Dutch singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark Ritsema a.k.a. Nightporter (after his other job) is well known in the Netherlands for fronting cult-bands like Spasmodique (in the eighties) and Cobraz (nineties). He is also known for taking the centre stage with his manic and intense performances, singing in a deep and hoarse voice, in traditions that go back to archaic blues, soul and rock.
On his first solo-album In A Valley Of Wolves (2008) we find him in a more introvert mood. The album was mainly recorded with acoustic instruments, centred on the songs and stories of the singer. The core of the album was recorded in two weeks in Portugal in the home-studio of the famous Portuguese singer and guitarist Rui Veloso. In A Valley Of Wolves was also released in a special book edition, containing the graphic novel of the same title, drawn by the Dutch artist Arno van de Pol after a scenario by Ritsema.
After a succesful year as a solo artist, backed by guitarist Dany Lademacher and members of Q-Club and featuring concerts at the Crossing Border Festival (The Hague) and NuMoonFest (Rotterdam), Nightporter decided to merge back with his musical buddies of Raskolnikov , with whom he has been active since 1999. Nightporter songs will blend with repertoire of Raskolnikov and of course lots of new material. This also means a return to the more electric and metropolitan sound as heard on the Raskolnikov albums Studio Gloria (1999) and The Jezebel Shanty (2003).
Ritsema will also continue to play with singer/songwriter Vera , American poet John Sinclair and Mecano singer Dirk Polak.
Nightporter & Trio Raskolnikov's Friend Space (Top 23)
En indien uw oog u ergert, trekt het uit, en werpt het van u. Het is u beter, maar een oog hebbende, tot het leven in te gaan, dan twee ogen hebbende, in het helse vuur geworpen te worden.
