Even after more than a decade as a band, DeWolff is just getting started
In line with the brand’s ongoing commitment to elevating new music from emerging musicians around the world, the annual Gibson Artist Spotlight program will showcase an evolving roster of musicians who will be featured across Gibson’s global and international channels.
The Artist Spotlight program debuted in January 2024 with Austin Sexton and recently added Mona Lindgren, Alex Ritchie, Zach Person, and Devon Thompson to the ranks. It also welcomed Ayoni, The Picturebooks, Camilla PNK, and now DeWolff.
DeWolff, a dynamic trio from The Netherlands, masterfully blends Hammond organ, guitar, and drums to create an electrifying fusion of southern blues-rock with hints of soul and psychedelia. They have been playing together for half their lives and are now in their mid-twenties. Despite their youth, they’ve already released nine studio albums—seven of which reached the Dutch Top 20—three live albums, two EPs, and even recorded an album with renowned Black Keys producer Mark Neill.
Their fully analog studio, where they produce their music and numerous critically acclaimed albums, has become a cornerstone of Dutch roots-rock history. Esteemed musicians like Luther Dickinson frequently join them for recording sessions. With over a thousand shows across Europe, Australia, Indonesia, and Russia, they also host their festival, ‘DeWolffest,’ for the past three years.
In 2019, DeWolff won the prestigious Edison Award (Dutch Grammy) for ‘Best Rock.’ In 2020, they received a Buma Award for ‘Best Sync.’ Their latest tour included over a hundred shows across 13 countries, including The Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, Italy, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Austria, and their first visit to Indonesia. They have toured with notable acts like Toto, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Deep Purple, Ten Years After, and Wolfmother. Fans like Seasick Steve and Roger Glover have praised them, with Steve once mistaking their sound for the Allman Brothers in 1972.
We caught up with DeWolff to find out more.
How would you describe your music?
“We’re a Hammond, guitar, and drums three-piece playing classic rock with strong influences from southern soul and (rhythm &) blues music.”
What is your favorite piece of gear?
“That’s a tough choice! I have a couple of beautiful vintage Gibsons and a breathtakingly beautiful R9 Lemon Burst that I got from Cesar Gueikian, which is the guitar I use most … But if I had to choose one, it would be my Firebird™. It started its life as an ordinary 2007-ish Gibson USA Firebird, but I changed a lot of things about it—put a Vibrola™ on it and changed the pickups, the pots, and the capacitors. I’ve had it for about 13 years, and I have played close to 1,000 shows on it and it shows—even from up close—it looks like a 60-year-old instrument! My dream guitar would be a 1963 or 1964 Firebird, but to be honest, I’m not sure if it can beat this one with all its stories and scars and funny idiosyncrasies. This guitar and I have shaped each other!”
What has been the highlight of your musical career so far?
“Almost too many to choose from! We played to crowds of tens of thousands on various festivals, sold out many club tours all across Europe—we toured with the Black Crowes … that definitely was a highlight! We’ve released 9 studio albums, many of which we produced and recorded ourselves. And our last studio album, which I thought was our least commercial one ever (it’s a double album recorded to analog tape without
any overdubs, so everything was played live) made it to number 1 in the Dutch album charts.”
What would be your dream artist or producer collaboration, and why?
“We would love to make an album with Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes on vocals. I think we could make a killer album together! Also working with Dan Auerbach as a producer really would be a dream come true. He produced a bunch of killer albums that we frequently listen to, like Dr. John’s ‘Locked Down,’ Buffalo Killers’ ‘Let it Ride,’ and Marcus King’s album ‘El Dorado.'”
What does being part of the Gibson Artist Spotlight program mean to you?
“It’s a big, big honor, and it’s something I would never have thought possible, growing up in a small town in the south of a tiny country on the other side of the ocean! When I was eight years old, my dad sang in a band, and whenever I could, I would come along to their rehearsals and their guitar player had a Les Paul™ Standard. From the moment I heard that guitar, I knew what I wanted. It wasn’t until 2010 that I could afford my first Gibson—a Firebird—and even then, I would have never thought that in the future, I would become so closely associated with the Guitar Brand of Guitar Brands. I think what we do with DeWolff—making music for the sake of making music because it’s the most beautiful thing in the world and because it’s the ultimate form of human expression—corresponds perfectly with what Gibson stands for.”
What’s next on the horizon for you?
“In 2023 we played about 100 shows all over Europe, and we released a double album and a triple live album, but we’re not gonna take it easy now! After we’ve finished this tour, we’re coming to the United States in May to record our next album, which is very exciting for us since we’re gonna record it at two legendary studios: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. For the rest of 2024, we’re gonna tour mainland Europe and the UK, where things have been going pretty well for us. Then in early 2025, the new album is gonna come out, and we’ll be doing some extensive touring all over.”
Find out more about the Gibson Artist Spotlight program and visit DeWolff’s profile.
