Interview: Dan Patlansky

I have one more treat for you before I leave for Durban today. Here's the interview I did with guitar genius Dan Patlansky when he played at Arcade Empire recently. Do enjoy. 

Au revoir, for now. 

(Remeber to click on the page to expand it)

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Siyaya eThekwini kusasa

It's become a regular thing to see The Civil Wars on just about every second blog that you visit. "Barton Hollow" has been stuck in my head for the last two days so brace yourself for some more of this incredible band. You can't really complain because they are just so great, right?

In other news, us South Africans have a long weekend coming up so I'm off to Durban tomorrow till next week Tuesday. I'm excited to get out of P-Town for a bit and on top of it, I get to practice my Zulu as well. Oh happy days.

I'm hoping to have my picture problem sorted out by the time I get back so I can share my trip with you. See you on the flipside!

Review: Lostprophets

Hello. I still haven't sorted out my little picture problem. I trust that you all had a fantastic weekend though. I went to see Yesteday's Pupil and Boo! on Friday night at Arcade Empire. It's getting a bit ridiculous how much time I spend there but to be honest since Tings and Hotbox closed down we P-Towners aren't really spoiled for choice when it comes to live music venues. But anyway, here's a review of the Lostprophets latest album, Weapons. Warning: I was was not very nice. Ha.

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Ho Hey!

Today I have not only one great song for you, but two. Yes, The Lumineers are that special. I even spaced out in my English lecture on The Tempest today thinking about Ho Hey. That's a pretty big deal. I have mad love for The Bard, ok? The second song is called Flowers In Your Hair. This band puts a smile on my dial. That's a really great quality to have in your music, don't you think? Now they just need to pay us South Africans a little visit. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.  

Interview: Haezer

The king of the South African electro scene, Haezer,  entertained his fans at Arcade Empire's first birthday celebrations recently. Check out the interview I did with him for Perdeby. Then go listen to his stuff, ok? It's pretty sick.

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I'm annoyed

I'm in a little bit of a pickle. Last night Blogger informed me that I have used all my free storage space for my blog photos. Now I have to buy some more, which really is just very irritating. I don't have a credit card. Hello, I'm a student. So, bear with me while I sort my little problem out. Until I do, you will have to put up with an overkill of my Perdeby articles and YouTube videos. Ha. 

Interview: Fire Through The Window

Fire Through The Window were in P-Town last month for the launch of their new EP. You can read all about it in the interview I did with them for Perdeby. 

(Click to enlarge, you know the drill.) 

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The language question

I haven't posted my Perdeby articles in a while. I wrote this article as part of a debate on whether African languages should be compulsory for university students to get their degrees. This was a particularly interesting article for me to write because I take Zulu but I don't completely agree with Minister Nzimande's suggestion. I just don't think you can learn enough in such a short space of time to make the idea effective. What do you guys think? Let me know!

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Dan, The Man

Guitar genius Dan Patlansky played at Arcade Empire on Friday night. His performance was ridiculously good. I have honestly never seen anything like it. I watched him with my mouth agape for most of the show. I'm not going to say too much more about it because I did an interview with him for Perdeby which you can catch along with the album review I did on 23 April. Until then, just know that it was mind-blowing. If you missed out, I have only one thing to say to you. Shame. 

Paul McCartney's My Valentine

On Friday Paul McCartney released the music video for his latest single, My Valentine.  There are three versions of the video: one starring Johnny Depp, one starring Natalie Portman and the third being a combination of the two. The video shows Depp and Portman signing the lyrics of the song. The delicious Depp even plays a little bit of guitar. What a treat. When are we going to see them starring in a movie together? It would be sublime.

Oppi update

 Plans for the most anticipated festival on every musos calender are starting to materialize.

The first 1000 tickets go on sale through the Standard Bank youth portal on Monday 16 April.You can buy them between 12 and 9 am and they will cost you R600 (that's R100 off the full price). These ticketholders will receive a limited edition Oppikoppi Festival Sweet Thing promotional shirt. Details on the issuing of the shirts will be sent to the ticketholders directly.

You can click here for the link to the Standard youth portal. 

Unconventional Chic

Adrien Brody is the new face of Lacoste. There is something about this man that is just so damn sexy. The fact that he's unconventionally chic, perhaps?

Veranda Panda

I have such a treat for all you music junkies today. Veranda Panda is a collaboration between Durban duo, Jane Baillie and Liam Magner. Their sound in an unusual concoction of electric violin and bass. The good news is that their EP release is just around the corner, mid-April to be exact. This song is called Guitar Slang and it features Gary Thomas. Enjoy!

This Weekend

Friday:

 Saturday:

I hauled his picture out of the archives for you. It's of Fokopolisiekar playing at the first Vrede Fest I went to in 2010. The crowd, as usual, went beserk.

May Cover Girls

Zooey Deschanel on the cover of Marie Claire US

Charlize Theron on the cover of Vogue UK

Emily Blunt on the cover of Elle UK

Joan Smalls on the cover of Vogue Australia

Howling

Hello. Hi. This is a rad song. It's by Jeremy Loops and it's called Howling. Enjoy your Easter, ok? Bye.

Let's go ride bike

I found this gem of a necklace at My Sister's Closet Boutique in Melville yesterday. There was also one with a sweet little typewriter but I thought the writer walking around with a typewriter around her neck would be pretty lame. I could have purchased the whole shop if I had half the chance. Or the money. Ha.

Visit My Sister's Closet Boutique over here or follow them on Twitter (@mscboutique).

Gautraining

Yesterday Christi and I went on a little adventure of sorts. We took the Gautrain from P-Town to Joburg and had a look at all the lovelies that Jozi has to offer. We had lunch at Vovo Telo in Parkhurst and what a delicious lunch it was. The service? Not too great. But it can almost be forgiven when you walk away with a happy stomach. Special thanks to The Film Fundi for driving us around. You are too kind. 

I took this picture of Christi on the Gautrain. Cool, yes?

"I worry when I haven't seen your face"

Today's song of the day is Shotgun Tori's Skin You're In. It reminds me of lying blissfully on the grass at Splashy Fen and listening to some good ol' folk. So sad I won't be making the trip to the Underberg Mountains this year. Splashy is my favourite festival. I shouldn't say that out loud, just now all you Oppi devotees will be coming after me. If you are going, enjoy it for me. It's a helluva weekend.

Tomorrow night

For the P-Towners: 

For the Jozi kids: 

MK Awards Afterparty

This post is long overdue but better late than never, right? On 23 March, the annual MK Awards were held in P-Town. South Africa's music elite gathered at the State Theater for a night of epic performances, generally feeble acceptance speeches and a whole lot of Red Heart Rum. The next day, Arcade Empire played host to the afterparty, which saw Mr Cat & The Jackal, Bittereinder, Gazelle, Shadowclub, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Double Adapter and Jack Parow take to the stage. With such an impressive line-up, I was expecting a much bigger turnout to be honest. Perhaps the tickets were a tad too expensive? I don't know. Here's some pictures of the event. I used my phone, so the quality isn't fantastic.

Mr Cat & The Jackal

Bittereinder

Die Heuwels Fantasties

Gazelle

Shadowclub

Alas, I didn't get any pictures of The Parow and Double Adapter. I wasn't willing to lose a limb by trying to maneuver myself  through a crowd of screaming fans. Apologies.

Ready, steady, eat!

For our picnic at Park Acoustics last weekend, I made my famous chocolate brownies. Warning: these babies are rich and may lead to a chocolate overdose with just one bite. I suggest you try them anyway though.

Here's the recipe:

250g dark chocolate, chopped
120g butter
275g caster sugar
75g plain flour
50g self-raising flour
50g cocoa, plus extra for dusting
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup raw hazelnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 30cm x 20cm slice tray and line with baking paper.
2. Melt the chocolate, butter and sugar together in the microwave or in a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Sift the flours and cocoa into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the egg to the chocolate mixture, then pour into the flour mixture and stir to combine well. Stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into fingers.
5. Dust with cocoa to serve.

Park Acoustics

Park Acoustics is one of my favourite things to do in P-Town. It happens once a month at the Voortrekker Monument. Music fanatics gather in the warm sun with their picnic baskets to relax and listen to a really great assortment of local music. Last Sunday, it coincided with Christi’s birthday, so we made our way to Fort Schanskop for the what really is the best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.  

3RD WORLD SPECTATOR kicked off the afternoon with their spacey electronic pop/ rock. I was quite impressed with lead singer Peter Crafford's haunting vocals, which have such a wide range. It was the first time I'd heard 3RD WORLD SPECTATOR live and I'm quite keen to see what else this quartet from Stellenbosch has to offer. 

Park Acoustics really treated us with incredible vocals because next up was Fulka and we all know how beautiful Ola Kobak's voice is. Jean-Louise Nel's violin really stood out for me as well. I love how the band passes the banjo around so effortlessly. They are each a master of their own instrument and I think that's one of the things that makes Fulka's folktronica so successful.

Float Parade took to the stage next. Who knew that Desmond & The Tutu's bassist, Nic Dinnie, could sing? And oh so nicely as well. Their keyboardist, Pule Makona, is so great to watch. Not only does he have mad skill but you can see that he absolutely loves what he is doing. A huge grin adorns his face from the very first track and it stays there right until the end of Float Parade's set. This band is fast becoming one of my favourites. Their sound is clean and simple while their lyrics, which deal mostly with the theme of love, are refreshing.

Last but most definitely not least, was Mr Cat & The Jackal. I remember seeing these dudes at Park Acoustics last year when they were one of the first bands to play. Now, they are headlining. I'm so glad that people are sitting up and taking notice of them because holey moley, they are just mindblowing. The brilliance of Mr Cat & The Jackal lies in the fact that their performance is very theatrical. Their lyrics, which actually include a lot of relevant social commentary, tell a story. They use dozens of instruments (some of which they make themselves), from a saw to a number plate. Like Fulka,  they swap their instruments around with the greatest of ease. Mr Cat & The Jackal got everyone on their feet dancing to their acoustic pirate folk. Actually, like most bands, you can't confine them to a specific genre. Mr Cat & The Jackal are experimental, that's the beauty of their music.

Below is one of my favourite pictures. Mr Cat & The Jackal's bassist, JC Visser, is one of the most entertaining people to watch on stage. He really takes his acting role in the band seriously, which provides many a good laugh while watching him. Here he is mourning the loss of his shoes. Brilliant.

This is the breathtaking view of Pretoria from Fort Schanskop. Flip, but I love my city.