Charlie & The Welfare comes from the surroundings of Breda in Holland and was founded in 2005. The Band consists of four passionate musicians and plays mostly original songs. Now and then musical heroes as John Fogerty or Eric Clapton are covered.

Because of the wide variety of repertoire a performance of the band is never the same. In addition, Charlie & The Welfare is a band that despite the extensive experience, doesn’t relie on routinious and technical playing, but more on feeling. "Cross the lines " the first CD was recorded in 2006. Now, in may 2014 the successor " A different time " is finally ready. The outstanding guitar work and the singing of Hans Vermeeren combined with Hammond sound of Frankie Vee creates contagious sound.
The bandmebers are:
Hans Vermeeren : Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Roel Bisschops : Drums
Laurens Verdurmen : Basguitar
Frankie Vee : Hammond, Piano

Charlie (Hans Vermeeren)
Started playing the guitar when he was twelve years old. Inspired by many rock en blues cover bands who played in the neighbourhood he bought his First electric guitar and focussed on the blues music. The first band in which he played (age of seventeen) was the rock band Partners in Crime. That year he also played with the Incapable Jakes, a blues band from the south of the country. Afterwards during the years followed innumerable jam sessions with musicians as Walter Lavent, Pieter van Boogeart, Jan de Bruin, Eric Wels, Stephen Wilckinson and many others. During those sessions Charlie also started singing and the idea was born to start a band of his own.
This did not appear as easily as thought. Many combinations were tried out but somehow it didn’t seem to work the way Charlie wanted it. Meanwhile Charlie started a Swing trio, based on the music of Django Reinhardt. But the blues thought never left him and he kept on writing blues songs. And Charlie kept on dreaming of his ideal blues- and rock band.
This ideal blues-rock formation eventually became reality when he brought the musicians mentioned below together.

Frankie Vee (Frans Vriens)
Lives in the south of Holland and is a purebred brabander (someone from the south of Holland). The people in the south are known for the fact that the only time they know is party time. And he enjoys his live there. He has been on the road for quit a few years and he feels himself entirely at its ease behind his Hammond A100.
However Frankie wasn’t always a keyboard player. He started of as guitar player. He did this in a few pop bands. After that he studied classical guitar for a few years. But Frankie always liked the characteristic sound of the Hammond. Such as in the music of Deep Purple en Procol Harum. And when Frankie was inspired by his teacher to listen to records of Jimmy Smith he made a definite decision and went over to the organ. After playing with the band Counterfeit for a few years he made the switch to other bands in other parts of the country. He played Utrecht with A27 en in The Hague with Bully Beef. For a couple of years he toured with the Irish blues musician and singer song writer Barry McCabe. With Barry he played all over Europe. At present Frankie plays besides C&TW also in the band Foul Play, Grammy Lou and Dicemen. Frankie’s love for the sound of the real pioneers of Rock such as Deep Purple kept within him. That is why he didn’t hesitate a second to join C&TW.


Big R (Roel bishop)
Born in The Hague play the drums already as from his 17th and master meanwhile all styles. He started his career in Rotterdam as pop drummer.
After his removal Breda he played in the formation Virgin and formed together with Jan Barten the jazz rock band Aorta, a band with high-speed own jazz rock songs. In the same time he also took part in the formation determined fruit. Fruit made especially experimental headstock music. After falling apart Aorta he played beginning 1980s with Kaz Lux, (Brainbox) and Cyriel Havermans (focus) and Tony the Queljoe in the band Decoy. Moreover he played a number of years with Piu Piu. At the end of the 1980s he joined a band in Amsterdam called The Fish Hospital. The Fish Hospital participated to the “large price of the Netherlands” and made a number of cd's among other things with the American producer Robert Muzzo. Afterwards he made the move to the blues. He played a number of years with Magic Frankie, and was the supporting act in 1992, in the Netherlands and Germany tour of BB King during his European tour. Trough his experience with blues music he was regularly asked for accompanying American blues act, among which Monti Amundson. He continued play jazz Rock with colleague musician of the 1st hour, Jan Barten and with Herman Arthur Voigt. Together they formed the jazz rock formation Expedition and Headquarters. At present Roel takes part in C&TW, the soul band Fire Smoke and Ashes and as a side kick he plays salsa and Merenque in Cuba Libre. But the blues played by C&TW is what he likes the most.

Lau (Laurens Verdurmen)
Copied "art" of mastering the guitar from a friend of his older brother. Bass players were very scarce in that time and he exchanged 6-string rapidly for a 4-string copy.
Squint, were the first band where he stood regularly on the podium. Four years they have infested the region. With Jan Goos, the guitarist from that band arose Tune-a-Matic. Own work completed with covers. Beginning 1990s he was incorporated by the Real Stallions, sixties cover band. After having crossed the Netherlands for 7 years and having released a CD with own material it was time for Lau to look further. With the guitarist from the Stallions, Martin Zandstra alias "Z" he started a new project called Soulstroker. This band had a fast and short live among which the “Breda bursts” festival was a peak. After that “Zedmoon” was a new project. With Z". Zandstra, B. Vendergreen (Stallions) and musician of the first hour Jan Goos. In May last year the prerecording of the second CD was realised. At the same time he took part in the band “Don't puke on jack”. This was purely for the fun, 5 enthusiastic musicians who came on a free Saturday night together and disregarded the mainstream or any stream for that matter. After this Lau wanted to experience the blues music.