Gert Bettens is the lead guitarist of the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

band

K's Choice K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp, formed in the mid-1990s. The band's core members are brothers Sam Bettens (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Bart Van Lierde (bass), Tom Lodewyckx ...

. He, with his brother

Sam Bettens Sam Bettens (born in 1972) is a Belgian musician and the lead singer of the Belgian band K's Choice. In May 2019, he came out as a transgender man. Career K's Choice In the mid-1990s, Bettens formed the band K's Choice with his brother Ge ...

, is the face of the band. The band is popular in Europe and had toured in the U.S. with

The Verve Pipe The Verve Pipe is an American rock band from Michigan. It was formed in 1992 in East Lansing by Brian Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown. History In November 1992, Brian Vander Ark of the band "Johnny with an Eye" signed a production dea ...

, Tonic,

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...

and the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

, as well as on their own. In 2003 K's Choice decided to split ways, but then reformed in 2009. Bettens was born in

Merksem Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021. History The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that perio ...

. After more than a decade of composing, recording and touring all around the world with one of the most successful Belgian bands, in addition to many side projects as a songwriter, guitarist and producer, Gert is making his comeback in the music scene with his first solo project. Along with some self-respected musicians, Gert founded ''Woodface''. Written in his backyard studio and recorded at

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Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, "Good Morning Hope" sheds light on the wide range of Gert's musical influences and tastes, blending power-driven rock with intimate singer-songwriter compositions. This contrast is probably the only similarity to his former band. Driven by Gert's original sound and voice, there is a fusion of styles. The album stretches from typical 1970s rock-tinged guitar bands like

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

to the dulcet sounds of

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...

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and

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. Some songs embrace the drive of more contemporary critical favorites such as David Gray,

Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

and the late Elliott Smith. The colourful palette of sounds was recorded by

Werner Pensaert Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Raid ...

who also engineered the

platinum record ''

Paradise in Me ''Paradise in Me'' is the second studio album by Belgian band K's Choice. It was released in 1995 by Double T Music. In the United States, it was released on 20 August 1996 by 550 Music. The album reached #121 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 c ...

''.

References

External links

Woodface.comKschoice.comSarahBettens.comInterview with Gert Bettens about K's Choice's hiatus, Woodface and Echo Mountain. On Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem, Israel
Living people Belgian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Belgian male singers Belgian rock guitarists People from Merksem People from Kapellen, Belgium Year of birth missing (living people) {{Belgium-singer-stub