The Meters wrote the tunes. We take them somewhere else.

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First Impressions

Cardova — The music is written. The groove isn't.

CARDOVA plays the music of The Meters from the legendary Josie years.

But CARDOVA is not a tribute band.

We are not trying to recreate 1969. No museum piece. No obsession with the exact amp, the exact note or the exact solo.

We take the music back to where we believe it belongs: four musicians in a room, a riff, a groove, and the willingness to listen to what happens next.

"Groove is not something you reproduce perfectly. Groove happens between people."

The Music

The Sound: Josie Years. Reimagined.

The early Meters records are the perfect starting point. The Meters, Look-Ka Py Py and Struttin' laid down some of the foundations of New Orleans funk. Music that often needs little more than a riff, a bass line, Hammond organ and drums — provided everybody understands where the space is.

CARDOVA plays these compositions with respect for the originals. But never with too much respect.

We stretch them.

Pull them apart. Leave things out. Open them up for improvisation.

We move.

At times towards jazz, blues, psychedelia or somewhere none of us had planned to go.

We groove.

Dirty when it needs to be. Loud when it wants to be. Quiet when that works better.

The Band

Cardova: Four Musicians. One Guest.

Four musicians in a room. A riff, a bass line, Hammond organ and drums. And the willingness to listen to what happens next. No perfection. No reconstruction. No museum. There is risk. Space. Interaction. And above all: groove.

Maarten Willemsen — Guitar

Guitarist with a taste for space, texture and music that does not stay neatly inside a genre. Plays with MATIK alongside CARDOVA. In CARDOVA: less about filling space, more about finding the note that makes the groove move. Dry when needed. Dirty when wanted.

Arthur Rombouts — Hammond

Pianist, producer and arranger with a jazz background. Studied at the Hilversum Conservatory. For CARDOVA, the Hammond is not wallpaper — it breathes, pushes, answers and occasionally gets in the way in exactly the right manner.

Marcus Bruystens — Bass

Bass player of Dutch garage-rock institution Claw Boys Claw since 2007. Solid, physical and direct. Sits between drums, guitar and Hammond and makes the whole thing feel inevitable — without polishing away the rough edges.

Ferdinand Boonekamp — Drums

Drummer and percussionist across pop, jazz and session work. Played with Cabbage Alley, Alan Laurillard and the Dave Foster Band (Marillion circle). Play less, listen harder, make the groove unavoidable. The drums should breathe, drag, push — and sound a little dangerous.

The Fifth Voice

And One More. Every Night, One Guest.

One New Variable

CARDOVA is deliberately never quite complete. For every performance, another musician joins the band. One new voice. One new variable.

A saxophonist. Trumpet player. Guitarist. Percussionist. Vocalist. Or someone we haven't thought of yet.

Not as someone who joins the band for three songs. As the fifth voice in the band.

"A different musician changes the conversation. And when the conversation changes, everybody has to listen again."

A different player changes the music. The arrangements shift. Solos change. Spaces appear that weren't there the night before. And suddenly everybody has to listen again. That is where music begins.

Gallery

Cardova: Gallery & Press Assets

A picture speaks louder than any tagline. Your photo gallery is a living mood board — high-resolution live shots, candid behind-the-scenes moments, and press-ready portraits that define your visual world.

Tour Dates

The Road: Live Tour Dates

Coming Soon

CARDOVA is booking its first shows. Stay close. The groove is coming to a stage near you.

Merch Store

The Collection: Merch Storefront

Wear the music. Your merch store is more than a revenue stream — it's a badge of belonging for your most loyal fans.

Limited Tee

Screen-printed tour tee. Only 200 made — sizes going fast.

Cardova Cap

Washed cotton cap with embroidered retro logo. One size fits all — limited run.

Debut Vinyl

180g pressing with exclusive artwork. A collector's essential.

Super Bundle

Vinyl + tee + cap. The full Cardova experience. Limited stock remaining.

Cardova Guitar

Semi-hollow body with Cardova branding. A collector's piece straight from the studio.

Cardova Bass

Vintage sunburst P-bass with Cardova badge. Road-worn, studio-ready. A player's instrument.

Cardova Organ

Vintage Hammond organ with Cardova badge. The soul of the sound, now in your living room.

Cardova Snare

Studio-grade snare drum with Cardova badge. Built to hit hard, built to last.

Industry

The Professional Edge: Electronic Press Kit

Built for bookers, agents, and festival programmers who need answers fast. Cardova's private EPK page delivers everything a decision-maker needs in under 30 seconds — no email chains, no waiting.

1

Technical Rider

Full stage and sound requirements, downloadable as PDF.

2

Stage Plot

Scalable diagram of Cardova's full live setup with input list.

3

Direct Contact

Cardova's management, booking agent, and press contact in one place.

No Perfection. No Reconstruction. No Museum.

CARDOVA does not keep this music alive by preserving it. We keep it alive by playing with it.

No perfection.

The same set will never really be the same set. That is exactly the point.

No reconstruction.

We stretch the music. Pull it apart. Leave things out. Open it up.

No museum.

There is risk. Space. Interaction. And above all: groove.