THE JOURNEY...
DEAN BLUES (born in 1992) is a German singer-songwriter who began his musical journey at the age of 15 by learning to play the harmonica. He developed a passion for songwriting early on, inspired by the sound and versatility of the instrument and more because of his early influences, such as The Blues Brothers, Dave Matthews Band and especially Blues Traveler. He honed his skills by playing solo concerts in and around his hometown Krefeld (Germany).
In 2010, he formed his first band, Retired Of The Optimistic, which was based in Krefeld, Germany. As well in 2012, Dean Blues learned to play the guitar, followed by the bluespop driven duo Not so Blues Band. In 2015, Dean Blues formed the band Rising Riot along with guitar player Geney M., which marked a new chapter in his musical journey. The band, known for its dynamic blend of blues and rock, quickly gained a following and established itself as one of the local acts in the region.
Since 2022 Dean Blues is back writing material for recording and playing live as a solo act.
Read more about Dean's journey in his own words below....
pickin' up the rhythm and playin' the blues...
the first instrument I ever picked up was the harmonica. When I was 15 years old, I watched the movie The Blues Brothers. Watching Elwood Blues performing high intense blues music on a "toy" seemed to me the perfect entry instrument into the world of music. Soon after I discovered The Blues Brothers, I went down the rabbit hole and enjoyed some good 30s / 40s blues music at age 15. One thing led to another and I found out about Blues Traveler...
Live on stage at KULTUR FINDET STADT(T) FESTIVAL, 2012.
Krefeld, Germany
Live in concert at ASTA KELLER, 2011.
Krefeld, Germany
unplugged acoustic concert at HISTORISCHER BAHNHOF, 2011.
Ahrdorf, Germany
the first band sounds...
were really interesting. I wasn't used to play together with people but I quickly found an interest in sharing the stage with other musicians. The first band I formed was called Retired Of The Optimistic (short form: ROTO). We could play Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), Run-Around (Blues Traveler) and of course Behind Blue Eyes, the Limp Bizkit version.
We were already writing our own songs. I wrote the lyrics, played harmonica and sang the songs. The first song I ever wrote, that had a melody too, is called Can't Catch You. If you see me in concert, ask for Can't Catch You. I still remember all the words! #deeptrack
After playing in Retired Of The Optimistic for roughly a year we split up and I started to learn the guitar. I wanted to create my own songs from lyrics to melody.
I found a new band (picture right) called The Racketeer's (later renamed to Forget Yesterday) that worked for a period of time (we even recorded a demo that's somewhere on archive.org) until I got in touch with Marco, a fellow friend at that time. We formed the duo Not so Blues Band which lasted until 2015.
Live with Rising Riot at KULTURFABRIK, 2018.
Krefeld, Germany
Live with Rising Riot at MO'S BIKERTREFF, 2016.
Krefeld, Germany
Live at DER BUNKER, 2015.
Krefeld, Germany
RIOTS NEVER DIE...
most people probably know me because I was lead singer in the band Rising Riot. Although it sometimes felt that we were like Lynyrd Skynyrd, we made solid blues-rock / hard-rock music and got a good repetition in the local music scene. Most outstanding were the 2016 A.O.R.T.A. and 2017 RISING tours.
photo: live at KULTURWERKSTATT
RISING TOUR 2017
Viersen, Germany
Live at DIE FUNZEL
A.O.R.T.A. Tour 2016
Krefeld, Germany
Live at ASTA KELLER
A.O.R.T.A. Tour 2016
Duisburg, Germany
Live at BLUE SHELL CLUB
RISING Tour 2017
Cologne, Germany
Live at EMSCHERDAMM
RISING Tour 2017
Oberhausen, Germany
w/ SVEN PIAYDA
Sven and I've been working together on and off since a few years. In 2021 and 2022 we collaborated and more stuff is coming. Although he's an electronic guy, he's very open minded when it comes to music and art. You better check out his website, because he releases information (that include me) always faster than I do!
w/ Der Michi & der Sprenz
My favorite local friends when it comes down to music. Always love sharing the stage with this incredible duo.
Be sure to catch Der Michi & der Sprenz when they play live. Click here for tour dates.
w/ Daniel Heinze
Leipzig (Germany) based singer / songwriter Daniel Heinze has always been a good and dear friends over the last decade. We shared the stage together a few times and his songs are truly outstanding deep german language based masterpieces. Here's his website.
Backstage at FRAZE PAVILLION w/ Blues Traveler and New Hollow, 2014
Kettering, Ohio, USA
Backstage at RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE w/ John Popper, 2016
Morrison, Colorado, USA
Backstage at ALL'UNAE TRENTACINQUE CIRCA w/John Popper, 2019
Como, Italy
Live at FRAZE PAVILLION w/Blues Traveler, 2014
Kettering, Ohio, USA
In 2018, Rising Riot split up for the first time and I began touring again as a solo act. I took the time to focus on singer / songwriter songs and recorded in 2019 the LP Living Backwards. Mostly focusing on traditional blues patterns, this LP was highly interesting because it featured none of my original Dean Blues-songwriting.
photo: live at HÜHNERSTALL, 2019
Düsseldorf, Germany
I continued playing my material in front of audiences in my local area. These solo concerts were interesting because I shifted back to my classic singer / songwriter material. In 2019 I wrote so many songs that I was good to go to record them...
photo: live at 35BLUMEN, 2019
Krefeld, Germany
2020 comes along...
and we're having the biggest global crisis since decades. I began raising interest in different genre's, such as Country and Progressive Rock. 2020 and 2021 have been a mind-blowing experience for me when it comes to discovering music. I fell in love with The Beatles, Toby Keith (red solo cup!) and canadian prog-rock trio Rush.
Once again, my songwriting changed...
and here we are in 2023
I'm currently writing songs for my next LP.
Stay tuned and check in for live concerts!
follow me on facebook and twitter
@deanblues
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