot of sensitive music on record. You could call it bittersweet. “It is not just Tralala and Hupsakee in life. There is also the other side and we have always cherished it,” Poels explains.

The sound of the band is not easy to put into words. “There are Irish, Balkans, Austrian influences. But everywhere that Limburg sauce is over. The fanfary music and the voice of Jack. Only we can do that.”