FRANK BLUEKA          (Nederlands) 
his roots


Born in a remote northern province of Holland, Frank relocated at age 17 to the centrally located "Hanzestad" of Zwolle. This was a change from what he had known up until that time, for sure. More changes were coming when in the years to follow he immersed himself in the multi-cultural melting pot that is one of the world's most famous and beloved cities: Amsterdam. As one might expect this was quite an eye-opener for a boy from "the country", but he kept his sensibilities. Having enjoyed the experience - yet yearning for a place to settle down that was a bit less hectic - he returned to the East of the country. After playing with various rock/pop formations with succes, he knew it was time to step out on his own and began developing his own style of solo acoustic performance. Not the easiest thing to do, out on a limb in front of the public on your own. It's up to you and no one else is there to catch you if you fall. But he stuck with it and now music lovers everywhere wil be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor as he readies three full-length studio albums.

Frank Blueka's music is best characterized as soulful and  influenced by modern rock, blues and (Irish) folkmusic. His career took a nice turn, when he chose his own music path and signed up with the small BMP recordlabel. Great fact is that on a modest scale, the songs of his albums Acoustic Avenue and Room 88 and the new "Harvest Waits" are downloaded and streamed worldwide. His talent and crafmanship as a singer/songwriter and  his performing skills have drawn the public's attention. His creative videoclips on Youtube get a considerable number of views.

On the way to his new theater show LOVE!:

Frank Blueka always brings a warm timbre in his poetic pop songs. Frank Blueka has a pleasant abrasive voice and the talent to turn classics into his own. Song with a beautiful bluesy structure. In live performances his song are often completely stripped and provided with an interesting new semi-acoustic arrangement. In the studio Frank works with the assistance of producer Raymond van der Vechte. Pulsating drums, light beats, relaxed piano and a deep double bass give a kind of taxi feeling in the big city. Influences of musicians like Ben Howard and Rag 'n' Bone Man are refreshing in combination with the raw seventies style of Frank Blueka. Also beautiful cover adaptations have opened new doors for Frank. For the album "Harvest Waits" there was fruitful collaboration with the graphic designer of Bon Iver (New York). There was a contribution to a book by the Belgian writer Herman Verbeke and invitations to play in England, Germany and  Belgium. Covid time brught an unexpected break, but Frank used his time fruithfull to write and finsih new songs. So a whole new album is expected in 2023 as well as a complete new show LOVE!  

Music facts last 5 years:

The show “Tom Waits meets Neil Young” provided Frank with a ticket to the  Dutch world of theatre. During the years of 2018 and 2019 Frank performed his  show throughout the Netherlands. Presently, preparations are in full progress for his new theatre show  called  'LOVE!', scheduled for 2023 - early 2024. Interest in his music is growing and three of his albums; Acoustic Avenue, ROOM 88, Unplugged live! and Harvest Waits are now available on populair stream and download portals like Amazon, AppleMusic, iTunes and Spotify.

When asked to classify his music, Frank replies: ' It is about songs, in all their simplicity. I tend to spend a lot of time working on new  arrangements with merely my voice and accoustic guitar as instruments. Means that fence me in at times. On the other hand, they prevent me from loosing myself in the vast array of other possibilities. The use of a  synthizer would have me dreaming away so far that I would have a hard time finding my way back home again. My lyrics take shape under the influence of the universe, dreams and common day-to-day events. Primal emotions such as love, anger, loss and sense of humor are organically woven into it.'

Frank is a lucky man to make a living out of his music, for many years now. Amsterdam is still a great place to be, but Frank's musical hart and roots are not limited to any specific place or area. He prefers to live in the eastern part of Hollland, where life is more easy going/ where life moves at a slower pace. Frank Blueka found the perfect place to live in the cosy city of Deventer, where he shares his life with his sweetheart and their daughter. A great home-base for making music without any borders.