Bettie Serveert

Bettie Serveert
Carol van Dijk, lead singer of Bettie Serveert, performing in Vondelpark in 2006
Background information
Origin	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres	Indie rock Alternative rock
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Matador Beggars Banquet Hidden Agenda Minty Fresh Second Motion Records
Associated acts	Bauer
Website	http://www.bettieserveert.com/
Members
Carol van Dijk Peter Visser Herman Bunskoeke Martijn Blankestijn Gino Geudens
Past members
Berend Dubbe Reinier Veldman Stoffel Verlackt Jeroen Blankert

Bettie Serveert are a Dutch indie rock band. Their name translates to "Bettie Serves", or "Service to Bettie", which is the title of a book written by Dutch tennis player Betty Stöve, who made it to the Wimbledon ladies singles final in 1977.

Genesis

Composed of Carol van Dijk (or van Dyk, born 22 April 1962 in Vancouver, BC) (vocals and guitar), Peter Visser (guitar), Herman Bunskoeke (born c. 1961 in Amsterdam) (bass) and Berend Dubbe (born c. 1961 in Amsterdam) (drums), they originally formed in 1986 but split up after only one gig. They reformed in 1990 and released their debut album, Palomine, in 1992. This met with low-key critical acclaim in the alternative music press.

Subsequent releases

Three years later, the group released their second album, Lamprey, which also was well-received and aided them in obtaining tour slots alongside the likes of Belly, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, Superchunk, Come and Jeff Buckley.

After releasing the full-length album Dust Bunnies and the Velvet Underground cover album Venus In Furs, Dubbe decided to leave due to artistic differences. He went on to form his own band, Bauer.

Various drummers (such as Reinier Veldman, who played drums in the Bettie Serveert proto-band De Artsen) replaced Dubbe on their next album, Private Suit, later followed by Stoffel Verlackt, Jeroen Blankert and Gino Geudens who played drums on Log 22 and Attagirl. Bettie Serveert continues to tour extensively through Western Europe, Canada and the United States.

Their cover of the Bright Eyes track "Lover I Don't Have to Love" was featured in episode 18 of season 3 of the FOX show The OC. Palomine's title track can be heard playing in the background during episode 4 of My So-Called Life.

The band also covered Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It with Mine" for the soundtrack of the 1996 indie film I Shot Andy Warhol.

Bettie Serveert released an EP, Deny All, on Second Motion Records digital only, on 26 January 2010 in the United States. Their ninth full-length album, Pharmacy of Love, was also given a US release by Second Motion on 23 March of that year.

Lead vocal

Carol van Dijk was born in Canada to Dutch parents, so her native tongue was English. However, her family moved to Holland in 1969 and the formerly outgoing child became reserved when confronted with the language barrier and she never completely mastered the Amsterdam variation of the Dutch language. Her voice is praised for its beauty and clarity, as well as its unusual pronunciations.

Discography

Albums

• 1992: Palomine
• 1995: Lamprey
• 1997: Dust Bunnies
• 1998: Plays Venus in Furs and Other Velvet Underground Songs
• 2000: Private Suit
• 2003: Log 22
• 2004: Attagirl
• 2006: Bare Stripped Naked
• 2010: Pharmacy of Love

Singles/EPs

• 1992: "Tom Boy" (also on the soundtrack to Amateur)
• 1993: "Palomine"
• 1993: "Kids Alright"
• 1993: "Palomine (new single edition)"
• 1995: "Crutches"
• 1995: "Something So Wild"
• 1995: "Ray Ray Rain"
• 1997: "Co-coward"
• 1997: "Rudder"
• 1997: "What Friends?"
• 1999: Our New Demo
• 2000: "White Tales"
• 2000: "Private Suit"
• 2003: "Smack"
• 2003: "Wide Eyed Fools"
• 2010: "Deny All"

Other

• 1994: "For All We Know" from the Carpenter cover-song compilation album If I Were a Carpenter

References

• Bettie Serveert official site
• Lazy-i Interview: February 2005