Dear readers, in this article we are pleased to offer you an interview with a Dutch power trio with a Stoner/Desert sound and a new album due out in February 2025. We welcome The Ditch.
Hi, it is a pleasure to have you among our pages, how are you?
Eric: “Iām doing fine. Thanks! Busy times, but mostly with the good kind of activities. š“
The band formed in the early 2010s, how did the project come about and what meaning does the name The Ditch have for you?
Eric: “Ditch came into existence in 2010 when I was talking to some friends about doing a one-off show filled with just Kyuss songs on this evening before a National Holiday called Queens Day at the time (we have a King nowadays). The evening before this day is filled with many live performances throughout our hometown, Den Haag. The show went fine,
and it tasted like more. Before we knew it we did several Kyuss cover shows. At some point we tried to come up with our own material and that sparked the writing of āBoca do Infernoā, our debut album. So, DITCH is a short word, easy to remember, and the name of a band thatās based on our friendship and our love for making music.“
Proposing a Desert/Stoner Rock sound, how did your passion for these sounds come about and what are your sources of inspiration in this regard?
Eric: “Come to think of it, I always liked Black Sabbath, but in the early 90ās someone put me onto the āBlues for the Red Sunā album by Kyuss. That caused quite a stir. Together with Monster Magnet (āSpine of Godā album and after). I always absorbed guitar orientated music, without being slowed down by genres, so the whole stoner rock scene crashed into my music collection like a ton of bricks. Hahaha. Iām just a sucker for heavy, down-tuned guitars and the whole groove thing. The collection keeps growing and growing as well. I gather inspiration from catchy riffs unconsciously.“
Your new album āThe Travelerā was released on February 14, 2025, how would you describe this work?
Eric: “‘The Traveler’ is a collection of songs that have been written at several staged since ‘Boca do Inferno’ was released. Some are dating back to 2014, some to 2017 and some to 2019. It became a diverse and dynamic set of songs, with a lot of heavy, fuzzy guitars, thundering drums and roaring bass. But also with some spacey passages and more laidback segments. I always preferred albums where the listener gets guided to several corners of the room, with different beats, grooves, beautiful parts, rocking riffsā¦ I want to be entertained! And I think we managed to bring an exciting set of songs. There are parts that are different, and there are parts that link back to the stoner rock legends from the 90ās; even back to Sabbath.“
A granitic and elaborate sound, how does the creative process of your music take place?
Eric: “After I have listened to some stoner rock albums I might get really enthused to play some guitar, and before I know it I have several riffs which could become a new DITCH song. With the techniques at our disposal these days I record a demo with midi-drums and send it to the other guys for a first impression. Then we try it in our rehearsal room. Alex, our drummer, and Douwe, our bass player, do their thing and make it their own. After that itās just a matter of fine-tuning, writing lyrics and coming up with a vocal line. It sounds so simple, but itās all a thing of mojo. We donāt do stuff by any rules or tricks. Itās a natural process. One we donāt spend a conscious thought to. It just happens.“
An interweaving of instrumental sections and vocal parts, what themes do the lyrics deal with?
Eric: “The lyrics are written by both Douwe and by myself. We donāt have a pre-cut format or set subjects. We just write down what we feel like. Simple things, typical stoner rock things, but also the pandemic, or traveling through space, never to come back. š And yes, Star Wars.“
Your sound is enriched with modulations and effects, what equipment did you use to make the album?
Eric: “For the guitars I used the high gain stage of my Peavey 6505+ amplifier. The effect pedals used were Chorus, Phaser, Reverb, Pitch Shifter, and Delay. The guitars used are a Ibanez Les Paul (1976), a Fender Blacktop Telecaster, and a Mayones Regius Custom. The first 2 guitars are tuned in C Standard.“
A sound that lends itself to live performances, do you have plans for this in the near future?
Eric: “We are up to play as many shows as possible, anywhere thatās possible. But itās a hard task to get shows overhere in The Netherlands these days. Thereās an overkill of bands looking for shows and the amount of emails sent to venues has gotten so much that they canāt really handle it anymore. Bands drown in the ocean of offers to play. To get
noticed is hard. We hope that this album will stir it up for DITCH a bit more and that we can play more shows than before. We are in talks with some venues and some festivals, so there is more to come. In 2 weeks we play a festival show in Mechelen (Belgium).“
Do you have any anecdotes or memories in particular that you would like to tell us about your live experiences?
Eric: “Iāve been playing in several bands throughout the last 30 years, some with more popularity than others. With the band Stream of Passion I had the chance to play in far away places like Atlanta, Mexico City, Moscow, Tel-Aviv and a lot of places throughout Europe. But I always really understood that I was lucky to be able to do those things. A lot of other musicians would have loved to do those things but never got the chance to. It didnāt make me any money, but it didnāt cost me that much either. And I gained a lot of memories doing it. Iām forever grateful for that.“
The underground heavy scene is full of festivals and events, how important is it to keep these things alive?
Eric: “Itās really important! But we need people to show up. Music fans need to go out to
see local bands. They need all the support they can get. Those local bands are the future
of your favourite music scene. All these events and festivals are created for the love of
music. Nobody is getting rich from this. But when people stop showing up, the festivals
and events will die out. And we all donāt want that to happenā¦“
The Netherlands is a country that has produced some very interesting artists in the rock scene and beyond, how do you see the music scene nowadays?
Eric: “Despite some people claiming ārock is deadā I do see a lot of young bands trying to claim their spot in the scene. A very good thing to see. Guitar-based music might have gone more underground, but itās still quite popular with the kids. I started when I was 16 and it dominated my lifeā¦ in a positive way. I hope that continues for the next generations. Things did change though. Some stuff got easier, which resulted in more people trying to claim that spot. The scene is no longer just based on the talent of the musicians, but also on how good the bands are with marketing and networking.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a genre like yours?
Eric: “Go to gigs. Talk to people. Make friends. Write the best songs you can (in the end it still is about the music). Practice. Play all the shows you can. Donāt pay to play. Make a statement that people canāt forget.“
How do you see this new massive technological contribution within music production?
Eric: “I come from a time where I had to fiddle with a dodgy cassette player to record my new guitar riff in horrible sound quality. Iām so happy I can do so much more at home and at such a better quality.But these days we get AI peeking around the corner. And I do feel that AI takes away from the soul of the music. The talent and the expression gets pushed
to the side. I need a lot more convincing before Iām okay with AI in music.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside of music?
Eric: “I like to do a little photography, but thatās it these days. Travel is a big thing in my house.“
I thank the band for the interview and wish them all the best for the promotion of their new album and the continuation of their artistic career.
Eric: “Thank you for this opportunity. We really appreciate it. We hope we could get the readers a little bit enthused and interested in āThe Travelerā. Keep up the good work!“
Pre-Order “The Traveler” on Bandcamp: https://ditch-band.bandcamp.com/album/the-traveler
