TakeRoot Talks II: American Roots and Northern Routes
American Studies in Groningen Presents TakeRoot Talks II: American Roots and Northern Routes
TakeRoot Talks is a new cultural platform where artists, industry professionals, journalists, scholars, students, and the public come together to reflect upon the meaning and significance of American musical traditions. After a sold-out first edition in 2025, the second edition (Sat 7 November, 13:30-15:00 at SPOT/De Oosterpoort in Groningen) will focus on the connection between American roots music and the Northern Netherlands
This year’s event—titled “American Roots and Northern Routes”—aims to foster a wide-ranging conversation about that connection. It will feature a short talk by historian and regional heritage specialist Maarten Zwiers about the influence of Americana music in the Northern Netherlands; musical interludes by Groningen-based singer-songwriters Marlene Bakker and Jan Henk de Groot; and a panel discussion featuring Bakker, de Groot, and the American musician and scholar Warren Zanes (who will be playing later that evening at the TakeRoot festival with his band The Del Fuegos).
Led by professional moderator Iris de Voer, the event aims to attract a diverse audience that ranges from international festival-goers visiting Groningen to local residents interested in learning more about their own musical and cultural scenes. The event also marks the debut of an interactive storytrail app built by MA students from American Studies in Groningen in collaboration with the Groningen-based software company Knowlogy. Thanks to TakeRoot Walks, music fans will be able to explore the heritage of Americana in Groningen by taking a walking tour through the heart of the city.
Maarten Zwiers is an assistant professor of Contemporary History at the University of Groningen and regional history advisor at Erfgoed in Groningen, a cultural heritage agency. His work focuses on the countryside, from the United States South to the Dutch North, where the Drenthe native was born and raised. In his ENON project he is currently studying regional identity in rural music cultures and the impacts of peat cutting and oil and gas drilling in the Dutch North.
Marlene Bakker has brought the language of Groningen—t Grunnegs/het Gronings—to a set of award-winning albums (Raif (2018); Oaventuren (2023)) that showcase her spiritful voice and evoke the landscape of her home province. In early 2027 she will begin a new tour inspired by northern folktales and a nineteenth-century seer titled MARLENE // MELDINE. She will be performing together with the Noordpool Orkest, conducted by Reinout Douma (SPOT/Stadsschouwburg, 3 February 2027).
Jan Henk de Groot is a singer-songwriter whose soulful solo albums in t Grunnegs and theatrical projects have earned him a series of prizes, including the 2026 K. ter Laan Prize in recognition for his contributions to the language and culture of Groningen. He is also a member of the Groningen-based Americana trio De Troebadoers. His latest album (Fiene (2024)) marks a turn toward electronic pop even as it proudly displays de Groot’s Northern roots and his expressive Groningen dialect.
Warren Zanes is a best-selling author, documentary producer, professor, and musician with a long string of books, albums, and documentary projects to his name. His musical career began before he finished high school, when he became a member of the influential Boston-based band The Del Fuegos. Later, after earning a doctorate in Visual and Cultural Studies, Zanes wrote a series of important books about American(a) music, including Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis (2003); Petty: The Biography (2015); and Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (2023), which formed the basis for the feature film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025). He teaches at New York University.
Iris de Voer is a host, moderator, and program curator at Studium Generale Groningen. A critical thinker and unapologetic daydreamer, she is fascinated by the questions, ideas, and conversations that emerge at the intersections of different fields. She holds a double MA from the University of Groningen in English Literature and North American Studies.
TakeRoot Talks is a collaborative production by: American Studies Department at the University of Groningen; the TakeRoot festival at SPOT/Groningen; Erfgoed in Groningen; and Knowlogy/Storytrails. This year’s edition is generously made possible by the University of Groningen’s Public Engagement Seed Fund.
Tickets will be available for purchase from SPOT/Groningen.
