Gemondenaar Patrick van Zandwijk records music in America: ‘Music means everything to me’
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GEMONDE – Singer-songwriter Patrick van Zandwijk, also known as TuskHead, can confirm that dreams don’t always deceive. The country/Americana singer/guitarist from Gemande is following his heart and embarking on a special musical tour of America in 2023.
By Wendy Van Lijsel
As a result, he recently launched the EP Modern Electric Sessions, written and recorded there and detailed by him here. Available to stream, but available on limited edition vinyl!
Patrick van Jantwyck grew up in Asperen, Gelderland. There he developed a love for country music in particular. “At home, K-Ross, a country radio station, was always on. My father played the organ and piano, and my older brother Richard played the guitar. Inspired by them, I started composing in primary school. My brother took guitar lessons. I didn’t like it and was stubborn. I never had lessons, but learned by ‘messing around’ on an old guitar. Later I also learned to play the banjo and mandolin,” says Patrick happily.
Not just making the instrument ‘his’. He also started composing at a very young age. “I’ve been doing it since elementary school,” he reports. “I have composed around 70/80 instrumental songs. I started singing five years ago.
Patrick spent some time searching for his own musical identity. As a teenager he played in various bands and was involved in various musical solo projects. In one of them he combined mandolin and rock music. At that time he called himself Duskhead, which was his stage name.
He makes Country/Americana music. The latter is a combination of true country, folk and blues. Now the 29-year-old singer-songwriter has her own ideas and preferences about how something should sound. To make sure he can stand behind his own musical work 100%, he always records it.
In 2023, Josh happily breaks that self-imposed rule after meeting Morningstar online. “He’s a very popular and famous star in the country world. After I contacted him, I got on a plane to Nashville, where I wrote two songs with him. It’s weird to be allowed to work with someone you look up to so much,” says Patrick. I recorded the songs in Dallas.”
Lately, Duckshead has been busy putting the finishing touches on songs recorded in the US. He recently launched it independently as an EP under the name Modern Electric Sessions. As far as Patrick was concerned, the trip to America was certainly a dream come true and a milestone, but certainly not his last.
He thinks out loud: “My big goal is to have The White Buffalo support my favorite artists like Cody Jinks when they tour Europe.” Dan: “Music is everything to me. I listen to it constantly and am always ‘on’ to write, create ideas or help other musicians with their music. This EP is definitely not the last. The plan is to return to America in a few months to record another EP or a full album in the same studio. Modern Electric Sessions is available in limited edition on vinyl and can be heard at www.tuskhead.com