Richard Nijstad has only been playing the guitar since 2010, but he’s a lifelong Springsteen fan.
As a young boy in The Netherlands in the 1980s, Richard grew up to Bruce’s music on the radio. He spent the first money he ever earned on Bruce’s albums, imitated Bruce’s performances, and surrounded himself in Bruce’s music his whole life.
Today, Richard fronts his own band, Different Faces, an eighties cover band with a repertoire that includes a lot of Bruce’s songs.
Why such a strong focus? Because like many of us, Richard found parallels to his own life in Bruce’s music. In particular, “My Hometown” resonated because he remembers his stepfather letting him steer his car as young boy, and the lessons he learned from his stepfather he passed on to his own daughters.
In his tender cover of “My Hometown” below, we can feel Richard’s genuine connection to Bruce’s lyrics.
In 2005, Richard’s life took an unexpected turn: his marriage ended, his family split, and he looked to “Tougher Than the Rest” for the strength he needed to soldier on.
“Tougher Than the Rest” became Richard’s theme song… so much so that Bruce’s words are literally written on his body. (Keep an eye out for them in the video below.)
Today, Richard is working on his own music, and he hopes to release two songs this year. If they’re as good as the two covers he shared with us, he’ll be an artist to watch.
For more of Richard’s music, follow him on Facebook or YouTube.
Nice! I appreciate the diversity of the covers you find.