6 degrees of SAMA 2011 separation...

Its been a while since we did a good 6 degrees of separation, and in the spirit of the recent South African Music Awards, we bring you some SA music trivia in this fun format...

Are you ready to read all about it...?

1. I really should write more about Yoav, the Israeli-born, Cape Town-based, world travelling musician who won 'Best Alternative Album English' at this year's SAMAs.

I once met Yoav (right) at Zebra & Giraffe's album launch in Stellenbosch at the end of 2010 - he was the support artist - and a very lovely guy!

We also met Z&G's lead singer Greg Carlin (below), a very friendly guy and possibly the tallest SA muso I've met (ok, so maybe just shy of Kurt Darren's 6.4)

2. Zebra & Giraffe, who I adore, performed 'The end of the road' at the SAMAs, a track off their latest album 'The Inside' (which was nominated for Best English Rock Album, but which was won by Prime Circle).

3. Amongst the other live acts at the SAMAs, was a SAMA special combo act - two artists who both had one of their songs nominated for Record of the Year. One part was the Durban girl group The Arrows with their successful radio single 'Lovesick' combined with SA's R&B crooner, Loyiso Bala and his popular radio hit 'Wrong for you'!

4. Next up, what would the 2011 SAMAs be without acknowledging the band who dominated the interweb in 2010. And if their name was in English, it would sound similar to the 'Lovesick ladies' (The Answer / The Arrows - geddit?). With Ninja singing on stage and Yo-landi floating above the audience much like a ninja-styled butterfly, it was apt as she sung 'Ai-i-ya-i-ai.. I am your butterfly!'

5. Ninja, the main man from Die Antwoord, on accepting the 'International Achievement Award', said (and I paraphrase) "I'd like to thank all the people in the overseas who helped Die Antwoord with their first SAMA!" When collecting the award, Ninja was wearing a very unique patterned suit, and with no shirt underneath, you could see his washboard stomach and the array of seemingly homemade tattoos for which he has become famous. (And Yo-landi, for what its worth, was dressed in an orange, over-sized fluffy bear outfit thing!)

6. And talking about 'the people in the overseas', just to say that to everyone reading ZAmmm! - there will be more plenty more insights on artists like Israeli-born, Cape Town bred (and according to some sites, London-based), or at least 'world-based' Yoav. I know he was abroad for a while, maybe he too is home now. But as with all great SA musicians - have SAMA, will travel :)


Rock on SA artists coming to London, and being recognised for their work,
x

Look who made the list...

I always find this a fun litmus test for how much of the industry I actually know! From my love of rock and singer songwriters in South Africa - the SAMA nominations always remind me just how much more there is out there in our rainbow nation! From Maskandi to Venda, Afrikaans to jazz, gospel and Kwaito - oh, and not forgetting the overwhelming following of dance music in SA!

Here are a selection of SAMA categories and nominations that got me excited and crossing digits and congratulating artists (with little stars to show extra love):

Album of the year

Flash Republic – Killer Moves *

Liquideep – Fabrics Of The Heart *

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde *

Professor – University Of Kalawa Jazmee

Zakes Bantwini – Love, Light & Music

Duo/Group of the year

Flash Republic – Killer Moves *

Kwela Tebza – Gauteng Made In South Africa/Mzansi

Liquideep – Fabrics Of The Heart *

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde *

Tumi & The Volume – Pick a Dream *

Best Music Video of the year
Freshlyground – Chicken To Change *

Nomfusi – Nontsokolo

Teargas – Goodfellaz

The Parlotones – The Stars Fall Down *

The Parlotones – Life Design

Best Rock Album: English
John Ellis – My Own Way Home

Prime Circle – Jekyll & Hyde

The Narrow – You Don’t Get To Quit *

The Parlotones – Live Design

Zebra & Giraffe – The Inside *

Best Pop Album: English
Danny K – Across The Line

Jax Panik – I Am Jax Panik *

Locnville – Sun In My Pocket

Louise Day – Swallowed By The City 

The Arrows – Make Believe *

Record of the year (the only category voted for by the public - my thoughts below!)

Alone – Liquideep

Breathing – Prime Circle Good song, but not a winner in this category.

Bum Bum – Zakes Bantwini

Dreamer – Arno Carstens * 

Fire Is Low – Freshlyground

Get Busy Living – Goldfish

Hobie Beach – Kinky Robot

Imoto – Professor

It's A Party – Jozi

Lovesick – The Arrows * It's stuck in my head and I don't mind

Love You Better (w/ Rue-Groove) – Crazy White Boy * Addictive. Like.

Mama (w/ Ringo) – Black Coffee

Ngisemthanda (w/ Joocy, DJ Tira & Dr Duda) – DJ CNDO

Potoko (w/ Juice Matute) – DJ Mahoota

Show Dem (w/ HHP) – JR I'm sure this was on the same list last year!?

Turn Up The Volume – Auriol Hays

Twisted – Crash Car Burn * Impressed every time I hear it on radio!

Warrior – Louise Carver Great track, great collaboration!

Woza – Jaziel Brothers

Wrong For You – Loyiso


Click here for the full list of 2011 SAMA nominations.

Almost as good as live music for me, is the chance to buy a really good SA music DVD - something which not many artists in this country have done well yet - so some other nominations I'm excited for include Nibs van der Spuy's amazing 'Live at the Vagabond Cafe' DVD  for 'Best Jazz/ Instrumental/ Popular Classical DVD' and both Locnville and The Parlotones in 'Best Global Chart DVD'!

Coming up tops as SA artists who have been abroad a fair bit with most nominations from a quick glance, we have Prime Circle leading with 6 (ahead of Parlotones with 4), Liquideep with 5 and then a few more with 4, namely Flash Republic, Freshlyground, Zakes Bantwini (must google), Professor (need to find out more about this Durban Kwaito artist), Louise Carver and Goldfish, followed by Locnville with 3 - and a couple of nods for Karen Zoid, Nianell, the Arrows, Jax Panik and Loyiso Bala too!

Rock on to all those celebrating the night away at the SAMA nomination party,

x

Yes, I'm guilty...

As a true original, rock-loving, leaning-towards-acoustic singer songwriter lyrical loving music type girl, I feel I've commited some sort of music sin...

I've got Musica partly to blame for making such music so accessible and reasonably priced at R99.95. And for a double CD - score! Now, it is time to admit my little secret and tell you just what it is that I bought... Any guesses thus far? Any particular CDs you would consider as a shocking purchase?

Well, the moment of truth is that the album I bought isn't even an original album. Its a compilation. Ok, so that's the second hint. Double CD compilation. Ok... so, I have just become the owner (by choice of course) - of Now 56! Does that make me a bad music person?

I have this thing about not supporting big international commercial artists unless they are true musicians and passionately into their art. Especially since this is where most record labels tend to spend their marketing budgets, because they know that these are easy artists to sell. So instead of investing in local talent, they'd rather spread the next J'Lo or Justin Bieber - of which neither probably writes their own songs, music or gets involved with much more than photo shoots, press events and live performances.

But what did ease my conscience was just how many SA artists are actually on the album. And also, the reason I bought it - as is often the case with music - is for purposes of nostalgia...

You see, this trip to SA has been just shy of four fabulous months - and I've been loving my driving time, while listening back and forth between 5FM and KFM. And with many awesome SA tracks on the radio a lot more than I've recalled in the past, its been delightful to hear some great SA songs on radio.

While the SA artists on Now 56 are the more well known SA ones, at least they are on there. And at 9 tracks out of a total 41 on the two CDs, that is nearly 25% which is akin to the local radio station local radio play. I hope that by Now 58 we are at 50% of local stuff versus international commercial overkill.

SA artists on Now 56:
- The Arrows: Lovestruck
- Goldfish: Get busy living
- The Parlotones: The stars fall down
- Locnville: Love rush
- Prime Circle: Breathing
- Civil Twilight: Next to me
- Arno Carstens: Heartbreak Monday
- Freshlyground: Fire is low
- Jax Panik: Get up (if you're hot)




Other SA songs on local radio that I'm totally digging right now:
- Evolver One: Move along (wow, incredible when really loud and in a private driving space)
- What now: Toy soldiers
- Mccree: What is it
- Jax Panik: Rockstar (how can you not be in a good driving mood when this comes on! And the crazy cool video for this fabulous track is being released today - keep an eye out)
- Dirty Skirts:  Strike the match
- Civil Twilight: Love letters to the sky
- Good Luck: Taking it easy

Rock on local music getting out there,
x

All hail Josie...

More time has passed - and weekends have again been toss-ups between the likes of Durban-based The Arrows, Belville's own bad boys of Afrikaans rock Fokofpolisiekar and another Durban boy, now CT based - Guy Buttery. 

It was Saturday 26 October - and I went for the acoustic magic of Guy Buttery. Besides, it was a dark, rainy kinda night and Guy's gig was in the gorgeous Monkey Valley in Noordhoek, perfect for a stormy night of being cosy inside. I even had a cat on my lap the whole gig through as Guy impressed with this guitar brilliance as well as sitar and saw playing!

But onto the most recent weekend past, where Sunday was spent working on the suntan on Hillcrest wine estate out in Durbanville, a celebration of the season of Sauvignon! There were two bands I was there to see - my main interest was the headliner of the day - Bed on Bricks, a local Cape Town band who have been on my list of to see for quite some time...

By that stage I think the Sauvignon had sunk in and we had then met My Hillcrest himself, the delightful winemaker who's wine was making us merry! So Im pleased to say that I am getting a second chance of seeing them at Rocking the Daisies this weekend in Darling - although they are also closing the festival, so I will need to keep away from the wine on Sunday too!

The other band of the day was Chasing Friday whose on stage energy was just fabulous as the lead singer flopped around like a theatrical clown in the style of a slapstick Laurel 'n Hardy type comedy! Or more to the era - he was very Jack Black in his antics and floppy hairstyle to match!

The music wasn't bad either, in fact - it was the injection of rock that the day needed. After an acoustic sax and piano duo eased everyone out of their Sunday morn slumber, some old toppies played a few catchy covers, followed by some Mexican wannabees who got the audience to jiggle tamborines and wiggle to Gypsy Kings. Chasing Friday were the rock 'n roll revival the day was after! And a perfect set up to Bed on Bricks too.

But then it got interesting... while dancing to Chasing Friday - the frontman starting talking about a song about a girl called Josie... now, there are not many Josie's out there. I know of Josie Borain - the Lux beauty from when I was young, and now a talented photographer. And the other Josie was none other than I was off to see that evening... Josie Field!

And would you believe, that out on a wine farm in Durbanville, this Cape Town band sang about Josie Field! We headed home with a tan and a head full of fermented Sauvignon - and I was soon off to Kirstenbosch where the next session of music would begin for me! On telling Josie about her own personal song - she was both flattered and surprised - and completely unaware!

Kind of a cool music coincidence for one day Id say! So... Josie Field now knows about an up and coming Cape Town band and this up and coming Cape Town band has immortalised Josie.  Indeed a topical talking point all round as both are talented artists in their own right and respected cities. 

We even saw Ferdinand Rabie at the wine festival - and he is promoting an up coming music festival in mid November called Forbidden Fruits. Who knows - maybe he should get Chasing Friday to come along and play a little song to introduce Josie who will also be playing there. Hmmm... the possibilities are endless!

Rock on fate and songs about a girl,
x

PS. For an intimate interview with Josie - check out the Oct issue of SA PROMO for insight into her latest album, Leyland.