Biography
The story of GEM starts in 2003 when singer Maurits Westerik joins forces with guitarist Bas de Graaff and bassist Vincent Lemmen. With the addition of second guitarist Simon Bonner the band records its first demo in Studio Moskou in Utrecht. Tony van Best drums on the tracks.
When word gets out that The Libertines are to play in the Melkweg in Amsterdam, Westerik on a longshot sends a link to some of their MP3s and asks if the band could play as opening act. The programmers at the Melkweg concur, obviously liking the songs of the inexperienced band. Not only does GEM open before The Libertines, they even give a much more exciting performance than their British colleagues. The buzz around the band’s performance in Amsterdam spreads. Soon the band receives a feature story in 3voor12, an important webplatform for alternative music. The band also lands a spot on a compilation record in the Unsigned Series, an initiative of the Dutch Pop Institute. GEM fits in well with the other bands on the record which is called College Radio: Alternative Rock Songs. With two new band members, Jeroen Kikkert (bass) and Ilco Slikker (drums), the band enters the studio of producer Frans Hagenaars. Two tracks are recorded for the album. In addition to recording, GEM also tours for the Unsigned project. Together with Eleven, zZz and others the band plays in the big Dutch music venues (Nighttown, 013, Paradiso), steadily building a solid live reputation.
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