A mixture of country, punk, bluegrass and everything laced with handy guitar runs and comic lyrics. Then you have Reverse Cowgirls. Jazzed up country, as the Cowgirls themselves say. “Most country is quite quiet and we are not that quiet,” singer, guitarist and drummer Michiel Hoving summarizes succinctly.
The two founders of the band are Hoving and none other than the born Rolden resident and guitar virtuoso Joost Dijkema, also a singer, drummer and guitarist in the band. Add double bassist Harry Kingma and the party is complete.
The special band name may need some explanation. For this one can consult the Kama Sutra. “Yes Joost, tell me,” Hoving laughs. “That’s actually very simple,” Dijkema explains to Hoving. “You came up with that when we had our first performance. We didn’t have a name yet and then suddenly Reverse Cowgirls was on the poster.” Hoving: “Because I thought we were going to play together once.”
The one-off performance has now resulted in an album and a thirteen-year collaboration. “Now we have to continue with that name, which we can no longer justify, because it is actually a lovemaking position,” Hoving explains the matter. Dijkema explains that all of Hoving’s previous band names (Sixtyniners, Saucyspoon, Bareback) are references to sex positions.
“It’s not a genre we play,” says Hoving. A musical click is not something that can be taken for granted, but it was there nonetheless. Both gentlemen are fans of rock ‘n’ roll and seventies country and even more genres that can be found in Reverse Cowgirls. “We both come from punk and rockabilly and if you put that combination together, you get us,” says Dijkema.
Drummers are difficult to find in the band business, Dijkema and Hoving also know that. Both drummers themselves, but now together as drummer in the band. A dismantled drum set is divided among the gentlemen and the drums and cymbals are operated during guitar playing and singing. “Everything suffers,” Hoving jokes.
But according to the musicians, it is not just that they play drums together. “The reason is because drummers always drink all the beer and run off with the girls.” The dismantled drum kit is operated entirely with the legs. “It also saves space in the car,” he jokes.
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