Bandmembers
Laura van Nes | Vocals
Hobbies
Psychology, track & field, drinking coffee, reading.
Musical background
When it turned out that both flute and guitar
weren’t really my instruments, I started taking singing lessons at 17. The following year I joined Kowai and
continued my music studies at university, where I also sang in various other groups (classical choir,
acoustic projects, and close harmony ensemble). Currently, my only musical occupation is Kowai.
Favorite music
Katatonia, Maria Mena, Hurts, 30 Seconds to Mars, Draconian, The
Birthday Massacre, Pain of Salvation, Anathema, Wolverine, Muse, The Foreshadowing, Kamelot, Evanescence,
Insomnium, Nightwish, Damien Rice, In The Silence.
Favorite movies/series
Black Swan, Fight Club, The Newsroom, The
Dark Knight, Hannibal, Inception, Empire of the Sun, Continuum, Girl Interrupted, 12 Angry Men, Into The
Wild, Game of Thrones.
Favorite games/books
The Name of the Wind (P. Rothfuss), Ender’s Game (O.S. Card),
The Solitude of the Prime Numbers (P. Giordano), The Bell Jar (S. Plath).
Place you would like to go
Reykjavik, Iceland.
All-time top 5 albums
- Nightwish – Once
- Katatonia – Day and then the Shade
- Pain of Salvation – Road Salt II
- Draconian – A Rose for the Apocalypse
- Hurts – Exile
Personal highlight with Kowai
Supporting Stream of Passion in
Middelburg (2011).
Favorite Kowai song
The Promise.
Arjen Bosma | Guitar
Hobbies
Music, graphic design, Japanese, reading, movies and games.
Musical background
Well when I was about 20 I became
interested in playing guitar, partly because of Bertran (the other founding father of Kowai).
I started out on my fathers acoustic guitar, but
quickly proceeded to electric. I learned a lot by playing solos, complete songs and from gifted
friends.
Favorite music
Insomnium, Be'lakor, Before the Dawn, Anathema, The Foreshadowing,
Opeth, My Dying Bride, Ghostbrigade, Draconian, Foo Fighters.
Favorite movies/series
Man from Earth, Green mile, Fight Club, Ghibli movies,
LoTR, Game of Thrones and others.
Favorite games/books
Borderlands, Assassins Creed, Wheel of Time (R.Jordan), Magician (R.E.Feist), Sword of Truth (T.Goodkind).
Place you would like to go
Kyushu, Japan.
All-time top 5 albums
- Insomnium – Across the Dark
- Insomnium – One for Sorrow
- Anathema – Judgement
- Draconian – Arcane Rain Fell
- Opeth – Blackwater Park
Personal highlight with Kowai
Of course the release of "DISSONANCE".
Favorite Kowai song
Undisgraced.
Joost Lobbes | Drums
Hobbies
Concerts, Festivals, www.sblmusicproductions.nl, Whisky (Scotch Single Malts), Wine, movies/series, walking though the forest.
Musical background
I started playing brass instruments when I was five years old. First cornet, then trumpet and eventually flugelhorn. When I was fifteen I started to play drums, also in bands with friends from school. I also taught myself how to play guitar a little bit, but playing drums is just more fun!
Favorite music
Depends on my mood. I like almost all genres, but listen most to Rock, Metal, Jazz and Soul. Some names: Alter Bridge, Opeth, Anathema, Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden, Maiden United, Metallica, Muse, Manu Katché, Gregory Porter, Roy Hargrove, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Machine Head, Nick Cave, Insomnium, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Joe Bonamassa, Rage Against The Machine, Beef, Joshua Redman, Daft Punk, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Haken, K's Choice, Life of Agony, New Cool Collective, Paradise Lost, Soen, Swallow the Sun, Tenacious D, Type O Negative.
Favorite movies/series
The Lord of the Rings, The Wolf of Wall Street, Wall Street, Sound City, Intouchables, Django Unchained, Inglorious Bastards, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Lost in Translation, Leaving Las Vegas, Se7en, Fight Club, The Matrix, Memento, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, The Big Lebowski.
How I met your mother, The Big Bang Theory, Community, Scrubs, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Soprano's, Weeds, Entourage.
Favorite games/books
Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion.
Place you would like to go
Rock in Rio (with Kowai).
All-time top 5 albums
Impossible to answer, so here are five random albums out of my (rock/metal) top 100:
- Opeth: Damnation/Deliverance (yes both, shut up!)
- Anathema: Weather Systems (or Judgement, you decide!)
- Muse: Black Holes And Revelations
- Pearl Jam: Ten
- Pink Floyd: The Wall
- Metallica: Metallica (I'm still at five right?)
Personal highlight with Kowai
Dissonance album release show in Bibelot and playing in Paradiso.
Favorite Kowai song
...
Lars Deelman | Guitar
Ibanez Premium Universe
Ibanez Universe 1999
Bugera 333XL
MK I
Marshall JMP-1
Boss GX-700
Marshall cabinet
Hobbies
Playing guitar, singing.
Musical background
I play guitar for about 5 years now and have learned a lot from guitarists like: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen and John Pertucci of course. I’ve also played in a progressive metal band called Syncytium where I learned a lot about the different measures like 11/16 and 9/8. Beside that I really like to play fast solos, melodic and emotional solos (sometimes combined).
Favorite music
Symphonic metal, power metal, classical
Favorite movies/series
Breaking Bad, Under the Dome, In Time, Lord of the Rings.
Favorite games/books
Skyrim, WoW.
Place you would like to go
I would love to make a trip through Finland, Sweden and Norway.
All-time top 5 albums
- Stratovarius - Polaris
- Symphony X - Iconoclast
- Delain - We are the others
- Sonata Arctica - The wolves die Young
- Within Temptation - Unforgiven / Nightwish - Once
Favorite Kowai song
Pride
Ruben Marrenga | Synth
Hobbies
Watching series, gaming, cooking, travel, riding roller coasters and hanging out with friends.
Musical background
Classical piano from a young age, although throughout my teens I grew more interested in popular music. When Within Temptation rose to fame around 2001 I got very interested in heavy metal.Before being invited to audition for Kowai I played in the gothic / progressive metalband Vanadis for some years.
Favorite music
Nightwish, Tarja Turunen, Epica, Amberian Dawn, Sonata Arctica, Tristania, Sirenia, Kamelot, Ayreon, Caro Emerald, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga.
Favorite movies/series
Jurassic Park, Stardust, Dexter, Game Of Thrones, Toren C, Glee, Heel Holland Bakt and anything Disney.
Favorite games/books
GTA V, Uncharted, Super Mario Bros., The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.
Place you would like to go
Japan, La Palma.
All-time top 5 albums
- Nightwish – Once
- Nightwish - Wishmaster
- Epica - Design Your Universe
- Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night
- Tristania - Beyond The Veil
Personal highlight with Kowai
One of the K’77 gigs in Woerden. We rocked like never before!
Favorite Kowai song
In Retrospect.