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Monday, March 15, 2010 01:56
Programme 2009
MARQUEE PROGRAMME
Thursday 24 September
12:00 Udumo Gospel Choir
15:00 Shannon Connolly
16:00 Ocean Drive
17:00 Bertie Coetzee
18:00 Larry Amos
19:15 Andra
20:30 Barry Thomson
21:45 Redhand Blues Band
Friday 25 September
15:00 Sara Jackson
16:00 Margaret’s Daughter
17:00 Peter Hoven
18:00 Joshua Grierson
19:15 Catlike Thieves
20:15 Josie Field
21:30 Habit To
Saturday 26 September
10:00 Imbabazane Cultural Programme featuring:
Sibanisezwe
Bafana Bafana
12:00 BellaV & Madala Kunene
13:00 Flowing Water Band
14:00 Gary Thomas
15:15 Syd Kitchen
16:30 Shannon Hope
17:30 Simon van Gend Band
18:45 Laurie Levine
20:00 Rambling Bones
21:15 Farryl Purkiss
22:30 Cito
Sunday 27 September
09:30 Registration
11:00 Open Mic Sessions Start
14:00 Open Mic Sessions Close
TOM’S TAVERN PROGRAMME
Wednesday 23 September
20:00 Forest Drive
Thursday 24 September
09:30 New Zealand v Proteas
23:00 Deep Fried Man
00:00 The Car Boot Vendors
01:00 Open Mic Session
Friday 25 September
19:10 Sharks v Platinum Leopards
23:00 Deep Fried Man
00:00 The Car Boot Vendors
01:00 Open Mic Session
Saturday 26 September
23:30 Deep Fried Man
00:30 The Car Boot Vendors
01:30 Open Mic Session
Sunday 27 September
14:30 England v Proteas
Having relocated to Pretoria in 2007, Namibian singer/songwriter Andra is quickly establishing herself as a vital and singular musical force, and is currently recording her second studio album with producer Ludwig Bouwer. Her intense performances, husky voice and formidable guitar playing have won Andra a steadily expanding fan base and critical acclaim both locally and abroad. Think Eddie Vedder having coffee with Alanis Morissette as Jeff Buckley interrupts to introduce the young Marianne Faithful.
www.andra.com
Barry Thomson
Having formed his first band at the age of 13, critically acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Barry Thomson has performed in numerous theatre productions over the years, ranging from ‘Grease’ to ‘Amadeus’ and ‘Harvest Moon’. He also co-devised the hit shows ‘Johnny Plays Guitar’ and ‘The Guitar That Rocked the World’, which went on to win a Vita award. He performed at Splashy Fen 2009 and recently enjoyed a hugely successful run with his show ‘A Taste of Thomson lll’ at the Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest, KZN. Expect a mix of original music and classic covers.
BellaV & Madala Kunene
Artist, healer, dancer, musician, BellaV and Madala Kunene are currently in studio working on a collaboration and will bring their unique sound to White Mountain this year. Known to many as the ‘King of the Zulu guitar’, Madala has been making music since the age of seven and has gone from busking on the streets of Durban to become a highly acclaimed musician, whose music is rooted in spiritual and traditional rhythms. He also composed the score for the Oscar-nominated South African film ‘Yesterday’. www.myspace.com/madalakunene
Bertie Coetzee (Zinkplaat)
Bertie Coetzee is the lead vocalist for Zinkplaat – a Stellenbosch band that since 2001 has progressed from its schoolyard beginnings to become one of the forerunners of original Afrikaans folk rock. In a seldom-heard, raw, acoustic solo performance, Coetzee will bring his trademark sharp, straight and gritty style to White Mountain this year, playing a mix of Zinkplaat’s latest offerings as well as their older folkier tunes.
www.zinkplaat.co.za
Playing feel good tunes, Durban’s Catlike Thieves is a four-piece outfit that’s been stealing fans since early 2008. With an old-school meets funk-blues sound that reaches to the roots of real rock and roll, the Thieves’ main aim is to entertain, and to do it with style! Fresh from their ‘Cash in Transit’ Cape Town Tour in July 2009, the band has lots of cunning plans to take on the South African music scene. So, keep your valuables close and your earplugs closer, Catlike Thieves is out and they’re ready to rock.
www.catlikethieves.co.za
Cito
Wonderboom lead vocalist Cito heads to White Mountain this September where he will perform an acoustic set featuring songs from his soon-to-be released debut solo album. With a string of chart-topping hits and albums to their credit, Wonderboom is arguably one of South Africa’s most successful rock bands. Aside from this, Cito has also enjoyed great success in musical theatre, with critically acclaimed lead performances in the South African production of Jesus Christ Superstar and Pieter Toerien’s production of Chess, The Musical. He is also currently involved in an acoustic side project called Absinthè with Paul E Flynn and Paulo Rego.
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Deep Fried Man
Deep Fried Man writes folk songs for the mall generation. These songs are infused with bits of blues, soul, rock, hip-hop and rage. Deep Fried Man is angry because people kill each other so much and because the world is a stupid place, where there's never anything good on TV. But mainly, he is angry because his relationships never work out. Deep Fried Man channels all of these frustrations into songs that combine raw emotions with sharp satirical commentary. His lyrics are cynical, but not depressing, and way more likely to make you laugh than cry. They are about sex, drugs, violent crime, pain, rejection and apathy. You know, the usual.
www.myspace.com/deepfriedman
Born and raised in Umhlanga Rocks (KZN) and now based in Cape Town, singer/songwriter Farryl Purkiss delivers a unique brand of captivating and emotive acoustic folk rock, which has won him fans both locally and abroad. He released a self-financed EP in 2004 and was signed to 2Feet Music shortly afterwards. His highly acclaimed debut album was released in 2007 and he has since spent most of his time touring the world, performing with a host of international artists including the likes of Bob Evans, Ben Lee, Missy Higgins, Donovan Frankenreiter and Jack Johnson.
www.farrylpurkiss.co.za
With members from South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria, Pretoria’s Flowing Water Band has a unique, dynamic and original sound that can be described as an acoustic-driven mix of African rhythms, folky strumming and rock & roll attitude. Their show brings some exciting grooves and rhythms to the table and you can sit and enjoy the chilled out tracks or dance to the more funky ones.
www.myspace.com/flowingwaterband
Forest Drive
Forest Drive is Don Thatcher and Jess Yallup, two experienced musicians with an impressively extensive repertoire. The duo will perform an intimate set in Tom’s Tavern – White Mountain Lodge’s 150-year-old restaurant and pub.
sites.google.com/site/forestdriveband
Born and raised in Durban, where he studied music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Gary Thomas moved to Cape Town in 2006 and started the psychedelic Nu-Folk duo Cabins in the Forest with Andy Jamieson. Now focusing on solo work, Thomas balances meticulously crafted songwriting with dynamic vocals and contained improvisation. His unique mastery of his instrument and voice makes him one of the leaders of the acoustic music scene in South Africa today.
www.myspace.com/garythomas
Habit To
Breaking the mould with a female vocalist and front woman on lead guitar, three-piece Durban band Habit To are a breath of fresh air for South African music and perform a harmonious blend of rock, jazz, classical and pop. Since 2000 this ‘family’ have toured the country and continue to toi-toi for the rights of true music. It’s a Habit. It’s addictive. It’s rock ‘n roll!
www.habittoband.com
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Swaying between elements of Folk, Blues and Alt-Country, Cape Town based singer songwriter Joshua Grierson has found his voice in a genre that asks not what the rate of the beat is, but rather what lies in the lyrics and the story and message they tell. Described by critics and fans alike as emotive, passionate and heartfelt, Grierson’s music is a must for all who enjoy deep, questioning lyrics and melodies resonant of another time.
www.myspace.com/joshuagrierson
Johannesburg-based singer songwriter Josie Field first started making waves on the music scene with the release of her debut album in 2006. Her second album ‘Leyland’, released end 2008, is yet another major leap forward and a symbiotic mix of folk, country, rap and pop. It shows a more mature side to a young artist who has come into her own and crept into the hearts of thousands with her honest and engaging performances. 2008 also saw Josie opening for James Blunt on his sell-out 2008 SA tour.
www.josiefield.co.za
Widely regarded as one of the best blues guitarists in the country, Larry Amos is a highly respected musician and composer, remembered by many as the driving force behind Baxtop – a four-piece outfit from the late 70s that was billed as 'the best blues-rock-boogie band that NEVER came out of the American South.' He went on to form the Larry Amos Blues Band, and later the Naughty Boys, who released one of the last seven singles to be pressed in South Africa. With over 70 of his own compositions currently registered with SAMRO, Larry Amos endures as one of the most gifted and exciting musicians South Africa has ever produced.
www.larryamos.co.za
Laurie Levine
2007 SAMA nominee, Laurie Levine is fast building a reputation as an artist with a fresh approach and unique sound. A prolific songwriter with a jazzy, soulful voice that breathes life into her songs and embodies the emotional core of her lyrics, Laurie’s music comes from the ‘heartspace’, the word poet Breyten Breytenbach uses to describe South Africa’s anguished beauty. Her songs touch our ‘unspoken’ corners; her sounds are a contemporary interpretation of true folk.
www.myspace.com/laurielevine
Margaret’s Daughter
Once upon a time, not so long ago, Margaret had a daughter. She called her Adri-Mari, or Ami for short. Fast forward several years and Margaret’s Daughter, with her unique voice and rhythmic acoustic guitar playing, has established herself as one of South Africa’s top up-and-coming singer/songwriters. Since the start of her collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Etienne Ghyoot in 2002, Margaret’s Daughter has recorded three albums (with the latest due for release in September 2009) and performed extensively in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Spain.
www.mdband.net
A fresh new act on the Durban music scene, Ocean Drive consists of former Clock-Struck June members, Nico van Zyl and Jet Ridl, who have joined forces with Mark Whittaker (drums) and Bruce Eales (bass) and are winning over fans with every performance. Their easy-listening acoustic sound will get your feet tapping and remind you of a Sunday afternoon drive down the coast. They don’t call it Beach Rock for nothing!
www.myspace.com/oceandrive08
Peter Hoven
Johannesburg singer/songwriter Peter Hoven has performed with a number of well-known South African artists and was part of the successful acoustic duo, Clark & Van der Hoven. Meaningful lyrics and soulful acoustic guitar capture the essence of this artist and his music reaches out to all audiences. Hoven is also the executive producer and frontman for the Eric Clapton ‘Slowhand’ Tribute Show which is currently touring the country, and is busy working on his debut solo album.
www.myspace.com/peterhovenmusic
Rambling Bones
Rambling Bones is the alter ego of Jay Bones, frontman for the extremely popular South African ska/punk band Fuzigish. While touring with the band in 2007, Bones redeveloped his love for acoustic laid-back tunes and set in motion the return to his roots with a stripped down and revealingly honest style that is showcased in his recently-released debut solo album ‘Watching & Waiting’. Says Bones: “Essentially, what I'm doing here is exactly what I've always done with Fuzigish, just in an acoustic style.”
www.ramblingbones.com
Redhand Blues Band
One of Johannesburg’s premier deep blues bands, Redhand combines African blues with American jazz and swing, bebop and R&B to create a sound that’s fresh and new, yet still reminiscent of the two-tone, shoe-tapping 30s. Delivering seriously black blues, and steaming through music heard originally on crackly turntables during the Great Depression, Redhand are energetic, up-tempo and up-beat – after all, just because it's blues doesn't mean you can't dance!
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Sara Jackson
Sara Jackson has been described by friends as "Dylanesque". Her music combines elements of story telling, with vivid images emerging from the colourful lyrics that make up the surface of her songs. Sara's passion for music is clear, and her repertoire ranges from funky crunchy acoustic to meaningful, melancholic melodies. A self-taught musician, her style remains completely her own, with an individual sound that is unmistakable.
facebook: Sara Jackson
Shannon Connolly
An acoustic singer/songwriter, Shannon Connolly has been performing since her early teens, most notably as a member of Syrens – a duo that gigged across Gauteng and opened for German electro-goth band Diary of Dreams on their South African tour in 2002. In 2003 she toured abroad, busking and performing in Greece, London, Ireland and Turkey, returning to her native Durban three years later. Since then Shannon has shared the stage with some of Durban’s greatest talents, honing her own unique sound and recently releasing her debut EP, Little Seed.
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Shannon Hope
Durban’s Shannon Hope has been submerged within the South African alternative pop rock scene for the past decade. With her return to the piano-based vocal illustrations of her earlier writing, as a solo artist she is now positioned somewhere in the middle of two extremes, as illustrated by the release in April 2009 of her powerful, yet delicately moving debut solo album S T I L L. Mature and remarkably honest, the album delivers the personal and often heart-wrenching sincerity of an artist whose music forces you to feel, with a voice impossible to ignore.
www.shannonhope.co.za
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Simon van Gend Band
Signed to Sheer Sound’s 2Feet label, the Simon van Gend Band is an introspective indie/folk/rock outfit from Cape Town. With Simon on vocals and acoustic guitar, Eric Michot on bass and Ross Campbell on drums, the trio’s music has been described as a unique blend of folksy foot-tapping red wine fireside poetry. Their critically acclaimed album ‘Guest of My Feelings’ was released in October 2008, preceded three years earlier by ‘Pocketsongs’ – a completely home recorded and self-financed album that was hailed as an acoustic gem.
www.simonvangend.co.za
Syd Kitchen
Since the 70’s, guitarist/singer/songwriter Syd Kitchen has remained an innovative, active, non-compromising part of the South African musical landscape. A highly acclaimed teacher, thinker and published poet, he has released several critically acclaimed albums to date, all born of an eclectic, curious spirit unfazed by market-place considerations or the wishes of others. www.sydkitchen.com
The Car Boot Vendors
Sibling Rivalry frontman Matt Wilson shows a different and, dare we say ‘softer’ side, with his separate acoustic project, The Car Boot Vendors. Known for his intense live shows with ska/reggae/hardcore/punk outfit Sibling Rivalry, The Car Boot Vendors is an outlet for all of the songs Wilson (a.k.a. ‘The Vendor’) has never had the chance to write until now. Joining him at White Mountain are co-vendors Ross Rotten on guitar and Gay Ray on percussion. www.myspace.com/thecarbootvendors
Udumo Gospel Choir
Hailing from the Sani Pass area of KwaZulu-Natal, the Udumo Gospel Choir has become a firm favourite at Splashy Fen, where they’ve performed on numerous occasions. Although Afro Gospel is their main interest, the choir also performs traditional Zulu choral works, as well as the ever-popular ‘Gumboot Dance’ and ‘Wedding Dance’.