EDITION 22 | OCT/NOV ‘12 | Proud Supporters of SA Music!
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From The Editor Better Red than Ded - The South African Avant-Garde Vieux Farka Toure 6 Tailor - Dark Star Rising or Pop's Pipe Dream The Darkness: Sex, Drugs and Hot Cakes? Seether: The Greenroom Interview Joshua Radin: Drowning in Melody jezebel's VPL: A Thread in the Breeze Ard Matthews 8 Legends: The Fantastical tale of Sixto 'Jesus' Rodriguez Zebra & Giraffe: Pretty Hate Machine Inside the Machine: Music News Classic Albums: Jim White: Wrong Eyed Jesus Eruption: Gallows - Escaping the Noose Eruption Album Reviews 13 New Albums Game Reviews Joshua Radin Venue Guide & Live Events
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CONTRIBUTORS: Dave Mac, Thomas Whitebread, Terri Love, Mary Honeychild, Mickdotcom, Paul Blom, Alan Ratcliffe, Alistair Andrews, Kurt Slabbert, Damien Albetto, Jess Henson, Jonathan Pike, Greg Bester, Chantall Nortjé, Sergio Pereira, Nicolai Roos, Johann M Smith, Eliza Day, David Chislett, Kalin Pashaliev and Peter Pearlson
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EDITOR’S NOTE | OCT/NOV ‘12 | Proud Supporters of SA Music!
FACEBOOK LIKES ON A BAND'S PAGE. Do they tell the full story of a bands success and/or popularity?
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f you attend any music workshop that relates specifically to the music business these days, budding musicians will be sold the merits of online and how the old business model monopolised for so many years by the major record labels is dying a [now pretty fast] death. You’ll then be told that the good news is that with Social Media you can become the master of your own destiny, by developing and nurturing your own fan base, having two-way communication with them and be able to market yourself or band directly to those that are interested and like your sound. This is all true... or is it? With the Tsunami of music out on the World Wide Web now, the only real way to discern the good from the bad is via social media [and of course listening to the music, duh!]. In the old days music fans would discover new music either through the media or through word of mouth. Nothing has changed. We still all use trusted sources to guide us (such as Muse Magazine, Rolling Stone, YourLMG etc) or via friends. The difference of course is that now these referrals by like-minded fans/friends can be harnessed globally online. Idealistically one would like to believe that Facebook ‘likes’ don’t count for much and to be honest there are so many other social media platforms specific to music that should count for more; of the top of my head Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Last FM and MySpace (now updated and looking pretty gnarly) spring to mind. But Facebook still seems to be the Holy Grail for most. Fact: I have had discussions with promoters and most have admitted that they do look at an artist/band’s Facebook presence when considering booking them. So do the brands that have recently all jumped on the bandwagon to do events as product activations. It is true that the number of Facebook ‘likes’ certainly has no bearing on the quality of the music and we all know (well I hope you all do] that ‘likes’ can be bought and online fan-bases manipulated. But it is also true that most legit Facebook fan page ‘likes’ do bear a reasonable showing of a band’s success in terms of their imprint into their local market. So unless the World Wide Web collapses on 22 December 2012 (Mayan predictions and all) ‘like’ it or not, Facebook ‘likes’ and all the other social media channels will continue to become more and more crucial to a band’s perceived success. Peace. Dave Mac
WRITERS' OPINIONS JEZEBEL When it comes to social media success, ‘likes’ are an indication of those who clicked a button, once, and little more. A successful band Page is as active as its members are creative, adds value to the fan's feed with regular, fresh news, views and tunes, cultivates its own community with conversation and cares more about exchange than it does about counting trophies. The real conversion comes when this Page is integrated with a tight website, effortless online sales processes, quality media exposure and regular releases, gigs and tours backed by good management and pristine PR. Personally, I count ‘likes’ in the crowd, but the beauty of it all is that with a little savvy and a lot of love, social media can help make music’s profit margins wider without huge advertising and marketing budgets; think expansive, not expensive.
SERGIO PEREIRA Absolutely not. While social media figures play a pivotal role in the music industry nowadays, musicians have been manipulating the system and messing with figures for ages. Heck, even Facebook has begun deleting thousands of fake users and illegitimate ‘likes’, so that tells you something. The truth still lies in the gig attendance.
ELIZA DAY No way. Have you met many musicians? Not losing a cellphone after more than two weeks of possessing it, is about all they can cope with communication wise. Social media and self promotion aren't often way up there which is why managers come in handy. To get a successful Facebook page? Yeah, having talent helps. However, advertising yourself is what really drives ‘likes.’ The more people who know about you, the more fans on Facebook you'll have. Rebecca Black has 152, 000 ‘likes’ on Facebook while The Brother Moves On has nearly 300. You figure it out.
MARY HONEYCHILD The presence of a band online speaks volumes of its personality and whether or not they’ve realised that the modern approach to selling yourself as an artist doesn’t end with a studio session. If the ‘likes’ and interaction stats are up, it more than likely means that they are appealing to their intended demographic, sound wise as well as connecting efficiently and socially with their fans. If nobody cared about them, nobody would listen or click ‘like’.
MICKDOTCOM No they don't. Many people don't even like 'like'ing, as the action in itself "doesn't tell the whole story." I'm sure the record company reps tell them otherwise though. Whilst indicative of a certain cross-section of FB-land (those souls who like to up their likeability by showing everyone who they like) 'like' counting is no real gauge of a band's success.
PAUL BLOM "Mine's bigger than yours" span all spheres. Facebook ‘likes’ should be a tool for bands and artists as a direct link to people truly interested in their music - as opposed to a fruitless popularity contest with yourself to get that ego milked... something which can easily be bulked up with stat manipulation and companies selling (mostly fake) FB ‘likes’, YouTube views etc. No self-respecting musician should go that route as every legitimate ‘like’ earned the old fashioned way is far more rewarding, even if it doesn't reflect true success.
JOHANN M SMITH Music isn't a physical entity, and neither are 'likes'. But the latter will never have love. It's an ambiguous hit counter - high numbers in a short time is what you're looking for.
Better Red than Ded | THE SOUTH AFRICAN AVANT-GARDE | words: Eliza Day | photo: Kwena Chokoe
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THE SOUTH AFRICAN AVANT-GARDE “THE ABILITY TO PLAY WITH IDENTITY, INFLUENCE AND AUDIENCE ONLINE HAS GIVEN ARTISTS A PLATFORM OF EXPRESSION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY INCONCEIVABLE AND PROVIDES THE ULTIMATE AVATAR OF ESCAPISM.” “If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world”
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his is a quote by C. S Lewis that I can't seem to get out of my head this year. This year, man. It's been a weird one and as we tick-tock into the final quarter, the need for creativity, for escape, for beauty gets stronger. Growing up is hard. My generation of artists are chasing dreams and dragons that demand experimentation. As our censored press filters disinformation down into the tube of society, expression clouds over and we require art to escape more than ever. After the Great Depression, Roosevelt poured dollars into traveling performance groups, in the hope of raising public spirit. It did and the same applies today. People need to be exposed to new worlds as artists and as those who experience it. This year saw many interesting ladders of escapist expression from South African musicians and a split of the social psyche into a surreal aesthetic of the avant-garde. The Brother Moves On took their rightful place as pied piper this year at Oppikoppi. The thing about this band is that they conjure music, rather than simply play it. The fusion of traditional South African sounds, spoken word and jazz is crafted to evoke emotion from the listener. It is beautiful and unique and derives power from the symbiotic relationship of how the musicians and audience feed off the static between them. A story is only as good as the listener's imagination and this band honestly inspires. At the end of last year, Jeremy De Tolly (frontman for The Dirty Skirts) sat down at a Bösendorfer grand piano and created Piano Nocturnes Volume One. If the noise and saturated colour of the real, waking world is the standard, then this collection of ambient notes is the mirrored space of subtle, select style. I hate when I get so preoccupied with the norm that come bedtime, my mind can’t stop whirring over banal daily matters in order to relax and dream. De Tolly’s
work is quietly immersive and allows you the pause, so that you may drift into cerebral soundscapes. Hleger, a young, talented lo-fi musician belongs to a favourite musical vein of mine; the addictive and overproductive world of ‘internet-made’ music. Whereas before the internet age, fashion and aesthetic used to trickle down from high art platforms to the plebs, this is the reverse world. Now the latest lines on Paris catwalks are inspired by the weird little music subcultures which have a mimetic affect on artists online. Hleger taps into the tricky trends that murmur over Facebook and Soundcloud and churns out tunes that experiment with all kinds of sounds and signatures. The ability to play with identity, influence and audience online has given artists a platform of expression that was previously inconceivable and provides the ultimate avatar of escapism. The one good thing that can be
said for watching the world darken and depress down the mines of Lonmin, is that fantastic music usually springs forth in order to rejuvenate our shell-shocked senses. That and a thumping great wave of drug addiction akin to the 70s and heroin, the 90s and X and now a really imaginative use for bath salts. Either way, I for one am enchanted with the avant-garde disregard for boredom and mediocre music. DIY fashionedfabulousness, themed decor, clinical incarnations, boundless experimentation and focused production are the rumblings of a reality altered; the foundation of dreams. Footnote: The Brother Moves On are releasing their E.P. on 25 October at the Assylem Gallery in Newtown. It’s a collaboration with Kudzi Chiurai looking at the question of "where is the brother going", a discussion on Afrofuturism.
Q ‘n A | VIEUX FARKA TOURE - THE TEL AVIV SESSION | words: Mickdotcom
Photo: Nitzan Treystman
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“For me all music is spiritual music.”
How do you feel about Pop music, and do you feel a connection between mainstream Western music, and the more spiritual, traditional uses of music as in Africa and the East? For me all music is spiritual music.
VIEUX FARKA TOURE The Tel Aviv Session
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he son of legendary Malian guitarist and musical icon Ali Farka Toure, Vieux Farka Toure has the filigree finesse of his father’s hands in his blood. Armed with this resonant heritage, his own muscular talent, and his wide-open ears, “blues like BB King, John Lee Hooker and Ry Cooder, but also rock music like Jimi Hendrix, and Hip Hop, ” he is staking out his own fertile ground in contemporary music. Earlier this year Vieux (together with Israeli keyboardist Idan Raichel) unveiled a breathtakingly gorgeous album, based on an impromptu three-hour jam, The Tel Aviv Session. The two had played together only once before, but the music which breathed, then soared out of this jam, recalls the kind of telepathic sensitivity of such astounding improvisational outings as The Keith Jarrett Trio’s seminal Standards Vol. 1 (take into account that, at the time of release, the latter trio had been playing together for years.) We were lucky enough to catch up with Vieux, who shed some light on the experience of making this lucid gem of an album. Kindly tell us about your experience of this impromptu jam - when did you sense that this was a special meeting of musical personalities? Vieux: Idan had invited me the night
guests and so on. I like that it feels like you are spying on us jamming, that you’re not listening to something that has been planned in every detail. Everybody is totally free and relaxed, and that relaxes the listener too.
before to come to his friend's studio and just jam. We had the time so I said sure. When we started playing it was just very casual and no-one was expecting anything more than just a jam to have fun. Then we decided to start recording what we were playing. We did that for one song and it sounded really nice and so we did another, and another, and another and then after about 6 or 7 it was clear that we were recording a whole new album. It was really cool because it was so relaxed to be recording an album without even knowing that you are recording an album! You can get the best music that way, I think. Idan and I have had a very good connection musically from the beginning. I knew this from the first time we played together in Spain years ago. The album subtly succeeds in manufacturing an imagined arc of the actual three-hour jam. Beginning in tentative (but already intersympathetic) spirit, with Azawade, by track three, Experience, the trading of licks and rhythms seems to have already grown potent – each of you prompting the other into the unexpected. To what degree does the recorded album correspond to the actual arc of the jam? If I remember correctly, the final album is very close to the order of what we recorded. Maybe some things switched around here and there but it is basically in sequence. We added things more towards the end of the album – the
What is the first song you can recall, and what was its significance? The first song I remember from my childhood was a traditional Malian song called Kaira. I know this was not the first song that I knew, but it’s the first song that comes to mind clearly because I remember how powerful the melody was to me. I don’t even remember who the singer was, but there was magic in his voice and it got me concentrated on the power of music and I knew very soon after that that I wanted to be a musician. What so-called 'Western' music stimulated you growing up? Mostly blues like BB King and John Lee Hooker, and Ry Cooder. But also rock music like Jimi Hendrix and Hip Hop - I grew up listening to DMX, 50 Cent, Nas, Jay-Z. All those people. I even liked Pop music like Bryan Adams and Phil Collins who were really popular in Mali when I was young. What contemporary artists excite your ears? Like I said I like Jay-Z a lot, and Kanye West. I even like Beyonce and Shakira. If it makes you dance or makes you happy then I will like it! Find out more about the album and its details here – http://www.cumbancha.com/the-toureraichel-collective
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Cover Feature | TAILOR: DARK RISING STAR OR POP'S PIPE DREAM? | words: Johann M Smith | photos: The Famous Frouws
TAILOR DARK RISING STAR OR POP'S PIPE DREAM? B
efore her live debut, Just Music offered Tailor a flattering contract, ultimately trumping a proposal from both Sony and an indie label who wanted to change her name. What initially seemed like a good business bet has become much more in the last four months. Industry lips are whispering it. Sales and hits suggest it. But the music still says it best. It’s a question that was there from the start. Only time can tell: is Tailor the next crowning hype with enough potential to boast a zef-like quality star status? Self-described as dark pop, Tailor can be characterised as a guitar toting singer-songwriter (with the added benefit of bass, drums and piano). Her debut album Dark Horse is as emotionally persuasive as it is darkly compelling.
“I'm a late bloomer in terms of success with my songs. But I'm an old soul...” Often recognised for her poignancy and occasional crying during live performances, to most she fits the bill of immaculate enigma turned angry generational starlet, and a more likely candidate to slit her wrists than be a one hit wonder. On a dewy Thursday afternoon, in the smoking lounge of a seaside restaurant, Tailor sips on warm Milo. She’s not a smoker and confesses to not taking any drugs or drinking much alcohol (except the occasional glass of red). She’s amiable, concise and Afrikaans. Her skin is gleaming white with
tiny freckles and her bony appearance makes her seem fragile and coy. The present atmosphere is unsettlingly normal. To unknowing onlookers we could just be two old friends having a late lunch. “Do you feel famous at all?” “No, not really,” she laughs. “But people are starting to approach me.” “What do they say?” “It usually happens at venues. Mostly it’s about how I shouldn’t be so down and let life get to me.” “Are you happy?” “Very!” she replies, sitting up to elaborate. “I’m really busy at the moment with my national tour schedule. The biggest misconception about me is that I’m as dark as my music. But I’m not. The moment I get off stage Tailor stays there and I’m Mel.”
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el, full name Melanie Le Roux, paints a different story of herself to her onstage persona as Tailor. “Mel is bubbly, Tailor is backtracking my emotions. Mel is outgoing and likes intimate company, Tailor feeds off many surroundings and people’s energies and reactions.” “Which one would you like me to address you as?” “Either or, doesn’t matter.” Considering the conversation I could easily dismiss her as a schizophrenic. In her day-to-day existence she enjoys a humble life in Melkbos, on the West Coast of Cape Town, as a guitar teacher in a steady relationship. When pushed on the topic of marriage, she timidly goes silent and blushes. She exhibits no obvious emotional baggage. For lack of poetic expression: a young lady on top of things leading a full happy life. Deeper investigation reveals that Mel is ultimately Tailor’s muse. The passion that would inform so much of her life starts in earnest on a plot in Pretoria. Born 8 December 1986, she was the second sibling of a schoolteacher and an antique restorer. “My love for teaching is from my mother and my love for music comes from my father, he listens to everything!” she claims proudly. “Nobody in my family has ever taken a musical direction. I know my grandmother was a singer, not very famous, she did perform with Al Debo’s wife – mostly operas.” Like many Afrikaners, Mel’s family were never staunch Christians but rather firm believers in God. She confesses to a spirited but failed attempt to read the Bible cover to cover and describes the experience as somewhat entertaining and confusing. Growing up in a remote area obviously yielded its benefits morally. But like most kids from the 90’s, she remembers the music. “My friends were into hip-hop. I remember Cypress Hill but I never went as far,” she recalls. “I used to be a huge Korn fan and in some way that influenced me; the heavy bass riffs have always stuck with me. Most music I’m introduced to stays with me in some way.” A quick trivia quiz proved a cutely accurate memory of Avril Lavigne and Blink 182 lyrics. “I’m a late bloomer in terms of success with my songs. But I’m an old soul. With Mel-Funktion,” Mel’s previous and first band, now defunct, “I was writing about crushes and ‘you broke my heart I’m going to fuck you up’ blah, blah. I was very naïve. Now I’m just Mel that sings.” Refreshingly, she’s still a farm girl and charmingly oblivious to specific
favourites considered golden by the current overseeing culture vulture committee. Particularly artists the media has associated her with. Most recently, she listened to Patti Smith’s Horses for the first time – if her comments are anything to go by, the experience hasn’t been influential, yet. As for her hipster façade, whether coincidence or a vague attempt at being trendy, she’s doesn’t seem to care. Her true inspiration originates from a harrowing journey following two particular events that gauged life’s genuine value. “When I was fifteen my first true love died of a heroin overdose.” “How old was he?” “He was seventeen going on eighteen….” Suffice to say, it was the same year she started her first band. According to her online bio, “I began playing on my guitar and singing lyrics that seemed to sail into my head”. As for any other details in the adolescent years that followed, Mel doesn’t really elaborate – she jumps instantly to the next significant moment eight years later. “When I was 23 my second real love died in a freak motorbike accident. A taxi rode in front of him. It was the same year I moved to Cape Town… for a long time I moved around a lot. I was looking for something and I think that’s why I don’t really party. I’m not really looking for something anymore. It’s still something that bothers me, because it remains unresolved.” Friendly advice like ‘you shouldn’t let life get to you’ seems trifling in comparison. But it’s a familiar phenomenon: we’re always eager to heal the tragedy in the tragic art that we relish. It might be the reason behind Tailor’s appeal. It’s none of our business, but resisting seems wrong. Forgive us Mel. Nonetheless, Mel as Tailor, or Mel just as her herself, the future looks promising. A recent sponsorship deal with Yamaha guitars indicates as much. There are also rumours of international promoters with vested interest, but we already assumed that. Talks of collaborating with different artists (including Pascal & Pearce) seem very
likely. But, if it doesn’t happen, fans can still anticipate a DVD (possibly including everything she does this year) come Christmas time. Currently, you can check local listings for any forthcoming performances nearby. In many ways Tailor represents a new class of rock ‘n’ roll, one without the frivolities of living fast and dying young. But it still needs to find those unknown facets of the same old tune. For now she’s seems modest about her success, and you know what the Bible says about the meek... One earthly certainty remains: music might be free in a hyperconnected world, but the cost of a great song is still a broken heart. Read our review on her excellent debut album, Dark Horse on Pg 36. Scan this tag to watch the video to Wolf, which went viral with over 20,000 views and counting.
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Feature | SEX, DRUGS AND HOT CAKES? | words: Sergio Pereira | photo: Scarlett Page
“IN THE PAST, WE'D JUST DRINK ALL THE TIME…”
SEX, DRUGS AND HOT CAKES?
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rom 2003 to 2006, the British quartet known as The Darkness revived glam rock, smashing the charts with hits such as Love Is Only a Feeling and I Believe in a Thing Called Love. Unfortunately, not only did they bring back the hairspray, leather and party vibe of the beloved genre, but their flamboyant frontman, Justin Hawkins, also dug up the Mötley Crüe playbook, and reportedly snorted over £150, 000 worth of coke in three years. Eventually, Justin went to rehab, left the band and The Darkness subsequently met its demise quicker than the legitimacy of a Chris Brown apology. However, time (and a good bowl of curry) heals all wounds, as the bandmates put the past in the past, reunited, and even released their third studio album, Hot Cakes, in August. “Yeah, it’s good to be back,” declares drummer Ed Graham. “We didn’t really speak to each other for quite a while. Then, right at the end of 2010, we all met up for a curry - and then started rehearsing again in December 2010 through to January/February 2011 and played our first shows in June.”
Balls Out After performing at Download 2011 and getting the wheels back on the road, The Darkness received an unexpected surprise as they were handpicked by the biggest pop star in the world, Lady Gaga, to be the main-support on several
legs of her Born This Way Ball tour in 2012. This pairing might be a headscratcher to most, but The Darkness are excited to be on this tour. “Very much,” Ed affirms, before discussing the incredible benefits of performing with Gaga. “[It’s] the opportunity to play to massive arenas and to win new fans – it’s also a bit of a challenge playing to an audience that’s not your audience. But we feel very lucky to be on [the] tour, and be able to go to a lot of places where we haven’t played before – including South Africa. We’re looking forward to coming there; I’ve never been to South Africa. So, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone.” Speaking of performing for a “different” audience, will local fans be hearing a set to suit Gaga’s audience, or will The Darkness stick to what they know? Ed says there might be a slight tweak, but nothing overly drastic. “We will just do our thing, basically. We’ll just be ourselves, you know?”
No Laughing Matter Being themselves hasn’t always endeared them to the harsh critics, with many deeming The Darkness as nothing more than fluff and a joke. Yet now, after the release of Hot Cakes, the accolades are pouring in, the album is selling like, um, hot cakes, and suddenly the band is no laughing matter. Ed reveals how they approached the new album. “The first two albums were recorded very differently, really. The first album [Permission to Land] was
recorded, a lot of it, in two weeks… The second album [One Way Ticket to Hell ...and Back] was very produced and a lot of money was spent on it – and it took a long time. With this one, I think we wanted to find a balance…in getting it to sound [how] we wanted it, but not overproducing it. Preferably, a return to form, and more like the first album than the second.”
Saying No Once an album is out, it’s all about touring – and we all know that touring can lead to fatigue and dabbling in recreational activities. However, Ed assures that The Darkness are much wiser this time around – knowing their limitations and avoiding the rock ‘n’ roll excess lifestyle. “Traveling is tiring. We sort of know what we can and can’t do. We won’t do more than three shows in a row, because of Justin’s voice, really – and everyone puts a lot, physically, into the show. Sometimes we do two shows in a row; sometimes we do three shows in a row – but we don’t do four, because we need to rest. It’s a bit of a different environment for us as well, since we got sober, basically. In the past, we’d just drink all the time. We’ve sobered up now, so that makes it a bit healthier as well.” Older. Wiser. Sober. Blimey! The Darkness sound like they’re U2 now. For more info on The Darkness, please visit www.theactualdarkness.com.
Interview | SEETHER, THE GREENROOM INTERVIEW | words: Johann M Smith
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“WE GOT INTO A BAND BECAUSE WE WANTED TO AVOID THAT SORT OF BLUE COLLAR STUFF SLEEP LATE AND LIVE OFF NACHOS.”
SEETHER
THE GREENROOM INTERVIEW
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eether isn’t any getting younger, but neither is rock ‘n’ roll. At least Shaun Morgan and Dale Stewart haven’t lost their proudly South African vernacular. As for Dale Stewart, he’s still surprisingly the normal one in the group. Like it or not in America (not that you really give a damn) this historically significant trio still pumps 66.6% percent green blood that’s ours. Unlike the other bands (including both local and international) that played at One Night in Cape Town in the grandeur of the Grand West Casino, Seether seems to have gotten the better, more snazzy backstage. Completely separate and surrounded with cameras, lighting equipment and soft creamy white couches. In the corner there’s a guy telling me with hand gestures I’ve got five minutes for an interview. Well, better get to it then… How’s it being back? Great. Some of us come over every year to visit friends and family. But playing… hasn’t been for about four years. Have you experienced a growth in the SA music industry? It kinda exploded as Seether left. Definitely, and hopefully we had a hand in there somewhere. It’s really cool that there’s still music on CD and things like that. And there’s a lot more support for bands than in the 90’s and early 00’s.
The good old Saron Gas days in Blunt magazine with Jimmy 12”, Perez and the like... Yeah man. Jimmy 12” - still listen to it now. All those bands. But it was hard; there wasn’t the support like there is now. Because you’re involved with the music industry in America, how do you feel about the labels closing down? Yeah, they’re dropping like flies. The whole industry is changing, it’s weird. They’re all trying to sign bands and do like a 360 deal, and that kinda sucks for the bands. But that’s all they have left. Everyone is trying to grasp at that now. We’d like to see the power shift back to the bands because it was just run by the record labels for too long. A lot of young bands were taken advantage of. We’ve had friends that signed their lives away and just end up with a mountain of debt. But hopefully now the bands can take a bit of power back. The digital era is still very raw at the moment. Kind of like the wild west. The social networks we have now, and the things we could have had when we started out, is a great way to get a new band out with virtually no, to, little money. There’s such great home recording equipment and you’re literally able to do albums in your room. But it was a big deal for us to save money to be able to get into a studio and do a real demo.
I’m all for hard work. But a band should be a band. They should be artists not producers, managers, designers and whatever. You agree? Yeah. It’s true. We’re no businessmen. But you find yourself in a position when it becomes a sort of business after a while. You know when the money starts coming in and you start employing people. We got into a band because we wanted to avoid that sort of blue collar stuff – sleep late and live off nachos. So if the culture is no longer sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, what is the new tagline? Dunno… sex will always be there [laughs]. It’s umm… sex, meth and pussy [bigger laughs]. Okay, how about this: up the bum no babies? Do you feel like you’re going through a tipping point? Yeah… Do you feel like you’re growing up? Well no, I don’t think we’ll ever grow up. The nature of what we do is kinda like an eternal youth thing. We ride around in a bus making fart jokes, get to play music and its cool. It keeps you young. Well, hopefully. Follow Seether: facebook.com/seether twitter.com/SeetherOfficial
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Feature | DROWNING IN MELODY | words: Sergio Pereira
“I FEEL LIKE I'M THE LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING…”
DROWNING IN MELODY
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f you’re a fan of the square screen – or own a chock-a-block external hard drive – chances are good that you are already familiar with singer/songwriter Joshua Radin’s material, which has amassed more than seventy-five television and film placements. Hop through the channels and Joshua’s sweet melodies are here, there and everywhere. It kind of makes you wonder if he is a yes-man to all placement offers. “I rarely know when one of my songs is going to be used on a TV show or in a film,” Joshua affirms. “I do know that I’ve never written a song specifically for film or TV. Managers and music supervisors take it from there.”
involved include: pianist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), drummer Jim Keltner (John Lennon, Bob Dylan), and string arranger Jimmie Haskell (Simon & Garfunkel). So, just how did Radin get these legendary names onboard? Were they established bromances already? “I certainly knew who they were prior to going into the studio,” he explains. “I never thought any of them would say yes – but, I guess I figured, if you don't ask... Amazingly enough, they all said yes and the dream band was formed. Working with those guys has been the opportunity of a lifetime and I learned so much.”
WATER ROOTS BETTER TEAM THAN THE AVENGERS With the recent release of his criticallyacclaimed album, Underwater, the placement offers aren’t likely to diminish, either – especially after the allstar team, which could rival Marvel’s The Avengers, that Joshua assembled for his latest body of work. Superstar names
Having written over thirty songs prior to narrowing down to the final twelve, Joshua also decided to revisit his earlier, toned-down sound on the new album, as opposed to continuing the electric rock-driven approach introduced on 2010’s The Rock and the Tide. “I absolutely love picking up an electric guitar and playing songs from
The Rock and the Tide,” he says, before elaborating on the importance of the album. “It was something that I felt as though I had to do; that’s where I was when I wrote that record. Underwater comes from a different place, I suppose.” Underwater certainly does come from a different – perhaps more special – place, particularly since the title relates to a pivotal event in Joshua’s life. When he was a toddler, Radin suffered a punctured eardrum and the doctor warned him not to immerse himself underwater, or he’d experience sharp pain. Yet, last year, he took the plunge and decided to go underwater for the first time, experiencing something that many of us take for granted too often. “I guess I didn’t know what really to expect after the doctor told me that I was okay to go swimming underwater. It was extremely peaceful and so quiet. I could suddenly hear what sounded like string parts and melodies in my head. Underwater was the first song I wrote for this record after that experience.”
THE PEN IS AS MIGHTY AS THE ROAD Writing. It’s a topic that Joshua brings up somewhat regularly. Does he prefer writing over performing live? “Both have a place in my life,” he states. “Writing, for me, has never been a task that I have been obligated to do. It’s more like writing in a journal. So, I’ve never felt pressured into coming up with a song on the spot. Performing live means I’m on tour and I love being on tour. I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do what I do for a living. Everyone has things they do for a rush of adrenaline. Being onstage, commanding an audience – that's my new rush.” In closing, he reveals the name of a band that he’s really enjoying listening to and mentions how he’s closely working with them at present, too. “My Name Is You. I signed them to a production deal and I absolutely love what they're doing. I'm collaborating with them at the moment and we're creating some really beautiful music I'm so proud of,” he concludes. For more information on Joshua Radin, please visit www.joshuaradin.com. Check out our review of Underwater on Pg. 36.
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jezebel's VPL | LUCY KRUGER - NOTHING LESS THAN LIONESS |words: © jezebel | image: Fetish Band
A THREAD IN THE BREEZE “AS A LISTENER YOU GO WITH WHAT YOU NEED AT THE TIME, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.”
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usicians can be mothers sometimes, selectively ruthless, and unstintingly attentive. Then again, they can also be children, nascent with new energy and open to discovery. Most of the time they’re bits of both and Michelle Breeze is a marvellous mix. She was fresh on the scene as a hot young vocalist when Fetish first found a sound, and now makes a comeback to SA audiences as a grown woman with the release of the band’s most recent album, Little Heart. Michelle’s also a mother in real life, and jezebel wondered if she could shed some light on the tricky roles that music, muse and its makers play and if one ever really ‘comes of age’ in this field. jezebel: Music - your child or your guardian? Michelle: I wouldn't call it either. It has just been my constant. The thread that has existed since I can remember. What part of making music is creative for you, and what part is destructive? Writing and recording can be an incredibly rewarding creative process. It's the 'business' side and the promotion that can take its toll. Are your songs demons or angels? Neither really. Just a collection of thoughts in a certain time and place that I needed to communicate. Go on… I used to believe that in order to create
a good recording or to perform well I had to live the scene out in my head. But now I find that by not thinking and going into a zone where there is no clear thought, I am able to bring something more honest. I am more involved now at every level and have much stronger opinions on what I like and what I want. With this latest Fetish album, I had a strong vision for the sound and the songs and I did everything in my power to make that happen. What about the balance of power between songs and albums, and expectations and evolution? Songs are powerful because, once heard, they can draw a person to the rest of the album. However, albums can evoke incredible memories of the times you were listening to them. Some fans will have a certain expectation of you to make something that sounds like your older material, but other fans do understand that you need to evolve and make a record that excites you creatively. I myself have not liked many artists over their entire career. As a listener you go with what you need at the time, and I understand that.
When reactions to new material are consensual, do you take note as an artist, or as an egoist? It depends on where the reaction comes from. If it is just lip service then I try not to take notice at all. Are ego and art even separate entities? It depends on the reasons you make music, and that is a question I have been trying to answer for years. Perhaps if I knew the answer I could stop, ‘cause sometimes I wish I could enjoy other things a little bit more. It is so difficult to be objective when you are so close to something. You have disappointments with every album, but at some point you have to let go. Nothing can ever be perfect. What is a principal responsibility in music making? To make someone's day a little better. To bring a new feeling or way of looking at things into someone's life. Decode “jezebel's VPL”? jezebel’s Varied Pixel Lines You said it! Read between them, everyone : The breeze is blowing and Fetish wants a chance to win your little heart: www. fetish.bandcamp.com
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Interview| ARD MATTHEWS | words: Johann M Smith | photos: Deborah Hunt
ARD MATTHEWS “I consider myself to be a citizen of the earth. Love for everyone and every situation.”
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n a warm afternoon in Bantry Bay Ard Matthews talks about his first solo album, First Offerings, dissects his regrettable episode on national TV, and surprisingly reveals the possible permanent break-up of Just Jinjer. Sitting on a larney leather couch in the Ambassador Hotel, he nurtures his iPhone. Briefly he looks up. “I’ll be with you now,” he says apologetically. “I imagine you’re quite busy nowadays,” I answer. “No, just for today,” he smiles and presses send. “There we go. Would you like something to drink?” After orders, he picks up my voice recorder and inspects it. Upon realising the position of the mic isn’t obvious he kindly asks which side I would like him to speak into. We crack on...
Why a solo album now after so many years of Just Jinjer? I’ve always had the idea and I personally feel now is my time. I’ve been in a band for sixteen years and now finally [imitating a Jewish Joburg accent] ‘make money six!’
drummer. I call it [unofficially]: ‘The Ard Matthews Affair.’ I’m not interested in vesting in a band relationship again. I’ve got a bunch of musicians who come and go as they want. It could be a threepiece, a ten-piece, an orchestra, fucking whatever it is.
How was it working alone? Very freeing and everything I wanted it to be, but a little harder. When you record with a band, a producer and a time frame you get stuff done. Whereas now I did everything and the focus on coordinating it all was the most worrying. But I learnt how to play bass guitar, which I’m fucking loving.
Well, after 16 years of “marriage” hey... [Jokingly, as if muttering in secret] you know what I’m saying! Got to start playing around a little bit…
Was it difficult to judge yourself? Right till the end, that’s why it took so long! I could still redo a million things better on this record. But I had to accept: ‘Okay, well fuck. It’s not bad, let the fucking song be and let it out.’
How’s public response to First Offerings been received? Amazing, everybody who’s heard it loves it.
How are you performing this live? My guitarist is John Ellis from Tree63, and I got the laaitjie [youngster] from Gangs of Ballet, Josh Klynsmith, my
This album is about love and you have a deep belief that love prevails. But you’ve had a fair share of heart break, dating super-models and the like. Love isn’t just break-ups. Love is love, as long as it’s in your heart, hardships can come and go, but you’ll prevail. That’s what I talk about in the album. It’s a lingering and lasting feeling which always reoccurs and is the only definitive thing.
21 Any specific examples? Great family and awesome friends (especially when they’ve been through stuff with you). I also love South Africa. Although it gets a little tedious sometimes: you pledge an allegiance to the soil (which of course I do) but there’s a lot emphasis that goes around, like you’re representing a bigger version of your highschool. I’m a proud and true South African, but my love is for the world. I consider myself to be a citizen of the earth. Love for everyone and every situation.
Really? Yeah. I put an ultimatum out to the boys, saying: “I won’t be playing live until we have another album.” Despite our EP in 2009, it’s been seven years since our last album and I refuse to get on stage and regurgitate things all the time. I won’t. I’ve got my own standards that I need to adhere to. I want the songs to be cowritten; they can’t be my songs anymore. I’m not quitting, but I gave them a challenge. Did you give them an actual deadline? No. But the longer they take, the bigger the chance of the window closing. The ball is in their court. Also, the thing is I love my solo thing so much, and I’m playing such great bass, I don’t know if I want to go play guitar in a band. It’s difficult.
But you do prefer being back in SA again after living in California for seven years? The band and I love being back. It’s a fucking cool place. We used to have braais in California when we missed home – eventually we thought why do it there when we can do it here. How do you feel about South Africa’s changing identity? I dig being in a place where people are trying to get shit done, unlike L.A. where it’s been done so much its being oppressed. All we have here is the chance for progress. And bands are doing incredibly well, but unfortunately the market hasn’t gotten bigger. So it’s very hard even though we got a hunger like no one before. What has been your highest high and your lowest low? I’ve been very optimistic about getting this album out and having a sense of accomplishment – which has been far and few between. And obviously, the lowest has been the national anthem, by a million miles, by a long-long shot. In hindsight what are your thoughts about the whole anthem thing now? I judge myself by how much I don’t think about it, and at the moment it’s a fucking lot. There’s nothing I can do about it except confront it and encourage people to talk about it upfront. Whatever results come from it, whether good or bad, remains to be seen. It’s a massive shock that shook my foundation and questioned me. I had to pull up my socks and say ‘listen hear, you need to fucking wikkel [take action]. You need to lift your game a lot!’ And I have been. Everything was
stagnating for a while. I needed a shake. Everybody still wants to know: did you even rehearse the song? Clearly, it wasn’t firmly enough planted in my head. After one wrong chord my mind was thrown off in epic proportions. Encountered any hostility from patriotic okes seeking justice? There was a guy in a club once. He eyeballed me the whole night and eventually, he walked up to me and said ‘I fucking hate you.’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘okay cool, cheers. Have a good night, I guess.’ What am I going to do? What do you think the future holds, musically? I get the sense that rock ‘n’ roll is in danger. But I’ve never bothered myself with the technicalities of what’s coming or going. I’m not fucking cool. I’m too old to worry. I do my shit. Having just released your first solo, is there time for another Just Jinjer album too? I’m waiting for us to collectively get our heads together and agree on another album. Otherwise the possibilities of Just Jinjer playing again are probably nil.
So a new window seems to have opened, creatively? Yeah, I’ve never been happier. All my decisions are my own and I’m not stagnating. Seventy per cent of the time its good decisions and I’m not asking for anyone else’s opinion. A sort of tabula rasa – a clean slate? So much so. The option of Just Jinjer carrying on is an option. I’d never say never. But that’s where it’s at. Read Mick’s review of Ard’s new album: First offerings on Pg. 36 Show some love online here: facebook.com/ardmatthews
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Legends of SA Music | THE FANTASTICAL TALE OF SIXTO 'JESUS' RODRIGUEZ | words: Mickdotcom
THE FANTASTICAL TALE OF SIXTO 'JESUS' RODRIGUEZ
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odriguez is not a South African musician, and, until around 15 years ago, many of his fervent South African fans believed him to be dead. But he is, without doubt, a legend in South Africa. And we played a large part in the uniquely 20th century fairytale of his life: The mystery of a 60-something Detroit construction worker who wakes up to discover he’s a Rock legend. Or so the tale goes...
Sugar Man. Between the mid-70’s and 90’s, generations of white South African teens and students were inducted into the mystical world of Rock music by a handful of canonic artists – from England you had The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, and from the States you had Dylan, Hendrix, Rodriguez and The Doors. These were, for most young, liberal-minded white South Africans, the sacred icons of the Rock pantheon. Superstars. Legends. Demi-gods. Be it 1977, 1985 or 1992 you could stroll into a random campus dorm room, or some rebellious teen’s bedroom, and be sure to hear Hey Joe, Riders of the Storm, Paint it Black, Sugar Man, We Don’t Need No Education (Part 3) or Stairway to Heaven soundtracking said disheveled, dreaming space – be it from a gently hissing record player, cranky tape-deck, or bright, bulky hi-fi.
Silver magic ships. Born in the small industrial town of Detroit, on 10 July 1942, Rodriguez was the son of blue-collar Mexican
immigrants. Growing up an immigrant in America, during the politically heady 1950’s and 60’s, left a stamp on Rodriguez’ soul. His lyrics are infused with suspicion of authority figures – championing individuality and intellectual freedom; and throughout his life he retained passionate political convictions, running for City Council on more than one occasion. By 25 Rodriguez was a burgeoning poet and Folk singer-songwriter, releasing a single, I’ll Slip Away, under the name Rod Riguez. Three years later he was signed to Sussex records, through which he released his 2 classic albums, Cold Fact (1970), and Coming from Reality (1971). The Sussex producer who signed him remembers going to watch one of his Detroit gigs, at the behest of a friend; the singer-songwriter made quite an impression. There was an air of mystery about him – in no small part due to his habit of playing with his back to audiences; a charged silhouette. “His music had all the right ingredients,” the producer recalls. Rodriguez was poised for greatness. His is a music romantic yet grounded; its poetry rooted in the streets of the working classes. There’s something about the rhythms and melodies in Rodriguez’ tunes that veil them in powerful sentiment – the first time one hears I Wonder, or Sugar Man, they already sound like old favourites. His lyrics are wryly, wittily poetic – dry yet hopeful, defiant of ever-looming oppression, and enraptured by beauty. These two would-be seminal 70’s albums sank without trace in America. Within a year Sussex dropped him, and,
his dream over, he returned to his working class life as a roofer and construction worker, which he remained for decades to come. True story.
Coming From Reality. The mysterious tale of Sixto Rodriguez, waking up in the middle of the night – a 60-something year old man – to hear a stranger’s voice informing him, telephonically, that he was a musical superstar on the other side of the world, is at once an affirmation of the naïve romance of children’s fairytales, and of Quantum Physics’ postulation of parallel realities. The voice on the other side of the line belonged to Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman. He was phoning from Cape Town. It had taken him nearly a decade to find his hero. Mr. Rodriguez, understandably, was incredulous. Nevertheless, a quarter century after recording his last studio album, the humble, life-long builder arrived in South Africa with his family, to find his face plastered across Billboards; limos waiting to escort him to play sold-out stadium concerts to hysterical, sing-along crowds. Today, as you read this, he is becoming a worldwide legend. Recent documentary Searching for Sugar Man – currently on circuit and rousing audiences across the globe to weeping applause – traces the entire fantastical story. Said film’s detectivestyle intrigue, atmosphere, and emotive punch strip any information given above of possible ‘Spoiler’ status. Watch it and experience one of the most affecting and unique music documentaries ever!
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Feature | PRETTY HATE MACHINE | words: Sergio Pereira
PRETTY HATE MACHINE
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here’s a scene in American Pie 2 where Jim and Kevin are chilling at a party. Kevin says their old friend Jessica has arrived. Someone else points out that Kevin’s exgirlfriend, Vicky, is also there. Seeing his friend’s former squeeze walk in, Jim abruptly exclaims, “And Vicky got hot!” Ladies and gentlemen, after the release of their latest album, The Wisest Ones, it’s safe to say that Zebra & Giraffe can be considered local music’s Vicky – minus the female parts (although, they do have inexplicably perfect hair). Yes, it’s true: Zebra & Giraffe got hot!
The Moody Ones From the grungy album cover to the actual content, The Wisest Ones removes the band from the comfort of cute rock and hurls them into the edgier, darker alternative rock stratosphere. “I don’t think it was a decision we made where we thought ‘now we’re gonna make a dark album’ – it just kind of worked out that way,” says Greg Carlin, the mastermind behind Z&G. “I think we were listening to a bit of different music at the time, while writing. For me, specifically, I was listening to stuff from my late teens, like Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Deftones, etc. – and that influenced the sound a lot. Lyrically, it was six months before I turned thirty, so I was looking back on my twenties and my whole life.
Going over all the decisions I’ve made and wondering why… I guess that kind of affected the mood of the album.” With song titles, such as Whores, Liars, You’re Nothing to Me and I’ll Blame You, it appears that Greg is rather pissed at someone, hence the sullen tone of the album. Why you angry, bro? Greg laughs. “Honestly, it’s more about being angry at myself; it wasn’t about a specific person. That’s one thing that’s changed on this album from the last one [The Inside]; where [the songs were] about a specific relationship, or the end of a relationship. This one is more about a general looking back and wondering why I did certain things. You know, kind of realising a lot of stuff was a mistake… And a lot of the bad things that happened – well, in my case – were my own fault, because I did them for selfish reasons. [Most] of the songs are actually about me.”
“IT'S MORE ABOUT BEING ANGRY AT MYSELF …” Commercial Suicide? In a commercial music world where Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe are considered ‘amazeballs,’ bitterness and brooding aren’t exactly two qualities that are welcomed with open arms and bags of cash. In fact, The Wisest Ones could be considered a form of commercial suicide for Z&G. Greg pauses. “You never know. We’ve had quite a lot of support from radio stations over the years – and
they seem to be keen on playing the newer stuff as well. We’ll never get onto the likes of Highveld (laughs) – we’ve only had one song on there, anyway.” Greg adds The Wisest Ones is an album that they needed to write and is, most importantly, honest. So, does this mean that Z&G have been guilty of playing it safe in the past? “You know, when I look back, I’d never change anything. I wrote the albums at the time I needed to write them and the way I needed to,” he affirms. “I wasn’t the greatest guitarist and singer, so I would play it safe, because I couldn’t push myself that much. Now, the more we play together, the more we can push ourselves. With songwriting, as well; I was a very young songwriter, when I was writing songs like Oxymoron – now, I think I know more about it. Yeah, as you grow, you tend to push yourself and experiment a little bit more.” Alt-rock fans are all praying that Z&G continue this sonic experimentation and follow the route paved by The Wisest Ones, but ultimately only one person knows if this will be the direction of future releases. “I think so. It was definitely fun doing something slightly different and being carefree. We’ll see. I can never really say. [The next album could end up being a bunch] of love songs,” he laughs. For more information on Zebra & Giraffe, please visit www.zebraandgiraffe.co.za. Check out Eliza’s review on Pg. 36.
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Music News | INSIDE THE MACHINE | words: Johann M Smith
Inside the MACHINE GREEN DAY'S EPIC MAGNUM OPUS: RELEASING NOW
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hat does Green Day have in common with the Rolling Stones? Apart from being generational zeitgeists, they’re one of the very few bands living up to the promise every band makes: doing it forever. If you were part of the brief debate in the mid ‘90’s on which is better Green Day or Blink 182, and chose the former, congrats dude you’ve won: twentyfucking-five years of preaching to the kids with emotional angst and punk bliss is enough evidence. To mark the occasion, the veritable California punk trio are doing something special. It’s a new release titled ¡UNO!, ¡DOS!, AND ¡TRÉ! that follows-up on their Grammy Award Winning album 21st Century Breakdown, and it’s a hell of a doozy. In their words: “Instead of making one album, we are making a three album trilogy. Every song has the power and energy that represents Green Day on all emotional levels. We just can't help ourselves... We are going epic as fuck!” Warner Music Gallo Africa will be releasing the ambitious attempt between now and January 2013 (that’s right, after the world ends there will still be Green Day). The first instalment ¡UNO! is already available in stores and looks to be an awarding addition to their eight previous albums. The trilogy is set to be a departure from their recent work and sees a return to the raw garage element in their early punk years. But not to worry, frontman Joe Armstrong has promised it’s not a rehashing of the Dookie years. The new sound is anything but an ostentatious stadium affair; it’s a stripped down, harder, more intimate occasion. The overall attempt isn’t to make it simpler, but rather to hone in on their original archetypal dirty punk tune. Recorded in their hometown Oakland,
CA, it’s been produced by Rob Cavello, the band’s long-time producer friend who worked on all their former classics. Their new approach didn’t originate as a vain stab to regain their youth, but came as personal request from Armstrong’s son who asked his rock veteran father if he’d ever go back to making something like Kerplunk, their second album from 1992. In an interview with MTV, Armstrong admitted that many bands have made the mistake of going back but explained a change in guitar sound reminiscent of AC/DC and early Beatles with more punch and kick is what it’s going to be. Insiders admit they’re swimming in dangerous waters. Other than being a grand effort very early in a new decade,
they have a lot more in common with Blink’s self-titled failure in 2003, and The Clash’s triple-LP trite Sandinista! in 1980. If media reports are anything to go by, the band collectively don’t really appear fussed. Warning them seems to pose little threat. Statistically, they’ve got a lot more to lose than the agile teenagers they were two decades ago. But all three members claim: “we are at the most prolific and creative time in our lives.” No doubt, they’re pushing for prominence again.
Release Dates: ¡DOS! : Nov 12 ¡TrÉ! : Jan 12
27 Town. From all of us at MUSE Magazine; congratulations, keep fighting the good fight and flying the flag of local rock ‘n’ roll!
ADIDAS ORIGINALS LIVE PERFORMANCES PART 3 WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIMES GONE? Universal, the world’s biggest record company has taken over EMI, home of The Beatles. The deal came with only one condition: it had to sell off rights of many artists you love (like Pink Floyd, Beach Boys, David Bowie, Cold Play) as well as a myriad of top selling artists you hate (like David Guetta). Adding insult to injury, with a dollop of salt, an official spokesman who’s a fan of Pink Floyd said the transaction went beyond simple industry concerns given its cultural importance. Reportedly, in November 2012 1.9 billion dollars will become the price tag the world gave to a generation of greats that forever changed it.
November sees USA indie sensation The Drums touring Cape Town and Johannesburg. Brought to you in association with the kind folks at we-areawesome, performances will take place th th 16 @ Carlton Sky Ring JHB, and 17 @ Cape Town Market in Epping. The Drums formed in 2009 and were described as an escapist collection of beach fantasies. They have since toured the world and gained international attraction from the likes of NME who granted them a Phillip Hall Radar Award. Tickets @ webtickets: R 350pp (for the price of four you can get five). For more: we-are-awesome.com/events
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUND & MOTION STUDIOS! Since 2002, Sound & Motion has become an institution of SA music. It’s witnessed the formation of Fokofpolisiekar and experienced firsthand the birth of their stardom. It saw the coming and going of Lark and the countless hours she’s spent there. It’s the place The Plastics took album of the decade producer Gordon Raphael and came to get big. It’s where the trendy kids go, but it’s also outlived many trends and created others. It’s also a familiar name with M-net execs, BBC doccies, HBO productions, MTV and SAMA officials.
Sound and Motion Studios
Reburn REBURN IN STUDIO The delightful pop punk CT 5-piece are currently working with UK award winning Razor Light producer John Fortis and Rusti Rossouw. It’s the first recording in 3 years. A new single will be released soon, according to frontman Scottie Moore they’ve gone through a lot of changes and have defined their sound. He added “We are here!” and promised fans to “expect a lot of movement from the Reburn Camp.”
AZANIA BAND & FRIENDS ANNOUNCE GHETTO SOUND VOL. 3
Recently they turned 10; naturally a celebration was in order. According to feedback from some of the aforementioned it was a kick ass event and great start to Creative Week Cape
Azania is from Cape Town, but they’re very much alive on the international reggae scene, it’s also the reason why their new release comes with an empire of impressive friends. Included are Jamaican’s finest exports: Freddie McGregor, Luciano, Half Pint, Jimmy Riley, Iqulah, rendering a balance of
roots reggae and original dancehall. Also a few top international favourites: Anthony B, Tarrus Riley, Junior Kelly, Yami Bolo, Everton Blender, Dean Fraser and more. The music on the album is fresh, deeply immersed in positivism, yet guaranteed to groove and uplift the listener. The album also features South African veteran Reggae singer Colbert Mukwevho from Venda, Teba from Cape Town and Ras Melody from Port Elizabeth. With so much experience as a backing band for international artists like Yasus Afari, Cedric Meyton of the Congos, Teddy Dan, Iqulah, Turbulence, King Kong and Judy Boucher, an Azania band studio collaboration with these high calibre Reggae artists was unavoidable. Ras Vuyo, owner of One Afreeka Edutainment, explains the album best: “to my knowledge there is no South African band that has done a full reggae album featuring Jamaican artists, not to mentions the album is produced locally by an SA producer. I think people should know that Reggae music in South Africa is very much alive.” Support the spirit of
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Music News | INSIDE THE MACHINE | words: Johann M Smith
MIELIEPOP FEST GETS BETTER: A ONCE-OFF PERFORMANCE ft. URIAH HEEP It goes to show: tell them you love them enough and they’ll come back. Following a memorable performance alongside Deep Purple in 2010, Uriah Heep returns for a once-off in the 2nd annual Mieliepop in October, this time supported by the best local talent organisers could afford. Known as the epitome of a laid back music festival, Mieliepop Songtuary 2012 will be a cosy offering over the weekend of 26 October, 40 km away from Johannesburg. According to them, “we’re hosting the best Rock,
HORRORFEST 2012 Like a swamp zombie that can take silver bullets, SA's (maybe even Africa’s) most stubborn alternative film festival has weathered the storm since 2005. For its 8th annual Halloween outing, the HorrorFest will again be a bloody mark on the calendar for rare, classic and indie movies, sneak previews, premieres, short films, literature, Halloween dress-ups, prizes and giveaways, live music and coffin loads more. With movies ranging from monsters and zombies to vampires and scream queens, there’s something to satisfy anyone’s creepy appetite – including pre-release sneak previews, not to mention the opening movie is a free 3D screening, oooh... The legendary
Reggae and Blues artists, offering fans an opportunity to experience Uriah live in an intimate festival setting amongst only 3,000 other festival goers.” This year also sees the introduction
of the ‘Mieliepop VIP Tented Hotel’: “The perfect solution for all festival-goers who prefer to arrive to their very own personal camping haven”. Tickets start from R400 pp for a full weekend pass (if purchased using their online referral system you can stand a chance to win a VIP Mieliepop experience). Still not convinced? “Fans will be thrilled to hear that the Uriah is moving-in for the entire weekend to enjoy the local SA music talent alongside festival-goers.” Now go dig out your dad’s Heep LP’s and get an autograph. For more: mieliepop.com
Nosferatu will also be celebrating its 90th anniversary, and the Makabra Ensemble will perform their new original soundtrack live to the screen on Halloween night (Wed 31 Oct). Besides the Cape Town home of the HorrorFest at The Labia Theatre, this year the event will be expanding its tentacles to Johannesburg for the first time. It will feature a ‘Best Of’ selection of a dozen choices across the festival’s history at The Bioscope indie cinema (286 Fox Street). The first Shadow Realm Short Film DVD Collection, featuring some of the best shorts from all over the globe screened at the event since its inception, is also in the works. For more: horrorfest.info
WONDERBOOM SUPPORTS CANCER FUND ON ROUTE 56 An all day festival hailed “the biggest thing to hit Kokstad ever!” will take place 3 November to raise funds for the Kokstad Lions Cancer fund and other organisations. WONDERBOOM is set to be the main attraction, there will also be a flea market full of goodies, an awesome beer tent and a kiddies’ entertainment area. Tickets are 150. For more: facebook.com/Route56Kokstad
AND IN OTHER NEWS... A CT gallery has received copious amounts of hate mail for exhibiting photos of Die Antwoord taken by Roger Ballen. The complaint? The many penises in the background!
Zebra & Giraffe’s drummer Darren Leader has quit the band.
clothing company New Hype is also launching their Spring collection soon.
Joburg constructivists City of Heroes are working on a second album following their 2011 debut The Great Unknown. Co-founding guitarist Jean Lombard’s
We Set Sail are back and are working on new material. And 20 November sees AC/DC’s first album in 20 years…
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Classic Albums | JIM WHITE - 'WRONG-EYED JESUS! (THE MYSTERIOUS TALE OF HOW I SHOUTED)' | words: Mickdotcom
JIM WHITE 'WRONG-EYED JESUS!
(THE MYSTERIOUS TALE OF HOW I SHOUTED)' 'Way down South I know a girl who is blind/ She walks alone along a lonely highway each day/ She dreams that one day a man will pull up in a car/ He'll open up the door; she'll climb in and he will say:/ "Hey babe, whatcha know? I hope you're ready to go./ Coz today is a perfect day, for chasing tornadoes.”
SWAMPLAND GOSPEL. Country music has always had a wayward heart. Lonely, a little deranged. Tremblingly hunkered down in the pew to atone for the previous night's 'incident’. It is possibly this thorny truth the hungry, desperate heart of the genre that has led to it turning up the floodlights roundabout the late Seventies, reinventing itself as the grotesquely sweet and earnest Country Cabaret strummed by the likes of Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Billy Ray Cyrus and all those other bright-mouthed, CanCanning gals and okes, effectively turning the genre into a Honky Tonk Disneyland. Said floodlights might have cast the shadows off stage, but it also amplified them; occasioned them to multiply in fertile periphera. The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, had of course always been around, to keep the dark and broken flame afire, but since the onslaught of mainstream candycoated Country most people are forgiven for thinking the genre begins and ends with airbrushed barn dances beneath a winking moon. Nestled in an unlikely Country music section – sticking out like a sore thumb between the smile-strained faces of Mister and Missus Country – Jim White’s quietly auspicious debut, 1997’s Wrongeyed Jesus!, weirdly glows. The cover and booklet are strewn with offbeat and sinister biblical references; inside, the songs are disheveled by beauty. Born in 1957 in Pensecola Florida, White grew up in the deep American South, enduring a childhood he acknowledges as having been wildly hypocritical, even schizophrenic. Bloody bar brawls and bible verses and wife beatings and gospel choirs and hurricanes and drought and lungbelching alcoholics and molested children and Revelations and drugs and lynchings and crimson faced, Biblethumping preachers all cluttered together in the same space, vying for breath. The
impact of this grotesquery on White’s sensitive consciousness seems to have been profound, bruising him into a roaming loner who toyed with, then dropped, several unrelated fates (White is said to have been, at various times, homeless, a fashion model, a professional surfer, a preacher, a boxer and a NY City cab driver), before David Byrne’s funky indie label Luaka Bop offered him a friendly record deal.
AND THE SUN WENT DOWN ON THE MOON. "Long about an hour before sunrise/ she drags his body down to the edge of the swollen river/ wrapped in a red velvet curtain/ stolen from the movie theater where she works." White’s debut arrived fully formed. Like his wild, mythologized childhood (the liner notes also contain a shocking, illuminating 12-page account of a string of brutishly dazzling and disturbing co-
incidences from a season of his youth) the album entertains unlikely bedfellows – suggestions of Jazz; glinting, broken plucks of guitar; unexpected flashes of Soul; majestic flourishes; funky drum backdrops; ghosted vocals echoing themselves out of rhythm… melancholy and a collection of devils and occasional, thrilling choruses from divine entities. The songs contain scatterlings and outcasts, beggars and rapists and innocents and killers and dreamers in its narrative menagerie. It is a world to get lost in, and, thankfully, White succeeds somehow in coating these often terrible scenes with a gorgeous musical sheen, so that one feels safe even whilst bathing in darkness and moonshine. At its essence, its array of stylistic influences aside, ‘(The mysterious tale of how I shouted) Wrong-eyed Jesus! is country music. Honest, original, unglossed Country. Music from a haunted, broken Americana soil. Perverse and gifted and otherworldly. Get it, like, yesterday.
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Eruption | GALLOWS - ESCAPING THE NOOSE | words: Paul Blom
GALLOWS - ESCAPING THE NOOSE "...the musical embodiment of those thoughts inside your head that you are afraid to say out loud." Photo: Gavin Watson
W
ith their roots firmly settled in the Hardcore / Punk soil, GALLOWS formed in Watford, England (2005), and had their debut album Orchestra of Wolves released in the States by Epitaph. From there they sealed a hefty deal with Warner, which subsequently collapsed after the release of the Grey Britain album. But, winning Kerrang! Awards, singles charting in the UK, songs on high profile soundtracks, playing the Vans Warped Tour and Sonisphere, it looked like smooth sailing - until vocalist Frank Carter (brother of guitarist Steph) left the band, due to the ever looming band buster known as "creative differences"... We chin-wagged with new vocalist Wade MacNeil about the band and its new direction. For someone who'd never heard Gallows, Wade describes it as "...the musical embodiment of those thoughts inside your head that you are afraid to say out loud.”
After the band's direction started to differ from that of original vocalist Frank, former ALEXISONFIRE member Wade got called in, but it was far less complicated than it may seem. "It was daunting..." Wade admits, "...but it was also simple. There were more Gallows songs to be written. The band wasn't done. So, they pressed on and asked me to come onboard.” The bridge between the genesis of a band and where it ends up years later is an altering one. This process is no different when it comes to Gallows. "When you start a band you have no ambitions other than to play," Wade remarks. "Over the years it has to change. We have reached some goals, but you always need to push forward or the art you make dies.” With a different voice come inevitable changes. How much has the Gallows sound and style shifted as an effect? "It's less London-centric. But, that would have changed anyways. The last album said everything that needed to be said about the UK. It was time to move
forward.” As in many parts of the world, the blend of extreme genre enthusiasts supporting this kind of music from a cross-section of Hardcore, Metal, Punk and various Alternative styles are also apparent when it comes to Gallows. "Yeah, the music seems to cross some boundaries which is great," Wade enthuses. "We aren't bothered with being anything other than ourselves. Maybe that's what attracts people from different walks of life.” Related to that, one may expect these factions within extreme music to have a sense of unity. But Wade has experienced otherwise: "I think there is no real community to it anymore. That is fine. It's a sign of the times. But, I'm not sure if I started going to shows (as a young kid these days) if it would attract me the way it did all those years ago. I felt a real commonality between everyone at shows when I started going back then - that attitude is what made me want to keep going.”
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AFTERSHOCKS REUNION: After leaving CHROMIUM for two years (playing in bands like KNAVE), guitarist, vocalist and founding member Matthew Engelbrecht is returning to the band after recalibrating his persona. A new EP, Bloodlust, is in the works. South Africa's Heike Langhans (of INFERIUM, and ongoing solo endeavour LORELEI) has moved to Europe to join Swedish Doom Metal band DRACONIAN as their female vocalist. For a taste, check out their LAKE OF TEARS cover version Demon You / Lily Anne on YouTube, featuring Heike.
FRESH MAGMA (New acts to look out for): HELLUCIFIX Vocalist Krios (formerly of AZRAIL) moved on for a stint with BULLETSCRIPT,
but his Thrash affinity has flowed into his new project HELLUCIFIX. Having been away from drums and Metal for several years, the band also features Greg, known for '90s Death band NECROSIS (as well as doing time in POTHOLE). Matt from SHITSTORM shreds on guitar with Gill on bass. www.facebook.com/H ellucifix
Photo: Kian Erikson
Regarding commercial success, Wade feels no need to defend against attacks that some may level as 'going mainstream'. "You can’t worry about that stuff. You can only focus on making music that you think is honest. Gallows 'sold out' way before I joined anyways!" he laughs. On the subject of writing new material, Gallows prefers not to follow a recipe. Wade elaborates: "We write what comes natural to us. Certain songs present challenges, but it's not like solving an equation." He has a fascinating take on the process: "It's more like getting lost than finding your way out. Songwriting is the most frustrating / rewarding thing in the world.” Except for on-line locations, the MK Ondergrond TV show, and this publication (of course), extreme music does not enjoy too much media coverage in South Africa. For Gallows and other bands of their ilk, living in the UK and Europe things look a bit different. "There is a lot of support for heavy music. I am blown away by the amount really. Press has always greatly benefited this band. But, that's mostly because we always put our foot in our mouths!” When it comes to advice for young bands who may feel despondent that their music won't reach the right ears, the vocalist has some sobering words: "Play music because you need to. You don't have to.” (See Gallows' new self-titled album review overleaf)
HELLUCIFIX
ZOMBIES ATE MY GIRLFRIEND Members from bands like INFANTERIA, BETRAY THE EMISSARY, DAY TURNS NIGHT, MEGALODON and THE BROKEN RESULT have formed the disgruntled ZAMG. Their first selfreleased EP, Patient Zero is now available, and reflects their highly competent Cape Town extreme Metal sound and if you have blasphemous tendencies, they'll win added points. www.myspace.com/ zombiesatemygirlfriend
TOUR NEWS: Groove-driven Hard Rock / Metal band DEITY'S MUSE is set to head across the ocean for tour dates in Europe and the USA in October. www.deitysmuse.com
PURIFY
After their second European tour, Gauteng's positive Melodic Hardcore act TRUTH AND ITS BURDEN will be back home for an SA tour across October. www.truthanditsburden.com In case you haven't heard, LINKIN PARK and THE DARKNESS will hit our shores in November. www.bigconcerts.co.za
South American progressive death metal band, SHAJOL is touring SA in December with local 'swine-core' band, BOARGAZM. Brought to you by Emalyth. www.facebook.com/SHAJOL.band SA's premium SKA-Punkers HOG HOGGIDY HOG are touring Europe again across September & October. Catch them in Cape Town at The Mercury on 5 October. www.hoghoggidyhog.co.za Untamed Entertainment is bringing EuroMetal act PURIFY out to SA at the beginning of 2013. www.reverbnation.com/prf
About Paul Blom: With a strong leaning towards all things Alternative, for decades Paul has been involved with music, movies, gaming and writing. Bands have included V.O.D (Voice Of Destruction), F8, K.O.B.U.S., The Makabra Ensemble and Terminatryx. Movie productions include short films, music videos, DVD releases, and half a dozen film festivals. Entertainment writing on music, movies and gaming kicked off in '97 for a wide range of publications, plus the creation of various web portals like Flamedrop.com. His work is far from done here. Have some SA Metal news to share? Email Paul: EruptionMuse@gmail.com
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ERUPTION ALBUM REVIEWS | Reviewed by Paul Blom
ERUPTION Album Reviews SLIPKNOT Antennas to Hell After the Nu-Metal wave hit, the dime-adozen-factor was immense. But as the generics faded, those with that extra drive and unique flavour persisted. Slipknot is one of those. Masks and intense live show antics aside, the band writes great songs, with the perfect blend of brutal intensity and the ability to be extremely catchy, and often highly emotional. With so many cool songs to choose from across five studio albums and a live release, this ass-kicking collection includes 19 tracks in all, everything from Eyeless, Spit It Out, Disasterpiece, Left Behind, and The Heretic Anthem, to Duality, Before I Forget, Psychosocial and Snuff. As I always mention, this may not be of much interest to fans that already have all the albums (unless it includes a bonus unreleased or new track, which this one doesn't). But for someone who’s been interested in the band but doesn't own any CDs, this is a perfect starter-pack.
GALLOWS The third and selftitled Gallows album goes for the throat, letting rip with an energetic vibe taking you through a blend of modern Hardcore and Punk with some strong Metal sounds mashed in, creating space for anything from fist- & headbanging, to moshing or straight edge arm flailing. The album also features the band's new front-man, former Alexisonfire guitarist / singer Wade MacNeil (replacing original vocalist Frank Carter). This is my first Gallows experience, so I wouldn't be able to judge whether Wade's addition is an improvement or detraction - but going on what's here, he pulls it off with competence, his gravel throaty vocal chant style occasionally receiving a bit of melodic singing in the mix. In many respects Gallows sound like they could be a band from The States, but are in fact from the UK.
THUNDRA Ignored By Fear There are many Metal bands from around the world that want to express and enshroud themselves with Viking imagery and legend. But, just how convincing can it be if it's not part of your roots or culture? In the case of Thundra, being Norwegian eliminates that debate from their legitimacy. Opening with an epic 9-minute track, the band lays out their approach of gliding through a range of moods very accurately, the catchy main riff supplemented with a range of extreme channels, timing and perspective changes to ensure the listener will remain wellwedged into an audio experience, as opposed to just a throw-away tune. Lyrics are in English as opposed to their mother tongue, for a wider appeal I’m sure, but that can hardly be seen as a sell-out (many believing to stay true only Norwegian dialects can be used!). At times it seems like a boost in the production (or mastering) could've further bulked up the impact. For a meandering, great flow of pounding Metal transposed with well-placed catchy Folk-style tunes, bursting with Black- & Death Metal vocals and riffs (but also clean singing and acoustic passages), Thundra may just be what you're looking for. Released by German label Einheit Produksionen.
SERJ TANKIAN Harakiri System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian made an impressive solo turn with his Elect the Dead album in 2007 (followed by the live orchestra backed version Elect the Dead Symphony). Here he continues his personal musical journey and has by no means discarded his extremely conscientious outlook and socio-political outspokenness when it comes to subject matter, from the banality of reality TV to war. Serj has a very distinct voice and vocal style many may find odd at first, but as the power of the music pulls you in, you'll grow to love it. But, that being said, I don't know if the album came by at a time when I just wasn't in the mood for his style, or if the novelty had worn off, but it didn't have as much of an impact on me. Still, I can easily listen to the first System album at the drop of a hat.
TENACIOUS D Rize of the Fenix After JB and KG ripped rock convention a brand new one with their hilarious brand of acoustic fuelled Rock on the Tenacious D debut, their equally gut-busting movie The Pick of Destiny added an even more tangible dimension to their mission for total Rock take-over. So over a decade and many (not always stellar) Jack Black movies later, the stale music industry needed the unlikely saviours to return and give it another kick in the nuts. So, with his fellow pudger Kyle Gass, the other half of D, they reunite for another tome of Rockness, with Dave Grohl again adding the beat. Not wall-towall laughs like the debut and its many spoken word goofery in between songs, but the depravity also translates to the phallic phoenix on the cover design. If you haven't seen the title track's video yet, please do yourself the favour.
THE DARKNESS Hot Cakes Cock-Rock is alive and well and living in The Darkness. If you've been wondering whether the Brit Glam-Rock revampers have changed their tune, a look at the sleeve design says it all. At times sounding like disciples of Queen, then prophets of AC/DC, sometimes even painting hints of The White Stripes (but always in the vein of The Darkness) nothing is sacred with this bunch as they pelt out very familiar, but fun rock tunes. There’s a good dose of classic, high pitched rock screams that many bands have discarded after the '80s glam resurrection simmered down. One of the best tracks is in fact the surprising cover version of Radiohead's Street Spirit (Fade Out). The debate has been waging whether The Darkness has diminished themselves to open for Lady-fuckingGaga in SA late-November, or played a master stroke to infiltrate the brains of the poor warped souls lapping up all of that woman's Pop-shite. I'll be interested to know how many people will be hitting the road after The Darkness finishes their set!
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ALBUM REVIEWS
DM - Dave Mac | MD - Mickdotcom | JS - Johann M Smith | SP - Sergio Pereira | ED - Eliza Day
Album Reviews Tailor - The Dark Horse
W
ith her fulsome American vocal chords, and Americana stylings, it comes as a surprise to find out Tailor is as local as Mrs. Balls. Her artist name, too, is a deflection, or rather reflection. Upon securing free license with her record deal (the suits don’t meddle with her muses) she cast herself Tailor, to celebrate that her music is custom designed. Tailor’s debut, The Dark Horse, proffers a dark bouquet of tales, mostly strummed at night, woven in the midnight tussles of stormdrenched dreams. Excepting the odd tune that threatens to blossom into Celine Dionmeets-Bonnie Tyler Power Pop, this is solid
Ard Matthews First Offerings Ard Matthews probably should have been a local rock star by now. But something about his comings and goings imply a lack of commitment, or something less definable... he never feels completely... here. Guitarist and lead vocalist of highly talented, Nineties Popfusion outfit Just Jinjer, Mr. Matthews had a good thing going. The band was super-tight, musically different, and highly polished. Then they were off for the great, vague promise of OVERSEAS, and quietly slunk back some years ago, worse for wear. Matthews’ solo release, First Offerings, arrives packaged for Middle-of-the-Road Pop-rock, and, on first listen, struck me as straight-to-Jacaranda FM material: Inoffensive but humdrum. The songs are about Hope and Love and growing older but Bolder, and Love. But if First Offerings’ veneer is Middle-of-the-Road, there are surprises in its substance, here and there Matthews warps the generic Pop-rock format with unexpected asides and tangents. See Got Time’s subtle, mischievous incorporation of the Stones’ Time Is On My Side refrain, and the oblique hint at Crowded House’s aquatically echoing guitar circa Come Undone, on Bolder. Such saccharine fare as the platitude-rife That’s Love and the religious, zippo’s-aloft Providence threaten to weigh the album down, but Matthews’ instinct for left-of-centre detours keep things interesting, and, as on distinct, beautiful closer Time over Wine, hinting at something new. | MD
Bob Dylan Tempest “The more I take/ The more I give/The more I got/The more I live..." On Dylan's vaulted new album, he makes sure you know his place, and yours, in the grand order of things: "I pay in blood," he confesses, "but not my own..." Reviewing an album by Dylan, in the wake of the man’s canonized canon, is ridiculous. He’s widely considered the Bard of the 20th century, and is more myth than fact. As such, his latest release, Tempest, will inevitably become subject of passionate and aloof and academic and layman interrogation. Tempest's lyrics, and its various 'traditional' musical stylings, even the formally denied link with Shakespeare's last play, The Tempest, is an exploration of time and mortality. The turbulent album’s symbolic centrepiece is the 13-minute re-imagining of that mighty, man-made leviathan, the Titanic’s final hours and watery death. Elsewhere Dylan digs through time, touching on the medieval, “I’ve got a date with the Faerie queen,” to the War of 1812 (between young America and mother England), to quoting 1920’s ballads and the Beatles. Death and Faust are heavy in the air. The eternal battles between Man and Time. Whilst Dylan’s voice becomes more appropriately chafed as time passes, it also begins to hint at the onset of human frailty, the unwinding of the mortal coil. The giant rages on. Great stuff. | MD
MORE REVIEWS ONLINE: www.museonline.co.za
stuff. Wolf, especially, all grown-up Red Riding Hood and dramatic rhythms, is great fare, idiosyncratic and inspired. Tailor frequently seems to channel Patti Smith, not realizing she should instead be channeling herself. I witnessed one of her first promo concerts for The Dark Horse, and, jitters aside, there were moments of visceral epiphany, as when she banged a drum into frenzy – rhythm no longer a concern when BANGING THE DRUM is the point – and during set closer Indian she tossed the falsetto aside, opting for actual howls. There is bristling promise here, and a fine collection of songs. | MD
Fetish Little Heart On Pg. 16 – jezebel’s VPL - Fetish vocalist, Michelle Breeze makes an interesting statement; “Some fans will have a certain expectation of you to make something that sounds like your older material...” Whilst listening to Little Heart, the band’s first album in 13 years (excluding Remains, 2006, which was a collection of unfinished demos from their last material done as a band circa 2002/4), this remark kept popping into my head. You see, Little Heart, whilst still maintaining certain hallmarks of the Fetish of old, is different, has evolved, but will fans endear to it? I’m about as hardened a fan as you can get having witnessed their birth as they played gigs in and around Cape Town. This is my dilemma! Gone are the edgy angst driven vocals coupled so ably by the equally restless and discordant musical layers that evolved from the naively beautiful self-titled debut (1997) to the electronically infused So Many Prophets, their seminal masterpiece from ’99. We all grow up, this is true, and Little Heart is a collection of songs that sounds and feels like it’s been made by grownups, content and happy with their lives, settled and secure and for this authenticity I commend them. More a straight up rock record than the ethereal, restless sound of old, it’s an accomplished offering that perhaps only falls short due the lofty expectations they themselves created all those years ago. Nonetheless this fan recommends it to all and sundry. Fetish remain one of SA’s most intriguing bands to date. Personal faves: Something Perfect, Merry Go Round (strangely familiar), Paper Skies and The Landslide. | DM
37 The Script #3 The Irish boy band brings out a fancy, high-end pop album about hard times. Those of you who love U2, the 90's resurrection of pseudo-men singing ballads will enjoy this one. If You Could See Me Now is a hybrid of pop, R'n'B and rap. It's about how the one member, Danny, had a father who died and he wishes his dad could see how massively famous and successful he had become with The Script. Irish boy bands have a weird political stand of the underdog behind the work they do. Every time I read about a new album or tour it always comes down to the Potato Famine and the great hardship of Ireland in the most ridiculously stereotypical way. Millionaires is the tragic tale of a bunch of drunks who were asked to leave the bar, forced into the night and made to take a taxi home when they should have been balling out of control somewhere. Hall Of Fame is how the world knows all about The Script and its very serious business being so boss! Without a shadow of doubt, this is the boy band of the moment and you can add this album to your mom's collection. | ED
Dance You're On Fire Light Repeating Dance, You’re On Fire didn’t waste much time in readying the followup to their auspicious debut, Secret Chiefs. Now, the question is: Did they suffer the proverbial sophomore slump on Light Repeating? Well, thank Lemmy in the sky, because they didn’t. Containing more hooks than a pirate ship and harbouring an undisputable likeable quality, Light Repeating treads down the same path as Secret Chiefs, with its quirky merger of upbeat indie and rock. What is most impressive about this album is how DYOF have maintained their identity from their previous release. There is a notable songwriting evolution on tracks such as Where Are You and Motions, but you can still hear it’s distinctively DYOF, which is an important characteristic for any band that wants to last longer than the next fad. That being said, DYOF also need to understand the limitations of their singer Tom Manners’ voice, because there are a few moments that sound akin to a 2AM cat orgy – particularly in the verse of Carry You, which just doesn’t work. Nonetheless, the good outweighs the Ke$ha (that’s my new synonym for bad), and perhaps Light Repeating will be the album that takes DYOF from being notoriously underrated to headliners at the next Joburg Day. | SP
Lark Gong is Struck Lark has brought their unique operatic, glitchy and Eurotronic sound right back home for Gong Is Struck. Afro-centric sounds have been all the rage in the first world for the last couple of years. Ever stylish and en Pointe, the band have embraced the various frequencies of African traditional sound and incorporated it heavily on this record. Inge Beckman's voice has adopted a chanting mantra-esque monotone for much of the work here. In Seek To Find, she exhibits her soprano and depth interchangeably with this robotic sprechgesang spun over tribal drumming. Stole The Moon is a beautifully composed story of a song. It is epic and full of heavy, gothic string arrangements that carry the listener up and down the classic tale. We Are Growing is pretty awful; picking the cheesiest attributes of traditional African song and putting it together in a way that makes it sound like the score for Lion King. Africa by Disney by Africa is not a good look. Two Wolves is a play on the doppelgänger genre of the uncanny which is imagery worth appreciating. However, the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. My favourite is final track, He Not A Man, which is a nicely put together surreal soundscape of dreamy synth and awesome neurotic meshes of electronic noise. Give it a go but don't expect to be blown away. | ED
Lucy Kruger Cut Those Strings It’s hard not to fall in love with Lucy Kruger’s voice. There’s just something so genuine and heartfelt about her lyrics and Dolores O’Riordan-meetsSinéad O’Connor crooning that makes you feel like Cut Those Strings is a one-way-trip straight into the deepest, darkest corners of Lucy’s soul. Whilst the album is diverse and features a host of guest artists, such as Inge Beckmann, Schalk Joubert and Albert Frost, its greatest strength lies in its simplicity. Showing signs of a seasoned singer/songwriter, even though she’s only 23-years-old, Lucy understands how minimalism can be a musician’s best friend. By sticking to the basics and letting her bewitching voice and uncanny ability to convey mood reign, Lucy has created an enchanting set of songs; notable highlights being: Right Now, Hey Dreamer and Four White Walls. However, as Lucy proclaims in the first track, Little Puppet: “Its catchy phrases that sell” – and this rings particularly true for her own album, too. She hasn’t fashioned something that will catapult her to the top of charts and challenge Chris Brown for Abuser… sorry, I meant, Album of the Year, but it will appeal to the more discerning listener, who has an above-average IQ and is allergic to the Now compilations. | ED
Zebra & Giraffe The Wisest Ones Let's go balls deep and start with Little Black Book, the sixth track on The Wisest Ones, the new album by Zebra & Giraffe. It's bang in the middle and the crux of this collection. It is also the best song on the album so why not. The vocals drawl in a lazy, selfdestructive gasp from a place of bitter wisdom which aptly backs up the learnings behind the album title. Harrowing guitar plays violin to this sad little dirge of lost love. Funeral organ keys layer the waves of bleak-steeped rock 'n roll as the song picks up pace and the frontman wails over a thrashing drum collision of cymbals and raw feedback. The whole album is a eulogy to broken relationships and a broken heart. All I Gave Pt. 1 sets the tone. It begins wonderfully using bare effects that sound like a rake being dragged across the tar and a witchy synthetic prelude to a numb chant of “All I gave you, you've given up”. All I Gave, the full length feature that follows, develops the skeleton of Pt. 1 and furnishes the brutal and lyrical message of 'F*ck You' with layers of powerful riffs and thick bass. Sick is a speed-freakish, chaotic track that I particularly enjoyed the vocals on. The rest of the album is a bit lacklustre by comparison. Doing an album of break-up anthems well, is difficult without dipping into psychosis and murder. The Wisest Ones will get over this and hopefully you will too. | ED
Joshua Radin Underwater It almost feels like Joshua Radin’s Underwater is a blanket of music that wraps itself around you and warms even the most hardened of hearts. Focusing, first and foremost, on Joshua’s hushed voice, life stories and acoustic guitar, Underwater has also expanded on Joshua’s folkpop by including light orchestral elements that accentuate the delicate melodies subtly, but effectively. However, the album’s greatest strength lies in the sheer emotive power of tracks, such as Anywhere Your Love Goes, Five and Dime, Underwater, Lost at Home and The Willow, which might just induce nostalgia and open up the floodgates to the once thought lost memories (so, if you have daddy issues, be prepared to bawl your eyes out like a stripper who just met her biological father on Christmas Eve). Four albums into his career, there can be no dispute that Joshua is the king of mood, who knows just what to say to make you listen. Often melancholic, sometimes hopeful, Underwater is extremely cinematic – and this should lead to many more songs being picked up for future television and film placements. But hey, as long as Joshua’s music isn’t featured in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I’m cool with hearing him everywhere else. | SP
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GAME REVIEWS | Reviewed by Paul Blom
GAME Reviews PS3
DARKSIDERS To get you ready for the second instalment of Darksiders, here's a look at the first one. The eternal war between the kingdoms of heaven and hell has the added kingdom of earth as its battle-ground, as the End War is set to decide the fate of these realms (after the 7 seals are broken). In the role of War (one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, also including Strife, Fury and Death), you're charged to maintain the balance between these forces with extreme measures at your disposal (as you grind deeper into this plot of Armageddon). In addition to blood splattering, demon, angel and human clefting action, you'll also need to sheathe your monstrous sword (Chaoseater) to explore various areas and solve puzzles (which leads you closer to regaining your powers and weapons, your horse Ruin and of course resulting in loads more bloodshed). You can take on your Chaos form (dependent on your chaos meter) for a more brutal outcome as a flaming nearindestructible demon, and objects can be picked up, aimed and thrown (like cars), invaluable when facing a ridiculously huge monstrous adversary. Demonic Growth is a fleshy substance sprouting across surfaces (like up the side of buildings), enabling you to climb and reach essential locations. While it seems quite free roaming, you are still funnelled through the game's preset locations with many blocked off areas. One of the character voices includes Mark Hamill (from the original Star Wars trilogy). As to be expected, future games will include the other Apocalyptic Horsemen in their roles for this epic battle. 7/10
X BOX 360
LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW Outrageous, provocative, and downright cheeky, this game is a bloody blast. As a sexy cheerleader in (the appropriately named) San Romero High School, Juliet also happens to be a chainsaw wielding zombie hunter! The journey begins at her
school where the barrage of zombies give you a good trial run to get to know the glammed-up chainsaw moves and, yes, pom-pom attacks! With students and civilians to save amid the gore-soaked mayhem, the peppy Juliet's quest begins with her attempt to reach her new boyfriend whom she wants to introduce to her (strange) family. He however ends up accompanying her on her zombie cleansing spree in a very unconventional way(!). A supernatural cause resulting in the world of the rotten undead infiltrating earth (and the culprits behind it) are revealed and naturally Juliet is elected the saviour of mankind, with several zombie overlords to annihilate. All in a day's work! What makes this fun is that the ladies get a chance to be in the leading role. Stylishly gory and sexy, the over-the-top nature is graphic, but very tongue in cheek. But, while the age restriction is 18, this is in fact a younger pre-teen boy's wet dream (and those who like to transport themselves to that age on a regular basis in front of the gaming console), so I'm sure this will end up in their sweaty hands regardless of the adult warnings. 8/10
Nintendo Wii
PROJECT ZERO 2 Wii Edition Making its name on PS2 and X Box a decade ago, this revamped version places you in a more active participant role with the Wii controls, and remains a very effective, original title. As part of the Fatal Frame series, this Wii Edition of the creepy survival horror game's second chapter adds to the creepiness with its Pro Logic sound. As with Lollipop Chainsaw, the game features female leads. This intriguing game captures the Japanese Horror genre well, and allows you to play either Story or Haunted House mode (the latter offering up different scares each time you take it on). The story starts off as a hallucinogenic dark forest fairytale with a foreboding, scary and eerie atmosphere. Mayu & Mio Amakura are twins, and while playing in the forest, one wanders into the woods following a crimson butterfly, the other trailing behind. Here they discover a village lost to the world, with mystical shrines and altars along the way. This ghostly village houses spirits of the dead and as you uncover this strange turn of events, Mayu is possessed by a girl who
For more gaming reviews, Check out www.flamedrop.com was part of a Shinto ceremonial massacre. Mio has to save her as she discovers the horrors responsible. Amid the mystery and gloomy mood attacking spirits are defeated by taking photographs with the Camera Obscura (acting like an exorcism device). While a single player game, an extra player can be incorporated with another remote, to either support or play tricks on you! Related to this is the 3DS game Spirit Camera. The Project Zero 2 game booklet contains an Augemented Reality Marker you can use with Spirit Camera, once completing its Story Mode. 8/10
Nintendo 3DS
SPIRIT CAMERA The Cursed Memoir The Project Zero / Fatal Frame series reaches the Nintendo 3DS hand held console, utilizing the innovative AR (Augmented Reality) and 3D technology to turn your surroundings into a spooky world. In addition to the 3D screen (without the use of glasses), the console has two cameras (like web cams) allowing for stereoscopic view and photographs. The AR booklet reacts and comes to life! The game includes three modes. Project Zero: The Purple Diary deals with a cursed book. The AR booklet is the diary and a gateway between your world and the spooky old house. The 3DS system is your Camera Obscura (which is used in Project Zero to snap shots of ghosts to exorcise them). After being sucked into the old haunted house, in return a girl's ghost comes back (into your surroundings) to help, warning of a woman in black inside the house that takes people's faces. Other more maligned spirits exit the pages into your home to inflict damage. You need to snap at the right time to defeat them. Spirit Camera mode allows you to take images in your world (but is sure to capture hidden supernatural beings and spirits lurking around you, as well as those haunting other people!) Cursed Pages utilizes the AR booklet and the system's cameras with a collection of haunted games. Maybe not as in-depth and extensive as some may hope, but this is a very innovative and fun scare of various degrees, sure to send chills up and down many a spine (not just for Halloween season). 7/10
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NATIONAL GIG GUIDE
NATIONAL EVENTS..... October | Battle of the Bands | CPT @ Aandklas, Stellenbosch | Feat: It's back! Aandklas is hosting a Battle of the Bands in October 2012! It is going to be an enormous battle for prizes | www.facebook.com/pages/Aandklas-Stellenbosch Every Sunday | Laid Back Sundays | JHB @ Stones Fourways | 12pm | Free Entry | www.stones.co.za Thurs 4-7 Oct | 49m Rocking the Daisies 2012 | CPT @ Cloof Wine Estate, Darling | Live: Bloc Party, Arno Carstens, Shadowclub and many more | Feat: 7 stages, Food Village, Traders Market, Wine Tasting and more | 15h00 | R70-R520 | www.webtickets.co.za Thurs 4 Oct | Crimson Chrysalis: CD Launch | PTA @ Atterbury Theatre | Live: Crimson Chrysalis | R110 | www.computicket.com
Sat 20 Oct | Riot Fest 3 | DBN @ Live: The Venue | Live: Car boot Vendors, Lowprofile, We Were Archers, Bringing a Shark to a Gunfight | R50 | www.livethevenue.co.za Sun 21 Oct | Mark Haze | W.Cape @ Barnyard Theater - Mosselbay | Live: Mark Haze | 14h00 | R100 | www.thebarnyard.co.za Fri 26-28 Oct | Mieliepop 2012 | JHB @ Tolderia Resort | UriahHeep Naming James, The Country Conquerors, Howlin Shibanski, Chiba Fly, Them Particles, Jeremy Loops, Shotgun Tori, Dan Patlanski, Tidal Waves, and many more | R400R600 | www.mieliepop.com Fri 26-27 Oct | Oktoberfees | CPT @ Zoo Park, Kraaifontein | Live: Karen Zoid, Arno Carstens, Jesse Jordan Band, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Akkedis & Gerald Clark | 11h00 | R70-R120 | www.computicket.com
Thurs 4 Oct | Mary Scary + Champagne Le Roux in Bitches Be Crazy LIVE | JHB @ Cafe Culture | Live: Mary Scary | 14h47 | R100 | www.webtickets.co.za
Sat 27 Oct | Fairmont Community Festival | CPT @ Fairmont High School | Live: Aking, Mark Haze & The Brothers Streep | Feat: Live music, Food & Craft Stalls and Theme Park | 15h00 | R30 | www.fairmontfestival.co.za
Fri 5 Oct | Vodacom Unlimited In The City presents BLOC PARTY | JHB @ Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown | Live: Bloc Party | 19h00 | R265-R700 | www.webtickets.co.za
Sat 27 Oct | Large on the Lawn | JHB @ Marks Park Sports Club | Live: Elvis Blue, Karen Zoid, Shadowclub, Josie Field, Ice Project, Absinthe | 13h00 | R120 | www.ticketbreak.co.za
Sat 6 Oct | Heineken Symphonic Rocks | JHB @ Carnival City | Live: MiCasa and Zahara, Tumi & the Volume, Freshly Ground’s Zolani, Just Jinjer’s Ard Matthews, ChianoSky, MacStanley, Van Koke Cartel, Fokofpolisiekar, Toya Delazy, aKing & Ed Roland (Collective Soul) | 20h00 | R225-R250 | www.computicket.com
Sat 3 Nov | Route 56 Music Festival | KZN @ Stoneybrook | Live: Wonderboom, Shotgum Tori, The Sir Walrus Band, 2nd Life Band, Absinthe, Pieter West, Shadowclub, Black Cat Bones, The Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, &more | 09h00 | R150 | http://www.ticketbreak.co.za
Sat 6-14 Oct | Sun City Superbowl | N.West @ Sun City | Live: Die Heuwels Fantasties and many more | 14h00 | R280-R620 | www.computicket.com Wed 10 & 11 Oct | Karen Zoid & Zolani Mahola Live | CPT @ The Fugard Theatre | Live: Karen Zoid & Zolani Mahola | 20h00 | R110-R140 | www.computicket.com Fri 12 Oct | Kongos | DBN @ Live: The Venue| Live: Kongos | R90-R120 | www.ticketbreak.co.za Sat 13-14 Oct | The Brothers Streep | JHB @ Cafe Culture | The Brothers Streep | 15h00 | R120 | www.webtickets.com Sat 13 Oct | Lekker Local Beer Fest | CPT @ Van Der Stel Sports Grounds, Stellenbosch | Zinkplaat, Loveglove, Pyrotechnics, Willem Welsyn en die Sunrise Toffies, Ballistic Blues, De Wallen | 10h00 | R120 | www.computicket.com Sat 13 Oct | Rocktober | CPT @ Club Vaudeville |The Rockerfellas, The Time Flies & Three More White Guys | 20h00 | R150-R350 | www.gorocktober.co.za Sat 20 Oct | Centurion Rock n Wheels | JHB @ Centurion Rugby Club | Live: Van Coke Kartel, Glaskas and Die Tuindwergies | 16h00 | R120R1000 | www.webtickets.co.za Sat 20 Oct | Niva's 2nd B-Day | CPT @ Aanklas, Stellenbosch |7th Son, Dead Lucky, De Wallen, Four a Penny & The Man Motels | 21h00 | R30 | donya@patriotproductions.co.za
Wed 7 Nov | Linkin Park | CPT @ Cape Town Stadium | Live: Linkin Park | 19h00 | R315-R690 | www.computicket.com
Fri 30 Nov-2 Dec | Synergy Live 2012 | CPT @ Theewaterskloof Dam & Resort | Host: Synergy Live | Over 100 bands, DJ's, Live Acts & Comedians performing on 4 stages | Funfair rides, Main stage, electro Stage, Comedy Stage | Fri 11am - Sun 3pm | R420-R520 | www.synergylive.co.za Fri 30 Nov | Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball SA Tour | JHB @ Soccer City | Lady Gaga, The Darkness & Lady Starlight | R315-R715 | www.computicket.com Sat 1 Dec | Hope 2012 Music Festival | CPT @ Elgin Grabouw Countyry Club | The Parlotones, Watershed, Zebra and Giraffe, The Muffinz and more | 17h00 | R130-R150 | www.computicket.com Sun 2 Dec | Watershed | CPT @ Rhebokskloof Theatre on the Lake | Live: Watershed | 19h00 | R170 | www.computicket.com Mon 3 Dec | Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball SA Tour | @ CT Stadium | Lady Gaga, The Darkness | 19h00 | R315-R715 | www.computicket.com AKING Tour: www.aking.co.za Sat 6 Oct | JHB @ Syphonic Rocks Wed 10 Oct | E.Cape @ Zanzibar Fri 12 Oct | CPT @ Barnyard Theatre Sat 13 Oct | P.E @ Vibes | with Pistola, Huis Najaar, Innerdrive & Stuart Reece Band Sat 27 Oct | CPT @ Fairmont Community Fes | R30 Brass Bell: www.brassbell.co.za Sun 7 Oct | Jon Shaban & BrandNewColony | Sat 13 Oct | Gareth James & Friends | 21h00 | R40 Sun 14 Oct | Southern Gypsy Queen | 18h30 | R40 Sat 20 Oct | Napalma (Brazil) | 21h00 | R40 Sun 21 Oct | Touchwood | 18h30 | R30 Sat 27 Oct | No One's Arc & Sannie Fox | R40 Sun 28 Oct | Shortstraw (JHB), Dave Knowles and Black Market Riots | 18h00 | R40
Sat 10 Nov | Linkin Park | JHB @ Soccer City Café Barcelona: www.cafebarcelona.co.za Complex, FNB Stadium | Live: Linkin Park | 19h00 | R315-R690 | www.computicket.com Thurs 4 Oct | Abel Kraamsaal Band Fri 5 Oct | Classic Rock Project+ Fake Leather Sun 11 Nov | Karen Zoid | JHB @ Barnyard Blues Band Theatre Cresta | Live: Karen Zoid | 20h00 | R120 | Sat 6 Oct | Vana + The Oh So Serious www.barnyardtheatre.co.za Thurs 11 Oct | Kabaal Fri 12 Oct | ACDC Tribute Sat 13 Oct | State Society Tues 13 Nov | Adam Lambert S.A Tour | CPT @ Thurs 18 Oct | Bryan Adams Tribute Grand Arena, Grand West | Live: Adam Lambert | Fri 19 Oct | Chris Chameleon Band 20h00 | R340-R490 | www.computicket.com Sat 20 Oct | Sweating Blood Fri 26 Oct | Jan Blohm Fri 16 Nov | Adam Lambert S.A Tour | JHB @ The Sat 27 Oct | Attack of The Strawberries Coca-Cola Dome | Live: Adam Lambert | 20h00 | Tues 30 Oct | Le-Chelle R315-R515 | www.computicket.com Wed 31 Oct | Piet Botha Thurs 1 Nov | Gert Vlok Nel Sun 18 Nov | Elvis Blue | CPT @ Rhebokskloof Fri 2 Nov | Klopjag Theatre On The Lake | Live: Elvis Blue | 19h00 | Sat 3 Nov | Classic Rock Show R180 | www.computicket.com Thurs 8 Nov | Zinkplaat Fri 9 Nov | Smoking Mojos Sat 24 Nov | Rocking In Spring | DBN @ The Sat 10 Nov | Marcia Moon Wave House | Live: CrashCarBurn, The Graeme Fri 16 Nov | Friday Beyond Watkins Project, David Van Vuuren, and Catlike Sat 17 Nov | Andy Fischer Blues Band Thieves | 16h30 | R120 | www.computicket.com Wed 21 Nov | Kabaal Fri 23 Nov | Andra Fri 30 Nov-Sat 1 Dec | Table Mountain Blues Sat 24 Nov | Valiant Swart Band Summit 2012 | CPT @ Bloemendal Wine Estate, Fri 30 Nov | Deep Blue C Durbanville | Tombstone Pete, Crimson House Blues, Ballistic Blues, Kevin Floyd Project feat. Die Boer: www.dieboer.com Charlie King, Piet Botha Albert Frost Solo, Natasha Meister Band & more | Fri @ 14h30 | Wed 3 Oct | Jesse Jordan Band | R80 R140-R280 | www.computicket.com Thurs 4 Oct | Crushanda & Take Note does Adele | Tue 9 Oct | Open Tuesday | Ratrod Cats & Habit To Wed 10 Oct | Hulle | R80
Are you Rocking with the Kilowatt MA55iVE
TO GET LISTED FOR FREE - email: Thurs 11 Oct | Nibbs van der Spuy & Guy Buttery |Fri 12 Oct | Spontaneous Combustion Blues Band | Thurs 18 Oct | Ryno Velvet | R80 Fri 19 Oct | Albert Frost | R90 Wed 31 Oct | Gian Groen | R80 Thurs 1 Nov | Francois van Coke & Jedd Kossew Unplugged | R80 Sat 3 Nov | Blues Broers | R100 Tue 6 Nov | Open Tuesday | Emile Minnie, Hanru & Jurg Niemand, Saxit | Free Entry Sat 10 Nov | Pebbleman | Richard Pryor, Jesse Jordan, Rob Stemmet & Kevin Gibson | R80 Fri 23 Nov | Adam Tas | R100 Sat 24 Nov | Rupert Mellor & The Thunderbirds | Tue 27 Nov | John Frick band | R80 Firkin Pub: www.firkinpub.co.za Wed 3 Oct | Dixie Hillbillies | R30 Thurs 4 Oct | Theuns Jordaan | R70 Fri 5 Oct | Nagskof | Free b4 9pm | R40 Sat 6 Oct | Anton Botha | Free b4 9pm | R30 Wed 10 Oct | Marcato | R30 Thurs 11 Oct | Jack Parrow | R70 Fri 12 Oct | Jakkie Louw | Free b4 9pm | R40 Sat 13 Oct | Anton Botha | Free b4 9pm | R30 Wed 17 Oct | Dixie Hillbillies | R30 Thurs 18 Oct | Arno Jordaan | R60 Fri 19 Oct | Pieter Smith | Free b4 9pm | R40 Sat 20 Oct | Vintage kings | Free b4 9pm | R30 Goodnight Wembley: www.facebook.com/GoodnightWembley Thurs 4 Oct | CPT @ 49m Rocking the Daisies Fri 12 Oct | CPT @ Mercury Live | Goodnight Wembley & Southern Gypsy Queen Fri 19 Oct | CPT @ Klein Libertas | Goodnight Wembley & The Narrow Habit To: www.habittoband.com Fri 5 Oct | E.Cape @ Raggies | 20h00 | R20 Sat 6 Oct | P.E @ Pool City | 21h00 | R30 Sun 7 Oct | Knysna @ Quay Four | 13h00 | Free Mon 8 Oct | CPT @ Barleycorn | 20h00 | R20 Tue 9 Oct | CPT @ Die Boer | 19h00 | Free Wed 10 Oct | Worcester @ Die Balke | 21h00 | R30 Fri 12 Oct | George @ Zanzibar | 21h00 | R20 Sat 13 Oct | Grahamstown @ Slip Stream | R20 Fri 2 Nov | @ The Red Door, Pietermaritzburg | 21h00 | R30 Sat 3 Nov | KZN @ Route56 Music Festival, Kokstad | 10h00 | R120 Mercury Live Lounge: www.mercuryl.co.za Mon 1 Oct | Sixgun sessions | Fear the Badger, Junkyard Parade, Flynn | R20 | 21h00 Fri 5 Oct | Music without Borders | Hog Hoggidy Hog, Half Price, Grassyspark | R50 | 21h00 Sun 7 Oct | Sonor clinic | JOJO MAYER | 14h00 | Wed 10 Oct | Waxing Lyrical | Guy Buttery, Nibs van der Spuy | R30 | 20h00 Thurs 11 Oct | BluesTown sessions | R30 | 20h00 Fri 12 Oct | Goodnight Wembley! Southern Gypsy Queens | R50 | 21h00 Fri 19 Oct | Play it Forward | Red Light in June, Purple Cry | Free Entrance | 21h00 Sat 20 Oct | The Narrow (Jhb), Beast | 21h00 Wed 24 Oct | Waxing Lyrical feat. 7th Son, Gil Hockman | R30 | 20h00 Thurs 25 Oct | BluesTown sessions | R30 | 20h00 Fri 26 Oct | Van Coke Kartel | R50 | 21h00 Sat 27 Oct | Goth Halloween Party (level 2) Sat 27 Oct | Shake Some Action (level 1) Mon 29 Oct | Sixgun sessions | Real Bits of
Panther, Sonnet 30, The Flow | R20 | 21h00 Obviouzly Armchair: www.obviouzlyarmchair.com Thurs 4 Oct | Josh Roxton | 20h30 | R20/R40 Fri 5 Oct | Long Time Citizen | 20h30 | R20/R40 Sat 6 Oct | Jack Gunn and Niel Smith | R20/R40 Thurs 11 Oct | Philip Malan and Dave Knowles | 20h30 | R20/R40 Fri 12 Oct | Tatum | 20h30 | R20/R40 Sat 13 Oct | Page Mac | 20h30 | R20/R40 Thurs 18 Oct | Tim Hutchinson and Blackwood Rabit | 20h30 | R20/R40 Fri 19 Oct | Tombstone Pete and Us & The Flies | 20h30 | R20/R40 Sat 20 Oct | Dave Ferguson and Ann Jangle | 20h30 | R20/R40 Thurs 25 Oct | Miles Sievwright and Taleswapper | 20h30 | R20/R40 Fri 26 Oct | Manny Walters | 20h30 | R20/R40 Ragazzi Live Bar: alex.ragazzilive@gmail.com Thurs 4 Oct | Hellucifix & Friends | 21h00 | R30 Fri 5 Oct | Juke Royal Sessions | 21h00 | R40 Fri 12 Oct | Dead Lucky & Stoker | 21h00 | R40 Sat 13 Oct | Natasha Meister Band & guests | 21h00 | R40 Wed 24 Oct | Sannie Fox, Phillip Malan and Tombstone Pete | 21h00 | R30 Thurs 25 Oct | Gil Hockman (JHB), Paige Mac and Jon Shaband | 21h00 | R30 Fri 26 Oct | Hillbilly Hoedown | 21h00 Sat 27 Oct | Black South Easter Album launch Tanz Café: www.tanzcafe.co.za Tues 2 Oct | Anything Acoustic Contest "Semi Finals" | R30/R50 Wed 3 Oct | S.A's Top Talent Showcase hosted by Natalie Chapman | R40/R50 Thurs 4 Oct | Holly & The Woods, Support Act: Only Forever | R50 Mon 8 Oct | JoJo Mayer presented by Active Music Tues 9 Oct | Anything Acoustic Contest "Semi Finals" | R30/R50 Wed 10 Oct | S.A's Top Talent Showcase hosted by Natalie Chapman | R40/R50 Thurs 11 Oct | Silent Sneakers, La Cobra, Hashtag Alice & Relentless Mercy | R60 Fri 12 Oct | Jack Parow, Support Act: Action Thrillers | R120 Sat 13 Oct | The Ard Matthews Affair Album Launch | R150 Tues 16 Oct | Tanz Acoustic Showcase | R20 Wed 17 Oct | S.A's Top Talent Showcase hosted by Natalie Chapman | R40/R50 Thurs 18 Oct | Wake To Wonder, State Society, Avenfall, Oktober Hemel | R80 Fri 19 Oct | Dead Alphabet, Man as Machine, Feed the Wolf | R50 Tues 23 Oct | Absinthe | R40 Wed 24 Oct | S.A's Top Talent Showcase hosted by Natalie Chapman | Thurs 25 Oct | The Muffinz | R80 Fri 26 Oct | Josie Field, December Streets, Jeremy Loops, Chris Letcher & Kinky Robot | R80 Sat 27 Oct | ISO, Captain Stu, The Anti Retro Vinyls, Iscream & The Chocolate Stix | R80 Tues 30 Oct | Anything Acoustic Contest "Finals" | Wed 31 Oct | Halloween Party with: Black Cat Bones, Them Particles, Naming James | R50
41
Potchefstroom | 20h00 | R30 Sat 6 Oct | JHB @ Big Top Arena, Carnival City | 20h00 | R225-R250 Tues 9 Oct | Gauteng @ Sink Shack, Bronkhorstspruit | 20h00 | R100 Thurs 11 Oct | F.State @ Mystic Boer, Bloemfontein | 20h00 | R50 Fri 12 Oct | F.State @ Halfway House Hotel, Kimberley | 20h00 | R80 Sat 13 Oct | PTA @ Arcade Empire, Pretoria | 20h00 | R50 Fri 19 Oct | Mpumalanga @ Tin Cups Witbank | 20h00 | R50 Sat 20 Oct | PTA @ Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion | 20h00 | R120 Fri 26 Oct | CPT @ Mercury Live | 20h00 | R50 Sat 27 Oct | PTA @ Rhapsodys Centurion | 20h00 Villa Pascal: www.villapascal.co.za Sat 13 Oct | The Tomboys-Rockin Thru The Ages | 19h30 | R100 Fri 19 Oct | Gerald Clark-Blues & Love Songs | 19h30 | R100 Fri 26 Oct | The Cadillacs-A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac | 19h30 | R100 Sat 10 Nov | Mark Haze | 19h30 |1st 50 tickets R100, thereafter R120 Fri 30 Nov | James “Elvis“Marais-Legends of Rock N Roll | 19h30 | R100 Wolves Café: www.wolves.co.za Thurs 4 Oct | Cable Stealing Gypsies Thurs 11 Oct | Jesse Clegg Thurs 18 Oct | Shaun Jacobs Thurs 25 Oct | Jeremy Loops Thurs 1 Nov | The Howling Shibanski Thurs 8 Nov | Shotgun Tori Thurs 15 Nov | Yo Grapes Thurs 22 Nov | Gabriel Cazes Thurs 29 Nov | Ed Privat Zula Sound Bar: www.zulabar.co.za Thurs 4 Oct | Silent sneakers, like alice Fri 5 Oct | 13th cause presents HipHop vs Trance Sat 6 Oct | Reggae sound cup clash Sun 7 Oct | Only on a sunday vintage market Fri 12 Oct | Rocktober party ft shannon strange, flynn, grassy spark Fri 19 Oct | Lu fuki live Sat 20 Oct | Juke royal, al bairre, woodstock mafia Sat 20 Oct | Very ape, silent slide Fri 26 Oct | Bodyspectra bodypainting extravangza Sat 27 Oct | Heroes and villains Halloween party
Van Coke Kartel: www.vancokekartel.co.za Wed 3 Oct | N.West @ Memphis Rock,
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