Belgian Neo Fanfare group Crooniek started in 2005 as a mini Fanfare for one specific occasion. With over forty different musicians having participated, sixteen years later this ensemble is still creating music. With usually at least seven musicians collaborating at any one time, the band has typical fanfare instruments such as flugelhorn, cornet, alt saxophone, tuba, euphoniums, drums and melodic percussion. Gerry Croon, the founding member of Crooniek is accompanied by his cousin Jan Croon , who plays the euphonium and was a foundation member of Crooniek. Soon after they met Croon’s now wife Annelies Callewaert who plays flute and melodic percussion joined the band. Despite being primarily an instrumental band for years Crooniek has in recent years collaborated with singers including Olivier Soil for the album Demonen & Dromen by Olivier & Crooniek in 2018 and with Xavier Kruth for the album Puin van Dromen by Winterstille in 2020.
While growing up Croon took inspiration from gothic bands such as Sisters of Mercy, Lacrimosa, Goethes Erben, Sopor Aeternus as well as more metal bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Tristania. He also had a passion for playing the cornet in fanfares and brass bands. “With Crooniek I try to combine my two passions” Croon explains.
The album Puin van Dromen, has a Dark Folk Gothic sound. Performed with singer songwriter Xavier Kruth the album had all the arrangements written by Croon. “On this album we combined brass and other typical fanfare instruments with harsh guitars and so on.” Croon is very proud of the unique sound created for this album.
Crooniek’s new album was made in collaboration with Kevin Imbrechts, the frontman of the band Illuminine. Imbrechts lives in the same village as Croon, Kampenhout, Belgium. Using fanfare instruments and a dark melancholic sound the new album Trail of Time is a new type of music for Fanfare.
The new album Trail of Time marks a watershed for Croon and Crooniek. Exploring themes inspired by reminiscing on life and representing a musical review of Croon’s life the album is a combination of songs with Kevin Imbrechts, a few songs with Olivier & Crooniek as well as Winterstille. Older songs that have been remastered are combined with new sings written by Croon.
Croon’s creative process when writing new music always starts with a feeling. “You cannot control it. It just comes in from somewhere out in the spheres.” Croon explains. When inspiration hits Croon says that it’s imperative to records your ideas quickly because at times the inspiration is fleeting and may just disappear. Once he has written down his ideas Croon is adamant that the new songs be different, unique and not a copy of any previous song.
Having been born in Belgium, one of the smallest countries in the world, Croon describes it as “ a complicated, crowded busy land, but also a safe and social land”. He doesn’t believe that growing up in Belgium has had a huge impact on his music but it may have had some bearing on the themes he explores. “The village Kampenhout, where I live, has also a unique history and stimulating sites and these served as inspiration for a few songs”. Croon admits. For the album Trail of Time Croon took specific events from his home town Krampenhout and used them as inspiration for songs.
'At the Lemmeken Monument' is a tribute to the victims of the plane crash, which took place in 1961, near Croon’s hometown.
“On Wednesday, February 15, 1961, a Boeing 707-329 of Sabena, the national Belgian airline, crashed in 'Het Lemmeken', a district of Kampenhout. All of its sixty-one passengers and eleven crew members were killed in the accident. Among the passengers were the entire American figure skating team (US Figure Skating Association) on their way to the Prague World Championships. Young champions, some of them no older than sixteen, on their first ever trip abroad, en route to their moment of glory. On the chicory field where the Boeing fell, two young men were working. Michel Theo De Laet was fatally hit by flying debris, while his workmate Marcel Lauwers lost a leg. He was dragged from among the rubble by an aunt of Theo's. He is the only survivor of this terrible crash. A monument has been erected at the site.”
'Condemned to the fire”: Josyne Van Vlasselaer' goes further back in history, to the ancestors of the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.
“Distant ancestors of Ludwig van Beethoven lived in Kampenhout. One of them was Aert van Beethoven. He was married to Josyne Van Vlasselaer. She was arrested on August 5, 1595 by order of the mayor Jan-Baptist van Spoelberch on suspicion of witchcraft ("suspitie en inditie van soverije") and taken to a Brussels prison. Villagers had accused her of having a pact with the devil, because four horses had fallen dead in places she had passed by.
Of course, she denied the allegations, but exhausted, she admitted everything on the torture rack. On the eve of her execution, she made a failed attempt at suicide by swallowing potsherds. She was condemned to the stake.
Only one woman was ever sentenced to death as a witch in Brussels, and that was a distant grandmother of the famous composer …”
‘Melancholy at Torfbroek’
“The Torfbroek in Kampenhout is a remnant of a vast and unique swamp in the Low Lands, fed by very calcareous groundwater. It offers a unique landscape with large open ponds and is the last remaining refuge of several plant species in Flanders. It is one of the most valuable nature reserves in Western Europe. But above all, it is also a place of deep melancholy.”
Crooniek are very involved in the aesthetic of the band. The cover for the album Trail of Time has the hand of Croon’s father Victor who is seventy one years old and the hand of his eldest son Wout who is twelve. The pocket watch on the cover of the album belonged to Croon’s grandfather Marcel who died a decade ago. The album cover represents four generations. “My father’s hand passes my grandfather’s pocket watch to the child hand of my son”. The cover is a beautiful symbolization of how time passes and will someday run out. Croon says “my father’s hands were never too small to guide me growing up I can only hope I am strong enough to follow his example. “
Enjoying live performances Croon explains “ Its always nice to rehearse together, or to play concerts for an audience.” Thrilled to play live, at times it is difficult for Crooniek who rely at least on seven musicians at a time to be available to perform live. Juggling, jobs, families other musical projects and availability is a tricky process for all the musicians involved in Crooniek when wanting to perform to a live audience.
Crooniek is open for new directions and projects in the future. Hoping that Crooniek albums reach a larger and more diverse audience Croon acknowledges that streaming does now affect the exposure bands can achieve due to the saturation of the music industry. Croon also believes that streaming of music has made people less likely to buy albums. “That is understandable but not in favor for the artist who has made a lot of production costs.” Croon hopes that in the future people will buy albums again.
For a new listener to Crooniek, Croon suggests that they listen to Trail of Time. “It my take some time to get into the album but when you do so, you will discover the many musical layers in the song.”
Links :
Webpage : https://www.crooniek.be/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Crooniekband/
Olivier & Crooniek : https://www.olivier-crooniek.be/
Winterstille : https://www.winterstille.be/
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