Fanbase Music Mag Issue 31

C o n t e n t s Issue 31 — August 2013

♦ Editors Note

♦ Team Profile ♦ The Writing is on the Wall ♦ Featured Bands

CITO 

Beeldenstorm



Billy Talent



Taxi Violence



Woodstock Mafia



E.X.P.L.O.S.I.O.N



Set for the Sky



Electric Gorvett



KatBokEniBandedMeemSnakes



David Owens



Hayden Dunstan



Biggfunfam



Thuli Scott

♦ and in other news ♦ Ryno’s Full Metal Panic ♦ The “Wild Child” chronicle ♦ Gig reviews ♦ Togger of the Month ♦ Contact Page

H

ello Fanbase readers and welcome to another jam packed issue of Fanbase Music Mag.

Editors Note

Right let’s get straight into it, for all you metal lovers out there, Ryno has got an exclusive interview on Beeldenstorm who happens to be on our front cover this month, so go check that out.

He also has all the low down on the Lamb of god tour.

Our Durban Team has a gig review on Cool Runnings Tuesday Open mic session with E.X.P.L.O.S.I.O.N. They also interview the band which can all be found in the Durban Vibes section of the mag. They have all that and more so best just to read the mag and go see for your self.

I interview some pretty awesome bands myself, I kind of out done myself so if I missed anyone out then please forgive me and just read the mag to get the full bands I have interviewed, but bands that come to mind is Woodstock Mafia, Taxi Violence, Biggfunfam, Hayden Dunstan, David Owens, Thuli Scott and a whole lot more. Enjoy it all!

Camella interviews Electric Corvette and also has the low down on H20 which she will be attending.

We hope you enjoy the read and if you going to Oppi then be safe and have a blast!!!

I would like to thank my awesome team who work very hard to put this mag together and is the real reason there is a mag every month.

I would like to give a special shout out to my girlfriend Crystal who does so much for the magazine. It is our 1 year and 6 months anniversary this month and I would like to thank her for sticking with me. I love you babe.

Thank you to my Mom who works very hard on the design and putting it all together, Love you xx OK I think that’s it for this month, have a great August and until next time keep rocking!!!!!

Duwyne

TEAM

PROFILE

WRITING IS ON THE WALL Keep up the good read guys. As Always I really enjoyed it. Keep Rocking Sent in by Dennis Duzz replies:

Awesome read in July, thank you guys and keep rocking

Thanks Dennis—always happy to hear that we are keeping our magazine enjoyable to our readers.

Sent in by Tracey Venter Duzz replies: Thanks Tracey for the feedback. Hope we can keep you reading for a long time to come Hobo hugs

Hey everyone out there—don’t be shy, drop us a note for “The Wall”.

Would luv to hear from you all !

The Fanbase Team

Taxi Violence in my opinion is one of the most exciting bands to come out of our country. They are seriously taking the world by storm. “Taxi Violence smashed onto the scene as a breath of fresh raw exuberance without the need for any fancy ‘post’ this, or ‘neo’ that or cute little words like ‘alt’ or ‘indie’ necessary to define them. The result is that after seven years together their sound is still a timeless ode to what they do best… rocking out!”

Members: George van der Spuy - Vocals Louis Nel - Drums Rian Zietsman - Guitar Jason Ling – Bass Weblinks: http://www.facebook.com/taxiviolence Twitter: www.twitter.com/taxi_violence_ Web: www.taxiviolence.com

“We only have one gear….G energy, high impact.

Without the audience, we w able to do what we do so m they get what they pay for… show”

Hi guys thank for featuring in Fanbase Music Magazine, I think let’s start from the beginning, what is the story behind Taxi Violence, where did it all start as a band?

Louis, Rian and Loedi (original bass player) were best friends at school while George played in a rival band. When the 3 started jamming, Rian decided to invite George to sing and Taxi Violence was born. After 4 years Loedi moved to JHB to pursue a career in film. Jason who was a fan of the band applied for the vacant position and 5 years later we are still on the road.

Did you all come from a musical background?

I don’t come from a musical background but when my parents sat me down at a piano when I was 8 and it all made sense.

Can you tell us something about each member of the band?

George sleeps the most, Jason sleeps the least, Rian drinks the most and Louis complains the most.

Who is the song writer in the band and where do you get your inspiration from?

We all bring ideas to the rehearsal room.

Explain a typical song of Taxi Violence, how does it all come together to being a complete song, explain how you put all the riffs and drum beats together along with the lyrics.

We all write riffs at home and bring them to the rehearsal room. From there we work on the ideas as a band. Once the basic idea is there George will find a melody that fits and from there write the lyrics.

Can you explain a Taxi Violence gig to us, what can we expect at one of your gigs if we have never been to a gig before?

We only have one gear….GO! J high energy, high impact.

Without the audience, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do so make sure they get what they pay for… a killer show.

You are releasing your 4th studio album, how has this album differed from the past 3 albums?

It’s the best work we have produced as a band.

How many tracks are there on this album?

11

GO! J high

wouldn’t be make sure … a killer

It is said that the album was recorded and produced by Brendyn “Rusti” Rossouw at Heritage Sound Studios, and mixed by the legendary Theo Crous at Bellville Studios, how was it to work these two legends?

Rusti is such a pleasure to work with. He made the recording process awesome and brought some great ideas to the songs. As for the mixing, we stepped back and let Theo do what he does best.

The making of Soul Shake has been a great experience for the band.

Where and when will the album be available?

It will be available in stores and online towards the end of July. In the meantime you can purchase the albums at the shows or simply email music@taxiviolence to get your signed copy posted to your doorstep.

Where can we catch you gigging in the month of August?

We are launching the album around the country over the month of July. In August we will be playing in Grahamstown.

Do you have any messages to your every growing fans out there?

Thanks for all the support over the years. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Send us your questions‌.we’re always keen to chat.

Thank you so much for doing this interview with us.

The Pleasure was all ours.

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

MATTHEW MOLE MAKES SOUTH AFRICAN CHART HISTORY Matthew Mole made South African chart history today becoming the first local artist to enter the iTunes album chart at No.1 with his debut album ‘The Home We Built’.

The 21 year old singer-songwriter from Fish Hoek, Cape Town beat off stiff competition from international superstars JAY Z, The Rolling Stones, Michael Buble and Robin Thicke, local DJ/producer DJ Kent as well as the world’s biggest compilation series NOW That’s What I Call Music to top the chart.

Mole’s debut album, ‘The Home We Built’, produced by Matthew Fink (Shadowclub, Tailor, Nakhane Toure), is already attracting keen international interest on both sides of the Atlantic where he has already been chosen as Record Of The Day in the UK and A&R Worldwide’s ‘Artist Of The Week’ in the US. Commenting on the No.1 success of his album, Mole said: "It was such an amazing thing to see the album at No.1 on the morning of its release. All thanks to the overwhelming support received from everyone! It’s great to know that people are loving the album.”

Karl Anderson, owner of Mole’s record label Just Music, added: “We’re absolutely thrilled for Matthew as this is a remarkable achievement for a new artist. It’s an exciting time as iTunes has changed the face of the South African music industry and given independent labels and artists direct access to their fans.”

2014 Official RAM TOURING Press Release:

LAMB OF GOD IN SOUTH AFRICA JANUARY 2014 FRIDAY 24 JANUARY: THE HILLCREST QUARRY, DURBANVILLE. SATURDAY 25 JANUARY: THE EXPO CENTRE (Hall 8) NASREC, JOHANNESBURG. Heavy Metal supporters in South Africa have held their breath since early in 2012 when rumours first emerged that a local appearance by USA metal titans Lamb Of God was imminent. Hopes were dashed later that year when the remainder of the bands tour was cancelled in mid-2012 and activity curbed to within United States borders up until June this year. In fulfilling an old promise, Lamb Of God are finally on the road and catching up on a major back log of shows across the globe. The great news for South Africa is that two dates have been squeezed into the bands cram-packed touring schedule for early 2014.

"With only two dates available, we'll be touring them to Cape Town and Johannesburg," said Dawid Fourie of RAM Touring, "and we're expecting that by playing those two cities, the maximum number of fans will get an opportunity to begin planning early for a trip to one of the larger centres."

Lamb Of God, from the State of Virginia in the USA, were formed in 1990 with current members John Campbell on bass, Mark Morton on Guitar, and the legendary Chris Adler on Drums. Vocalist Randy Blythe joined in 1995 and drummer Chris's brother Willie Adler replaced Abe Spear on guitar in 1999, resulting in the current line-up which spans more than a decade; and introducing the electrifying chemistry which has launched a successful career for the band we see today.

Chris Adler, endorsed internationally by Mapex Drums, is lauded by drummers the world over for his unique style of playing, and his often used 'heel-toe' technique. Guitarist Mark Morton has also made a significant impact on the global guitar-playing fraternity, as celebrated by Jackson Guitars with his 'Dominion' signature model being highly sought after.

The band has released six studio albums to date, with their 2006 album 'Sacrament' receiving a Grammy nomination, and selling a cumulative two million copies in the USA alone. Lamb Of God is considered to be the spearhead of what heavy metal fans call "The New Wave of American Heavy metal". What has also won this band great public acclaim are their DVD's containing many hours of footage on the stage and off of it, but more importantly documenting normal days in the life of a hard working band on tour.

Lamb Of God will melt faces on Friday 24 January in Cape Town, and Saturday 25 January in Johannesburg. Tickets via www.computicket.co.za, or from any Computicket outlet nationwide. General standing is available at R450 and for Golden Circle, only R550.

Cape Town Venue: The Hillcrest Quarry outside Durbanville is a mere 30 minute drive from Cape Town CBD (traffic depending) and can be found on the M13 (Tygervalley Road) which bridges the Tygervalley Hills between Durbanville and Parklands (Table View). Safe and secure parking will be available +/- 0.9km from the grounds, where attendees will be required to park & walk. A shuttle service will be available at R5 per single trip for any special-needs patrons or for those who just don't feel like walking.

Johannesburg Venue: The Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec (Hall 8) is situated just to the South-West of the city CBD on the Corner of Rand Show and Nasrec Roads, directly adjacent to the iconic "Soccer City" National Stadium. The best approaches from the directions of Pretoria, Sandton, OR Tambo Airtport, and Bloemfontein are all well detailed on the venues website here: http://www.expocentrejhb.co.za/map-a-directions-to-expo-centre Facilities at both venues include: Well-stocked bars (no alcohol served to u18s), Food Stalls, Security, Medics & kick ass production.

Regretfully, no u16's will be allowed, and u18's will only be admissible if accompanied by adult (21+) supervision and their ID documents.

The opening acts for both shows are: Mind Assault & The Drift.

Lamb of God Social Media: twitter: www.twitter.com/Lambofgodband facebook: www.facebook.com/lambofgod RAMtouring Social Media: facebook: www.facebook.com/RAMTouringSA website: www.ramtouring.co.za twitter: @RAMtouring

David Owen

This is something I am very excited about, I have always been a HUGE supporter of South African music, we all know that, but where did it all start for me, now I am not saying S.A music wasn’t good before this era but given the time I was born and really old enough to take music seriously, the 90’s was always going to be a special time for me. Yes that’s when international bands like, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins hit the music scene and paved the way for a whole new genre. But that was international acts and they had the luxury of being played on MTV. Whilst all that was happening, there was also something special happening in South Africa in the local music scene. There were rock bands springing up and making huge noise within the country. Bands like Just Jinjer, Springbok Nude Girls, WonderBOOM, Amersham, and Squeal; oh the list is endless of great bands that took on the world at that time. But one band in particular was an awesome grunge band from Cape Town called Lithium. Unfortunately the band does not exist anymore but we were able to track down lead singer David Owens and decided to sit him down and talk about the good old days of the band that was once called Lithium and paved the way for a lot of South African bands of today.

We also talk to him about what he is up to these days. It seems there are some very exciting things going on in the pipeline!!!

Enjoy the interview!!!

Lithium Band Members Ian Watson David Owens Paul Opie Simon Portlock

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

Hi David, Wow this is an honor; it’s not every day you get to interview someone who literally had a hand in paving the way for South African music. Lithium was an awesome grunge band from Cape Town. Can you tell us about the 90’s when you exploded on to the airwaves, there seemed to have been a feeling in the air that such great bands such as yours was coming onto the scene, can you tell us how did it feel to be making music in that era?

Yeah, the 90’s were initially a difficult period for original SA music. When Lithium formed in Cape Town in 1992, we couldn’t get booked to play any venues unless half our set was covers. That quickly changed though and the original scene really started to take off. With the support of DJ’s, like Barney Simon, hosting demo clashes on their shows, we had a chance to get our music played to a large audience, as well as discovering loads of new local bands ourselves. It was an exciting time.

You seemed to have been influenced by a lot of grunge/ punk back in the 90’s, what sort of music was the band influenced by in those days?

Oh yes, most definitely! We did name our band after a Nirvana song after all… ha ha. We were listening to a lot of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Sepultura, Metallica, Faith No More, Tool… it definitely influenced the direction we started in, but I do feel like we eventually managed to take it to a different place, and come up with our own distinct sound.

What sort of music are you into now?

I’ve always listened to a wide range of music. I love the hard and heavy, like Slipknot, Mastodon, Lamb of God, Meshuggha, Deftones, Mudvayne etc, but also really enjoy so many different things like Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Jeff Buckley, The Hives… man, I could go on forever… Locally, I’m really digging a PE band called Volume Conflict, and of course, The Narrow is always on my playlist…

We are also huge Volume Conflict fans as well as the Narrow, how many albums did Lithium release as a band, and are they still available?

We released three official albums… Broken, Take Out (EP), and Zennon Supertroopers. We also released a lo-fi recording called Century Depravation and a live concert too. The stuff is pretty hard to track down these days, but I do occasionally make them available for download on our Facebook band page…

You got to tour alongside great South African bands such as Springbok Nude Girls, Nine, Sugardrive and Squeal, could you feel the energy in the air that South African music was changing and you were a part of it?

Hell yes, we did the Bandslam tour in 1996 – Lithium, SNG, Squeal, Sugardrive and Nine. We toured the whole of the country together on a bus, it was totally crazy. The vibe was amazing. We were all great friends that enjoyed each other’s company, and everyone totally kick ass on stage… the reaction to that tour was huge.

You also opened up for Iron Maiden when they came to South Africa in 1995, how was that whole experience?

Touring with Iron Maiden was definitely one of the highlights for me from the Lithium era. Unfortunately vocalist Bruce Dickenson wasn’t with the band at the time, which as a vocalist myself, was a little disappointing, but it didn’t take too much away from the fact that we got to tour and hang out with one of the biggest metal bands in the world. They gave us the full PA to play through which is rare; some people said we were actually LOUDER than Maiden… ha ha. A great experience.

What are the rest of the band members of Lithium up to these days, do you still keep in contact with them?

The other three guys are all in Cape Town (I’ve been in Joburg since 1999), they all played together in various bands for years, but had a huge falling out a while back, and don’t jam together as far as I know. I tried to get us all together this year to celebrate Lithium’s 21st (as well as my 40th), but they all declined… pity. They are all individually active in the Cape Town music scene though…

So is there no chance of a Lithium reunion, what does the rest of the band think of that idea?

We did a few reunion shows in 2005/2006… even played at Oppikoppi during that time, but unfortunately because of the personal issues between the other guys as previously mentioned, no, there is no hope for any future reunion of any kind. I actually considered forming a Lithium “cover band”, but came to my senses, and decided against it. Some things you just have to let go… Besides, I’d really like to focus on starting a new band What was the reason for the bands break up, was it hard to keep a band going and make a comfortable living from it in South Africa?

Yeah, we always struggled to make a decent living, even at the best of times. We all had “real” jobs to supplement our income. Things just got to the point where the struggle got too much for us. Simon and I talked about going overseas to start something there, Ian and Paul didn’t want to leave SA… so we just called it a day. After 7 years together, it was a tough call to make. I ended up moving to Joburg shortly thereafter…

got the juices flowing, and some of the band members and I are already in discussions about an original project later this year, so watch this space!

“touring with Iron Maiden was definitely one of the highlights for me”

There is talk that you joining the Narrow on stage at Oppi, can you tell us more about that?

I did a song called "This is the way" with The Narrow on their album "Travellers" a few years back... They had recorded the music for the track which Hanu sent me, and I then wrote the lyrics and melody for it... It was such an honor to be involved with them and have the song included on such a legendary album. I've never had the opportunity to play live with them before, and when I mentioned to Hanu a few weeks back that I would really love to perform on stage with them when they were doing their next tour; they invited me to join them at Oppikoppi... SO STOKED!

How can people get hold of you, do you have any social networks?

Lithium Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LithiumSA David Beretta Owens Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/DavidBerettaOwensMusic If anyone wants any of the Lithium albums, I have all the MP3s… email me at davidberettaowens@gmail.com and I’ll send them to you!

Thank you so much for doing this interview man, Keep Rocking!!!

Thanks Duwyne, I appreciate the interest, and carry on with your amazing support for local music!

By the way, I’m working on an interesting project for 2015 with Peter Pearlson, the guy who produced Lithium’s first album “Broken”… it will be the 20th anniversary of the album’s release, and I plan on writing a song that has been plaguing me for decades… more on that later though!

What have you been up to these days, are you still making music?

I’m not currently doing much in the way of original music. I’m involved in an alternative/goth show which will be on at the Barnyard theatres in Gauteng from September, and there’s talk of touring it down the coast in December. I did do a solo album (recorded with Theo Crous from SNG) a few years ago, quite a lot more chilled than the old Lithium stuff. It was mostly for the sake of boredom and needing to get stuck into something; I did a CD launch in 2011, but never toured it or promoted it actively. I do still play the occasional solo acoustic show. Being involved in this Barnyard show has really

Sounds very interesting, hopefully Fanbase will be on the top of your list when all of that goes down. Good luck with that.

Full name: Wayne David Greenstone Nick name: Mr G Occupation: Musician Producer and Radio Presenter Your show name and time/day: Global Independent Artists show on the Mr G spot Knysna FM 97.0 from 6 to 9pm What do you like about working for Knysna FM? The opportunity to promote and give airplay to fellow unsigned musicians around SA and the globe What made you get into radio?

The chance to make a difference What’s your fave genre of music?

Knysna FM is the best radio station….why?

Unusual shows...not your usual commercial station.

Do you have any last words for the readers and your listeners?

Music is an art form that touches the heart and soul...it has no borders or boundaries...there are so many true artists out there that few are even aware of.

Folk, Easy Rock, World Music, Blues, Funk.

What would be your dream play list if you had to play your top 10 songs of all time?

Peter Gabriel : Blood of Eden, Keb Mo : Life is Beautiful, Gary Moore : Parisien Walkways, Buddy Guy : Skin Deep, Bob Seger : We’ve got tonight, Bruce Hornsby : The way it is, Cat Stevens : Where do the children play, Chris Rea : On the beach, Don Henley : Walking in Memphis, Coldplay : Fix you, Goo Goo Dolls : Iris.

If you weren’t in radio, what would you be doing?

Still playing live and recording.

Now is your chance to sell your show ... Tell us why we should tune into your time slot...123 go!!!?

Incredible talent and high quality of the true art of music that floats about by the many artists that the Industry hasn’t even noticed.

6pm—9pm FM 97.0

BACKSTAGE PASS High School Jam 2013 High School Jam to rock GrandWest Date/Time Saturday, 24 August 2013 (Semi Finals): 10h00 to 18h00 Sunday, 25 August 2013 (Finals): 14h00 to 18h00 Venue GrandWest Grand Arena Cost R30.00 per person Tickets Purchased at the door or via Karen Burt atkaren@planetproductions.co.za GrandWest, Planet Productionsand The Foschini Group’s ClubX Magazine invites all those budding musicians, singers and performers to the Backstage Pass “HIGH SCHOOL JAM” competition on Saturday 24 August 2013 for semi-finals and Sunday, 25 August 2013 for the finals.

The competition, which is open to the entire Western Cape province, encourages high schools to compete through music, dance and other performances while they gain exposure in the entertainment industry. The idea behind the competition is to provide interactive learning experiences for all the students involved.

Ten high schools have been chosen to compete on Saturday, 24 August 2013 and from there, three schools will be chosen to compete in the finale on Sunday, 25 August 2013. The winning school stands a chance to win R30 000, with the two runner-up high schools each winning R10 000 and the Spirit Award winning school will stand a chance to walk away with R10 000, all these prizes are sponsored by The Foschini Group’s (TFG) ClubX Magazine.

The individual prizes will also be awarded to solo and group performers across all ten schools. The High School Jam 2013 competition sponsors are Planet Productions, GrandWest, The Foschini Group’s (TFG) ClubX Magazine, Marshall Music and Yamaha Music, KFC, Cape Community Newspapers and Good Hope FM. The success of 2012 High School Jam saw 1200 school musicians and performers participating, performing to a semi-final and final audience of 10 000. Last year’s winners were Settlers High School, among the participants were the Zola Business School who were the 2011 beneficiaries with Chris Hani High School the 2012 beneficiaries and will also be taking part in this year’s competition.

Audiences can look forward to uplifting vocals, creative costumes and a thoroughly entertaining show. Tickets can be purchased at the door for R30, or via Karen Burt atkaren@planetproductions.co.za . All the proceeds from the “Final” will be donated to a disadvantaged school for the development and encouragement of music.

KatBokEniBande KatBokEniBandedMeemSnakes is a five piece rock band from Tzaneen Limpopo. It all started as a side project between 5 solo acts, so a collaboration of sorts. The main objective being: to have as much fun as possible. It’s hard to explain or define the genre of music these guys play, as there are too many styles and influences contained in the music, yet there is a strong underlying rock theme.

The band consists of Catherina Mocke (Percussion), Chris Mocke (Guitar, Vocals, Bass, and Drums), Frederick Terblanche (Guitar, Bass), Johan du Plessis (Guitar, Percussion, Bass, and Vocals) and Francois Jacobs (Guitar, Bass, and Drums).

About The Guys (and Lady) Catherina Mocke – KAT (BokIniBerg) Kat was born in Standerton, Mpumalanga on the 30th of May 1983. Currently living just outside Tzaneen, Limpopo with her husband Chris Mocke and 2 children, Timon (8) and Mia (5) besides housework she does Artwork projects that involve a variety of handcrafted objects, which will be available online to view or buy soon. She also plays percussion instruments, including the djembe drum, in the group, “G mol herstel orkes”, a 3 piece instrumental band that mostly play semi-formal functions in Limpopo. For the last year she has been collaborating with Chris, Fred, Lg and Francios to form KatBokeniBandedMeemSnakes, her being ‘Kat’, also part of KatBok studios, which consists of herself and Chris’ since 2001.

Chris Mocke – Bok (BokIniBerg) Studied classical piano Gr8 since 1986, a militarily trumpeter since 92, Thrash metal drummer since 92 Guitarist since 96. Various odd world instrumentalist; oud, balalaika, banjo and F-horn. Bands he’s played with include: Blue Bread 94-96 John's Renault 96-99 Sliced Plug 02-06 Velar 04-06 Christian Von 07-11 November Night Circus 05-09 Saboath 06-08 OGB 05-08 FireGate 10-11 (signed by Nokternal Hemizphear ,wisconsin. Release end 13) BokInBerg 12-13 ... Thats part of the KBBMS

edMeemSnakes Frederick Terblanche – Fred (Banded Agate) Influenced by Alter Bridge, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden etc, Fred grew up in SpringsGauteng, where he started playing guitar in 2001. Moved to Tzaneen Limpopo in 2003 where he met various musos including Chris and Fran. Fred records his own music also. He plays guitar drums and bass. Some bands he played with includes: Saboath, Christian Von and sliced plug.

Johan du Plessis – LG (The MeeM Project) LG has been playing guitar since like ages! He’s been in a lot of bands and projects and now with these other nutty professors!! He doesn’t have much to say except that he’s enjoying this journey with four other brilliant artists and hopes to do this still for a while.

Francois Jacobs – Fran (Eye 8 Snake) Fran has been a musician since he was 8 years old, also a multi-instrumentalist, he has been performing since 1996 starting with “Blue Bread”, an old thrash metal band from Polokwane. Other bands include: John’s Renault, Velar and Joburg based outfits Fighting Midnight and RadioBrain. Other than Rock Music, he did Classical and Jazz session work in Gauteng, playing with a variety of artists. Since then he’s moved on to live a more quiet life in the Lowveld of Limpopo, playing the odd corporate gig or wedding.

So there you have it.

They’re currently recording their debut EP and hope to be rocking up venues near you soon. www.facebook.com/Katbokenibandedmeemsnakes

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton Photography by: Johan Rossouw

Hi guys thank you for doing this interview, let’s start from the beginning where did it all start as a band, what is the story behind KatBokEniBandedMeemSnakes?

We all know each other for years now, and got together for the heck of it, and the love for it Before I ask anything else, you guys have a very interesting band name, can you tell us the story behind the band name, how did you find a band name like that?

Well, we all have our own music projects and decided to each take a part of our project's name and create one name for the band.

Katbok (studio name for Kat and Chris) Bokiniberg (Chris's project) Banded Agate (Fred's project) Meem (LG's project) Eye 8 Snake (Fran's project) What genre of music do you play?

With all these projects melted into one, it’s a tough question lol. We're a rock band with a twist.

Can you tell us something about each member of the band?

Chris is a Citroen ds mechanic in the making and loves the Kruger Park... a lot...

Cat is seriously arty. painting, makes very cool ethnic jewelry and stuff. Excellent percussionist too.

LG is a brutally honest guy. Likes a party and singing in F sharp.

Fred's an IT and Electronics guy. Makes a plan if there is no plan and has a sweet tooth. As you can see.

Fran likes playing in F major and is a whistling guitar tuner, pitch perfect, Always.

Who is the song writer in the band what is the process like of writing out the lyrics?

Chris is the main songwriter. His lyrics is inspired by real life experiences, mountains, wolves, owls and crows etc.

He's a natural songwriter and lyricist, so the writing comes easy.

Can you explain the process of putting a whole song together, how does the band put all the guitar riffs, drums, and vocals all together and make a complete song?

Having played all together for so long in different bands and projects, we formed a close bond musically. If someone comes up with a guitar riff that sounds good we all jump in. guitar riffs, melody lines, bass and drums are almost instant. Everyone in the band has a certain magic when it comes to creating a song.

You are from Limpopo, how is the music scene from that part of the country, do you find it hard to make it in the music industry?

The music scene this side is picking up, having the Rocking For Rhinos fest held up at Hoedspruit for the second time this year really gives us something to look forward to. We recently played the River Rock fest in Tzaneen and the Monster Rock in Louis Trichardt which, both, was a huge success. It's hard to make it but not impossible. We just love what we do. I think that’s the most important aspect of all.

Can you name some of your achievements as a band?

Monster rock festival and the River rock was quite an achievement having played with The Dying Breed and Cutting Jade. We are currently busy recording our EP over the next couple of weeks.

If we have never been to one of your gigs, what could we expect at a KatBokEniBandedMeemSnakes gig?

Nothing ordinary, killer tunes, a show and-a-half. some things we need to keep as surprises.

What does the future hold for the band, where can we catch you gigging?

We are gigging at Rocking for Rhinos Festival in Sep 21/22 2013, in Hoedspruit in Limpopo.

Thank you for doing this interview with us, do you have any social Medias, how can people get hold of you? https://www.facebook.com/ Katbokenibandedmeemsnakes You can find all our updates on gigs and stuffs on the page.

We would like to thank Fanbase Music mag too for this great opportunity.

Biggfunfam A musically inspired group of young men, who are DJs and Producers in the Mother City! Biggfunfam believes in uniqueness, which shows through in their music!

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

Biography Bigg-Fun Fam is a crew of 5 people, namely: Trendy Deejay, Dejavu, Spoilt, Aya Prow & Laphiro Maniak.

Bigg- Fun Fam resides in Cape Town, and are an up and coming crew of Producers/DJs that seek to twist the music industry in all directions, with their distinct pacey drums and melodic sounds. In the year 2011 Bigg-Fun was featured in a Sampler named: Milkshake Sampler vol1.

With various other underground producers, such as ABLE K, EVO, NEDZA&LUUNGZ & LILO on the sampler. The sampler was released on prolific sites such as BeatPort, JunoDownload, iTunes and DjDownloads.

Bigg-Fun has also been on well-recognized local radio stations such as: Umhlobo Wenene, Tru-Fm and Bush Radio, airing several of their tracks on these radio stations.

The Future certainly holds greater things for these musically inspired lads.

Thank you for featuring in Fanbase Music Magazine. Can you start of by telling us what is The Biggfunfam, what kind of music do you play?

Biggfunfam : Thank you so much for having us. Well to cut a long story short Biggfunfam is brotherhood united musical something, something lol. Biggfunfam is a musical group that composes/write & play (Deejay) music. We have our own sound we call BiggFun Music that we believe is a fresh & unique sound. We're a group of young men united by music & kept it together through friendship. Hence the "brotherhood".

When it comes to music there's different styles amongst us as individuals. There's Deep house, Soulful House, Afro Soul, progressive house, Deep Tech, Electro, Hip-Hop, Kwaito, Urban House. If it’s good music we will play it no doubt.

What is the story behind the group; can you tell us the history of Biggfunfam?

Having Made tours To Johannesburg & EC, these tours are special to us because we funded our own trips with family support. We made huge progress in terms of musical Contacts through these tours. Doing interviews with Trufm,Mhlobo Wenene & Bush radio have helped a lot.

We recently did a Collab with Shisa Boy "Ngomso Hit" which this single will drop during festive season. So we still young & new in the game so much more coming.

Who are some of your influences?

Life, the struggles we overcome & the ones we are yet to conquer .Crazy White boys, Black Coffee, Gold Fish & there's a lot man.

How can people get hold of you, what are your social networks?

Bookings Contact

BiggFunfam: 2005 is when we started to fool around but back then it was just about playing music.2008 we were registering our companies name, "Biggfun Entertainment" was our second choice name. "SoulSolutions Entertainment" was our 1st choice but we ended up with BiggFun & it got stuck on us & really became part of our lives.2009 We also started playing around with FL & Reason(composing programmes) But Reason stole our hearts lol. It’s in 2010 when we started taking writing music seriously.

Manager: Asanda Pakade 0765925391

How many members are there in the band and what are their roles in the band?

@Biggfunfam

There are 5 of us in the group, for us it’s not like each individual is assign to do this or that, you Assist with what you can when you can.

So everyone has an input in different areas of our work & that enhances more knowledge, because we encounter different problems.

If we have never been to one of your gigs then what can we expect?

Biggfunfam: We build our crowd up we need to welcome our people Keep it Soulful - Trendy Deejay is the man for the job .Then they need to feel the need to stay there, up it a little Give them Jazzy Deep & Deep sounds - Dejavu is The man for this job. Then we have to get them up to start making their way slowly to the dance floor,Elevate it up with Afro Soul,Afro Deep - Laphiro Maniak is the man for this job.

Then its Groove time some Hip- Hop n Urban House Commercial to light up the party - Aya Prow is the man for this Job. Then everyone is happy now right?! Why not remind them of where we been? Some Old school - Deejay Spoilt loves this one.

But on the other hand everyone can play almost any other Genre someone else plays, so sometimes you might see this format changed because moods & vibes change. So all in all expect FIRE! Besides being in this band, what else do you do?

All of us work then,Aya Prow has been doing Radio, Laphiro Maniak has been on the events & promotions side,Trendy has been on the IT world for a while now, Dejavu & Spoilt have been busy with sound & hire business.

Can you name your accomplishments so far?

Well to be still alive is one. We did our 1st performance live @Mzolis on our track persistence in 2011 with Bells on the vocals. To release as a new artist is a big thing for us Milkshake sampler Vol 1 was the 1st platform we had. Winning mix on Jaiva Mzansi on Mhlobo Wenene fm. Having our Remix of I Found my Light Being played in UK & Let's Dance Debut also in UK www.housefm.net.

biggfunmusic@gmail.com Ct Vibes PR : ctvibesblog@gmail.com Twitter:

@Spoilt_Biggfun

@AyaProw

@Trendydeejay

@DejavuBiggfun

@Laphiro_Maniak

Facebook: Biggfunfam(Page) Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/Biggfun-music

Thuli Scott It's been a life long dream and destination for Thuli Scott, who started singing at the tender age of 15 and has travelled the world, gaining the inspiration, experience and passion necessary to launch her musical career.

Her brand new single 'Ride With Me', the hot ragga infused pop hit has been remixed by Rachel James, (via Matchbox Recordings UK) a prominent UK remixer who has worked with Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and more, under her various remixing guises.

Thuli Scott has influences ranging from Whitney Houston, Randy Crawford, to homebred TK and Lebo Mathosa. Her unique brand of guitar infused RnB Rock is packed with punch.

The brand new studio album is called 'Let It Go' and was recorded in both Johannesburg and Dubai, where Thuli is now based.

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

Hi Thuli, thank you for featuring in the magazine, can you tell us where it all started, do you come from a musical background?

It all started when I was young singing in the church choir. I would find myself singing louder than anyone else and by the time I was 15 years old I decided that I really wanted to be a singer.

Can you tell us what genre of music you play?

My music is RNB, Rock Where do you find the inspiration for your song writing and what is the process like of putting a song together?

I get inspiration from day to day issues that we face in life both good and bad. Putting a song together is a long hard process especially, when you write and produce all your own songs as I have done. You really need patience and you need to love what you are doing.

Your brand new single 'Ride With Me', has been remixed by Rachel James, (via Matchbox Recordings UK) a prominent UK remixer who has worked with Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and more, how did it feel to work with such a legend in the industry?

Having Rachel work on my track was amazing. She has worked with so many prominent artists I was really excited that she took the time to work on my track and did such an amazing job.

What is the single about, how did that song come together?

The single is about having fun and dancing. I know how people love to dance and wanted to do a track that they could really dance to.

Do you still get nervous when you go on stage?

I don’t get nervous anymore when I get on stage. It is more a feeling of wanting everything to be perfect so I can focus on the performance and give it my all.

Where can we catch you performing in the future?

I am currently working on putting together some performances in South Africa so stay tuned for details.

Do you have any social networks, how can people get hold of you?

Yes, you can find me on Facebook (Thuli Scott) on twitter (@ThuliScott) and you can find the track on I-tunes as well Thank you for doing this interview, do you have anything else to say to your fans or the readers?

Yes, thank you all for supporting my music and not just my music but South African music in general. I look forward to seeing you all at some live performances and shows. Keep up the spirit of Ubuntu.

“I get inspiration from day to day issues that we face in life, both good and bad�

The Hives and Skunk Anansie join rocking international line-up for

Vodacom In the City Vodacom In the City has added Swedish rock sensationThe Hives and revived iconic British bandSkunk Anansie to this year’s international line-up, cementing the festival’s creds as one of the edgiest and most anticipated music events on the South African calendar.

These two powerful and dynamic music forces now join alt-j and Boys Noize for this one-day music festival, and all are guaranteed to rock downtown Jo’burg and the 15,000 fans who will pound the ground at Newtown’s Mary Fitzgerald Square on 4 October 2013.

The Hives will no doubt satisfy long-standing fans with music ranging from their early albumsBarely Legal (1997) and Veni Vidi Vicious (2000) to Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004),The Black and White Album (2007) and their most recentLex Hives (2012).

Catapulting them to international rock status with hits like Hate To Say I Told You So, Main Offender,Supply And Demandand Die, Alright! off of Your New Favourite Band (a compilation of songs from Barely Legal, VVV and the A.k.a I-D-I-O-T EP) The Hives made lovers of garage-rock sit up and take notice.Tyrannosaurus Hives gave birth to tracksWalk Idiot Walk, Two-Timing Touch & Broken Bones and A Little More For Little You; andThe Black and White Album shook the airwaves with its hit singleTick Tick Boom!

Knowing they still had so much awesomeness to share with the world, the 12-track compilationLex Hives was released in 2012 on The Hives’ own label, Disques Hives. Lead singleGo Right Ahead moved the band into glam-punk territory and was met with rave reviews and huge airplay.

Be prepared to rock out with The Hives when they’re unleashed on theVodacom In the City stage, performing in their trademark black and white suits.

That same stage will also host the brooding, funky beats, edgy lyrics and punk riffs ofSkunk Anansie.

Reunited after an eight-year hiatus, Skunk Anansie have “come home”, says lead singer Skin. Along with band members Ace (guitar), Cass Lewis (bass) and Mark Richardson (drums),Skunk Anansie have rekindled the feeling and soul of their previous work to continue the distinctive and dynamic sound that has made them the award-winning music force they are today.

Skunk Anansie will get feet stomping and crowds jumping with their versatile range of hits from multi-platinum albumsParanoid And Sunburnt (1995), Stoosh (1996) and Post Orgasmic Chill (1999). Fans will remember singles likeBrazen (Weep), Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good), Weak and Secretly.

Newer music off their albums Wonderlustre (2010) andBlack Traffic (2012) combines Skunk Anansie’s trademark raw rock riffs, deep funk, frenetic drum-work and lush vocals with more confidence and maturity. SinglesMy Ugly Boy, and the gothic, slow-burningMy Love Will Fall have reinforced their status as one of rock’s most innovative, passionate and soulful bands.

Skunk Anansie will also be releasing their first-ever live acoustic album; the as-yet-untitled collection will be released in September this year, just in time for Vodacom in the City!

Adding The Hives and Skunk Anansie to an international line-up that already includes alt-j and Boys Noize will ensure tickets to Vodacom In The City are even more sought-after. Festival organiser, Seed Experiences, is urging eager fans of great music to get their tickets early to avoid missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime music line-up.

So before you make your plans for 4 October 2013, ask yourself: Where else can lovers of powerful rock and the best in electronic dance music hear four outstanding and iconic music acts in one awesome festival in downtown Joburg?

The Hives and Skunk Anansie will also be performing at Rocking The Daisies alongside alt-j and Boys Noize on the 5 October 2013 at Cloof Wine Estate in Darling, Western Cape. For more info please visithttp://www.rockingthedaisies.com Tickets for Vodacom In The City: Webtickets:http://webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=404861524 Event Information: Event Info: www.inthecityjhb.co.za Email: media@inthecityjhb.co.za Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheCityJHB Twitter: @InTheCityJHB The Hives information: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hives Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_Hives Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/TheHivesTV SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-hives Website:http://www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com/ Skunk Anansie information: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSkunkAnansie Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkunkAnansie Website: http://www.skunkanansie.net/ Vodacom In the City is a Seed Experience:| Like us on Facebook: /SeedExperiences Follow us on Twitter: @SeedExperiences Watch us on YouTube: /user/weareseed1 Website:www.weareseed.co.za

PRESENTED BY:

If you've seen the video on YouTube, you can't help but marvel at the sight of over 100,000 fans singing along to "Viking Death March," the first track released to the public from Billy Talent's fourth album, Dead Silence.

Watching the mass celebration of this song is powerful enough but the fact that the track had only been released days before the band hit the stage at the Rock Am Ring festival in Germany is testament to the loyalty of the band's fans around the world.

Dead Silence is the follow up to Billy Talent I, II and III and was recorded in three different studios in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. The album was produced by Billy Talent guitarist Ian D'Sa and is perfect proof for Billy Talent's inner strength, their focus and hard work ethic; character traits that have turned them into one of the most successful international rock acts of the past decade. Being together for almost 20 years and having travelled thousands of miles in vans, buses and planes turned the four piece not just into a band, but into a family — a tight brotherhood that will challenge and tackle any obstacle in front of them. Equipped with countless awards (such as multiple MuchMusic Awards, Juno Awards, MTV Awards and even two of those rare German Echo Awards) and having played the biggest festival stages worldwide, Billy Talent are ready to take on their next mission: to complete their world domination.

When Billy Talent started their adventurous journey into what would become Dead Silence, all they knew was that they wanted to record an album in the traditional sense of the word — a collection of songs that all tie in with each other, a journey through ups and downs, highs and lows, hope and decay, love and disgust, joy and sadness. An album that has a start, a finish and everything in between thus "represents all aspects of life basically," says singer Ben Kowalewicz. They are 14 songs, as straight from the heart, intense and intuitive as previous milestones like "Try Honesty", "River Below" or "Red Flag" and as unwilling to compromise or give in. It was a long, winding and bumpy road Billy Talent had to take in order to turn Dead Silence into what it is today: a tour de force rock album.

The band started working on their fourth release shortly after they returned from touring their previous album.

Billy Talent III was produced by Brendan O'Brien, debuting at #1 in Canada and peaked at #2 on the German album charts, marking the third consecutive platinum album for the band in Canada and second (after Billy Talent II) in Germany. The band had just purchased a building in the East end of Toronto where they could rehearse, record and stock their gear while not on tour. Guitarist Ian D'Sa, singer Ben Kowalewicz, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk and bassist Jon Gallant spent five to six days a week setting up their new headquarters, building walls, varnishing floors, painting and getting the new computers and pro-tools running. "It is our first big band investment", Gallant says. D'Sa remembers: "The first couple of months after we returned home we were fixing the place up. At first we needed to soundproof the place and build a room within a room. It's on a residential street and we didn't wanna piss off any neighbours. After that we saw the potential of what we could do with this place. It was so big that we could actually build a recording studio in it. We thought it'd be a good idea so that we could demo the new songs. It turned out to be a beneficial thing for the album. And that's probably why the album turned out the way it is."

A smart decision for sure, as having their own rehearsal and recording space gives Billy Talent convenience enough to practice and record whenever they want. No deadlines, no curfews, no one to beg for the keys. The main goal for each member was to push their boundaries for this new album, to leave comfort zones and question each and everything. As with the previous albums, the band channeled their ideas into compositions by D'Sa. The London born guitarist with roots in Goa had most of the parts already worked out in his head. For Dead Silence, he envisioned Kowalewicz's voice as the fourth musketeer, an additional instrument, the link between his licks, riffs and leads and the pumping rhythm section from Gallant and Solowoniuk. "On this record I wanted to step up what we do with vocals," explains D'Sa. "A lot of the vocal melodies are super high, or in the higher register, so I pushed Ben pretty hard in the vocal booth a couple of times. He nailed it."

"The good thing about Billy Talent is that there is no ego in the band," adds Kowalewicz. "If anyone has an idea, the others know it is for the greater good of the song. We always ask ourselves what can we do individually and collectively to make this song the best we possibly can?! And Ian's song writing skills have improved so much; it makes all our jobs a lot easier because he provides us with this vessel that we can jump on and hang on to."

"It's important to hear everyone out", says D'Sa. "If I write a piece of music and I already know that I want a guitar thing to happen here and then a vocal thing to happen there, Jon may not know that. So if he has a bass idea I think it's important to keep an open dialogue going and listen to everyone's ideas."

It's obvious that these guys have learned their lessons. With three highly successful albums under their belt, the members have developed a mutual trust in and a deep respect for their band mates, knowing that their unique sound is based on the contribution and talent of each individual member. For Dead Silence the four-headed democracy decided to take their fate by their own hands, leaving the production to guitarist Ian D'Sa, who had already co-produced Billy Talent II. His vision of what defines the sound and vibe of Billy Talent was the roadmap for Dead Silence. "Our fans really liked the sound of Billy Talent II," says D'Sa. "We were confident that this is our sound, and we just wanted to execute that."

In the midst of the recording, the band was rocked to its foundation when, around Christmas of 2011, Solowoniuk broke the news to his band mates that he would have to undergo heart surgery — very soon. "I knew about it for five years," the drummer explains. "My heart was working overtime. In order to get the right amount of blood through my veins it had to work harder and it was growing at that point. The doctor said if I would let it go over a year or two, it would be terrible. After he told me that, I had open heart surgery to get it fixed. The surgery is a routine thing. But for anyone who's going through it, it's pretty scary. But I had a great doctor and that's why it healed so fast. I started playing drums lightly eight weeks later. Twelve weeks after the surgery I was pushing myself because I knew I had to play live. So I pushed through it, and it feels great! Drums are fun and everything just feels easier, whereas before I was getting tired a lot. So I guess I'm fixed."

While Solowoniuk was pushing for recovery, his friends kept working on Dead Silence, refining ideas and browsing through countless scrapbooks and lyric sheets, looking for words to fit the music. Still shaken by their drummer's surgery, the band gave the song "Don't Count On The Wicked" a lyrical turn: "Aaron has a charity called the F.U.M.S. organization (Fuck You Multiple Sclerosis), and one of their slogans was 'Turn Anger Into Hope'. I thought that was a pretty cool line or lyric, and we put it in the song." Kowalewicz said, "The thing with Aaron jarred all of us; it was pretty shocking and tough to wrap your head around, especially after all the things he's already been through. That really shook the foundation and it came at a weird point as well, we were already so far (in the recording process). But when you put everything in context of Aaron's situation, then the rest is pretty small."

Hearing this explains why Dead Silence offers some of the hardest and edgiest songs Billy Talent have ever recorded, charged with the most honest, deep and dark lyrics to date. The band touches base with various subjects, such as the tongue in cheeky first single "Surprise Surprise," a song that deals with "the fact that advertising has seeped into our culture so much that people buy into it blindly now," says D'Sa, or the fake reality implemented by social networks. "A lot of the album has to do with how important it is not to get caught up in material culture, internet culture and all those things that distract us from what's real," adds Kowalewicz, "Life is real. So go for a walk, turn your phone off. Go get some sun on your face. Get some perspective."

The cover for Dead Silence was created by Australian artist Ken Taylor, and it looks just as dark, detailed and thrilling as the new songs from Billy Talent sound. "The underwater scenario, a city immersed under the ocean, reflects songs like 'Dead Silence' or 'Swallowed Up By The Ocean,' but it also points out that there's always an element of hope. There's the phone box, so when the world is destroyed and everything goes to shit, there's still hope," laughs Kowalewicz. "If there's anything that comes close to some sort of concept for this record, then it would be the underlying theme of this year being 2012, with a little bit like an end-of-the-world -mentality seeping in there — and being aware that you only got one kick at the can, you only got one shot!

Dead Silence is about following your dreams, standing up for yourself, realizing what's important and what's total bullshit."

Billy Talent returns to South Africa for the first Official One Night in Cape Town After Party Having headlined OppiKoppi in 2010, Hilltop Live are proud to announce that Billy Talent will be returning to South Africa for two shows only.

After the success of their previous tour to South Africa, Canadian melodic punk rockers, Billy Talent, wanted to play at the OppiKoppi Bewilderbeast Festival but due to their touring schedule, the dates did not work out. The band jumped at the opportunity to be part of another event just shortly after.

On Friday 23 August 2013 Cape Town’s City Hall Auditorium, will be rocked like never before as the first concert of the band’s 2 leg tour. Fans of the band can purchase tickets to meet the band as well as limited edition tour merchandise at the concert.

Billy Talent are currently touring as part of the Van’s Warped Tour USA, before traveling to Europe to headline three festivals as part of their promotion of the new album, “Dead Silence” (2012), the bands fourth studio album, which features the single, “Viking Death March”. The video for the single, shows 100,00 fans singing along to the song, and is testament to the loyalty of the band’s fans around the world.

Tour dates Date: 23 August 2013 Venue: City Hall Auditorium, Cape Town Tickets: R350 Tickets available from www.plankton.mobi VIP Boxes: Box 1 & 2: R6000 per box (10 people per box). Includes tour t-shirt per person, personal waiter per box as well as a meet and greet with Billy Talent Box 3 & 4: R5000 per box (10 people per box). Includes tour t-shirt per person and a personal waiter per box.

Box 5 & 6: R4500 per box (10 people per box). Includes personal waiter per box.

Hilltop Live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilltoplive?fref=ts OppiKoppi Official Website: www.oppikoppi.co.za Billy Talent Official Website: www.billytalent.com Viking Death March Official Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=VRFCMM3bra8

Billy Talent returns to South Africa for the first Official OppiKoppi After Party Post aKOPPIlyptic Punk Picnic Having headlined OppiKoppi in 2010, Hilltop Live are proud to announce that Billy Talent will be returning to South Africa for the first official OppiKoppi after party - Post aKOPPIlyptic Punk Picnic.

After the success of their previous tour to South Africa, Canadian melodic punk rockers, Billy Talent, wanted to play at the OppiKoppi Bewilderbeast Festival but due to their touring schedule, the dates did not work out. For the first time in the 19 years of OppiKoppi, there will be official after party.

The Pretoria Botanical Gardens will host a picnic like no other. The Post aKOPPPIlyptic Punk Picnic takes place on Saturday afternoon, where Billy Talent fans can expect the band to get on stage as the sun sets over the Capital City.

OppiKoppi Bewilderbeast attendees can look forward to a number of new benefits including a R100 discount when purchasing their Post aKOPPIlyptic Punk Picnic ticket (show goers must keep their valid 2013 OppiKoppi armbands on), being able to purchase the official OppiKoppi Bewilderbeast merchandise (if they didn't get round to doing so at the festival), as well as being reunited with lost phones, keys, personalities and even names that were left behind in the OppiKoppi dust at the OppiKoppi Lost and Found desk.

Billy Talent are currently touring as part of the Van’s Warped Tour USA, before traveling to Europe to headline three festivals as part of their promotion of the new album, “Dead Silence” (2012), the bands fourth studio album, which features the single, “Viking Death March”. The video for the single, shows 100,00 fans singing along to the song, and is testament to the loyalty of the band’s fans around the world.

Tour dates Date: 24 August 2013 Venue: Pretoria Botanic Gardens Tickets: R450 without an OppiKoppi 2013 wrist band or R350 with a valid 2013 OppiKoppi Bewilderbeast wristband. Show goers will be checked for the band at the gate. www.plankton.mobi Hilltop Live Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilltoplive?fref=ts OppiKoppi Official Website: www.oppikoppi.co.za Billy Talent Official Website: www.billytalent.com Viking Death March Official Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=VRFCMM3bra8

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

Quick Facts: - Most of the members from Set For The Sky are still in their teens with oldest member being only 21.

- SFTS’s drummer, Brendon Von Gossler is endorsed by Saluda Cymbals.

- They have played more inter-regional shows in 2013 than any other band in the Western Cape.

- They are one of the liveliest acts you will see in South Africa.

- SFTS adhere by a strict code of conduct while on stage and take professionalism very seriously.

Biography: Set For The Sky started in 2009 when a post-hardcore band was looking for a new vocalist. The band then consisted of a photography student and a group of school kids, two being brothers (drummer Brendon was the youngest member at this time, at the age of only 15 and guitarist Graydon). Early 2011 SFTS recorded their first EP. As time passed some members became demotivated to stay committed and left until midway 2011 only 2 remained: Brendon Von Gossler and James Roberts James and Brendon took on major song writing responsibilities, rewrote and evolved the SFTS sound, creating a bigger, augmented sound which is now available for perusal on the self-produced, self-recorded Head For The Hills Tour EP released in June 2013.

The band’s line-up of musicians constantly changed with numerous auditions through 2011 and 2012. After playing 2012 Rock the River Music Festival they added two more permanent members: Trent Richardson and J-Drake.

In February 2013, Graydon von Gossler rejoined the band’s line-up permanently.

They play extensively in Cape Town and surrounding towns, averaging about one performance every week and have toured all along the coast of the Western Cape.

Besides SFTS’ highly energetic and explosive electric act they boast a full length acoustic performance as well which has been described by critics as stratospheric!

SFTS has been described as Punk, Post Hardcore, Gross Pop and Alternative Rock. They are currently based in Cape Town/ Somerset West/ Stellenbosch area.

Set For The Sky is also on: Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/set-for-the-sky-com Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/SetForTheSky1/videos?flow=grid&view=0 Reverbnation http://www.reverbnation.com/setforthesky Twitter https://twitter.com/SetForTheSky

Hi there, thanx for featuring in Fanbase Music Magazine, let’s start from the beginning, what is the story behind “Set for the Sky”, where did it all start as a band?

SFTS started in 2009 when a band of post-hardcore kids decided to start writing music that their parents would also listen to.

Can you tell us something about each member of the band?

Brendon: Becomes a Norwegian Black Metal Drummer when wearing his cute bear hat.

Graydon: Wears girl’s jeans.

Trent: Is our resident model.

James: Has short man syndrome.

J-Drake: Was offered a job in online porn…

Apart from being in the band, what else do you do?

Studying at Stellenbosch, teaching music and running restaurants.

Brendon also owns a nickname generating factory.

Did you all come from a musical background?

Yes, but the majority of us also have strong war hero ancestry.

How would you describe your genre of music?

Postgrosepopelectrorockcore (post-grosepopelectro-rock-core) It’s as if Optimus Prime started a band with members from Enter Shikari, Get Scared and 30 Seconds To Mars.

Who is the song writer in the band and where do you get your inspiration from?

Brendon came up with a lot of the new sound and James does lyrics, but everyone plays a part in writing.

Our inspiration is drawn from live shows and books we read.

Explain the process of putting a complete song together, how do you put together the guitar riffs, drums and lyrics to make up a song?

First comes a riff, build around that with drums, vocals and synth and then play it to the other members. Depending on the mood of the song, we’ll then add some Troy or Tron and finally put the lyrics to it.

Can you name some of your accomplishments?

We have played more inter-regional shows in 2013 than any other original Western Cape rock style band. (We checked) SFTS have had numerous songs featured on the airwaves and have been playlisted on various radio stations.

We’ve played two music festivals since we got serious at the end of last year with two more around the corner.

If we have never seen you play live, what can we expect from a “Set for the Sky” gig?

Bass Drops, smoke machines, crabcore and huge amounts of energy.

It’s an absolute circus and we focus on putting on a show as much as playing good music! No-one wants to watch 5 guys standing still playing their instruments (no pun intended).

Do you get nervous when you go on stage?

No Finally do you have any social networks, how can we get hold of you?

Yes, you can peruse our wares at www.setforthesky.com . From there you can also follow us on: Facebook (fb.com/SetForTheSky), Twitter(twitter.com/SetForTheSky), Instagram(instagram.com/ setforthesky/), Soundcloud (https:// soundcloud.com/set-for-the-skycom), Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/ user/SetForTheSky1/videos) Thank you for doing this interview, where can we catch you gigging in the future?

All over the Western Cape and very soon the rest of the known world.

You can check our show dates here: http://www.setforthesky.com/show -dates/ And thank you

T&C DURBAN VIBES BY: Tania Meyer

What an epic July we had this 2013. The Durban team has met quite interesting bands this cold month.

E.X.P.L.O.S.I.O.N. was a favorite rock band that we got a sneak peek off, and then there was the night out at The Barnyard theatre at Gateway Durban where we joined our winning couple for the hit show Riders of the storm.

Their opening band Slow Jack was quite a thrill. We chatted to Bayden from Paper Pains and even got an EP launch with the Hinds Brothers. It has been an honor to meet these gents and their music has burst the soul bubble. Next month is going to be even better as we join Just Jinger at The Barnyard for some Jinjer fever. From the Durban team, we will see you next month with more exciting bands and music. T&C.

Chantell vd Walt

Cool Runnings

On a cold and windy night we are dressed like warm rockers heading out for a night on the town. We stopped outside our favorite joint and walked into a warm and cozy feeling. I check the stage out and wonder...what are we going to see tonight?

We get a drink and head outside into the cold to have a smoke when I see these 3 dudes with their rocking long hair tackle the stage and start setting into tuning their radical instruments. @marshalsmusic donated sound were blowing our minds.

The boys got ready, they started the sound check with a bang, ripping the guitars and bass and drums. A very combining sound was created called rock and roll.

Then came a guy and took the mic, I thought nice, this is going to be an explosion of sound and oh boy it was.

The guys warmed up, Wesley Davies (lead guitar), Liam Brown (vocals), Kyle Keegan (drums) and Sean Brydon (bass) a couple of gentlemen paid the band R100 just to play one more song, and they did. They played a cover version of Black magic woman, with their own spin to it and I could really feel the rock and roll in these guys genre.

We had a little chat afterwards and I'm going to ask the guy’s a couple of questions and see what they have to say.

It’s another great night @coolrunnings for the @tuesdayms, with the @iwantmyradio.

The Pink GirlFest in association with Harley-Davidson Pretoria proudly presents: The 3rd annual Pink GirlFest, a national WOMEN ONLY festival, happening 20 – 24 September 2013 at Kwa Manzi Guest Farm, Magaliesburg.

The Pink GirlFest is aimed at gay female ladies and their supporting female friends and female family over the age of 18.

‘The Ride of Your Life’ Raffle You could win a Harley-Davidson XL 883L SuperLow 2013!!!

Enter the ‘The Ride of Your Life’ Raffle by purchasing a Raffle ticket on www.pinkgirlfest.co.za at R100.00 per Raffle ticket.

Terms & Conditions apply.

The motorcycle is available to view at Harley-Davidson Pretoria. Raffle ticket sales close the 13th of September 2013 at 24:00.

20 Performing artists Jack Parow, ISO, December Streets, Alter Irving, Melanie Lowe, Holly & The Woods, Margaret’s Daughter, Saarkie, The Lise Chris Band, Colour me Kacey, Ursula, Gigi Lamayne, HunTer, Megan C, Die Melkman se Kind, Audiophreniq, Leeann, Savali, Spilled Pink and burlesque performances by Diva Disaster and Black Orchid Burlesque Jozi Troupe.

4 Dance floors Clubbing / commercial dance floor Langarm / sokkie dance floor R&B / Hip Hop / House dance floor Psychedelic Trance dance floor

15 DJ’s Ami Lectrix, Skye, Lee Smallz, DJay Blend, HegChick, NigiQ B, Cheecky Cherry, Controver C, Puggy, Killer B, ConsystemC, Miss Tique, Stacy, Karma and Jeanine.

4 wow factors Movies under the Stars Karaoke Bring & Braai Fire Dancers Surprise

3 Major workshops Pole Dancing Workshop VERTICAL VIXEN is a leading pole dance school in Jozi, Gauteng. Pole dancing has become a new and progressive form of exercise. Pole fitness can be looked at as an art form that includes a combination of cardio, strength training and gymnastics.

PinkDrive South Africa’s best-loved Breast Cancer Community Carer, PinkDrive is the indispensable, tangible breast cancer Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) powering South Africa’s first mobile PinkDrive Mammography Unit and PinkDrive Educational Unit through our country, driving home the fact that ‘Early Detection Saves Lives’. PinkDrive offers access to education, physical examinations and how to do breast self-examination.

Krav Maga Self Defence Workshop ELITE DEFENCE ACADEMY is South Africa’s premier self-defence training organisation. They teach Krav Maga, the world’s most effective and easy to learn system of self defence, as used by the FBI, CIA, Special Forces units worldwide, and other agencies. KRAV MAGA offers powerful, devastating defences against armed or unarmed attacks, and is designed to be used efficiently by a smaller female to overcome a larger and stronger assailant.

3 Sport activities Charity Treasure Hunt Fun Walk R20 entry fee apply. You hunt for the hidden treasure, finders keepers apply, while your entry fee gets donated to Lulekwi Sizwe charity.

MTB (Bring your own bike) Explore the beautiful Magalies Meander by bicycle. A stunning and safe track surrounds the Kwa Manzi venue.

Hiking Get away from the city life and put those hiking shoes on! Take the MTB track on by foot or explore the beautiful river that runs through the Kwa Manzi venue.

Competitions Oil Wrestling Competition The all too famous Oil Wrestling Competition will again take place this year! Lets see who can beat the 2012 Champ…

Boere Sport Competition Boeresport is a new edition to the Competitions this year and promises to be a lot of fun!!

Pool Competition R20 entry fee and the winner walks away with all the pool money! Lets see who can beat the 2012 Champ…

Fun activities Harley-Davidson Pretoria Demo Rides Volleyball Bon Fire Pool Swimming Hiking Drumming circle (bring your own drum / guitar / musical instrument) MTB (bring your own bike)

Stalls This year two categories will be created for the stalls at the annual Pink GirlFest: 1) A general category 2) An Arts & Crafts category.

Please note that stall applications open 1st August and close 31st August. Application can be downloaded on the website.

Food & drinks Affordable food and drinks will be available. Please visit the website for more information.

Tickets Ticket options: Own Tent, Harambee Hotel, Cottages, Rent a Tent, Own accommodation and day visitors.

Early bird special: ‘Own Tent’ (camping) tickets available for R400.00 from computicket, 15 – 25 July at 12:00: Visit www.pinkgirlfest.co.za for all the ticket options.

Sponsors (thus far) Harley-Davidson Pretoria, Imperial Nissan Boksburg, Beau Belle wines, SAB, P3 Printing, DigiBox, Out da Box, Luwendo Travel, Alice Magazine, BENT, Imagery Photography, Lady Africa and Original Cocktails. Please contact us for the sponsorship proposal.

Stay connected Website: www.pinkgirlfest.co.za Facebook: ‘like’: Pink GirlFest and ‘befriend’ PGF PinkGirlFest Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/179817178855879/ Twitter follow and tweet: Pink GirlFest You Tube channel: Pink GirlFest BBM connect to follow status updates: 29014C3B E-mail: pinkgirlfest@yahoo.co.uk

‘n Aand vol kos en ‘n klein knertsie, sit ons en angstig wag vir die Riders from the storm….

We met the winners of our competition, Jolene Venter and her fiancé Chris.

While we were eating our snacks and having our drinks we were entertained by the opening band Slow Jack.

This new Afrikaans speaking English singing beat keeping band was very entertaining and I was quite surprise at how these two singers voices complimented each other. With their equally vocal voices they kept the crowd clapping and cheering whilst the one was tapping his foot on his little brown box which made it sound like the drums of a marching band. Hannes and Jamye makes for a good outing not too be missed.

Next thing the lights dim, and the smoke starts to stream in. A bass guitarist takes the stage and the drummer starts the beat. I see Six Mica on stage and as the beat continues the gentlemen take the stage one by one, first was Robin Auld then our Afrikaans hero, Valiant Swart, Piet Both another “trots” Afrikaaner. Albert Frost shook us up with his amazing talent on guitar together with Mel Botes and last but not least Nathan Smith. Riders of the storm sounded epic with these six gents on different guitars making sweet music your ears have longed for.

Another favourite song Red heart love, you could feel the passion as the music streamed through the speaker boxes on stage. The crowd went wild and you could see they are truly enjoying the song. Even the winners of our competition had great time and commented on our Fanbase Facebook page thanking them for a wonderful night out.

I would like to personally thank Storm productions for giving us the opportunity to witness the experience of this wonderful musical and also would also like to thank the Barnyard staff— so helpful in every way.

The barnyard will see us again.

E.X.P.L.O.S.I.O.N.

OK let’s get the ages of each member! (Youngest to oldest) Sean Brydon (Bass) – 21, Wesley Davies (Guitar) – 23, Kyle Keegan (Drums) – 24 and Liam Brown (Vocals) brings up the rear at 25. Oh, and our manager is 20!

The band’s been hanging out for 3 years, under the dust of smoke, what made u guys want to bring the music to the public?

We were just having way too much fun not to share it with anyone and we thought people might dance, haha. More seriously though, not many people aspire to play their music in their garages their entire life. We think we have good music that people enjoy, especially with the older crowds, as it probably brings back good memories for them! It was just a matter of time before we took our music to the stage and presented it to Durban...and the rest of the country.

How would you like to be known, cover band or original band?

We liked to be seen as an original Rock ‘n’ Roll band of course. We're a bunch of perfectionists when it comes to our own songs but the ones we deliver are the ones we are satisfied with. They'll take a little longer to get out there but we like to add one or two covers to our show and for the audience to hear something familiar, especially for those who might be hearing us for the 1st time. We add our own "Explosion flair" to these covers. They’re fun to play and it helps us gel more as a band.

How did the name come together?

Well a newspaper article should actually take the credit for this one. A couple years ago there was a gas leak near our hometown of Amanzimtoti, which resulted in an explosion in the nearby industrial area. Long story short the headline the next day read: "Explosion rocks Toti", so we thought, why not!

Lover boy is the first video of the new song, how did it feel seeing yourself singing on YouTube?

It was a bit weird for us at first but we were just so stoked on the quality of the video so we couldn't wait to get it out there and see what other people thought of it. There were massive delays in getting the shoot done and then further delays getting all the relevant permissions sorted to release it, so there was a bit of relief when it finally got out there and so far the response has been good. It’s just a pity that M.K is being removed from DSTV, just as we release our first video though!

Do any of you have “day” jobs and who is always late for the gigs and meetings?

Everyone has some form of work in the band. Sean is a sales consultant at Virgin Active, Liam is an electrician at the Durban Harbor and Wesley and Kyle teach lessons with their respective instruments. Liam and Sean are the latecomers! What with their day jobs! Haha!

Who are your ultimate role models in music?

We’ve all got our own role models and people that inspire us because of various things. For example Wes likes musicians with soul and groove, so for him it would be James Brown. Ultimate role models for vocals would be Keith Buckley, and Eric Marten. I've had the privilege of seeing Keith live and the way they perform and sing for that matter is something I work towards in every Explosion performance. Overall though we get a lot of our inspiration from bands like Thin Lizzy,,Deep Purple, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin.

Who was the one that put the band together, are you all mates from school, where and when did you hook up?

We basically all got to know each other through mutual friends and relatives and our common love to party! Wez and Kyle were jamming together for a while before they decided to get KP in on vocals and a little while after that, Sean came in on Bass. So Wes and Kyle are the founders of the band so to speak. We’d all been friends before that so all that really changed was that instead of spending our weekends in Sean’s garage with whiskey and beer, we’d now be spending the time with our instruments as well, playing our favorite Rock n Roll songs.

A wiseman once said....you fill in the blanks space It’s not inside, it’s on top.

We heard through the grapevine that you will be touring around the Cape, what can you tell us about that?

We’ve decided to delay the Cape Town tour for just a bit as we’ve been warned that the coming months aren’t very good for live shows and getting the best crowd. However we’re planning a little trip to Bloemfontein and Potchchefstroom instead.

Well that's a wrap then, thanks for the interview

Gig Review………..

Every so often we get free tickets to gigs, especially from our good friends at Total Exposure. We were presented tickets to go see Johnny Clegg live at the “Old Mutual botanical Gardens” in Durban. Our Durban team couldn’t make it so instead of wasting the tickets we decided to let one lucky fan attend the gig and let us have a review for the mag, Well done to Joleen for the review, it’s not bad seeing it’s your first time and its awesome to get the review from a fan’s perspective.

Enjoy the review everyone

Watching one of South Africa's most treasured artists was a perfect way to end the weekend. Even with overcast weather and dampness all around there wasn't even a patch of green that wasn't occupied by fans waiting to hear the "White Zulu" and his sounds of Africa. As the first song began everyone leapt up to dance and join in with Clegg's tribal rhythms, it gave me goose bumps. Pure talent! The genre can only be explained as Zulu rhythm mixed with pop and rock music with culture. It was so energetic and alive. His classics and my favourites "Scatterlings of Africa" and "Cruel crazy beautiful world" had everyone clapping, dancing and singing along. Johnny Clegg inspired us with his words of equality, cultural unity and freedom, which made us feel proud to be South African.

I would like to thank Fanbase Music Mag, “Old Mutual” and Total Exposure for making this possible. It really was a great experience and Johnny Clegg rocked

Gig Review by :

Joleen Venter (Durban)

What is your age, where were you born, and how long has this passion of music been in your and your family’s blood?

Hi! I’m 26, born in Westville 8 November 1986. Raised in Toti till I was 14, then moved to town. My father was member of Drakensberg Boys’ Choir and played and sang around KZN till his death in 2010. My mother is a pianist. My grandfather used to entertain the troops during World War Two in Egypt with a little guitar I still have. He was a medic. So music is definitely in my blood!

Do you remember the first time you wanted to be a musician, and what music inspired you to become the musician you are today?

I started singing in musicals and choirs from grade 6. In high school I picked up a guitar and started writing. The first time I wanted to be a musician was when I saw a U2 DVD Live at Slane Castle. The song was Where the Streets have no name... the energy, the complete euphoria of having that many people singing their song is something I want to experience. I was raised on 60s and 70s music, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Beatles, Bob Dylan etc...Since then, so many different genres, and artists have inspired me in different ways.

How many musical instruments can you play, what is your favourite and the next one that you are working on to learn to play?

I can play 4 instruments, the piano, very basically, then the harmonica, djembe drum and guitar. I’m learning to master the harmonic and piano slowly.

Tell us a bit about your music and what inspires you to compose?

My songs all stem from events in my life. Love, heartache, friends, parties, they’ve all had a say in my lyrics.

Beautiful people, beautiful places, the need to express my inner thoughts and feelings and the ability to do it through music is what inspires and drives me to carry on writing and singing.

What is your favourite food to eat before a gig or after?

Before a gig, I generally don’t eat maybe a whiskey and tequila to loosen up! After a gig, it’s Jonnys Roti, double chip and cheese! Or a breakfast in Pita from steers Windermere!

What is the most epic moment in your music career?

Most epic moment in my music career so far is definitely jamming with my newly formed band The Paper Planes at Jack Rabbits. The musical ability of the three muzos on stage with me has transformed my acoustic songs into something I can only describe as rock, or one of the many variations of it. Nick Pitman on lead, Rudi Van Der Zee on drums and Steve Murray on bass...Can’t thank these gents enough for their time and effort.

Who would you love to share the stage with?

The Durban scene is full of talent I’d love to share a stage with. Nationally, it would be Shadowclub, Zebra and Giraffe... biggest name I would throw out there is the musical genius of The Muse, Manchester Orchestra... we can dream cant we!

Where can we catch you playing live in August?

Not many gigs to speak of in August yet while we fine tune the sound of The Paper Planes. I will be doing a solo set at Live on 27th July to open up for Fools of Fate, Manuvah to Land and City Bowl Mizers. Go to www.facebook.com/ThePaperPlanesRSA and find me on twitter @badynh and @ThePaper_Planes to find out more on gigs etc.

Where do you like to hang out?

I dig to hang out around the Berea area, Jacks Morningside and Billy the bums are the closest! And of course, Durban’s finest, Live.

Is being a musician hard work and does it always pay off?

Being a muzo is difficult, but the performing and having people enjoy songs I’ve written, is such a privilege that it makes every 3 hour gig, every short payment, every last minute cancellation, well worth it.

Hinds Brothers Debut Album Release - Ocean of Milk Aden and Wren Hinds AKA The Hinds Brothers, are glad to bring you and your ears their debut full-length album 'Ocean of Milk'. 'Ocean of Milk' is due for worldwide release on Tuesday the 27th of August 2013, while the Durban album launch will be held on Saturday 31st of August 2013 at the Howard College Theatre in Glenwood, Durban. Joining the soulful jamming of the brothers at this much anticipated event, are an allstar cast of musical virtuosos, including Sez Adamson on pedal steel and lap steel guitars, Anton CawthornBlazenby on fiddle, Bruce Baker on drums, Logan Byrne on upright bass and Richard Haslop on dobro and mandolin.

The Journey The vibrant duo started their creative journey in the sub-tropical paradise of the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal where they were born to an artist mom and a musician father. The boys found inspiration in tranquil surroundings and their creative home environment, and soon started playing guitar and composing music.

This creativity led to Aden forming a band and re-locating to Johannesburg. Dreamchain performed countrywide in venues like The Blues Room, Splashy Fen and The Roxy, opening for acts such as Watershed, Johnny Clegg and Mango Groove along the way. During this time Wren studied music at the National School of the Arts, honing his song-writing and guitar playing skills. The brothers later spent time travelling outside of South Africa - Aden in India and Wren between Jordan, Israel and Egypt. On returning from the East, the brothers embarked on a unified musical voyage that resulted in live performances all over South Africa including Splashy Fen, The George Theatre, Tanz Cafe, the Barleycorn Folk Club and the 2010 Soccer World Cup Festival Stages. This prolific consolidation of musical accord ultimately led to the joyful production of, first an acoustic EP entitled 'Acoustic Session' and now their debut full-length album, 'Ocean of Milk'.

The Album Two years in the making, Hinds Brothers debut 'Ocean of Milk' has become an album of the heart with a living tale. Produced by the brothers themselves, the album was recorded in no less than 7 studios in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria, and features 19 of South Africa's top musicians. It was mixed by SAMA award winning producer Dan Roberts and mastered in New York by Alan Douches (Sufjan Stevens, Roky Erikson).

'Ocean of Milk' has a wholly cohesive depth to it that resonates with the great albums of yore, while brothers Aden and Wren Hinds' beautiful song-writing and arrangements are artfully complimented by the lush and acoustically textured production. The harmonic resonance of two distinct voices, together with their reflective and honest lyrical sensibility, communicates deep profundity - bringing meaning and nourishment to an art that has been somewhat neglected in recent times.

Say What?

The acclaimed twosome have been dubbed as "My favourite acoustic duo" by the late Syd Kitchen.

David Marks from 3rd Ear Music said: "Hinds Brothers are up there with the best songwriters in the world" What's On SA's Gloria Rhodes exclaimed: “What a package! Soothes and caresses the soul... instantly engaging with breathtaking harmonies. Pure velvet, effortless and a delight to the senses.�

Aden and Wren are super excited about the upcoming launch and optimistic about sharing this album with the world. Now is the time for us as the city of Durban to rally behind these boys and help to bring their superb home-grown musical offering into the world.

Please keep in touch with the Hinds Brothers at: www.hindsbros.com, like their page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hindsbros and follow them on Twitter: @HindsBros and read their blog at

When I first heard that I will be featuring Woodstock Mafia in Fanbase, I thought to myself, this is so great, a wellknown band going to be featuring in the mag. But I was quite surprised to learn that this band is only now just recording their DEBUT album. I thought that a band like this, that’s been on everyone’s lips lately, would have an album out by now. This just proves to me how hard working this band is. I now predict once the album is out, it is only going to bring more success to this awesome talented band.

Launched in April 2011, Woodstock Mafia hit the ground running, trails blazing on the SA music scene. Their unique blend of hard, grunge and alternative rock explodes in high-energy live performances that have had fans screaming for more.

Through 2012/2013 Woodstock Mafia have played numerous festivals including, Rocking the Daisies, Synergy Live, Rock the River, Up the Creek, RamFest and Splashy Fen. The band's debut single "Electric Light" play listed on 5FM, featured on 5FM's Powerbytes compilation and received two MK award nominations for their music video.

In May 2013, Woodstock Mafia supported American rock band, Chevelle on the Cape Town leg of their tour. Over the winter months they will be back in studio completing their debut album, set for release in September. The band's third single, 'Trigger and Gun', along with a second music video will be launched in the coming weeks.

Woodstock Mafia will head up north in August to play South Africa's premiere festival - OppiKoppi.

WEB LISTINGS Website: http://www.woodstockmafia.com (you can pre-order the album here) Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/woodstockmafia Twitter: @woodstock_mafia Listen to more Woodstock Mafia at www.soundcloud.com/woodstockmafia or visit www.woodstockmafia.com

BAND MEMBERS Joe Theron - Vocals Nick van Rensburg - Guitar Ryan Matthews - Bass Owen Ingarfield - Drums

Hi guys it’s awesome to be finally featuring you in Fanbase Music Magazine. Before we talk about the new album, let’s start from the beginning, where did it all start as a band, what is the story behind Woodstock Mafia?

Nick and I (Ryan) have known each other for years and finally decided to start a band around 2009. The first effort was short lived, although enjoyable, as we relied too heavily on mates who we had jammed with before - as you know, some old habits die hard. We needed something new. I went off and joined another artist (who is getting well entrenched in the scene these days). Joe was a part of that line-up, that's where I met him. After a while we decided to break away to join up with Nick to do something a bit more rocky. The last piece of the puzzle is Owen, who we found online when we looking for some second hand surfboards.

Let’s meet the band, can you tell us a bit about each member of the band?

Joe is the voice of the band, literally. He also does some guitar work, percussion now and then – the man can play drums pretty damn well, and works with Nick on some of the songwriting. Our guitarist Nick is the main force behind the songwriting and brings us ideas to work, often near-complete songs. Owen is the man on the drums, keeping things tidy in the rear (haha), he also fronts up the design work and social media for the band. Ryan, that’s me – I play bass and do all the admin grunt work.

For those readers who don’t know your music, what kind of genre of music do you play?

Take Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Muse, Incubus, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Stone Age, add a pinch of Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones, and there you have it.

Ok let’s talk about the album, first of all what is the album called?

We’ve been playing with a number of ideas, but the eventual title we have come up with is Definace.

How many tracks are there on the album?

There are 11 “songs”, but a couple added extras. You’re going to have to wait till we’re done with it, mind you, so do we.

When is the album set for release, I heard the album launch is going to be at Mercury Live in Cape Town, when will that date be?

Yeah, we’re at Mercury Live on Friday 13 September. Other tour dates include: Saturday 14 September: Live – The Venue, Durban Thursday 19 September: Bohemia, Stellenbosch

Saturday 21 September: Music Kitchen, Port Elisabeth Friday 27 September: The Boh, Mellville, Joburg Saturday 28 September: Krank’d Up Music Festival We really wanted to include Pretoria, and that was part of the initial plan, but we will have to come up again before the end of the year. Those of you who will see us, or who saw us at Oppikoppi this year, hope you enjoyed it.

Who is the song writer in the band and where did you get your inspiration from for this album?

Nick is the main guy behind the songwriting. With him we have probably gone through 30 or 40 different tracks since we first started jamming in 2011. For a while now we have needed to do this album and it’s a great piece of closure for the first two years of the band in a way. We are all looking forward to writing new material and already have three or four new ideas in the practice room.

Explain a typical process of putting a song together, how does the riffs, lyrics and drum beats all come together to make a Woodstock Mafia song?

Each song works differently. We tend to work on a chorus and verse, or pre-chorus bit and then put together a lose structure. We like following more “pop” structures with strong chorus’ and a musical hook in most of the tracks. To counter than we are also aware to write something more “progressive” in a way. For every track we label “commercial” we try to counter it with something different. The writing process is getting better, or at least the music is getting better, and the working relationship and understanding between the band is in a completely different place to 18 months ago. I guess we all know each other a little better now.

Woodstock Mafia have played numerous festivals including Rocking the Daisies, Synergy Live, Rock the River, Up the Creek, RamFest and Splashy Fen but you are getting ready to go up North to play OppiKoppi, is this your first time playing Oppi?

Yeah, this will be our first and hopefully not out last OppiKoppi. It’s a great festival and gives us the perfect opportunity to play in front of a new crowd. The festival scene is truly amazing, but nothing can compare to the madness that is OppiKoppi. I think Owen played there once or twice when he was with 7th Son, but I’ve attended Oppi (twice), and it still bring back memories, with some big black holes in between.

How much practice goes into a festival like this, do you have extra band practices to prepare for festivals?

We usually practice twice a week, but for something like a festival we will have a set ready

.bout a month beforehand. In the practice room, we have to find time to work on new material, and quite often get caught up with fresh ideas. We rejigged the set for our show with Chevelle, and going forward into the summer festival season, it will stay more or less the same. During the album tour, we hope to play extended sets at most of the shows.

– usually three or four days before playing a festival we’ll cut the rehearsal times. You want it to be real on the day.

For that reason, quite often we will rehearse less frequently as a band and rather work on individual pieces, then bring it together for a solid live experience. Overplaying the set can make you lazy in a way, and off the mark.

Our set at Splashy came after 23 hours of non-stop driving, and it was amazing. At Ramfest, we had to deal with the late afternoon sun and folks grabbing lunch, but it was a great turn out and an even bigger dust cloud.

Where else can we catch you gigging in the near future?

After the album tour, we have one or two things happening in Cape Town. We would love to come up to Gauteng again before the end of the year, but that depends on a few factors, mainly how much our day jobs will interfere with things. But, from 2014 onwards we hope to be up in Gauteng every third or fourth month, visit Durban again, maybe a coastal tour. It is a bit tricky finding the balance between this and the 9-to-5 jobs, but we will continue to bring out as much music as possible.

Do you still get nervous when you play live?

Yeah, I think the whole lot of us do, especially when playing a new club or a new festival stage. At Ramfest we were shot to hell, this was our first big main stage, but a few weeks later when playing Splashy (which had a similar setup, if not even bigger), we took to it like ducks to water.

I think the last show we had major nerves for was opening

for Chevelle at Grand West. But as it turns out, it went well.

In some ways I think you shouldn’t get too relaxed about playing a show. Our acoustic shows are different, a more relaxed vibe helps – we’ve been playing weddings, trendy food markets and a bunch of crafty pubs lately, all very chilled.

Do you have any messages for your fans out there?

You guys are awesome, seriously. Come grab some beers with us, we’re always thirsty.

Thank you so much for doing this interview.

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

“The trick is not to overplay the set during rehearsal times and try to peak at the right time “

“The short answer is rock. The long answer is a wash of genres and sub-genres of grunge, hard rock, pop rock, rocky rock, rock rock”

SINGING SENSATIONS SUPPORT OUR SOCIETY

The Kwanele | Enuf-is-Enuf campaign against sexual abuse and sexual violence is set to welcome international YouTube sensation Terra Naomi to South Africa for a charity concert in partnership with the University of Johannesburg on 25 August.

Naomi’s performance will be supported by our own young star, Bongeziwe Mabandla, an Afro-folk singer-songwriter who hails for the Eastern Cape and has two South African Music Awards nominations under his belt for his debut album, “Umlilo”.

Naomi, known as one of the greatest musical success stories in the history of YouTube for her Internet hit “Say It’s Possible” and winner of the first YouTube Award for Best Music Video, completed two headline tours of Europe and the UK last year. Her songs can also be heard in several movies and TV shows, such as “Because I Said So” (starring Diane Keaton) and “Private Practice” (from the creator of “Grey’s Anatomy”).

Mabandla’s music is a fusion of Xhosa folk rhythms and vocal techniques with contemporary “city suss”. He honours his Transkei roots with the African guard bow instrument (“uhadi”) in his songs, as well as contemporary folk singers who have inspired him, including Tracy Chapman, Busi Mhlongo and Jabu Khanyile.

Both artists wholeheartedly support Andy Kawa, founder of Kwanele | Enuf-is-Enuf, in her cause. After a gruesome gang-rape experience in 2010, Andy became one of numerous South African statistics. By speaking about it, she was able to touch the hearts of many victims who were suffering silently from an illness she terms “the aftermath” – the festering of the wounds of rape and abuse within the body, soul and mind.

Andy has made it her life’s mission to rally each and every person, as well as stakeholders, to be agents of change within our communities. Kwanele | Enuf-is-Enuf projects are aligned with the Stop Rape campaign of Lead SA. To book tickets for the concert, please go to the Kwanele! Enuf is Enuf! website, www.kwanele-enuf.co.za. You can also follow the movement on Facebook and Twitter.

Andy Kawa's Biography

Motivation for Kwanele!

Enuf is Enuf!

Andy Kawa – Businesswoman and social entrepreneur Andy holds an MBA in Finance from Wharton School Business (USA), an EdM from Columbia University (USA) and a BSc in Applied Math from the University of Transkei.

She is chairperson and founding member of Chuma Holdings, a women-led investment company with interests in platinum mining. Her work over the years has focused on finance, business strategy and transformation. She has more than 18 years of extensive corporate experience locally, and in the USA and the UK. She has worked in strategy development in the industrial, mining and financial services sectors. In 2007, Andy was a runner up as ‘Top Executive Management Committee Member’ in the TOPCO awards, while serving as director of business transformation at Aquarius Platinum South Africa (AQPSA).

In 2010 she was selected as one of the 20 businesswomen in South Africa to participate in ‘The Chosen’, 2010 MTN Business Leading CEO Council. She is also chairperson of Interwaste Holdings and serves on the boards of Anglovaal Industries (AVI), AQPSA and Imara Capital South Africa (ICSA). In addition to her business interests, Andy plays a significant role in social development. She is a trustee of the Chuma Foundation, the beneficiaries of which are youth development projects.

She has a keen interest in education and youth development, and currently provides mentorship to six young people.

Andy is also involved in advocacy work against rape and sexual violence in South Africa. One of these initiatives was working with the office of the Executive Deputy Mayor and other stakeholders to address the issue of violent crimes committed in Port Elizabeth’s Kings Beach area. As a result, the Mandela Bay Development Agency committed R40m for safety and security upgrades at Kings Beach in the Mandela Bay Municipality of Port Elizabeth. This upgrade, the first phase of which was completed in 2012, is dedicated to Andy’s resilience in lobbying to improve safety and security on the beach.

“Sexual violence in South Africa has been rated among the highest in the world. It is estimated that more than 40% of South African women will be raped in their lifetime, but only one in nine rape cases is currently reported. A woman is raped approximately every 30 seconds in South Africa. The scourge of rape does not discriminate against gender, age, race or social class. It affects the whole society."

“Creating awareness, mobilising people to rise up and say "no more", is what Kwanele! Enuf is Enuf! is about.”

“After a gang-rape experience, I realised our justice system&s inefficiencies around rape cases in South Africa. My case – and those of many other victims – were lost in the system as a result of an ill-educated and equipped police force that seemingly, possibly unknowingly, disrespects the rights of victims of rape and sexual violence.”

“My objective is to promote awareness and knowledge on rape prevention such as self-defence, as well as an open approach to speaking up about it and receiving the necessary assistance, medical or otherwise. Surveys indicate that unless rape happens to you or someone you know, it is an issue many are not willing to face – often an article speed-read in the newspaper or a mumble of a quick ‘ag, shame’ on hearing about it on the news.”

“I was also inspired by former South Africa President Nelson Mandela’s quote in a book compiled by Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) entitled 'Broken Bones and Broken Bodies: violence against women exposed' which is as follows:” “Safety and security do not just happen; they are a result of a collective consensus and public investment. We owe it to our children - the most vulnerable citizens of society - a life free from violence and fear. In order to ensure this, we must become tireless in our efforts not only to attain peace, justice and prosperity for countries but for communities and members of the same community. We must address the roots of violence. Only then will we transform the past legacy from a crushing burden into a cautionary lesson.”

HAYDEN DUNS I first heard of Hayden Dunstan on Zone Radio, and I must say I really liked his music. I have finally got around to interview him and find out more about this talented musician.

A solo artist originally from Durban South Africa Hayden has lived in Carlisle Cumbria for some years now. He has always enjoyed music, recorded and live, playing anything from wind to strings and drums and DJ'ing for much of his teenage years.

His love of music stems from a musical family which covers 4 generations of very talented musicians, and an upbringing around theatre and the performing arts.

Now residing in Wigton, Carlisle North West England, after years away from it, he has taken up music again and started writing his own ideas down and recording as well. He plays most of the instruments himself in a studio setting with production help from His producer Paul Baggott. As a musician who is yet to return to gigging and ultimately would like put a band together, he wanted to focus on writing for himself and other artists across a wide spectrum of genres as can be seen from his current material. His favorite musical quote is "Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." -Cyril Connolly. (1903 - 1974) Hayden hopes to get some of his lyrics and music published into the music industry in general but also wants to write for TV and film.

When asked, Hayden has this to say about his career.

When I started writing a few years ago I was really just doing it to motivate my kids to practice their instruments. I wanted to show that it can be done and no obstacle is too great. Well it grew from there and I decided to carry on developing my music. As it turns out my kids still don’t practice as I hoped, but to force it would alienate it and that would be a travesty.

Originally I couldn’t play anything. My only formal lessons were when I was about 7. I could play one handed piano and a single string on the guitar. In a fairly short period of time I have taught myself guitar, bass, drums, piano, and some early progress on cello. (Not to mention the theory:-S) Drums I have been playing longer than the other instruments at about 6 years now and wind (clarinet and sax I learned as a child). Again that was to enable teaching my son on his first drum kit. I couldn’t teach him if I didn’t know myself.

STAN My early drumming efforts were to play along to Watershed tracks at full volume. Tulsa Pittaway was my personal instructor even if he didn’t know it. :-D. I had understanding neighbors at the time. Their album “In The Meantime” will always be my original motivation to write my own stuff. I like to think there is some identifiable influence in my music that comes from Craig and the band.

While I’m no master of any one instrument including the drums I manage to fumble my way through tracking my songs on a variety of instruments. Budget permitting, I then have them mixed and mastered by an engineer. But as with any budget, progress is always slower than I would like.

Becoming a “multi-instrumentalist” wasn’t my goal either. In fact my level of public confidence with regard to singing and playing is such that I wanted to write only, and have others perform for me.

Let me tell you though, it’s harder than you think to get someone interested in performing your songs so out of necessity I had to choose to either play and sing myself, or forget the whole exercise.

I decided to deal with my confidence issues and as you can see I have a handful of original songs now mastered and available online with a few more lined up for when the budget becomes available, namely: “Runway Lights” and “Angel (Veronica Leigh)” among a few others still in the Lego stages of being built. Perhaps one day I will be fortunate enough to get sponsored. As a hobby, music is an expensive one. Lol. All my tracking is done in my home studio, and then those sound files are sent to a producer named Paul Baggott. Funny enough we have never met. Technology enables us to work together from opposite ends of the country. He adds his own signature lead guitar when I need it.

You can hear his atmospheric guitar in Morning After and Heroes quite distinctively. The main lead in Morning After is mine.

In Most of my songs I play the main instruments.

My good friend Apple Logic helps with the ones I don’t have. That said, my tracks are as played. They are real instruments being recorded in real time. I don’t use any software platforms myself. I leave that to the engineers. I don’t use any pitch correction or auto tune. I like it that way as it seems more real to me and doesn’t simply sound like everything else. I have come to learn that its engineers and studio techs that give many artists the “signature” sound. I would rather have a few dodgy chords and off key notes in there for the sake of it being real.

Hi Hayden thank you for doing this interview with us, let’s start from the beginning, where did it all start for you as a musician, did you always come from a musical background?

I grew up on music like a South African grows up on pap en wors. Going back as far as my great grandmother my family has always been musical. I’ve been told she played piano for silent movies. My mom has been an incredible inspiration for me. She is a licentiate level pianist so leaves me in the dust when it comes to keyboard and piano. She has always encouraged me from a young age even though I didn’t always listen. Her encouragement keeps me going though. Some days I wonder what it’s all for and she reminds me subtly that it’s just about the music and to keep writing regardless. Her father too was a brilliant musician able to score an entire orchestration in his head. I’ve heard tell of him sitting quietly and whistling out the various parts and writing it all down with pencil and paper.

These are the things I aspire to even if I have no hope of ever equaling their ability. One of the first instruments I played was his clarinet. Still have it too. Now my boys play it. I’ve always had something to do with music. Be it singing or playing something. I even DJ’d for several years having a go at clubs and even radio. Its only more recently that I decided to see firstly if I could write my own material, and secondly if what I wrote was any good. That second point is harder than one would think to establish. Not everyone is that interested in giving an honest critique. It’s not only my immediate family that’s into music.

My Aunt also plays up a storm on guitar and piano. My late cousin Dusty too was a great player often featuring in battle of the bands down in East London. He and his brother Rory had “Apartment 7” some years back and did some recording. Sadly he passed very young, although, I still receive much inspiration from him. My wife also, she sings and is trained in opera, and my eldest son is learning to write music and my youngest at 8 plays piano. My niece and nephew also play. Ha-ha we could go on all day. I must mention them though. Dusty helped me make sense of shapes and steps. (Guitar players will get that reference) and for that I will always be grateful. Before that guitar made little sense to me. Amy helped out with the writing of “Sunny Disposition”. They too have been incredibly supportive of my efforts as have my sons who constantly tell me how good it all sounds even when it doesn’t. I’ve learned that family aren’t the best barometers of what sounds good. They are too close to tell the brutal truth sometimes.

What kind of genre of music would you say your music falls under?

Now that’s a tough one. In terms of music theory I prefer to recognize form rather than genre. These days every song seems to have its own genre and the writers are making up more and more each day in an effort to be unique. Form on the other hand covers a much wider spectrum. To me, I see pop music (popular music) as incorporating everything from blues, rock, pop, reggae etc. I think musicians who understand theory see that there is little theoretical difference between rock and pop.

All modern music originates from a basic 4 bar blues structure which grew into 8 and 16 bar and onto rock n roll and rock. It’s all the same to me. The moods and presentation is what differs.

Most of what we here these days is 16’s and 8’s pop. Even Hip Hop fits into the rock structure. (Just listen to Run DMC vs. Aerosmith) But to answer in a way that listeners will identify with I suppose I fit into Rock/poprock/folkrock/adultcontemprary in terms of how I present my music.

Where do you find your inspiration from for your songwriting and what is the process like?

Inspiration is one of those illusive things. I can go for extended periods with no inspiration at all. Then it all just floods at once and I can’t take notes fast enough. As they say, the muse can be a fickle mistress.

And when I say absolutely anything can inspire I really mean that.

My go to subjects tend to be the regulars, Love, hate, anguish, and so on as many writers use these. They are powerful states of emotion and ones which listeners identify with easily. Everyone has had their heart broken and everyone has felt despair. It gets a bit more difficult when writing about something like faith and philosophy. Not everyone can identify with the way my mind see’s things. I am inspired in some regards by this vast and sensitive subject. “Morning After” is a fine example although the theme does surface in other songs I’ve written. “Morning After” is a direct challenge on what we are taught and indoctrinated into believing right from birth. Its not a creed or statement of belief by any measure, but was written to encourage independent though and challenging the status quo.

I am also inspired by other musicians. I often hear someone else say it perfectly, whatever “It” is on that occasion and whether it’s a musical statement or a lyrical one. One Republic have a knack for saying an awful lot without a word spoken.

In my song “Heroes” I am inspired by the multitudes of soldiers around the world who lay down their lives for the benefit of others. Freedom from oppression is important to me as it is most South Africans. My grandfather served in WW2 and was captured in North Africa. His service inspired me in the writing of this one. I recall getting angry one day when I heard of a youngster who had got drunk and pee’d on a war memorial. The soldiers who were asked about that incident simply said that its that sort of freedom they fight for, in other countries, someone like that would have “disappeared”, but not in our free western society. That’s the honor I respect most in our armed forces. The chorus references this incident quite clearly as does the slide show video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJQ7cq_4t2U I suppose though in a sentence, the human condition and human emotion inspires me most. People are special as are the seemingly small things in life. We should take care and notice more. That we can do through music.

The songwriting process is a law unto itself also. I am able to sit down a deliberately write a song but I much prefer accidental songs. They usually develop in 2 distinctly separate sequences of events. I usually have a book of notes lying around as I do have many scraps of paper. When a lyrical idea or theme appeals to me I write the first line of something which can quickly grow into a four line poem. That in turn grows to more lines.

Completely independently of that I often noodle around with chord progressions that appeal to my mood. Somewhere in the machinery of my brain a matching pair will find each other and a verse will materialize and then a chorus. That said, that’s the easy part. It’s the refinement and re writes that can take time. I use recording as a constructive tool in writing. While I can read and write notation it would take forever to do that so I tend to record snippets here and there on my phone then when I have a full-ish song I try lay it down in scratch form with simple strumming . What happens then is more arrangement than writing I suppose. There are only so many option available once the basic dots are written and harmonies can really only be a set number of options as is the case with bass and drums.

“I grew up on music like a South African grows up on pap and wors” At the time I frequented a music venue close to the Natal Midlands and I managed to convince them to let me sing a few times. Considering the villagers didn’t chase me out of town with pitch forks and torches I think it went OK. The regular line up didn’t seem to want extended company at the time though so that never went any further. That’s when I bought the first drum kit for my son. Now I just need someone to make back tracks to practice with. I think that’s where the idea of picking up music again was born proper. No one wanted to make those tracks for me so I was channeled into thinking about a bass guitar. Now I spend my days aspiring to musicians far more accomplished than I. And for musicians that know that frustration….

Thanks for that.

Morning After was intended as an instrumental piece but we all know that the best laid plans often don’t happen like they are supposed to. Suddenly words seemed to fit the first riff and it wrote itself quite against my will from there on. To date I think that’s my best expression of music.

Songs definitely have a life of their own. They just happen. Really they do. And once they exist they won’t be silenced. Often what’s written late at night by a bedside lamp is the best material. It’s almost as if they exist already and we the songwriters simply uncover them. I have heard the same said about sculpture. It’s true though.

Songwriting isn’t something like taking stock in a bar or doing books to trial balance. There are many aspects of it that just can’t be explained. Its and experience and a journey of discovery when finding a song that needs written. It calls out and says “It’s my turn now… thank you. That is all” I also think that once a song is written, it then exists in whatever esoterically form it exists in, and everyone has access to it or something like it on some subconscious level. This is how I explain the uncanny similarities in music that can in no other way be explained as being similar, like un-released material sounding similar.

Who is some of your main influences?

If I had to choose a single artist I would have to say Watershed without doubt. I remember buying the album “In The Meantime” and thinking just how awesome it was. From the rising piano in Angel, and the melancholic emotion of In The Meantime, to the sustained D’s in Unsolved. Not to mention the whole shining on theme. I sat and thought to myself that I would really love to be able to do that too. To that I still aspire. I think if I had to choose one artist alive to work with it would be Craig. His writing strikes harmony with my own life experiences and he seems to see and hear in the same colors I do.

I draw also from the likes of One Republic. Their strings are particular inspirational for a writer. Kid Rock with his F.Y. attitude to life, The Parlotones too. They rock! Then I swing to the other side of the spectrum and listen to a lot of Tim McGraw. If anyone can write a love song about a lost love and a dog, a country artist can.

I often say to myself “Damn I wish I had written that”. There is a long way to go before I even begin to consider myself in the same league as these mentioned. Until then they inspire and teach with their work.

Besides your great voice, can you play any other instruments?

You flatter me. To be totally honest I don’t like my voice too much, but I’m stuck with it. And I feel like singing so there we are. I have heard this said by some of our top musicians too. I sometimes wonder if many signers like their voice. Maybe someone can enlighten me. One of my issues is writing in a key appropriate for my baritone sound. I tried signing in keys like D, but just don’t pull it off.

As for instruments: I play drums, bass, guitar, clarinet, sax, a touch of piano and I’m taking a recent interest in cello and violin. Which of those I play well is one of those things that listeners must decide. I consider my ability as jack of all trades and master of none. I need to be proficient enough to record tracks for my material in the absence of a band. I would say guitar is the easiest for me to play a song solo.

Where are you situated at the moment?

For the past 4 years my family and I have lived in the North West of England. Our nearest city is Carlisle in the county of Cumbria. I’m not a fan of city living so we stay in a medium sized bungalow on a dairy farm where I can make as much noise as I like. It works well for me…. and the cows.

I’m from Durban originally (born and bred) and will always be a Durbs’ boy.

I’ll come back one day. When things promise to be better there than here, that will be the tipping point. I don’t think I would have progressed in music as I have if we hadn’t moved here. I would certainly consider any opportunities in SA as and when they present themselves.

How does the music scene differ compared to South Africa?

That depends on which day you ask me and which platform you’re talking about.

The live scene is vibrant and there are plenty of opportunities around to gig and be heard. The live scene covers most genres from soul to rock and metal. I have friends who gig locally and nationally and they find it very rewarding. We have more festivals than SA. There is also more opportunity for less developed artists to showcase their music. That said, the Durban scene always seems to be doing something. I’m often torn between where to promote so I promote in both SA and the UK. As far as broadcasting goes, (and this is where I focus my attention), there is more opportunity than SA offers but less than I would like. BBC have a program called “Introducing”. They showcase under the radar musicians but don’t seem geared for anyone who doesn’t play live. I think they could have done a better job of finding musicians that don’t as yet play live for one or other reason and given them a leg up. My regional show also only seems to focus largely on acoustic folk and not all of what I write suits their format. I’ve also learned that paying to submit to an online station just isn’t cricket. I never hear back from them so that’s a burnt fingers chapter.

I find radio in South Africa extremely difficult to get attention from, Even when family work for the station. I have submitted to quite a few stations with some good results but mainly I get disinterest. The exceptions to this is Zone in Cape Town, and ECR in Durban. Debbie has shown an interest from ECR and Richard gives me top rate support on Zone Radio.

I would like to get out more and be more involved with local musicians actually. I would develop as a musician by working with others. Who knows, maybe even form a band and play some festivals.

You are currently play listed on Zone Radio which does so much for Independent artists. Just how important is Radio stations like that for a musician’s career, in your opinion?

This kind of follows on from above. Zone Radio are brilliant. Without their support many of us would just not be. We just wouldn’t happen at all. There is little point in one day dying, with a full song book of un-heard music. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have found them. I stumbled across the station after following a link in a tweet from Arno Carstens. Best thing I did.

The presenters are so supportive. Many a day I just wonder what the hell I’m trying to achieve, then Richard will say something motivational and I get back up on the horse.

What I appreciate most is I don’t have to be resident in SA to be considered a South African artist. I have great national pride and it warms my heart to referred as “One of our own”. Like I say, I’ll be back one day. I’d love to record an album in SA to be honest. I sometimes wonder if my local BBC show don’t see me as not local enough! Well if that is the case I won’t let it bother me. My countrymen support me and that’s all I need. I feel that Zone will expose me to the opportunities and production support I am looking for.

Do you play live, and what can we expect if we were to attend one of your gigs?

This is one of those hurdles I have to take on. I am painfully shy of performing live. I’ve done singing spots before but not played live. My hands and voice often don’t get the memo, and do different things. I have become comfortable with my studio setting but in order to grow I need to face my fears and step up to the stage at some point. That few minutes of terror could change everything for me. I was always more comfortable with others backing me up as opposed to solo. I would indeed like to put a band together. Much like playing a sport with someone better than yourself, I think working with better musicians will up my game.

Let’s just say I would be keen to give it a go. Any support and help welcomed. *laughs*

How can people get hold of your music?

I have a fairly strong online presence. I think the internet is one of the best developments for independent musicians. Platforms like Reverbnation and Soundcloud make it possible and conceivable to connect with the industries leaders. There is a lot of it though. You’d be shocked at just how many talented and brilliant musicians are out there. In the old days we didn’t see them all. Its genuinely overwhelming at times.

My platform of choice is Reverbnation. http://www.reverbnation.com/haydendunstan They have the best artist tools and aren’t expensive in the premium range. That said the free account is a powerful tool on its own. I use YouTube although it doesn’t get the attention RN does. Soundcloud is cool but I use it mainly for project files. If you Google my name you won’t be short of results. My Reverbnation profile has download facilities as well as a shop where songs can be purchased. It sounds odd that I offer free downloads as well as a shop, I know. The reason for this is I would rather people listen for free than not listen at all. A song written and not listened to is like a child that never gets loved. If people wish to contribute to the production costs then there is also a store where they can buy the download. It’s entirely up to them.

I am on Twitter too. @HaydenDunstan I don’t tweet too much. I won’t flood your feed with c**p like so many do. Follow though and I’ll return the favor. That way you will get the latest news as I record new material and any other developments that happen.

Thank you for doing this interview with us, any last words for your fans and the readers?

Just simply to say, Thank you for listening. And thank you for being kind about my music.

Keep listening, I’m not done yet.

Interview by: Duwyne Clayton

SA TATTOO SPECTACULAR RETURNS TO MONTECASINO TO PRESENT MORE MASSED MULTI-CULTURAL SPLENDOUR THAN EVER BEFORE featuring ICONIC LOCAL ROCK BAND, JUST JINJER

The ever-popular annual SA Tattoo returns to Montecasino’s outdoor event area for just six performances from Thursday, 5 September to Sunday, 8 September 2013. From the mighty hail of the drum major to the toe tapping of the Highland dancers and the traditional sounds of the massed pipes and drums, this year’s programme combines the finest local and international talents to present South Africa’s biggest show.

Now in its fifth year, the SA Tattoo has grown in stature and popularity. More than 90 000 people have enjoyed the multi-cultural and multinational performances that bring diverse mass entertainment to Montecasino year after year. The organisers of the SA Tattoo are delighted to announce the return of the iconic Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland who previously performed at the 2008 Tattoo to critical acclaim. Having developed almost rock star status in Europe, the SA Tattoo is proud to welcome back this group of precision drummers who turn drumming into an entertainment art form. Renowned beyond the world of drumming and Tattoo organisations, their unique blend of American-ScottishBasel styles has made the “Corps” musicians a top international act that has won the hearts of global audiences for more than 20 years! “As the Top Secret Drum Corps has limited their performances to only a few select venues, we regard their participation at this year’s Tattoo is a major coup for South Africa”, says Simon Carter, Executive Producer of the SA Tattoo.

Presented by JacarandaFM and DSTV, this year’s SA Tattoo line-up is the show’s most exciting yet. Featuring sensational international acts from France and Switzerland, the show’s Producers are particularly pleased that iconic local rock band; Just Jinjer is the headliner for the show. Having toured internationally with mega stars U2, Counting Crows and Def Leppard and with album sales exceeding a quarter of a million plus two albums with double platinum status, Just Jinger is one of this country’s biggest rock band exports. Previously based in Los Angeles for eight years, Just Jinger has performed for thousands of adoring fans at concert venues across the globe. Now Just Jinger brings its unique musical sounds to the wonderful mix of Tattoo acts that also features drum majorettes, a local massed choir, the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, the SAPS Tshwane Band, the National Ceremonial Guard Band and the Code Red Drum Corps.

On the international front, the traditional French Paratrooper army band, Musique des Parachutistes direct from France brings colourful European flair to the Tattoo while Top Secret Drum Corps from Basel, Switzerland is set to wow local audiences with its display its quick paced rhythms and knife-edge drumming precision. A remarkable act from Taiwan will soon be announced. "Our most sensational international line-up ever." adds Simon Carter.

The ever popular SA Tattoo trademark sounds of the massed pipes and drums will be played by this country’s finest musicians collectively from the African Skye Pipe Band, Benoni MacTalla Pipe Band, Pretoria Caledonia Pipe Band, the SA Irish Regiment Pipes and Drums, Sandton Scottish Pipe Band, Transvaal Scottish Pipes and Drums and Glen Allen Pipes and Drums. There’s no sound quite like 180 pipers and drummers playing in unison under an African sky to render the audience speechless.

The SA Tattoo is recognised as one of the world’s premier Tattoos and has been welcomed into the International Association of Tattoo Organisers (IATO) whose members have acknowledged and endorsed the SA Tattoo to be in keeping with the professionalism, ceremony and prestige that is expected by fellow IATO members the world over. Members of the SA Tattoo’s production team have been individually honoured by Erik Julliard, producer of the Basel Tattoo and and Steve Walsh (MBE), producer of The Royal Edinburgh Tattoo who recognize the SA Tattoo as a world class event that proudly promotes and showcases South African culture and tradition to the rest of the world.

This show has sold out for four years running so hurry; don’t miss the fanfare, the massed pipers and bands, dancers and other incredibly talented performers representing a global stage. Book now at Computicket service centers, visit www.computicket.com or call 0861 813 9000. Ticket prices range from R218.00 to R398.00. Discounted tickets apply to groups of 10 or more and children under the age of 12. The disabled seating area is strictly reserved for disabled persons and their one companion. Bookings for the disabled area can only be booked via a Computicket service centre or via the call centre. Regret, bookings for this section are not available via the Internet.

Owing to inclement weather, last year’s show on Thursday, 6 September could not take place. Patrons who are in possession of 2012 tickets for this particular performance may exchange these tickets for this year’s Thursday performance on 5 September 2013 at 20h00 by sending their contact details and a copy of tickets by fax to (011) 465 3190, or by emailing a scan of the tickets to simon@satattoo.co.za by no later than Wednesday, 31 July 2013. Replacement tickets, in the name of the patron will be available for collection at the Box Office, Montecasino from 3 September 2013.

For further information contact info@satattoo.co.za or visit www.satattoo.co.za or Facebook: South African TATTOO http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-African-TATTOO/134195839944895

GET YOUR OFFICIAL 4U RAGE PASSPORT NOW! South Africa’s biggest youth festival carries on the tradition of unwinding and serious partying after a long, hard year of studying with the greatest escape in the KwaZulu-Natal region. Hot sun, beautiful beaches and the best entertainment in the country are what party-goers attending this summer’s 4U RAGE FESTIVAL have in store.

And only the official 4U RAGE FESTIVAL PASSPORTS give you access to the best parties and the top international acts – like international DJ prodigy Danny Avila, who joins this year’s line-up.

4U RAGE FESTIVAL is proud to announce thatDanny Avila will be performing exclusively at the 4U Rage.

At the age of 19,Danny Avila has already caught the attention of EDM heavyweights Tiesto and Fedde Le Grand, and has already swooped up a Vicious Award for ‘Best Newcomer DJ’ when he was just 16 years old.

A primetime DJ on US radio station, SiriusXM, mind-blowing sets at Coachella and Ultra Music Festival and a Ministry of Sound album under his belt already this year, there is no stopping the Spanish super talent! Now crowds at the upcoming 4U RAGE FESTIVAL will witness the flair and genius of MTV’s ‘One To Watch In 2013’ this year! Watch Danny Avila’s brand new music video for ‘Voltage’ here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl2Tf2phrWA Also confirmed for 4U RAGE FESTIVAL is an all-star local line-up of artists that will have partygoers bouncing up and down into the wee hours of the morning.Goldfish, DJ Fresh, DJ Kent, Euphonik, Goodluck, Pascal & Pearce, Jeremy Loops, PH Fat, Roger Goode, Jack Parow, and loads more to be confirmed will be performing at this year’s sensational summer extravaganza.

Cross your calendars off from the 28th of November right through to the 7th of December because your 4U RAGE FESTIVAL PASSPORT will be put to good use attending over ten prime venues in Umhlanga and Ballito equipped with the best in production elements, party vibes and entertainers.

Keep an eye out and ear to the ground for more exclusive international artists that will be announced soon.

Remember, the only way to get in on the action is to have an official 4U RAGE FESTIVAL PASSPORT – available only atwww.ragefestival.co.za now!

4U RAGE FESTIVAL is proudly sponsored by Vodacom 4U and BlackBerry.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ragefestivalsa Twitter:@ggrage

4U RAGE FESTIVAL PASSPORTS OFFERS EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL DJ PRODIGY DANNY AVILA

Swanie Zero Music:

IN HOMAGE TO THE MANDELA LEGACY – VIVA MADIBA. Performed in 8 languages by Anton Goosen, Gloria Bosman, Rebecca Malope, Dozi, Helena Hettema, Charlize Berg, Theo van Rensburg , Manuel

Escorcio , Kathy

Neuland and Mammie Ntshauba.

Listen to the album here: http://www.rollingstone.co.za/ musicrev/item/2593-listen-anton-goosens-viva-madiba-in8-languages.

During 1992, Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela president of the ANC, attended a dinner function in Pretoriaat the home of businessman Hendrik Swanepoel. The renowned leader's presence plus a spontaneous performance of his famous “Madiba shuffle” made the occasion unforgettable for all present.

Years later in 2006, Hendrik took his son Henry to meet Mr Mandela personally.

Madiba said to Henry; “Henry my father's name was Henry” and wrote an inspirational message addressed to the young boy:“Dear Henry, We hope that you will grow and become an important leader in our country and beyond. Mandela.”

Hendrik was so moved by his communications with Nelson Mandela that he resolved to have a song of praise written about this icon. Anton Goosen, well-known musician and friend, was commissioned in 2011 by Hendrik to write the music and the lyrics of the song“Viva Madiba.” Anton Goosen wrote and recorded the Afrikaans version at his home in Gansbaai and produced it over the internet with musicians as far apart as Clarence, Pretoriaand Amsterdam.

In order to honour this great statesman and perpetuate his memory, locally and internationally, Hendrik then decided to have the song translated into various national and foreign languages. The album features renowned South African artists including Anton Goosen (Afrikaans), Gloria Bosman (English), Rebecca Malope (Xhosa), Dozi (Zulu), Helena Hettema (French), Charlize Berg (English), Theo van Rensburg (Guitar), Manuel Escorcio (Portugese), Kathy Neuland (German) and Mammie Ntshauba (Tswana.)

The Ubuntu in Madiba that represents his sense of peace and forgiveness has always been an inspiration to me as a songwriter.

Now, and even more so in the future, we must follow his example.” - Anton Goosen.

Media contact: Liny Kruger at LK Mediabook – 082 464 1926 / liny@lkmediabook.co.za

Gigg Review : ZONKE Review by: Lerato Mohlala

I attended The Old Mutual Music in Garden Concert, at The Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, on 30 June 2013.

What a beautiful day it was, the gardens are beautiful and they were the perfect setting for the small crowd and intimate setting. We were lucky enough to be seated in the VIP area; Old Mutual's Hospitality was impeccable.

Zonke started performing at 3pm and I being a diehard fan couldn't stay in the VIP tent so I went straight to the front of the crowd and watched from there! Zonke sang songs from her new album "Ina Ethe". The only let down was the sound, she couldn't hear herself and at one point went to the sound guy to tell him she couldn't hear herself.But being the awesome musician she is, she handled it very well. She did make up for it though by letting us pick which songs to sing and that was a fun part of the show.

She interacted with the crowd and laughed and joked with us.

I went back to relax at VIP and drink some champagne and relax, then I went backstage to meet her in person, she really is a humble and beautiful person! The show was amazing and we had a lot of fun!

Thank you to Old Mutual and Total Exposure for making this happen, it truly was a great experience

COMING SOON

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS IN CONCERT Date Saturday 17th August Time 21h30 Venue Sun City - Super Bowl Cost R285 to R485 Tickets Computicket

Date Sunday, 18 August Time 15h00 Venue Carnival City – Big Top Arena Cost R285 to R485 Tickets Computicket

Sun International are thrilled to announce that Mike and the Mechanics are set to perform at the Sun City Superbowl on 17 August, at the Big Top Arena at Carnival City on 18 August.

Mike and the Mechanics have been around since 1984. The band, originally started by supergroup Genesis founder-member, Mike Rutherford, and featuring vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young, shot to stardom with their two Top 10 singles; “Silent Running” and “All I Need Is a Miracle”. They followed this success with "The Living Years”, an album that achieved massive global acclaim with its title single, the legendary, “The Living Years”, becoming the world’s 18th best-selling single of 1988.

Two further albums followed: 1991's “Word of Mouth” and 1995's “Beggar on a Beach of Gold” continuing to cement the band's reputation as one of the most respected contemporary melodic rock bands. As well as the title tracks, massive hits off these albums included “Over my Shoulder” and “Another Cup of Coffee”.

Sadly, in July 2000, lead vocalist Paul Young died and the face of Mike and the Mechanics consequently changed. After an extended sabbatical period of inactivity, the group re-emerged, and in the years to 2009, the chameleon nature of the band became obvious, as it encompassed both its highly successful past and the beckoning future. Mike Rutherford revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that he had started writing again - the result: a new generation Mike and The Mechanics album “The Road” launched in 2011, featuring two new faces in the vocal department, singer/song-writer and total entertainer, Andrew Roachford, and actor/singer Broadway and West End star, Tim Howar.

South African fans can now look forward to seeing the band live in August. A compassionate side-effect of the concerts is that Mike and the Mechanics have partnered with Sun International, Famous Concerts and Harley Davidson to support the M-Net Naledi Children’s Literacy Project. We appeal to concertgoers to bring along a children’s book to drop in the M-Net Cares Box, which can be found at each of the concert venues. Additionally, a portion of ticket sales will go towards helping M-Net Cares build more children’s libraries.

Tickets will be available from Computicket.

Park and ride facilities are available for the Sun City show, and can also be booked through Computicket.

Pick up points include:  Northgate Shopping Centre – Randburg  East Rand Mall - East Rand  Menlyn Park Shopping Centre - Pretoria  Royal Elephant Hotel - Centurion  Emerald Casino - Vanderbijlpark  Silverstar Casino - Krugersdorp  Waterfall Mall - Rustenburg  Alberton City Shopping Centre - Alberton  Cedar Square Shopping Centre - Fourways For accommodation packages at Sun City Resort please contact Sun International central reservations on 011-780-7800 or book online atwww.suninternational.com

SPIRIT OF PRAISE CELEBRATION CONCERT

Date Time Venue Cost

Saturday, 3 August 19h30 Carnival City Big Top Arena - Brakpan R150 - R250

Tickets Available from Computicket Don’t miss the 2013 Spirit of Praise Celebration concert at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena in Brakpan on Saturday, 3 August for an evening dedicated to Praise and Worship.

The DVD recording of the live event in 2012, entitled Spirit of Praise volume 4, won this year’s SAMA Award in the Best Traditional Faith category.

The 2013 event will include well known Gospel Artists such as double platinum selling artist and SAMA and Crown Gospel Award winning Benjamin Dube, SAMA nominee Tshepiso, and Zaza and Omega. Special guest artists include Vicky Vilakazi, Papane Bulwane, Joey Mofoleng and Neyi Zimu. Joining them on stage will be a 22-strong community choir.

The show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are available from Computicket between R150 and R250.

DStv PRESENTS DELICIOUS – & MUSIC FESTIVAL LAUN

THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD NCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA Described as the music festival for food lovers or a food festival for music lovers; Delicious is set to take the South African entertainment and culinary world by storm in Johannesburg from 5 – 6 October 2013. With nothing else quite like it in South Africa- Delicious promises to give festival-goers something completely fresh and unique with the A list line-up performing on both the Saturday and Sunday.

Presented by DStv in association with Checkers, Ocean Basket, The Sunday Times and Sowetan; South Africa’s first international food and music festival will bring world-class culinary talent to the Blue Hills Equestrian Estate, as renowned UK celebrity chefs Aldo Zilli, Ed Baines and John Burton Race showcase their signature dishes at their own pop-up restaurants. These include; Aldo Zilli’s San Carlo Cicchetti, Ed Baines’ Randall and Aubin, as well as John Burton Race’s The John Burton Race Experience.

Headlining the music is renowned international act Jamiroquai; who will be supported by a host of top South African artists namely; Lira, Danny K, Khuli Chana, Prime Circle and Mi Casa. With Jamiroquai’s signature mix of funk, jazz, disco and house and the combination of beautiful sunshine, rolling lawns, delicious food and wine - there will be no better vibe to be had in Johannesburg this year.

“Looking forward to returning to South Africa to see you all at Delicious”, said Jay Kay from Jamiroquai.

Amidst a fast growing trend of ‘foodies’ in SA - DStv shows such as MasterChef and Come Dine with Me have become firm favourites with local viewers. Artisan food markets are now regular weekend outings and health conscious cooking is becoming increasingly popular.

“As DStv, we are proud to bring to life our extensive music offering through this partnership”, says Colleen Goodman, Senior Marketing Communications Manager for DStv. The three international pop-up restaurants, San Carlo Cicchetti, Randall & Aubin and The John Burton Race Experience, will provide patrons with the opportunity to experience their fine cuisine first hand while enjoying live music from a raised vantage point overlooking the crowd. These restaurants will be taking bookings for lunch and dinner sittings daily; and with limited seats available, they are expected to sell out fast!

In addition to the pop-up restaurants, there will also be a huge artisan food market encompassing a vast array of African, European and pan-Asian cuisine. Many of these are already firm favourites for local market lovers.

Reservations for the VIP Hospitality Experience at the pop-up restaurants can be made for lunch and/or dinner at a cost of R1 850 per head, which includes VIP parking with concierge care, access to the VIP lounge, a welcome drink, three course meal in one of the three international restaurants of your choice, bottle of wine and coffee. General admission entry will cost R380.

Official beer partner Castle Milk Stout will set up a trendy and elegant area for festival-goers to appreciate the rich and smooth taste of the stout. "Partnering up with Delicious enables us to invite guests to simply savour the rich moments in life. As the official beer partner, we want to use this platform to provide festivalgoers with the opportunity to indulge in rich moments over good food accompanied by good music whilst savouring a smooth Castle Milk Stout," says Vilashni Vandayar, Marketing Manager for Castle Milk Stout.

‘Its Personal’, the brand that provides artists with a respectable platform to showcase their “sound” will host a deep house tent for the rhythmic and soulful attendees that would like to get their groove on at the festival. ‘Its Personal’ pride themselves on not only a professional level of entertainment but production value as well, ensuring an experience worthy of your attendance.

Child-friendly areas hosted by “DStv Kids” will be available and will feature various activities for the young ones and will include brands such as Converse kids and Mille kids.

Delicious will open daily at 12pm and promises to be a fantastic and entertaining day out for the entire family.

Tickets are available through Computicket. Tickets are R380 per day with children under 12 R100 a day and children under 3 are free.

Date: Thursday 1 August Line-up: aKING Venue: Barba’s Cafe, Bloemfontein Address: 16 2nd Ave Contact: 051 430 2542 Time: 7pm Tickets: R 40 Facebook event:

Date: Friday 9 August Line-up: aKING Acoustic Trio Venue: Berties Mooring, Gordon’s Bay Address: The Boardwalk, Harbour Island Contact: 021 856 3343 Time: 7pm Tickets: R 50 Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/ events/209574625864980/ UK celebrity chefs to be joined by international superstar, Jamiroquai Top left to right: Andrew Davenport, Hennie Van Halen Bottom Left to Right: Jaco S Venter, Laudo Liebenberg (photo by Jaco S Venter)

Date: Friday 30 August Line-up: aKING Venue: Pool City, Walmer P.E Address: Times Square, Heugh Rd, Walmer, Port Elizabeth Contact: 041 581 0980 Time: 7pm Tickets: R 50 Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/143330842539101/ Links: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aKINGband Twitter: @aKINGband Website: www.aking.co.za Media contact: For more information, high res images and/or interview requests with aKING please contact Louise Crouse at suukiemusic@gmail.com and/or Ice Carstens at icecarstens@gmail.com

MEDIA RE

FIFTH FLOOR – L TY

Secret warehou

A happening of music

Fifth Floor is about collaborating with ot underground events. The conception of t first location of The Factory. The fifth fl Manhattan.

The concept of the first happening is the visual art. We have three major creative our Fifth Floor launch party with Inpress all on-board presenting the event.

Fifth Floor is made up from a collective The group derives from various other ev ments such as I Oh You, Bonny and Cly and are all making waves.

The Fifth Floor launch party is being hos tion on Saturday August 3 rd.

The exact location of the warehouse will Tickets to the event can only be purchas on our Facebook page. www.fb.com/5th

Each Fifth Floor event will be hosted in ticketed at $18 through Oztix and tickets July.

Fifth Floor events are about quality not q and only 150 pre-sale tickets will be ava Oztix. The address, location and details concealed within the ticket purchased thr

The line-up of bands is setup like a trip. spaced out and build to an epic climax o ours.

The event hosts a stellar line-up of local The Murlocs, Flyying Colours, Stranger Ride, Dan Trolley and Premium Fantasy sic.

Collaborating on the night we have four tives. Astral Projection, 12 Sandwiches, tive will be bringing the live psych visua

‘The people, the roof, the walls and the s surrounded with the psychedelic projecti tives. The bands will be loud and flying nute sets’.

The second Fifth Floor happening will ta arts warehouse in Lichtenberg, Berlin ca collaborating with an underground arts m called ‘Unknown Pleasures Factory’. Th and they also travel abroad hosting even through the ‘UPF’ collective recently pu

‘Fifth Floor happenings are about myster itations’. contact@5thfloor.info

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use location

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ther movements and hosting the name was drawn from the loor of East Street, Midtown

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secret locations. The event is s go on sale 11am Thursday 4th

quantity. This is a ticketed event ailable for purchase through of the warehouse location are rough Oztix.

The night will start slow and of guitars and flying liquid col-

Melbourne garage/psych bands. s from now on, The Octopus y will be providing the live mu-

different psych visual collecZonkvision and Rarakin Collekal projections.

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ake place September 28th in an alled CORPO 6. Fifth Floor is movement of a similar model his collective is based in Berlin nts. The connection was made utting on gigs in Melbourne.

ry and collaboration with no lim-

Stephan Ferreira is just an ordinary guy suffering from a severe case of insomnia and an unhealthy love for books.

Apart from reading, Stephan spends most of his time hating Kylie Minogue. He is also an avid supporter of anything chocolate and hopes to one day discover the secret on how to quit smoking without the constant urge to kill everyone around him. His opinions are his own and cannot always be trusted.

Khaled Hosseini – And the Mountains Echoed

Hosseini’s first two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns quickly climbed to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list shortly after they were published and sold millions of copies worldwide.

Continuing with his recipe for success, Hosseini once again takes us back to Afghanistan to start the remarkable story of a struggling father who sells his daughter to a wealthy couple who cannot have children of their own. This moving story is told from altered points of view over more than half a century while shifting continents and cultures along the way.

The characters that Hosseini created are real, unique, sometimes raw, and always remarkable.

The fact that the story is told from many different points of view does make for a tricky read at first but is key to understanding this complicated and accomplished story.

“I will allow you to take him home with you, the div said. If you choose to, he can never return here. If you choose not to, you can never return here. When all the sand has poured, I will ask for your decision. And with that, the div exited the chamber, leaving Baba Ayub with yet another painful choice to make.”

And the Mountain Echoed might only be Khaled Hosseini’s third novel but there is no doubt that this story will once again touch the hearts of everyone who takes the time to read this book.

This book deserves a top spot on your reading list and once you get lost in the story you will find yourself appreciating the importance of family and question the limits of love.

“Every day for a month I had been checking our mailbox, my heart riding a swell of hope each time the delivery truck pulled up to the curb. I would bring the mail inside, close my eyes and sift through the bills and coupons and the sweepstakes.

Then, on Tuesday of the week before, I had sipped open an envelope and found the words I had been waiting for.”

Laura Schroff – An Invisible Thread

The true story of Laura and Maurice is perhaps one of the most extraordinary and powerful stories of friendship and unconditional love. A simple act of kindness changed both their lives and there is no telling where Maurice would have been today if Laura did not turn around and offered him a helping hand.

Laura knew from the first day that Maurice did not only need food, but also a strong sense of stability which is exactly what she gave him.

Their friendship might have been unconventional at first but they soon became a strong and integral part of each other’s lives.

This truly is a beautiful and inspiring story that proves that sometimes the smallest gestures of kindness can have the biggest effect on someone else’s life.

“Look, neither of us is a superhero, nor even especially virtuous. When we met we were just two people with complicated pasts and fragile dreams. But somehow we found each other, and we became friends. And that, you will see, made all the difference for us both.”

Back in 1986, Laura Schroff was a successful sales executive in New York City when she walked past an 11-year-old homeless panhandler asking for money to buy food. At first Laura ignored the boy and walked on but quickly turned around when the boy’s words sank in. He was hungry and she had the means to buy him food.

Maurice Mazyck was used to living on his own and fending for himself. His own mother was involved with drugs, crime and too busy trying to survive. She simply didn’t have anything to offer him. This is why Maurice was reluctant to start a friendship with Laura. He knew people were selfish and only gave when they wanted something in return. But he agreed when Laura offered to buy him lunch that day and 27 years later they are still best friends.

“Maurice heard yelling and cursing and pounding on the trailer, and as soon as he stepped outside, he heard the first gunshot.

Joe, Alina, Valerie and Vicki Darger – Love Times Three

there is always more than enough love to go around. While juggling dentist appointments, birthday parties, football and soccer practice and even the occasional car trouble, they somehow manage to make it work.

The Darger family was also the inspiration behind the hugely successful television show Big Love.

This book might not be everyone’s cup of tea but if you look past the unconventional lifestyle you might just find that love can exist in the weirdest of families and even though we often hate to admit it – blood is always thicker than water. Even if the blood appears to be a little bit fake.

“Tori is my eighth child, and the nineteenth for Joe, who is the stepfather of Val’s five children from her first marriage. We have thirteen girls, eleven boys. If there were a movie about our family it would be called Cheaper by the Dozen!”

Joe, Alina, Valerie and Vicki Darger’s family is so far removed from the norm that most people find it hard to understand their way of living. But even though some do not approve of their lifestyle, and they are criticized daily, this remarkable family decided to speak up and allow the world inside to see what it is really like to live inside a polygamous marriage.

Joe Darger and his three wives share a house with their twenty four children, and although the lack of personal space can be an issue on some days,

“Since my marriage in 1990, nearly every year of my adult life has been marked by a birth in our family. People often ask me if I know all my children’s names. I turn the question around and ask if they know the names of more than two dozen people.”

August edition for The Wild Child Chronicles is rather quiet. I caught up with Electric Corvette, a duo of undercover musical master minds. Also check out the details for the upcoming H²0 for their 15th anniversary, which you have to get your tanned and toned butts to, on the 28th September! So that’s it, but alas next month is jam packed with Oppi Koppi stuff. Reviews and interviews with Bittereinde, Locnvl, Toya Delazy, Pestroy and Anti-Retro Vinyls! Until next month, stay safe and rock on!

Electric Corvett If you haven’t heard of Electric Corvette, where have you been? De Wet van der Spuy and Hannah Barnard make up this energetic pair of electronic muso’s. I caught up with them for you to know what you’re missing out on!

Weblinks www.electriccorvette.co.za www.facebook.com/electriccorvette www.twitter.com/ElecCorvette www.youtube.com/user/ElectricCorvetteBand

www.reverbnation.com/electriccorvette

Tell us who Electric Corvette are, what you stand for and what kind of music you make.

We are an Electro Duo and create tracks in both English and our native language, Afrikaans. We share a mutual love of the electro genre and also have many rock influences. We produce all our own sounds and beats and want to remain honest and true to ourselves with our music and lyrics.

When playing live gigs, explain the dynamic between the two of you and why you think it works?

Hannah: We don’t believe in over performing, but still like having a good time. I have a theatre and film background, and as the lead vocalist I am more the ‘performer’ while De Wet moves between synths and guitar. We like viewing a performance as a ‘show’ and plan to bring more dramatic lighting and some multimedia to our live set.

De Wet: I think it works because the music caters for an audience that wants something different to the mainstream, but that still has commercial appeal.

Your debut album Generator X was self-produced, this is a great achievement. Tell us a little bit about the process from idea of the album to final production of the album.

Hannah: ‘Metal Machine’ was our first track and I was looking everywhere for a producer that could give an edge to this song.

I found De Wet when I heard there was a composer living in Paarl. After that we continued writing and the Afrikaans tracks came later. De Wet does the production and programming.

De Wet: We are in the process of finishing our album and the ideas come to us as we work. We had to leave a few tracks that simply didn’t want to be on this album. We try not to be precious about tracks. It’s about the end product and what suits the album. The main thing for us is that, while many Electro tracks are based around the programming, we build everything around a song based format. Its song first, sound second.

We also try to keep it fresh by mixing unexpected genres.

At what age did you begin to explore your musical passion and where did it start for you?

De Wet: I started piano at age 6, but soon got bored and took up classical guitar. I bought my first electric guitar when I was 14 and had to hide it under my bed as my parents didn’t think it was a good idea. They eventually did find out, but by then they realized I was a lost cause and that music was my new master. I also studied BMUS Jazz composition at UCT and audio engineering at Cape Audio College.

Hannah: I began to study the violin at the age of 5 and went on to play for orchestras. I left it to study film and theatre at UCT. When I went onstage one night during a performance in Canada, I got so tired of the silence, and my own voice. I wanted to hear music. In my hotel room was an article by Alice Cooper.

His interview spoke to me in a big way. To me, there is freedom in sound and writing your own lyrics. I bought an electric guitar and fell in-love with blues and got an addiction to synthesizers and electro. At the moment I want to experiment with an electric violin.

Tell us a story when playing a live gig where something when wrong and you had to improvise.

De Wet: Live we use a DJ to cover all the sounds I can’t manage while performing.

One evening he did a set before we performed together, but forgot to turn of the “tempo matching” on his gear when we started. “Metal Machine” came out like a Speed Metal meets Techno kind of track, which was all fine until I got to my solo and it was too fast for me. I had to make something up on the spot while having a “bunny in the headlights” kind of expression. It all turned out fine and no one really noticed.

As ‘Electric Corvette’, what are your long term plans for the band, say in 5 years’ time?

Hannah: We want to tour, and let the music move its course. In time one’s music becomes more mature. We will continue to make albums and work on more elaborate stage performances.

If you could pick one South African band/artist to collaborate with, who would it be and why?

We would love to collaborate with dance DJ’s, as this would make for a great party vibe. It would also be really cool to perform with Bittereinder.

If you could choose one place internationally to tour, where would it be and why?

Hannah : It would be New York or Berlin. The electro scene is huge there.

De Wet: It is the two cities we would love to visit and they have a long standing connection with electronic and underground music.

What new musical projects are you currently working on that fans can look forward to?

De Wet: We are continuing to make more tracks for future albums. Getting ideas out which did not fit on this album.

We are also currently developing theatre productions and looking at writing a musical. Hannah is an avid writer and I will be doing the music

What do you think of the current South African music scene when it comes to the artists and fans?

It is developing rapidly on all fronts, from acts to audience.

With gear becoming more affordable, acts have improved drastically over the last few years, and as a result you have a more demanding audience. Finally “local is lekker” means something.

“ we are a Electro Duo and create tracks in both English and our native language, Afrikaans”

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STUART TAYLOR Learner Husband Book Launch Tour

Date: Friday 9th August, Saturday 10th August Venue: The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City (Cnr Northern Parkway and Data Crescent, Ormonde, Johannesburg) Tickets: R100 and available at www.computicket.co.za Event: Known to many as “The King of Relationship Comedy”, Taylor has spent years performing the successful show, “Learner Husband” and has finally put together the book; “Learner Husband - A Handy guide for avoiding collisions with your wife”. The “Learner Husband Book Launch Tour” will give audiences a live representation of what to expect in the book. The show will take a look at marriage in the 21st century and will also ensure that everyone can take some lessons home with them, as told by your “funny” guy next door from his own experiences (and those of others.)

The Learner Husband Book Launch Tour is proudly brought to you by Old Mutual and DStv and is produced by Podium…The Comedy Merchants.

How did you get into photography?

It all started off about 5 years ago when I bought a camera for a holiday trip to Wales. Since then I have traveled throughout South Africa capturing our beautiful country, covering music events in Limpopo and I have also made it a full time profession.

Who is your favorite photographer and why?

What camera are you currently using?

Still using my trusty Canon 550D but acquired a few new lenses over the last couple of years.

Brent Stirton, his work about anti-poaching and the way he captures cultures around the world is absolutely amazing. http://www.brentstirton.com/ Describe a day in the life of a photographer?

What do you like about Photography?

Seeing the world through a lens focuses the eye on the smaller things we usually miss.

As a photographer you get to meet the most random people and get to see the most amazing places.

What advice do you have for upcoming photographers?

What style of Photography do you like?

Events, portraits, landscapes and I love capturing all our unique cultures of our amazing country.

Where do you see you’re self in five years, in terms of your photography?

I want to get involved with an anti-poaching unit in my area to capture the work they do and I would also love to travel the world in search of unique cultures and their traditions.

NEVER give up!!! Making the decision to become a full time photographer was the best one I ever made!!!

How can people get hold of you?

Cell Phone> 071 261 0682 Facebook> https://www.facebook.com/ groups/279454938842333/?fref=ts Email> johanr604@googlemail.com

67 MINUTES FOR MADIBA

So last month saw the 95th Birthday of the father of our Nation. Nelson Mandela. Now although Madiba was in hospital on this special day the whole of South Africa still celebrated his birthday by donating 67mins of their time to do something good and help change the world in some way or the other. Some people planted trees to help save the planet, whilst other people donated plenty of food, blankets time to the poor. It really is a special moment in South Africa because throughout the day people can be seen doing something good. It makes you wonder why it can’t be like that every day, the world will defo be a better place.

Fanbase Music Magazine’s Duwyne Clayton, Crystal Rees-Gibbs and Stephan Ferreira also decided to do something special and donate more than 67 minutes of our time to help a cause, but this wasn’t just any cause, it was to help the animals of Fora Rescue shelter who don’t have a voice. For those of you who are not familiar with Fora, it is an animal shelter where they take in unwanted dogs and cats, they rehabilitate them, offer them food and shelter and try to find forever homes for them. As you can imagine things like this can cost thousands of Rands and the only form of income is through the donations of others, which is as you can imagine very hard to come by.

We arrive at the shelter and as we get out the car we could hear the howls and cries of the dogs, although we could not donate actual money we decided to donate our time to this special cause in a form of spending time with the dogs and showing them love and kindness. Often that is all a dog needs, just someone to give it some love and cuddles. Fanbase Music Mag’s photographer Crystal Rees-Gibbs took along her camera and took some pics of the animals which was also very helpful because those very pics will be appearing on the shelters, websites and social medias which helps give people an indication of what animals are available at the shelter and are up for adoption, Yes it’s a small gesture on our part but we hope we were able to play some part in having some of the animals find a home, so please go onto the website and check out the animals on offer. We are pleased to report that not even a week later after Crystal’s pics were put onto Facebook, one dog was already homed, after its new owner saw the dog’s picture and decided to give it a forever home. We hope more people take the time to go to the Fora website and social medias and consider homing these animal’s next time you looking for a new pet.

We would like to thank the people of Fora for their hard work with the animals and hope that our 67 minutes helped in some way to make a change to the lives of the animals at the shelter. .

We would also like to thank Madiba for all he has done for South Africa and promoting peace and as he lies in hospital we would like to wish him a speedy recovery.

Review by: Duwyne Clayton Photography by: Crystal Rees-Gibbs Photography

FORA is a registered, non-profit organisation (NPO 29775) situated in Krugersdorp (Mogale City) Gauteng. We adhere to a pro quality of life policy and operate on the three R's principal - Rescue, Rehabilitate and Rehome.

Contact: FORA Website www.fora.org.za Facebook: www.facebook.com Contact: 011 665 9032/33 Shelter & Clinic Vivienne Jones - 082 852 6749 To make a cash donation to FORA: Banking Details: Nedbank Florida Branch # 190541 Account No 190 5151 209 OR SMS the word "FORA" to 38844 and donate R10 to FORA!!

Address FORA is located at 1A Windsor Road, Luipaarsdvlei, Krugersdorp (Mogale City) Gauteng, GPS Co-ordinates S26 07.313 E027 47.388

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND PERFORMS LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SOUTH AFRICA with special guest VUSI MAHLASELA _________________________________________________ Big Concerts announced today that Dave Matthews Band will tour South Africa for the very first time performing in Cape Town on 30th November 2013 at the Grand Arena, GrandWest and Johannesburg at the Coca-Cola Dome on 3rd December 2013. Presented by 567 CapeTalk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and M-Net. Another Big Concerts Experience. Tickets on sale from www.bigconcerts.co.za or Computicket from 9am, Tuesday 11th June 2013.

Dave Matthews Band – comprising Carter Beauford (drums), Jeff Coffin (saxophone), Stefan Lessard (bass), Dave Matthews (vocals, guitar), Tim Reynolds (guitar), Rashawn Ross (trumpet) and Boyd Tinsley (violin) – has sold a collective 37 million CDs and DVDs combined. The group ranked as the biggest touring act worldwide of the past decade and has sold over 18 million tickets since its inception.

Dave Matthews Band will be supported by music legend Vusi Mahlasela. Vusi has shared the stage with Sting, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Josh Groban, Paul Simon, Ray LaMontange, among many others. One of his proudest moments was in 2010 when he helped ring in the World Cup at Orlando Stadium in Soweto at the FIFA Kickoff Concert. To date, Vusi has released seven studio albums on Sony Records and is signed to Dave Matthews' ATO Records in North America; his hit songs include Silang Mabele, When You Come Back, and Say Africa.

Dave Matthews Band is touring in support of its latest album, Away From The World, which Rolling Stone named as one of the Top 50 Albums of 2012 while The New York Times’ Jon Pareles noted: “The songs have grown-up concerns, from lifelong love to the entire sweep of human history, in settings that range from sparse intimacy to intricate folk-and-funk excursions.” Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the record entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, making Dave Matthews Band the first group in chart history to have six consecutive studio albums debut atop the chart.

Born in Johannesburg, Dave Matthews went to high school at St Stithians College but moved to New York in 1986. He has never performed in South Africa and this will be the first opportunity to watch Dave Matthews Band live in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Tickets go on sale at 9am from bigconcerts.co.za and Computicket..

Tour Itinerary Cape Town – presented by 567 CapeTalk and M-NET Saturday 30th November 2013 Grand Arena, GrandWest Tickets on sale at 9am from bigconcerts.co.za and Computicket priced R400 – R600 Johannesburg – presented by 94.7 Highveld Stereo and M-NET Tuesday 3rd December 2013 Coca-Cola Dome Tickets go on sale at 9am from bigconcerts.co.za and Computicket priced R400 – R675

RIHANNA DIAMONDS WORLD TOUR CONFIRMS SOUTH AFRICAN CONCERT DATES! Worldwide superstar Rihanna - the “#1 Person On Facebook” with over 63 million fans – is bringing her DIAMONDS WORLD TOUR to South Africa this spring. World tour promoters Live Nation together with Big Concerts confirmed today that the tour which kicks off in North America this week is set to dazzle fans with concerts confirmed at FNB Stadium Johannesburg on Sunday 13 th October 2013 and Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday 16th October 2013.

Rihanna has dominated global charts with “Diamonds,” the fastest-rising single of her career to date and first single to be release from UNAPOLOGETIC her 7th studio album for Island Def Jam in just seven years.

The recipient of six Grammy Awards® and seven Billboard Music Awards, Rihanna has sold over 41 million albums and 150 million digital tracks worldwide, and currently holds the record as the top-selling digital artist of all time. Forbes named Rihanna the world’s #1 social media star with over 2.9 billion views on YouTube/VEVO, the most ever for any female artist, over 63 million Facebook fans, and over 27 million Twitter followers. In addition to her 12 Hot 100 #1 singles and overall 24 Top 10 singles, she also has 18 #1 singles on the Billboard Dance Club Song Charts.

Tickets for the Diamonds World Tour in South Africa will go on sale for Johannesburg on Thursday 11th April at 9am priced R330 – R930 and in Cape Town on Friday 12th April at 9am priced R275 – R820.

Tickets will be available from www.bigconcerts.co.za, www.computicket.com, the Computicket call centre on 0861 915 8000 or any Computicket outlet at Checkers and Shoprite.

Rihanna Diamonds World Tour is promoted world-wide by Live Nation Global Touring.

SOUTH AFRICA 13-Oct Johannesburg, South Africa FNB Stadium 16-Oct Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town Stadium Itinerary subject to change.

For complete tour and ticket information, visit: www.rihanna.com and www.livenation.com FOR FURTHER MEDIA INFO: Dionne Domyan (Johannesburg, and National publicity) (Tel) +27833261776 * prwork@iafrica.com Gwen Ironsi (Cape Town publicity) (Tel +27726561906 (m) * gwen@pamberi-communications.co.za

20% DISCOUNT TO ALL FANBASE MUSIC MAGAZINE READERS

After the announcement that Sensation ‘Innerspace’ will be making its African debut at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg on 7 September 2013, the question music and dance enthusiasts have been asking is “Who will be performing at Sensation South Africa?”

As the World’s Leading Dance Event, Sensation promises that the calibre of the line-up for the South African debut show will be consistent with the standard set by its other shows around the world. For the first time and for one night only, Sensation ‘Innerspace’ presented by Samsung #GALAXYexperience, will feature an international DJ line-up that South Africa has never seen before.

The powerful line-up will include DJ’s Nic Fanciulli,Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, Daniel Sanchez and Juan Sanchez,and Thomas Gold. MC Gee will be introducing the DJ’s to the audience and getting the crowd ready for a night they will never forget. MC Gee is the regular MC at Sensation and well known for his excellent timing.

The global dance phenomenon will be kicked off by Sensation’s resident opening DJ,Mr White, setting the mood with his subtle deep and tech house. Grammy-nominated producer and DJ,Nic Fanciulli, will deliver a sleek and intelligent strain of house and techno to the audience.

DJ duo is the tag team ofSunnery James and Ryan Marciano, who have both performed at numerous Sensation events around the world.

Brothers in crime, Daniel Sanchez and Juan Sanchez,residents of the ‘Innerspace’ tour, have toured the world with this astounding show.

Thomas Gold, well known for his energetic bigroom house sound, will do the closing set.

Heineken ® partners with Sensation South Africa Coinciding with the Sensation DJ line-up announcement, international premium beer brand, Heineken®, has confirmed it will be an official partner of the long-awaited event. The partnership withSensation ‘Innerspace’ is an extension of Heineken®’s global affiliation with ID&T and acts as the launch of Heineken® Live Access, a campaign that aims to open SA’s music lovers to a world of global progressive music experiences with a series of events rolling out this summer.

Official tickets to Sensation ‘Innerspace’ South Africa are selling fast and are available throughwww.sensation.com,www.computicket.com (including Computicket outlets). Deluxe tickets are already sold out and local promoter G&G Productions is urging dance and music enthusiasts to secure their place soon to avoid missing out on this exceptional experience.

If anyone still doesn’t know what Sensation will be bringing to South Africa with its Innerspace show on 7 September, watch the official trailer video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9xKxStnoSs

Quote of the Month …..

“I think one of the hardest parts of doing what I do, despite it being completely 100% satisfying on all emotional, mental & physical levels. 99% of the time, is the fact that for most part I speak from a place so deep within my soul when writing it my pen might as well be spewing blood”

Triston Smith Volume Conflict

Rumours Lounge, the premier live entertainment venue in the North West Rand. From Rock n' Roll, Blues to Metal and Contemporary Music. We are here to promote Great South African music and musicians.

Cornelius Street, Weltevredenpark, South Africa, 1709 Johannesburg, Gauteng FAN BASE music mag

Email address : fanbasemusicmag@gmail.com

Monday Nights: Rumours Rocks Monday Nights with The Debaters Free entrance

Cape Town Folk 'n Acoustic Music Festival - 26 July 2013 Article by Rene Parkin Maritz On Friday, 26 July a friend and I were privileged to attend the Cape Town Folk ‘n Acoustic Music Festival at The Baxter Theatre. What a venue and what a line-up! Excitement filled the air! As we walked into the building, people stood around everywhere enjoying either a glass of wine, and nibbling on chocolate (YES, free chocolate), or a coffee/tea.

My excitement had been building since the day I heard about the show. I had previously attended one of these dynamic shows at The Fugard Theatre, in Cape Town. It was a great night of music and storytelling and I couldn’t wait for this year.

The line-up for the evening featured : Anton Goosen / Gian Groen + Gerald Clark / Guy Collins + Jeremy Olivier / Ezra + Sannie Fox / Tim Parr + Andrew James / Gary Thomas [Cabins in the Forest] + Amanda Tiffin / Dave Ledbetter [Facing South] + Nick Turner / Paige Mac + Gavin Minter / James Stewart + Lucy Kruger / Shotgun Tori + Auriol Hays / Lionel Bastos + Caroline Blundell / Jonny Blundell / Julie Blundell [The Barking Family Tree] + Andy Lund / Emma Du Preez [Oh Mercy] – Some of Cape Town’s finest artists.

I would like to express my thoughts on some of the artists that deeply touched me with their performances ~ Memories of growing up, listening to Anton Goosen on the radio and watching him on television, came flooding to mind. Songs that I recall are ‘Kruidjie-Roer My Nie’ and ’Boy Van Die Suburbs’, just to mention a few. I used to watch him and think, wow what a Rock Star, but an Afrikaans one at that. Here I was, touching 50 (giggle), watching him perform on a stage – it was happening right before my very own eyes! Anton came onto the stage wearing skinny jeans, and…wait for it – YES, a pair of blue crocs. Anton looked quite ‘hip’ – who would have thought?

The artists were phenomenal and I realized how blessed we are living in S.A. Each artist brought their own flavour, unique style and personality to the stage. Any one of them can stand next to some of the greatest internationally recognized artists, and feel proud. We need to get out there and support our local artists.

One of my absolute personal favourites is Paige MacMahon. Paige and Nick Turner brought such a funky feel on the stage. People in the audience lapped them up. Thinking back to when I first watched Paige on You Tube, I remember my arms literally breaking out in goose bumps. That day, I decided that I had to witness this voice in person. Looking back over the past year, all I can say is, here is a girl with such a bright future ahead of her. Paige performs all over Cape Town and has since gained a band, known as ‘ Paige Mac’ . Paige was discovered by Benji Mudie and the rest is history.

The lovely Lucy Kruger and Shotgun Tori sang so beautifully, their harmonies blew the audience away. I remembered watching Shotgun Tori perform in Obs one night last year, and I realized, here is someone who is ‘real’ and not afraid to show it. Their performance was one of such unity and like-mindedness. Lucy sang last year at The Octopus Garden in Kalk Bay and I couldn’t believe at the time, what a powerful voice she had, for one so young. Her hauntingly beautiful voice, is so rare and unique and now sitting watching her, I felt like I was in a movie theatre, watching a movie filmed somewhere on the Scottish Moors – a voice once heard, never to be forgotten.

I looked around me and noticed that a large amount of the audience were advanced in years. This spoke to me of acceptance, purpose and meaning. Here were people without preconceived ideas; people that didn’t think they were too old to be there, but were drawn there because of their need for fun and entertainment. To be able to witness something so beautiful, was something that every person should experience at least once in their lives, and share with those around them.

The end of the evening was fast approaching, and then a man with a Banjo came onto the stage, that captivated my heart. A man by the name of Guy Collins, a name I’m sure, who has been on every person’s lips since. I sat mesmerized and couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was so quiet, you couldn’t hear a pin drop. I find it difficult to put into words, but if I can – it was like a cord reached out from that stage and tied your soul, to his -a soul connection was felt. Unlike some of the artists present, I have never had the privilege of listening to Guy’s music. It was a rare and beautiful thing to watch, and I didn’t want the evening to end. I left there itching to find out more about who Guy Collin’s is and where I could lay my hands on his music. To my absolute delight I have found him on SoundCloud.

If you are reading this and have never had the privilege of attending a show, do yourself a favour and go! I went to my very first ‘live’ show two years ago, and my life has truly been touched, changed and enriched for the better.

Music makes one feel alive, uplifted, inspired, creative – music stirs and soothes the soul. Music is a gift straight from God to us.

I left there with great joy, and contentment as did many others. Next year will be upon us before we know it. I look forward with great anticipation, to seeing what next year will bring.

The (k)Night strikes back!

Hilltop Live in association withMK presents: One Night in Cape Town at the Grand Arena, GrandWest Casino on 8 August 2013. The force that represents Oppikoppi will once again smile upon Cape Town and hand you the night to end all nights.

Cape Town, this is your chance to see what Oppikoppi BewilderBeast Festival is yet to see: Deftones and Yellowcard on one stage for one night!

Since their inception, Grammy Award-winning alternative hard rock bandDeftones have quietly been pursuing two paths, delivering songs defined by churning, double-fisted aggression while also quietly testing the boundaries of music by incorporating elements of psychedelia and shoegaze. "White Pony", released in 2000, reached platinum status a month after release. This album earned raves for blending the moodiness of bands like the Cure and Slowdive.

After "White Pony", the band released four studio albums. The group's seventh and latest album, "Koi No Yokan" is their boldest yet. Both ferociously melodic and dizzyingly expansive, the album moves from pensive to pulverizing – often in the space of a single song. For "Koi No Yokan", the group reunited with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on "Diamond Eyes", and the band set a rigorous daily work schedule. "We kind of adopted this new way of doing things, where we'd have a 7 or 8 hour work day instead of just working on things a piece at a time," drummer Abe Cunningham said, "It enabled us to be a lot more efficient." Moreno agrees. "In the past, one of us would write something, record it, and then weeks - or even months - later, someone else would come along and add to it. We had totally lost that communal vibe. This time, all of the songs started with just the five of us together in a room, playing." Those close collaborations led to a more deliberate drive and cohesive final product. "It gave us a real sense of focus," says Cunningham.

Getting an opportunity to make an impact by playing music is a dream for many bands, but getting a second chance, according toYellowcard frontman Ryan Key, is a blessing. Yellowcard, is known for the hit single “Way Away” from the album“Ocean Avenue”. In 2011 this pop punk / alternative rock band returned to the spotlight after a three-year hiatus releasing the energized “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes”.

The album was a renaissance of sorts for the Jacksonville natives, as its 10 tracks played like the band never spent any time apart. A logical progression from 2007s “Paper Walls”, the group managed to capture elements of its entire discography with the album, which was welcomed by patient fans and praised by critics alike.

"When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes" inspired a winding nine months of touring that took the band to over 30 different countries, a world tour that served as a reconnection with old, die-hard fans and an instant way to reach new, younger listeners. "The tours we got last year, the bands we got to tour with, were incredible", Ryan Key says. "We wanted to stay current and matter to younger fans, because making new fans is important to us, and at the same time, we didn't want to turn our back on old fans because they're essential to our existence. We couldn't make new fans without our old ones. When you are at a Yellowcard show if you are not a fan, you look at someone who is and think, 'Why am I not a fan of that? Why am I not enjoying this like that person is? I want that'. That's amazing for us."Early in July, Yellowcard announced that they would be releasing Ocean Avenue Acoustic in August 2013 via Hopeless Records. This is to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their classic album.Some of the songs have a whole new life, while others are acoustic renditions of the originals. "We are so excited for you to hear what we’ve done, it’s going to be a big year for all of us and you together. Ocean Avenue is a legacy that we are very proud of, so both the album and the tour are things we’ve put a lot of work into. Thanks for your continued love and support".

The Grand Arena has never been rocked like this and this is a concert not to be missed. Tickets are available fromplankton.mobi. Tickets are limited and expected to sell fast, so buy now to avoid disappointment.

Visit www.facebook.com/onenightincapetown for more information and updates.

Simon & the Bande À Part Deer Park Cafe - 30 June 2013 Article by Rene Parkin Maritz On Sunday, 30 June 2013 I went to watch Simon van Gend, and his band perform at Deer Park Café, Vredehoek.

When I arrived in the area, an area that I had never been to before, I at first couldn’t find a parking. The place was packed. I eventually found a parking down the street, and started walking up the hill, noticing how beautiful the venue was. A huge lawn in front was packed out, with moms, dads and many children, loving life and the beauty of the day. This is a venue for the old and young.

Upon entering the restaurant, you could feel the electricity in the air, it was almost tangible. The venue has a cosy atmosphere and is suitable for a show, function, or party. The menu has lovely temptations for the taste buds, ranging from delicious food, to decadent cakes. A fully licensed bar is available.

Simon and his band were there to launch their new album ‘Blinking and Breathing’- I had heard Simon perform at the Folk Festival last year, and again with Joshua Grierson at Alma Café, and found him to be interesting, different and intriguing. When listening to his voice, he reminds me of Neil Young, but it is difficult to compare him to another, because Simon’s style is so unique. Music just comes so naturally to Simon. When listening to him, it felt like your imagination had been stirred. With the beautiful harmonies, and distinctive sounds, I would have to say his music is part folk, part indie, with a touch of rock. Listening to the lyrics, I realized, here is a man who has poetry running through his veins, you could feel, hear and see it, just by listening to him sing.

I can remember as a kid, seeing paintings of beautiful instruments, but never having heard them played ‘live’, especially a Mandolin. Here I was, enjoying an afternoon of music, that tugged at the heart strings. Sounds of a French Horn, Mandolin, and Bandoneon, being played right before my very eyes. It felt like heaven had come to earth!

The quality, pure splendor, and enchantment of the moment, was truly a gift. Not much seen today, I felt like I had stepped back to a place in time, that I had never been before, but, ever only dreamt of, a surreal moment, come to life! Music like this, has to be seen, for the heart to come alive!

Joshua Grierson accompanied Simon in singing his song ‘Blinking And Breathing’- my personal favourite, which they performed with such soul, and harmony.

I was reluctant to leave at the end, but I took comfort in knowing I had my CD to look forward to, and may I add this CD has not stopped playing since.

The CD cover has been magnificently designed by Lauren Fowler, a graphic artist from Cape Town, who is superbly talented.

The 12 track album performed on Sunday, include all the magical instruments played by Simon, and Simon’s band members. This is certainly going to be a hot seller.

If you would like to find out more about this band, here are the links: http://www.facebook.com/simonandthebandeapart?fref=ts https://twitter.com/simonandtheband http://www.simonvangend.com/ http://www.reverbnation.com/simonandthebande%C3%80part http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simon-van-Gend-Band/12489936354?fref=ts

Samsung #GALAXY experience announces top international line-up for Sensation ‘Innerspace’ South Africa After the announcement that Sensation ‘Innerspace’ will be making its African debut at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg on 7 September 2013, the question music and dance enthusiasts have been asking is “Who will be performing at Sensation South Africa?”

As the World’s Leading Dance Event, Sensation promises that the calibre of the line-up for the South African debut show will be consistent with the standard set by its other shows around the world. For the first time and for one night only, Sensation ‘Innerspace’ presented by Samsung #GALAXYexperience, will feature an international DJ line-up that South Africa has never seen before.

The powerful line-up will include DJ’s Nic Fanciulli, Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, Daniel Sanchez and Juan Sanchez, and Thomas Gold. MC Gee will be introducing the DJ’s to the audience and getting the crowd ready for a night they will never forget. MC Gee is the regular MC at Sensation and well known for his excellent timing.

The global dance phenomenon will be kicked off by Sensation’s resident opening DJ, Mr White, setting the mood with his subtle deep and tech house. Grammy-nominated producer and DJ, Nic Fanciulli, will deliver a sleek and intelligent strain of house and techno to the audience.

DJ duo is the tag team of Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, who have both performed at numerous Sensation events around the world.

Brothers in crime, Daniel Sanchez and Juan Sanchez, residents of the ‘Innerspace’ tour, have toured the world with this astounding show.

Thomas Gold, well known for his energetic bigroom house sound, will do the closing set.

Heineken ® partners with Sensation South Africa Coinciding with the Sensation DJ line-up announcement, international premium beer brand, Heineken®, has confirmed it will be an official partner of the long-awaited event.

The partnership with Sensation ‘Innerspace’ is an extension of Heineken®’s global affiliation with ID&T and acts as the launch of Heineken® Live Access, a campaign that aims to open SA’s music lovers to a world of global progressive music experiences with a series of events rolling out this summer.

Official tickets to Sensation ‘Innerspace’ South Africa are selling fast and are available through www.sensation.com, www.computicket.com (including Computicket outlets).

Deluxe tickets are already sold out and local promoter G&G Productions is urging dance and music enthusiasts to secure their place soon to avoid missing out on this exceptional experience.

If anyone still doesn’t know what Sensation will be bringing to South Africa with its nerspace show on 7 September, watch the official trailer video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9xKxStnoSs

In-

FAN BASE music mag

@fanbasemusicmg Email address : fanbasemusicmag@gmail.com