Putting SA music in the Oxjam mix...

A great idea popped into my inbox this morn. A simple concept of claiming an entire month as a 'music festival', stating it in the name of charity - and then putting it out there as an opportunity for anyone to step up to the challenge and create their own event as part of this festival...

The event is the Oxjam October music festival, taking place in the UK, but seemingly anywhere in the world would suffice...

Stats from last year's Oxjam claim that over 700 events took place across the UK, from Inverness in Scotland, to Brighton on the south coast. And over 200,000 people attended an Oxjam event - thus making it the UK's biggest music festival they say.

Now I don't know my Glasto facts and figures, but I'm guessing they don't hit the 200,000 mark although I' always assumed it would be about that many thousand muddy people gathered in the fields of Somerset!

But back to Oxjam - Oxfam's month-long music festival... so they're on the lookout for people who've got what it takes to organise their own music events in October in the UK (or elsewhere, why not?)!

Yes, that's right - hundreds of events, in dozens of towns and cities, involving thousands of artists, all run by volunteers and all raising money for Oxfam!

Find out more about Oxjam and how you could get involved... much like the famed South African Ox braais, I think SA music and culture can add much to the Oxjam festival! Perhaps the likes of UK-based SA artists What Now, Starseed, Feral Sun, Steve Peralta, Samantha Horwill and more will want to do their bit for humankind?

People who wanna put on an event need to register an event by end of May and they will then be invited to attend an Oxjam training day run in partnership with LiveNation and the Academy Music Group!

Rock on music events to be created by the masses,
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Lord and Lady...

This day always strikes a bell in my brain and I am reverted to my youth of remembering the 22 February as the birthday of both Lord and Lady Baden-Powell - them of course being, the ones who started scouting as a movement! 

And most South Africans have tied a knot or two in the followings of Scouts or Guides, and learnt how to make a fire or bandage an arm in order to earn a badge!

But here in London, many years on, life is more than earning badges. Rather, it seems, we are tasked with building that fire or bandaging that arm - sans instructions - and left to our own creative interpretations as long as we get the job done. And of course, badges these days are few and far between! But when those little 'badges' of appreciation and recognition do come our way, what a pleasure it is indeed to be acknowledged with a wee little thank you or well done!

But as always, back to the music, and what does this all have to do with the music? Well, nothing and everything. Mostly to say, that musicians and those who work in the industry from event organising to the management of a band and all the detailed details of organising anything to the media side where an artist's story comes together in black and white (and hopefully with a pic too!)

And so, a big shout out to everyone who behind the scenes spends hours building websites, band profiles, artist insight and of course building of bands as well as members come and go. And so two South African bands have recently undergone the 'hunt for a drummer' debacle... First up is Feral Sun who will be live and on stage tonight for the first time in a while, catch them at Zulus in Fulham!

Then there are the whispers of when SA/Zim band Mann Friday are really getting back together. Word is, yes! When is still being finalised - but when ever that is (now nearly a year since they 'went fishing') - it will indeed be worth catching them again!

Looking back on the weeks that were, with Karen Zoid recently here - catch a review of the unique gig in this week's South African newspaper. And alongside this was a snippet of news that CT electro duo have gone global. Yip, Goldfish in a global pond! Signed by Pacha, they will be touring the US and then stopping off in the UK too. Def a date to wait for!

And also in this week's South African paper, a long and insightful look at the issues of how producers influence artists' work and also how artists have to be more and more creatively clever to get the ticket-buying-attention of fans! All this is woven around Karma who provides us with insight into the many facets of being an artist! Catch her next week Thursday and Friday at the Halfmoon in Putney, or a week after that on a little trip on the London Eye! Spaces limited of course!

Well, it sure has been a while since I wrote and judging by the length of this update, I will endeavour to write shorter interim versions more often! Keep reading here for all the music news and insight around South African artists in and around London!

Rock on,
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Less than 2 weeks to go to Crimbo...

It is indeed the silly season and I seem to have lost the last 2 weeks since Nib's amazing Sunday soothings of instrumental guitar and great songs.

The next two weeks will undoubtedly fly by as well. In the lead up to Christmas, of which in two weeks from now it will all be over already... I know from endless experience that all the good bits of life normally fly by faster than the not so good bits!

In the two weeks that I've been silent, many good things have been going down! Last weekend alone I had three Christmas parties, my entire amount of invites for 2007 crammed into one weekend. One of which was glamourous enough to be in Paris. I even managed to sneak a peak at the Sacre Coeur as I ran up the hill to Montmarte in the pouring rain. My iPod playlist complimented the moment perfectly, and staring at the massive white mound of church sitting on that hill completed the special memory that I was indeed in Paris, albeit for a few hours of a day!

From there I Eurostar'ed it back to the UK and down to Basingstoke for the next party of turkey and trimmings. Only to head back to London the next day for the 3rd and final Christmas do! Sunday was carried out in honour of the very rainy weather, and many movies were indulged in!

Back to the 'weeks before Christmas' though. And this may be a good thing due to the busy time of year. But I am left wondering - "Where are all the South African bands hiding? Is it hibernation time, or are they doing their Christmas planning and present shopping too?"

Or perhaps, is it that they have followed their innate sensibilities and headed south to the sunshine. Hhhmmm, I think the latter option is a sensible guess. Along with all the Uk-based South Africans clutching their golden Christmas flight tickets, waiting for their Heathrow haggle of queues and security checks... so too are a few overseas bands doing the heading home thing!

Most notably is the mass SA-exodus from the US! Three of SA's top export bands have all headed south... Just Jinjer have already landed and performed on 1 Dec at Nelson Mandela's 46664 concert for Aids Day in Johannesburg (following a show in London the night before). Then there is Seether, the first of the SA bands to truly break the US. And most recent of bands to climb into the mouth of the LA music tiger, being Wickhead!

You can catch all these bands around SA over the festive season. So keep your ears open if you're heading home! One of the most exciting events being the Phoenix Rising festival in Kenton (near Knysna) where Seether will be headlining!

But if you are still London-bound, fear not... for some good SA music is still going down on the next two Fridays. This Friday sees the Clapham Grand kick into life with Feral Sun and Starseed, and the following Friday at Mass in Brixton will be Starseed again as well as Free State Prophets.
Catch Starseed while you can as they will soon be stepping stateside to dip a toe in the US market and suss the scene over there! Indeed, all the best to them and their sound which I feel will match the market hunger nicely!

In the last two weeks that I missed, there was also Woodstock festival which happened at home. Aaah, summer festivals. I guess its only fair now for the South Africans to enjoy summer and music! And for us in the UK, we already have the line ups being dangled in front of us for upcoming festivals in 2008! I for one will definately be at Jack Johnson on 2 July in Hyde Park!

A long overdue catch up, and more to come near the new year! May your next two weeks be as sane as possible!

Rock on silly season!
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