“.. A good song doesn’t care whether it’s played by a rock band, just on a single guitar, or with a full orchestra. The song remains..” (Sir Paul McCartney). I Panic is a lifelong search to create such a song. To tell a story, express a feeling, or both.
Alternative Theatrical Rock… with a twist 😉
My name is Marcel van Tetering, a Dutch singer and multi-instrumentalist.
I started I Panic back in 1987, together with two lifelong friends, as a band to play our own, original songs, next to the cover bands we were also playing in. And even though as a band we existed for about a year, I retained the name I Panic as a solo project, to write, record, and release my songs.
After years of songwriting and recording my music as home demos, besides playing piano, guitar, and singing in various bands, because of Corona I gave up the idea of reviving, I Panic as a “real” band but adapted the concept of being a one-man-band and turned the home demo’s in proper productions.
Because I grew up in my grandmother’s record store, I have many diverse musical influences, and this makes my songs sometimes difficult to categorize. As a self-taught composer and performer, I was able to explore several different styles, but my music is best described as Alternative Rock with a touch of theatre. Or in short: Alternative Theatrical Rock.
Musically I find inspiration in some of the great composers and storytellers, ranging from Tom Waits, Cole Porter, Randy Newman, and Jacques Brel to David Bowie, Joe Jackson, Echo & the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, Fischer-Z, and R.E.M.
For me, the lyrics of the songs are just as important as the music. Lyrics should be like storytelling and a good story feeds on the tension of not knowing what will happen. Often, I turn daily life events into songs like catchy little stories, some with a hinge for irony.
In 2021 I started releasing my first original songs, even when I have still so much to learn, and with an exciting new episode of I Panic started. And who knows, maybe I Panic we evolve into a “real band” once again.
Stay tuned, stay safe,
Marcel
