Going to be on a bit of a down-low for a while due to lack of internet access. But in the mean time, check out our own Sulene V (guitar goddess from Cape Town)’s Boston based band, Helicopria, with their new vocalist Allison French. Powerful vocals with dubstep like electronic beats. Pretty amped to hear what’s next!
Rolling Stone is iconic for its covers. As a musician or band gracing the cover of Rolling Stone would probably signify ultimate success in their music career. The general perception is that appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone is your one way ticket to rock stardom in the music world. So with the recent addition of Rolling Stone South Africa to the franchise, one cannot help but wonder whether the magazine will live up to this perception and advocate the parent magazine, yet still be credited as an independent magazine with an opinion of its own. Or whether it will just jump the on the band wagon (excuse the pun) instead of making its own claim to fame independently and become “just another Rolling Stone publication”.
Miles Keylock, ex-English language, literature and drama lecturer at the University of Cape Town turned full time music journalist and more recently editor of Rolling Stone SA, smashes all doubt that the magazine is just a spin-off hoping to feed off the success of the Rolling Stone brand. Miles says that Rolling Stone SA aims to be the voice of South African pop culture by telling the “untold stories” of our local musicians. When asked about how the magazine goes about choosing who will feature the cover, Miles challenged the general perception that one has to be a musical genius by stating that Rolling Stone doesn’t necessarily only look for the most amazing artists.
“We’re interested in artists who have something to say. Just because you’re a good musician doesn’t mean you have a story to tell […] You’ve got to have attitude […] It’s about navigating where we live in. SA is full of contradictions and paradoxes […] The stories centre on answering and trying to figure out how to live in this strange world.”
While Rolling Stone is indeed a magazine that focuses on music, we need to realise that South Africa is drenched in rich culture and therefore our art, in this particular case music, is a representation of that culture. This is something that Rolling Stone SA stresses with each story and each cover.
However, this idea of the right “attitude” and finding ones way in this “strange world” we call home sparks a little bit of hope for all the artist struggling to “make it” in the music scene. Knowing that it is possible for an indie band from the southern suburbs of Cape Town to one day claim a Rolling Stone cover says a lot for the way in which the industry is growing. Heck, South Africa landing its own Rolling Stone alone proves that internationally our music industry is being recognised and acknowledged, that said if they pull it off well.
While Rolling Stone intends to give local music a platform through which their stories can be told we cannot ignore the fact that it is a business and that they actually have to meet a sales quota and all those other boring things that come with running a magazine that has such a great legacy. Miles mentions some of the battles the magazine has to face when it comes to choosing who goes on the cover or which stories will be published. Investors naturally have their investments best interests in mind and tend to try and influence the magazine’s choices in a way that will benefit that said investment. There is often the situation when they have to choose between a “safe” cover like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, that could possibly sell more copies or a riskier cover featuring an unknown local artist like Spoek Mathambo (May) with an interesting story. However, Rolling Stone has thus far remained true to the “underdogs” and have dedicated seven of the eight covers to local artists, pointing us in the direction of talent that is right under our noses.
On that note, not only does Miles seem to be a professed supporter of local music but also seems to back the young journalist. When asked what made a piece worth publishing he simply said that it was passion and heart. He went on to saying that lack of passion would prove to be a problem if one wanted to be a successful writer. These wise words spoke both to the young journalists in the room as well as all struggling musicians out there. However, let’s not forget that at least a tiny bit of talent is still needed…
Rolling Stone SA’s ethos represents an overwhelming support to all that is African culture and all those artists who were never given the opportunity to tell South Africa and the world their stories. Thus far Rolling Stone has proved that it can carry on the legacy of its father publication yet at the same time stay loyal to South Africa’s roots.
If you have not seen it yet (this is a rather delayed post after all) then check out my review of The Sleepers, Black Moscow and Wild Eastern Arches at Mercury last month on the SA Music Scene website:
The Psychedelic Sounds of The Sleepers, Black Moscow and Wild Eastern Arches
The journey has been long and hard but not without its fun. CY.STR took the stage for the last time at the Jolly Roger on the 11th May. After a line-up change that left vocalist Nadia Darries as the only original member of the band with current band members Dominique Moller (drums), JP Monroe (bass) and Stephen Alfreds (guitar), they decided that it was time to bid far well to the name that had brought the band this far, and with that a change in sound. And they made sure that they would go out with a bang!
From left: Nadia, JP, Dominque and Stephen
As one of the founding members I was lucky enough to be a part of the humble and somewhat naïve beginnings of the band that was first called Ellipsis. It all began when four friends (Faren “Wys Jou Bass” September – Bass, Tiffany Serenge – Drums, Abdeah Davis – Rhythm Guitar and Nadia Darries – Vocals and Guitar) with one thing in common, the love for music, sat around an old piano in a crowd little make-shift music room at a high school in Diep River, listening to Nadia belting out the dark emo lyrics of Scars. We picked up a couple of instruments with the intention to mess about for a bit. Yeah sure, everyone wants to be in a band but we only dreamt of someday gracing the stage of Mercury or Gandalf’s (big dreams hey?) and never thought that one day we would be playing venues like these almost every weekend.
Camera and an empty plot right next door. Well there you have it, the first band picture.
Many Variety Shows, Carnivals and a couple of Battle of the Bands behind us plus the addition of a manager, Ellipsis became CY.STR. It was with this change that the band had decided that maybe it was time to leave the safety of a tiny music room and take the world by storm.
First Independent gig at a pub in the Northern Suburbs opening for Cold Hand Chemistry and Pariah Born. Photograped by RandomTams Photography.
Adorned Niva Fest and the Niva Battle of the Bands in early 2011 marked the beginning of the gigging phase. It also marked the beginning of friendships with bands Anton Syndrome whom CY.STR has continued to have the privilege of sharing the stage with and whom CY.STR decided to share the stage with for one last time at The Final Bow.
Adorned Niva Fest 2011. Photographed by Nathan H Roberts Photography.
The Niva Battle of the Bands saw CY.STR in the finals alongside Monolith, Anton Syndrome and My Flawless Ending. While the band did not take the title home, the only way from there was up and so the band became regulars at The Purple Turtle, playing a couple of Niva Record’s Events. The band went on to recording Plastic Lies and Walking Down The Street both which have had radio play on Bush Radio throughout 2011. Plastic Lies was also featured on Good Hope FM soon after the Battle.
Nadia looking like a mother****ing ROCKSTAR at the Niva Battle of the Bands Finals.
However, in June both Tiffany Serenge and Faren September decided that it was time to move on from the “rock star” dream and pursue different things.
With a cheeky attitude and epic bassing the forever energised Jacky Roodt head-banged her way into CY.STR, Dorito’s and Marshmallows not far behind her. While Jacky is an amazing bassist, I quite honestly think it was the “chubby-bunny” incident that secured her place in the band. CY.STR has always been obsessed with food and the fact that a tiny girl like Jacky could kick our asses in Chubby Bunny (see who can stuff their mouth with the most marshmallows and say still say “chubby bunny” without choking) meant that she must be a keeper. Jacky added groove to the sound and made us come alive on stage, and sometimes in her case, off stage and in the crowd.
Jacky, like a boss in the crowd at the Jolly Roger. And yes, that is Tiffany! In the front row of every gig I tell you… Photographed by RandomTams Photography
Tiffany continued to play with the band until September when Nadia and manger Muneebah Dawson discovered current drummer Dominique Moller on a train ride home. After an audition in a music store and a jam session in a garage Dominique became a permanent member.
Dominique at Rock the River SA
Since, CY.STR has appeared on national television, played Rock the River SA 2011/12, Mercury, Zula Sound Bar, opened for Machineri at The Jolly Roger and gotten food in places they shouldn’t…
Meanwhile backstage…
In March both Jacky and I left the band resulting in the addition of JP on bass and Stephen on guitar. Over the last two years CY.STR has managed to make a tremendous contribution on behalf of the females in the alternative music scene.
From left: Nadia, Abdeah (me), Tiffany, Faren, Stephen, JP and Dominique at The Jolly Roger.
As the original band stepped off The Jolly Roger’s stage after playing Mr Potato Head With His Angry Eyes (yes, that is the name of the song) they handed over to the current line up and joined the crowd like a bunch of groupies.
CY.STR’s Final Bow
While the band stuck to the usual set list, with the exception of an instrumental. They abandoned the easy on the ear sound that CY.STR was known for and replaced it with heavier elements, leaning towards a more progressive sound. This approach seemed to work with most of the songs; however, there are certain songs where simplicity would have been more appropriate. But this didn’t stop the crowd from singing along to their favourites.
If these changes in sound say anything about the direction in which the band is going, it’s that the new material will be interesting and a lot more experimental. CY.STR’s Final Bow was a gig that will not be soon forgotten. Live piercings, good music and an awesome crowd; I wish the band well with their new ventures. All that’s left to do now is wait patiently for them to announce the new band name. Any suggestions?
FRESH off the stage opening for The Great Apes’ album launch, Rosemary Towns End is on the burn. The young Capetonian three-piece opened for local music juggernauts over just the last year like Fokofpolisiekar, Taxi Violence, The Plastics, Machineri, and the list goes on… they’re not stopping just yet.
Rosemary Towns End is a surf-alternative-gypsy-moonlight hard-rocking band. Set in a time of an inbred local music scene slowly homogenising with the ‘alternative rock’ genre, what sets Rosemary Towns End apart.
I sat them down after their charged performance at The Assembly to find out just that. Over the blaring music, the band and I shared some powerful views on music as a whole, and gained some serious insight what makes the band work so well in the bigger picture. From the very beginning I could tell that this was not going to be just another jumbled conversation about “how drunk the band gets” during rehearsals. Each member took a breath watched me, as if preparing to arrange their deepest, unspoken world views into comprehensive phrases for the first time.
Cyle Myers, guitarist, vocalist and frontman of the three-piece sets the tone. He explains that it was a focus on enjoying their own music that motivated them through the massive growth they’ve seen in the last year: “I feel like it was not such a big focus on progression. It was more of a personal progression.” Myers explains. “Even if people don’t dig the music, I dig it more.”
Performing and progressing in a band is a mere added bonus to what they already enjoy. The band’s desire to create passionate music shone through in the performance: Every time a photographer snapped, he would probably capture at least one band member radiating (and dripping with) cosmic enjoyment. It’s a charm that seems to draw more listeners in itself.
So who is Rosemary Towns End? And what is the formula that has been working so well for them? I arranged our conversation into four main themes… for your convenience.
Aunty Rose
“Our childhood friend’s mother’s name is Rosemary Townsend. We quite liked that.” Jaryd Davidson, bassist of the beast, depicts the early roots of the band’s conception. “There’s another deep, crap philosophical meaning behind it, but let’s stick with Rosemary Townsend is our friend’s Mom for now”.
Prior to forming the band, the members’ friendships extend back into their school days. “I think we were fifteen or something, and a whole bunch of us were like cool, let’s just start a band,” Myers describes, gazing into a portal depicting his high school days which seemed to be behind my head. “But then it was like a passion… so you kinda stick with it.”
The band reports to draw “powerful wisdom” from Aunty Rose’s words to this day. Even though they have come this far, it is clear they are in touch with their roots.
A Process of Deconstruction
“We take a lot of time in writing our newer stuff. A song breaks down into almost nothing before it becomes something again.” Asher Gamedze, juggernaut drummer depicts the band’s inner creative processes clearly – “Someone would come up with a riff or something, and sometimes the whole idea becomes completely deconstructed.” Members are seldom indifferent when a new idea begins to float. It gets processed through each member and rebuilt –over and over – until it satisfies the band as a whole.
The band recently recorded some demo tracks, including their acclaimed single “California Lover”. One can hear the tightness already taking shape at this early stage of the band’s life. The band consists of three extremely talented members, even though they may be too humble to acknowledge it themselves. “I think, like on that California Lover type of vibe, the riffs are the essential elements of the song. So a lot of my drum parts work to emphasise the groove or certain aspects of the riff.” Asher explains, taking a moment to reflect before continuing – “But in terms of ‘writing process’ – Someone would come up with a riff or something and that whole idea becomes completely deconstructed.”
“You can have a good riff and you can eventually progress to a stage where you don’t even use that riff anymore,” Davidson expands on the theory, with almost verbatim understanding of his drummer. “You know, you’ve written a whole song, starting on a riff, and that riff’s not even in the song anymore.” These days it is common to find bands with one dominant writer with his or her instrument-slaves carrying out his or her bidding. The members of Rosemary Towns End, however, are unattached to their individual contributions and focus solely on the final outcome of their machine. “It’s a band – a creative process,” Gamedze emphasises. The issue of individual egos is tossed aside long before the writing process begins. They seem to acknowledge their position as vessels of music, channelling a larger flow of ideas on a much greater scale than “gluing riffs together”. They are doing all they can to make their contribution to creating the music.
Three Members, One Mind
“It’s a journey – tightness is a journey.” Everyone in the room turns to pay attention Gamedze explains “I think…for every musician and every band.” Each member of band acknowledges that being only a three-piece, the central demand of the day is ‘tightness’. This is even more so in their raw and organic music style. The depth that each member (including the drummer, seriously) goes into when describing the creative process speaks for itself.
“Writing our new stuff has been really collaborative, like everyone has an equal say in it.” Gamedze articulates over the music overpowering The Assembly’s main floor.
“I think everybody brings such a different unique perspective to it,” Myers expands. “And it ends up being better as you have three creative minds working towards something… and it’s different to what you heard in your head originally, which I really enjoy!” Although each member comes from vastly different music listening veins, they all strive for something new when it comes to the direction of their music. The greatly different individual styles are not undermined in the band… they are emphasised. The contrasts in their music styles actually complement one another in the overall writing process – forming the tasty final product we all enjoy.
“Writing music is very different to just listening to what you like; and trying to recreate what someone else has done,” Davidson repeats, looking to his musical brothers who give their nonverbal approval. “We can’t really say that ‘I’m listening to this and to recreate something like that,’” he suddenly mimics in a baritone. “We’re writing to play for this band that we enjoy playing – which is different.” He is interrupted by Gamedze – “Yeah, although I may be influenced by a wide range of music style like hip-hop and reggae, we’re just trying to write music that we all like as musicians.” Gamedze slouches further into his seat but maintains piercing eye contact, making me take everything he says a bit more seriously. A contemplating moment, followed by a univocal agreement, “…Yeah.”
One could compare the aspired ‘tightness’ of Rosemary Towns End’s live experience to a one-man acoustic act. Each member focuses on making his contribution to the stream of music as effectively as possible. They may be three, but they all link up to some kind of matrix of collective consciousness as one. They are extensions devoted to painting the larger picture of their music as one body. In the next battle of the bands, their only competitor may in fact be the four-armed Indian Goddess Shiva.
The Bigger Picture
Cyle Myers and Jaryd Davidson decided to start the band back in high school. They just wanted to do something to pursue their passion of playing the guitar more intensely. The desire to unite in communal musicianship was the main reason for starting the band – to make something bigger than them. This is still evident today. It started out light-heartedly, but when they brought on the big gun from Jo’burg Asher Gamedze, the band was pushed towards a new direction – the journey to becoming tight.
“I think, when Asher joined the band, he really wanted to be a lot tighter. I felt the push,” Explains Myers, throwing wide smiles to all within a two-metre radius. “I was like, ‘okay now I need to start practicing!’ So it clicked.” The band members continue to push and motivate each other as they had in the beginning. The result: an on-going process of progression. “So now we need to write stuff that’s a bit more… complex.”
The larger cosmic entity that is Rosemary Towns End drove Davidson into playing the bass with more dedication. “Only when we started playing gigs, I actually realised “people are watching. It’s probably time to play a little bit better.”” He recalls only starting to take it seriously about nine months ago. “I like to think I don’t play so badly for someone who has only been playing for a about a year… although earlier this evening Asher was making fun of me, saying that a deaf person has more groove than me.” Gamedze responds with a roar of laughter.
“I feel we’re really enjoying what we’re doing now,” Davidson lights up. “The fact that we’re getting to play with some of our favourite South African bands has been one of the coolest things”. The band feels that this is a ‘good season’ to be making this much progression in the music industry – and they are enjoying where they are right now. The band is currently speaking of plans to get a new record released, looking to improve on their previous work.
“The old recordings, whoa – those are bad. Let’s forget about those,” Myers jokes. “We need to get a recording. And get a music video together. Well for me, that’s the future at the moment.”
Otherwise, “just enjoying where things are going” is a good enough reason for them to keep making music together. The future looks alive for this band, and so does their contribution to the music world.
“This is a good season to be in – So I’m ready.” The members of this band hold a dangerous combination of enjoyment, determination and pure talent. We ought to be ready too.
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