The Dutch band known as The Willards selected their unusual name by adding a hint of humor as well as interesting observation.
Mandolin player Jeroen Jongsma explains.
“It’s a wink to A) our dear friend Willard, although he is not in the band, B) to the Dillards, and C) to an obscure accordion trio from Rotterdam in the ’30s. Most importantly, it seemed the name would still be nice when the fun and pun wear out.”
The band, which also includes Jesca Oosterwoud (bass, vocals), Peter Reintjes (guitar, vocals), Niels Krijger (banjo), and Paul Lindenauer (fiddle), come from the northern part of the Netherlands, except for Lindenaur, who hails from Cologne in Germany.
“We are proud to be part of the current small wave with new bands up here in the Netherlands — King Springs Road, Chop ‘n Roll, The New West, and Johanna’s Mountain Boys,” Jongsma continued. “They are all inspiring musical friends. We began our band in 2023 and were lucky to effortlessly have a successful startup with several smaller and fun gigs in our home area, along with festivals in Belgium (Tapfest), Germany (Greven, Düsseldorf), and the Netherlands (Enkhuizen). Bluegrass Denmark had us play in Copenhagen for their warm bluegrass audience.”
Nevertheless, the band was spawned from humble beginnings. “We started between the tents at the festivals where we liked to hang out and jam,” Jongsma continued. “Our repertoire and sound originated there too. We like songs that are just a little less basic than the well-known bluegrass standards. And we hope to bring the spontaneous fun and energy of singing and playing together from the campground to the stage.”
That said, Jongsma noted that the band have yet to find the time to work on a new repertoire, and also to promote themselves effectively. “We desperately need a representative video that does justice to us, but we should have that accomplished this autumn,” he continued. “We plan to go to La Roche in France, but simply as visitors. Hopefully we can get an invitation to perform on its stage next year.”
For the moment, The Willards are focusing on performing cover material exclusively. While some of the band members do write original songs, Jongsma said that they find it more fun to ply interesting and unusual covers from a wide variety of outside sources, whether it’s from older or newer outfits, popular bands, or more obscure artists.
“We like classic bluegrass like Flatt & Scruggs and Stanley Brothers,” Jongsma added. “We also like the heartfelt bluegrass from artists like Bob Paisley and James King. Plus, we like the folksy bluegrass that the Country Gentlemen made early on, plus the music of the Hillmen, the sounds of Kentucky Thunder, and that of early Quicksilver. We also enjoy the new stuff by Mighty Poplar and Sierra Ferrell. As is typical for The Willards, in our two set show, we play five sad waltzes and only one instrumental.”
Jongsma said the group has been pleasantly surprised by the warm responses that they’ve receive from their audiences. “We feel we succeed in sharing the musical fun,” he said. “We present our music and present ourselves in an approachable way that bluegrass audiences seem to always appreciate. We hope to inspire people to pick up their instruments and to practice and to sing and play good, real music. We would love to see people spend long nights together making music, spend less time talking and drinking, and instead invest more time in more serious fun.”
