Double Treat Blues + Roadsongs….
"Sir" Oliver Mally & MvM
The two first met during the concert series “SONGMEETING”, organized by van Merwyk at the Stadthalle in Detmold — and the spark ignited immediately. Both on and off stage. This collaboration was a true no-brainer!
What also unites them is the remarkable breadth of their repertoire. True to the motto: “Anything goes — nothing is a must! And all of it with a touch of blue.”
"Sir" Oliver Mally
“Sir” Oliver Mally has now been on the road for 40 years, touring all across Europe and performing an impressive 120–150 concerts per year on average. He is not one of those blues dogmatists who accept nothing beyond strict tradition and its well-worn niche. From the “Sir,” audiences have heard interpretations of Bob Dylan and Nirvana just as readily as sensitively adapted covers of John Lee Hooker.
“He still plays his guitar himself, he sings with devotion, heart and soul — he feels himself,” concluded the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten. “He plays the blues no one expects, yet everyone is searching for. ‘Sir’ Oliver Mally unquestionably belongs to the representatives of the ‘best blues in Europe’” (Concerto).
His raw, convention-defying music is pure distilled blues essence. Inhaling it hits like absinthe — for life. And he cares as little about conventions as (unfortunately) far too few in Austria care about him — something that does not trouble a true master in the slightest.
With every live performance, Oliver Mally expands his fan base. “Blues has something deeply stirring about it,” says the artist himself. “Like hardly any other music, it lives right at the pulse of the times.”
“…Mally is an expressive guitarist, has a versatile voice and is a striking songwriter.”
Blues in Britain (U.K.)
“The best blues singer in the country.”
Die Presse (Austria)
Michael van Merwyk
Michael van Merwyk, from the small Westphalian town of Rheda-Wiedenbrück, may have once carried “newcomer” status, but he is by no means an unknown name on the international blues scene.
After winning the German Blues Challenge in 2011, Michael van Merwyk & Bluesoul went on to take second place at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA, in early February 2013. With courage and confidence, the four musicians played their way into the finals, causing a sensation with their fresh and distinctive “American Music – Euro Style.” They held their own among 124 band acts from 16 countries. This achievement in the motherland of the blues can rightly be called sensational — especially considering that in the 29-year history of the IBC, it was the first time a European band had ever placed at all.
The 2-meter-tall giant, however, is anything but a newcomer. He learned his craft as a member of the house band at one of Germany’s most legendary blues clubs, the Roadhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. There, he jammed and celebrated alongside music legends such as Jimmy Rogers, Larry Garner, and Jimmy Johnson.
His style is unmistakable: self-taught and deeply emotional. His voice rumbles like a blend of Dr. John and Johnny Cash; his guitar playing is as funky as Johnny “Guitar” Watson and as raw as Albert King. Whether acoustic, electric, or lap steel — if it has strings, he’ll play it. He tours regularly throughout Europe, from Finland to the Mediterranean coast, from the Atlantic coast to Moscow.
"Your songwriting and your playing is really something special. The world needs more bluesmen like you.“ Larry Garner (USA)
