Louis!

LOUIS! is Louis van Empel, singer/ songwriter/ guitar player and former front man of The Little Louis Blues Band. Born, raised and still living in that southern part of Holland called Brabant. Over a number of years The Little Louis Blues Band built a solid reputation. Not only as a live act but also as a bunch of musicians constantly pushing the blues envelope to its musical limits. Founded in 1994 and initially, like most blues bands, heavily influenced by the godfathers of the blues: Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. Soon their repertoire also included original material penned by Louis. The band was quite successful and performed at most of the big blues and rock festivals like The Belgium Rhythm & Blues festival, Paaspop and Night Of The Blues. In addition to his regular job as front man of The Little Louis Blues Band, van Empel briefly became also a member of The Smalltown Romeos, a legendary Dutch guitar combo that besides doing their own stuff, often acts as backing group for American singer/songwriters on tour in Europe. However, the format of a Blues Band started to feel like a straightjacket and Louis decided it was time to move on. So the Little Louis Blues Band was folded and LOUIS! was born.

LOUIS! solo and in band setting allowed Louis van Empel to fully develop his own brand of music, incorporating a broad range of styles and influences. Folk, Americana, Country, Jazz, Latin, Rock, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Morphine, Steve Earle, Randy Newman, Mississippi John Hurt. It’s all there, but blended together in that unique mixture called LOUIS! music.

‘A Close Watch’ is LOUIS! ‘s CoraZong debut album. Recorded over the summer of 2003 in the Hofnar Theatre in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands. Musicians include his comrades in arms Thijs Verwer on drums (Nighthawks At The Diner, Arthur Ebeling), Geurt Engelsman on bass and sax legend Rinus Groeneveld, yes… on saxophones, as well as special guests Roel Spanjers (J.W. Roy, Julian Sas and many others) on keyboards and accordion, Arend Bouwmeester (tenor saxophone) and Willem Theus (accordion & harmonium)

Laidback on the surface, musically diverse and with a healthy sense of humor. Most definitely worth a Closer Watch!

Louis is also busy doing several solo-performances along with his work with the band Louis! Make no mistake, although the show is mainly acoustic it certainly isn't a timid or stuffy kind of thing but a surprising, energetic performance.
His own compositions are succeeded by old folksongs and passionate renderings of blues-songs. He melts these styles into a exciting set of songs, keeping his audience entertained throughout the performance.

The song "Sweet Lorraine" by Louis is one of the finalists of the International Songwriters Competition in Nashville.
More info on: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm