All things music.
Jerain, a Namibian-born urban alt-pop singer-songwriter currently based in Cape Town, just released her newest single, Gold, today. It’s an interesting song, lyrically, that explores the inside of the music business, and addresses some of the challenges and ups-and-downs that come with writing and recording songs.
If you haven’t heard of Gerald Clark yet, you’ll almost certainly recognise him as the cool and lively “Afroboer” bluesman who regularly pops up on festival and other stages throughout South Africa. Last year he released his fourth album, titled Afroboer & the GoldenGoose, which was largely inspired by his meeting his girlfriend, the titular Goose.
Recently, Clark and the GoldenGoose gave up their home and comforts, deciding to settle for a nomadic lifestyle. They describe themselves as “happy campers” – traveling the country and permanently touring. We stole a few minutes of Gerald’s time between shows to ask him about this interesting journey.
Before Fokofpolisiekar and The Parlotones, the breakthrough, height-of-alternative rock band from South Africa was Springbok Nude Girls. I don’t know if they were really “a band who captured the imagination of a generation” [the film’s tagline], but they were definitely big, important, and defining in the history of South African music. The film is a production by Thinking Owl Films in association with Sony Music Entertainment Africa. It’s unclear exactly where the money for the movie came from, which means we don’t know how biased or objective the film really is. Is it a true documentary, or more of a propoganda publicity piece that helps promote the band’s latest shows?
“Love, to me, is all about connection.” That’s Stanley June‘s definition – and you’d want a definition from someone who just released a single called Define Love. “Sharing a bond with someone or something. Something you miss when you can’t be with it and something that you treasure when it’s in your presence. Losing what you love can often bring confusion or upset, and that is what the song ‘Define Love’ is about.”
The Graeme Watkins Project released their first new single in years: Love in Abundance, with a beautiful accompanying video. Though their Facebook page describes the band as an “Electro Indie Rock” group, the new song doesn’t sound very electro, but it still contains elements that’ll thrill dance floors.
For their fifth birthday party, recordingstudios.co.za is throwing a party at The Good Luck Bar in Johannesburg, in support of a charity called Hi Hopes. With this event, they’re aiming to raise money to fund cochlear implants and to buy hearing aids, giving children the gift of hearing – and therefore music! The party happens on 25 June, and will feature performances by Shortstraw, Naming James, David Beretta Owens, Hellcats, and PitVirus.
We spoke to Alastair Thomas of Shortstraw about the band, the charity, and the future.
Acoustic Element is a dynamic and exciting acoustic pop duo from Cape Town – and cousins to boot. They don’t have degrees in music, but they sound like they might. Their music seems like unplugged versions of EDM – infectious, energetic, and lively. We asked one of the cousins, Callen Petersen, a few questions about the band and their latest release – For The Day (feat. Four).
Ten spyte van wat Chris Chameleon graag wil hê ons moet glo, het Ingrid Jonker nie popliedjies geskryf nie. Jonker se naam vergestalt tragedie, maar ook betowerende en bewonderde poësie. Haar dogter, Simone, saam met Ernesto Garcia Marques en Paul Blom, het ‘n tribute-projek aangepak vir die 50ste herdenking van haar dood: Die Kind is Nog Jonger is ‘n dubbel-CD waarop 36 diverse bands/musikante toonsettings van Jonker se gedigte opgeneem het. Die doel met hierdie projek is om Jonker se onsterflike woorde te laat herleef, en terselfdertyd te beskerm.
Die snitlys bevat ‘n eklektiese klomp name: Van Kalahari Surfers, Victor Wolf, Inge Beckmann, Die Naaimasjiene, Beeskraal, Mavis Vermaak, Zaria, Abraham van Geenbybel, Somerfaan, Gert Vlok Nel, Francois Breytenbach Blom (van K.O.B.U.S.), The Radio Rats, Jim Neversink, Rambling Bones, tot Terminatryx.
The name Hezron Chetty is not known to many people. And this saddens me. Somehow society has introduced us to pretty dreadful artists like Selena Gomez and Nicki Minaj, leading to the true artists of the world becoming unheard and unseen. Well, let’s change that, shall we?
The official release of a brand new song and video by the Capetonian Hezron Chetty aims to combine art, music and video – all in one powerful blow. Hezron stays true to his New Age instrumental roots with the release of See Journey, but shares a deep personal glimpse that the world has never seen before.
“It’s an incredible event,” Hellcats say, about the annual Capital Craft Beer Festival. “Probably the best beer festival in the country.” They’re on the lineup for this year’s event on 11 June at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens, providing just one part of a wide and eclectic soundtrack to accompany your appreciation of the craft beers on display.
We’ve been to other beer fests where SAB beers are the only thing on sale and Kurt Darren is the headliner, and the organizers wonder why everyone’s blikseming each other at sundown.”
Hellcats is a two piece, stripped down, bare knuckle rock n roll band from Johannesburg. They are Alessandro Benigno on drums and vocals, and Warwick Rautenbach on guitar. And they believe it’s very important to keep the age-old traditional combination of rock & roll and beer alive. “If people didn’t have beer at our gigs, we probably wouldn’t have any fans.”
