Henk Hofstede – guitar and vocals
Marjolein van der Klauw – guitar and vocals
Arwen Linnemann – upright bass
Pim Kops – guitar, accordeon, piano
Henk Hofstede (Nits) meets Leonard Cohen in a TV-studio in Brussels in 1988. Henk has been a huge fan for many years and sums up his courage to talk to the man. They have dinner together at the cafeteria of the station. Cohen tells Henk about an upcoming world tour and how he doesn’t have a band. And he asks whether the Nits would be willing to go out on tour as his band…. Unfortunately the Nits are on their own extended tour after the success of their album In The Dutch Mountains, a tour which leads through Europe and on to Canada, New York and even Moscow. Henk has to refuse the golden offer. Years later he still wakes up at night as he was dreaming of that world tour they didn’t play.
A couple of years later, Henk put on a pilgrimage with movie-director Seppo Pietikainen, his friend from Finnland. They make a short film about their voyage to Hydra, the island where Cohen wrote his first songs. For the Dutch edition of a book about Leonard Cohen in 2005, Henk records a CD with nine songs of Cohen and one of his own about the pilgrimage to Hydra. These sober and authentic arrangements are developped with Pim Kops (De Dijk) and Marjolein van der Klauw (Powderblue). Arwen Linnemann, the ex-bass player of the Nits, joins for some of these tracks. Thus the Avalanche Quartet is born. They do some TV and radio-gigs and the CD receives good reviews.
In 2007 the Avalanche Quartet has done concerts in Holland, Switzerland and France, some with guest-guitarist Oli Hartung, with whom the quartet has recorded some more tracks for the release of the album LEONARD COHEN SONGS .
In the years that follow they perform for a growing audience that loves their exquisite versions of these beautiful songs.
The second album RAINY NIGHT HOUSE has been released in September 2013.
It contains a mix of new studio-tracks and live-recordings, mixed and mastered by Darren Hayne.
In the years 2012 – 2016 the band did about 100 concerts in the Netherlands and some in Switzerland.
Guests during the 2016-tour were: Divya Boon, Frédérique Spigt, Patrick Leonard, Oli Hartung, Seppo Pietikaïnen and Shirley Grimes.
In the summer of 2016 the band performed at the Leonard Cohen Event, organized each year by Cohen-fans from all over the world and that year in Amsterdam.
In response of the passing of Leonard In November 2016 they did a couple concerts to honour their inspirator and hero in March 2017. A concert with various artists who sang Cohen-songs in a Dutch translation took place at De Kleine Komedie in Amsterdam. The concert has been released as a double album (cd and vinyl).
February 2018 the band did concerts in France, Switzerland and Belgium.
27 April 2018, at the festival Printemps de Bourges (France), the Avalanche Quartet performed in the cathedral Saint Etienne.
A hommage á Leonard Cohen together with members of Orchestre Orage and six french guestsingers.
Unfortenately the 2020 Tour was canceled due to Corona…
Marjolein van der Klauw – guitar and vocals
Arwen Linnemann – upright bass
Pim Kops – guitar, accordeon, piano
Henk Hofstede (Nits) meets Leonard Cohen in a TV-studio in Brussels in 1988. Henk has been a huge fan for many years and sums up his courage to talk to the man. They have dinner together at the cafeteria of the station. Cohen tells Henk about an upcoming world tour and how he doesn’t have a band. And he asks whether the Nits would be willing to go out on tour as his band…. Unfortunately the Nits are on their own extended tour after the success of their album In The Dutch Mountains, a tour which leads through Europe and on to Canada, New York and even Moscow. Henk has to refuse the golden offer. Years later he still wakes up at night as he was dreaming of that world tour they didn’t play.
A couple of years later, Henk put on a pilgrimage with movie-director Seppo Pietikainen, his friend from Finnland. They make a short film about their voyage to Hydra, the island where Cohen wrote his first songs. For the Dutch edition of a book about Leonard Cohen in 2005, Henk records a CD with nine songs of Cohen and one of his own about the pilgrimage to Hydra. These sober and authentic arrangements are developped with Pim Kops (De Dijk) and Marjolein van der Klauw (Powderblue). Arwen Linnemann, the ex-bass player of the Nits, joins for some of these tracks. Thus the Avalanche Quartet is born. They do some TV and radio-gigs and the CD receives good reviews.
In 2007 the Avalanche Quartet has done concerts in Holland, Switzerland and France, some with guest-guitarist Oli Hartung, with whom the quartet has recorded some more tracks for the release of the album LEONARD COHEN SONGS .
In the years that follow they perform for a growing audience that loves their exquisite versions of these beautiful songs.
The second album RAINY NIGHT HOUSE has been released in September 2013.
It contains a mix of new studio-tracks and live-recordings, mixed and mastered by Darren Hayne.
In the years 2012 – 2016 the band did about 100 concerts in the Netherlands and some in Switzerland.
Guests during the 2016-tour were: Divya Boon, Frédérique Spigt, Patrick Leonard, Oli Hartung, Seppo Pietikaïnen and Shirley Grimes.
In the summer of 2016 the band performed at the Leonard Cohen Event, organized each year by Cohen-fans from all over the world and that year in Amsterdam.
In response of the passing of Leonard In November 2016 they did a couple concerts to honour their inspirator and hero in March 2017. A concert with various artists who sang Cohen-songs in a Dutch translation took place at De Kleine Komedie in Amsterdam. The concert has been released as a double album (cd and vinyl).
February 2018 the band did concerts in France, Switzerland and Belgium.
27 April 2018, at the festival Printemps de Bourges (France), the Avalanche Quartet performed in the cathedral Saint Etienne.
A hommage á Leonard Cohen together with members of Orchestre Orage and six french guestsingers.
Unfortenately the 2020 Tour was canceled due to Corona…