Point Blanc Sound Solutions - Tyron Munnik 4

6 Reviews

THE MYSTICCS 8

9 Interesting? Totally!

11 Who’s enjoying our exchange rate?

GIG GUIDE 12

15 Spotting bad tattoo artists

FINGERS IN THE SKY 15

Ashtray Electric 17

21 Photo shoot - The Mysticcs

Contents: July 2011, Edition #3

Contact the NRRGG team anytime, day or night! gigguide@nivarecords.com - www.nivarecords.com Advertising: nowen@nivarecords.com or 072 536 0639 To find out where the NRRGG can be found, please send us an e-mail. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without written consent from the publisher.

The best form of defence is a

Rocker on the offence... Another month of mixed emotions has come and gone, and with a new month always bringing new challenges and possibilities, the NRRGG is up for any challenge! We are doing our part in contributing towards bands who are prepared to contribute towards themselves in the form of advertising space. The NRRGG introduced band advertising rates in May, with one of our friendly ‘established’ Cape Town gig guide’s simply helping themselves to the idea, not bothering to change it at all. I think they may need some new creative juices! :-) July is a very hot winter month with Fuzigish launching their new album on their SA tour! If you are a Fuzi fan and want tickets to the show, simply send us a photograph of yourself with the July edition, and we could be sending some tickets your way. July also hosts the grand opening of the new Zula with a line up that could make any muso drop dead, and The Niva 50th show celebration which will be hosted at Mercury Live on the 22nd of July. A very fun filled month ahead indeed! I sincerely hope you enjoy your read, and thank you for your support! Nick Owen Editor

To stand a chance of winning gig tickets, merch and more, simply send your music related stories, comments or jokes to gigguide@nivarecords.com!

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With...

My

Flawless Ending

Sat 2

nd July

The New

Mustangs

Tyron Munnik...guitarist and vocalist in the band Far Horizon, owner of Point Blanc Sound Solutions and engineer at Sound and Motion studios... He has achieved more than most...and

all of this at the age of 23!

Tyron Munnik Q: How was ‘Point Blanc’ born? A: I started playing guitar when I was 7, did it all the way through high school as a HG subject, (Because I thought it would be easy! Haha, fuck was I wrong!) Played in bands since I was 13 and was always messing about with our practice PA, trying make it sound good, until someone asked me to borrow 2 speakers and an amp, and I was like “Sure” and they were like ”Hey, could we give you some money to say thanks” and it was at that point I thought, hang on a second, this isn’t a bad business opportunity! Q: Where did you study? A: City Varsity in Cape Town Q: What is your biggest achievement so far? Every successful show is an achievement! Thanking God every day I get to wake up and spend the day working with talented individuals & loving my job. Q: What are your areas of expertise? Studio? Live? A: Ironically I do both…I’m one of the engineers at Sound and Motion Studios in Cape Town, working with some of the hottest local acts & actors, voice artists, directors, producers etc. And then on weekends and nights I work with awesome event companies and bands, and take the music to the party….studio by day, road by night kind of vibe….music & sound 100% all the time (not when I’m sleeping) so say 66.666666666% recurring music & audio. Q: If somebody offered you R1000 000.00, would you change your career choice? A: NO WAYS! I’d buy A FUCKLOAD MORE GEAR!!!!! RARARAR! Q: What are your views on the SA music scene? A: Point Blanc dedicates a lot of it’s time bringing professional touring spec sound to bands & organizers who are used to settling for less. I believe a lot of people are put off shows because of the kak event solutions that go into a show, which makes shows kak, and bands feel kak, and crowds not amped to go to shows & it’s a whole snowball. So it can definitely be better, it just needs dedicated, hard working musicians & organizers, promoters, venue owners, sound companies, recording studios, sound engineers, producers etc. to put that extra something special into each project they do. I suppose I’ll never sit back & say, wow...I’m satisfied with the SA music scene, because we can always improve something!

Q: Which job/ production has been the bench mark in your career so far? Definitely having worked on the Broadway Musical of EVITA! Working in Nigeria with M-Net! Doing some first class audio with some of the more “expecting” bands in SA & meeting their requirements with good comments…

Looking for

representation?

Mail: info@nivarecords.com

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Q: Which artists have you done sound for in the past? A: Err, recently….Crash Car Burn (JHB), Dance! You’re on Fire (JHB), Sound design for the 5 piece acapella group, Not The Midnight Mass at the Baxter, The Undefind, Llevado, 12th Avenue, Heldervue, When Karma Sleeps, Verona Walls, Gavin Edwards, Matthew Roux, Your Lost Dog, I did Pieter Toerien’s EVITA! The Musical over Christmas, sound design for the musical ‘A Handful of Keys’, sound design for the musical Unforgettable, The Nat King Cole Story, The Bone Collectors, CODA, Sterling Electric Quartet, Andre Swiegers, Far Horizon, New Altum, Versus The Wolf, 3rd World Spectator, Autopilot, Your Name In Neon (JHB), Reburn, Joshua Grierson, Firefly, Save The Ears For Breakfast, Red Huxley, The Plastics, Dustland Express, White Collar Kiss, The Dirty Skirts, 7th Son, Wrestlerish (JHB), Isochronous (JHB), Boombox Troopers, Die Tuin Dwergies (JHB)….and tons of others….I’m gonna remember a whole bunch more later on haha!

Capable hands, Dirk - Point Blanc

Reviews

Johnny Feelgood, The Mysticcs, My Friend’s Bread, Pre Motief 4, This Good Rebellion, Chasing

Sanity, Forgive Us Not

@ Purple Turtle 11 June With the most of us not really knowing these bands and having no idea of what to expect, the show started at 9pm with Pre Motief 4, a very young band still in school. They definitely showed potential for the future, but for right now, they have a lot of work to do especially in the area of the vocals and defining a style for their band. Forgive Us Not were up next, having a pretty good performance on stage, a couple of people really enjoyed the screaming, but most didn't - personal choice though I guess, no discredit to the band. Areas to improve on would definitely be time management and possibly some un-chaotic melodies. My Friend’s Bread - AMAZING! The guys definitely know which side is up when it comes to their music, they boast a very entertaining stage presence, as well as a ‘fun and fresh’ sound which is sure to infect the Cape Town scene before long! The band of the night - The Mysticcs - Having heard a couple of good remarks of the band a few weeks before the show, I had no idea that a band that is literally only a few months old could have put on such an awesome set! With ripping Rock & Roll leads, killer appreciation of the crowd and a style that grabs you by the balls, The Mysticcs are another band to keep your eyes and ears hooked onto! Chasing Sanity hit the stage at 11:15pm playing to about 120 people, but unfortunately for them, they did not seem to be comfortable on the stage for some reason. I do think that the band has awesome potential for the future, but would first need to iron out the creases by defining a sound, respecting the sound engineer and adding a little more structure to the songs. But overall, definitely a young band that I would support. This Good Rebellion frightened more than just a few people out of the venue with shocking vocals and really no band dynamics. Enough said? Finally, Johnny Feelgood, also a band from DF Malan, used this show very well, and put on a good performance with originality being the order of the day.

Evolver One, Anton Syndrome, MacGyver Knife, Kieron Brown

@ Purple Turtle 22 June With rain belting down, bright thunder in the sky, and a super cold curse over Cape Town, we braved the elements, left our heaters and headed down to The Turtle for a much anticipated show. Saintfearless’ Kieron Brown was the first to turn the oven on with his very fluent sounding solo set, playing a couple of originals, cracking some jokes and half learning a song on stage. Unfortunately there were about as many people at The Turtle as you would find at an ice cream store on a 0 degree day, but take nothing away from the Saintfearless man, it was entertaining. Anton Syndrome has planted a new seed in my head when I think about the band, they have definitely spent a lot of time perfecting their style, performance and interaction with the crowd. Their set flowed very nicely from song to song, although I did feel that the band lost a little steam towards the end, but overall a very good performance. It was then time for MacGyver Knife (who I actually haven’t seen perform live before this show). The vocals are definitely the most influential part of the “soul” of this band, hearing notes and pitches that most of us could only ever dream of reaching! All in all, it was an awesome first experience and would definitely support the band in the future. Now, the final performance had me in a great suspense, with me thinking “is this another band who has been well produced, receiving extensive radio play and possibly suck live?” The answer is a definite NO!!! Evolver One consists of a very powerful combination of musicians, all bringing a separate dimension to the music, with an awesome 90’s style keyboard often coming into play, I could hear a strong Culture Club influence, which is always awesome! From the first note, to the last, their was really nothing to criticize about their performance! With a lot of bands following “musical rules“ these days, an idiot could tell you that Evolver One makes their own rules when it come to their music, it shows in the bands stage presence, melodies, build ups and breakdowns. A superb performance overall and really hope to see them again soon!

The Bone Collectors

@ the nameless pub 25 july Rattling bones, sharp objects and a vibe that you better not forget your dancing shoes at home for! But before we get into that… Cy.Str opened proceedings on the night without their original drummer Priscilla, instead they played a “loan” game with Anton Syndrome’s drummer Darryl McLean who told us later on that he had only an hour to learn the all girl band’s set! It was really awesome to see a muso put himself in a horrible situation to assist a fellow band in not cancelling their show, Darryl...much respect! Having seen these girls play a few times over the past few months, the performance they shared with us on Saturday night was a major improvement, and I am sure everybody who made it to the show will agree! Keep up the hard work ladies, we are loving it! Darrel remained seated as Anton Syndrome took to the stage once again, putting on another stellar performance which, in my opinion, out classed their show at Purple Turtle on the 22nd. Now, with the band only playing at The Nameless Pub for the 3rd time in their careers, The Bone Collectors earned the credits necessary to be called the favourite of the night! A mash up of musicians who boast a funky comedic act who are sure to keep you dancing! There is a lot of odd-ness in the band, weird percussion noises and just fucking craziness...crazy is good though, isn't it? They can rattle my bones anytime! Lol!

Robertson Wacky Wine

Festival 2011 The 8th annual Wacky Wine Festival has come and gone and has left us hung over, broke and thinking “…uhm…”. So, the day started off with a roughly 3 hour drive to Robertson through some towns that can politely be described as “dodgy” to say the least. The first wine tasting we stopped at was the Roodezandt stall in town. We ran into some super drunk, funny people here which made our tasting a whole lot more exciting, haha! As rockers do, we tasted the same wines over and over again, giving the occasional ’swirl’ to try fit into the tasting crowd. After the wine started hitting us a little hard, we started running around with the camera, taking the most random pics of drunk people having fun. A big African dude wasn't very happy with us taking photos around his little stall...might have more to do with him selling some not-exactly-legally-obtained goods haha! With the look in his eyes, I wasn't going to take any chances...the camera went back into the bag to avoid it possibly becoming part of his shelf products along with my cellphone and sun glasses. Moving on through the afternoon, there is not much to

highlight except for unhappy faces, bad service and nothing worth the hell of a drive to get here. We ended up drinking more, buying wine for only R20.00 per bottle, which was my highlight of the afternoon. Over the weekend, there were a couple of bands playing around town, but at the farms and festival stands, nothing to write home about. We sat at one wine farm where the stage was right next to a big screen showing the rugby. For a while it seemed that the Scottish-sounding guy on stage was winning the crowd over despite his lifeless drummer and lousy sound equipment. That was until he started speaking Afrikaans fluently and doing Afrikaans cover songs. That’s about the time we got up and left - partially because of the wannabe English accent, monotonous music and hardly any skill involved. All in all, the day consisted of a long drive there, lots of wine, a bunch of drunk people, expensive food and a long drive home. Next time, I think I’ll rather keep my ass at home.

THE MYSTICCS - cover page band

The Mysticcs is a 3-piece Blues Rock band based in Cape Town, South Africa and was formed in March 2011. In a short space of time, The Mysticcs have received a very positive response from a variety of audiences in and around Cape Town. Their influence of old-school Rock with a modern edge sets them apart from the rest.

With each member having a very different character and musical influence, The Mysticcs are definitely a band who’s stage presence says it all! “When we perform live we lose ourselves i don’t remember anything i do, its part of the experience and its part of the act its the emotion and passion that breads the Mysticcs, We will perform anywhere! we will use an "Invasion plan" to be seen”. The band is Ebi Johnstone on vocals and lead guitar, Dean Roberts on drums and Gaamid Julius on the backing vocals and rhythm guitar..that’s right ladies and gentlemen, no bass player! There really isn't a sardine run worth of Blues bands running around Cape Town, The Mysticcs are able to deliver what a lot of other bands may only dream of: An exhilarating live performance full of energy and insane leads combined with feeding their small crowds with every bit of passion they seem to host on stage! I once asked the band what they should be recognized for, they simply replied, “We want people to recognize our music as something positive that gets them going.” Well guys, objective achieved! The band recently won the King of the Stage competition which was hosted at Purple Turtle in June, they described this show as their best up until now..I’m pretty sure that this is just the beginning of a much bigger picture for The Mysticcs, with the band working hard on keeping things fresh and alive at their shows and launching a website and Myspace page soon.

Why did the band get together? What made you guys want to play in a band?

And what made you guys decide on your style?

“We got together because we really wanted to show people our style of music. We look up to our legends, heroes from the past. The first time we came across the ‘Blues’ that’s when we decided our style.”

Describe the bands best performance so far. “Definitely at the Niva 2011 king of the stage! we felt the energy of the crowd, they felt it through our music...it was like an action producing a reaction.”

Photo by: Glen Montgomery

Interesting? Totally! Send your interesting facts to

gigguide@nivarecords.com

EMI UP FOR SALE...AGAIN! Having been seized by City-group in February 2011 after the company’s terrible and disastrous 4 year ownership by the private equity firm Terra Firma, EMI has been forced to be put up for sale yet again! EMI announced on press releases that it had begun a process “to explore and evaluate potential strategic alternatives”, including a possible sale, recapitalization or initial public offering. Terra Firma, led by the British financier, Guy Hands, paid $8.4 billion for EMI in 2007, at the height of the credit market. City-group provided about $5.5 billion through a loan, but EMI was crushed under the weight of its debt, and Terra Firma had to invest more than $300 million to meet the requirements of regular financial covenant tests. When City-group seized EMI, it wrote off 65 percent of its loan, leaving EMI with a far more manageable $1.9 billion in outstanding debts! EMI releases music by the Beatles, Katy Perry, the Beastie Boys and many others, and the company’s music publishing division, which controls the copyrights to the music and lyrics underlying songs, is considered one of most highly prized in the industry. The success of the recent sale of the Warner Music Group is seen by many on Wall Street and in the music industry as an encouraging sign for an EMI sale. Last month Access Industries, led by the Russian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik, paid $3.3 billion for Warner, which releases music by Madonna, Led Zeppelin and Bruno Mars. Many of the same bidders who were interested in Warner are expected to pursue EMI, but given EMI’s British roots the company may draw further interest from European investors.

Slipknot frontman to talk @ Oxford!

Having never paid attention in school (for good reason), Slipknot front-man Corey Taylor has been invited to one of the worlds most exclusive universities to appear as a guest speaker. He said: "I've been asked to speak at Oxford University, which is very ironic seeing as I didn't graduate from high school. They took a vote about who they would want to speak at their student union and I was the number one pick, apparently, so I was like 'Yeah, okay, let's do this.' I'm probably going to swear and sweat a lot."

Pop Princess Kylie is stopping over for 5 nights as part of her Aphrodite Live 2011 World Tour which comes to an end in South Africa. The Australian’s tour kicked off in February this year, with all internet reviews ranting and raving about the 48 year old’s super energetic performances thus far. Kylie Ann Minogue was born on 28 May 1963 and has not only made a name for herself as an actress and singer, but also as a songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and author. The Australian child actress began her career in the soapie ‘Neighbours’, before switching to singing in 1987. Her first single “Locomotion” became the best selling single of the decade, and many years later her single “Can’t get you out of my head” went to number 1 in more than 40 countries! Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and returned to the stage in 2006 after surgery and chemotherapy. Aphrodite is the 11th studio album from a woman who has sold more than 68 million records worldwide. Kylie comes from a very much production influenced family with her younger sister Dannii Minogue currently rated as a B listed actress. “I have been looking for an opportunity to perform in South Africa for a very long time so I am really delighted that I can now confirm I will be visiting Johannesburg and Cape Town in July this year. I’ve been having a wonderful time touring Aphrodite and I’m absolutely thrilled I will be able to bring ‘Aphrodite Live’ to South Africa.”

After 76 days of touring around the world, Kylie

Minogue's Aphrodite Live 2011 tour will come to an end in Cape Town. Tickets are still available from Computicket.

Sun City Superbowl

Fri July 8 at 21:00 Sat July 9 at 20:00

Sun July 10 at 17:00

Grand Arena, Grand West, Cape Town - Western Cape

Wed July 13 at 20:00 Thu July 14 at 20:00

KYLIE MINOGUE

P.O.D. South African Tour Cancelled “It is with great disappointment that we have had to announce the cancellation of the P.O.D tour of South Africa. Shortly after the announcement of the tour, company ‘We Rock U’ sent an official letter informing us they had gone bankrupt. Local tour promoters have been working around the clock to try and salvage the event as thousands of tickets have already been sold. Due to time constraints and a lack of sponsor commitment, it is with regret that we have to cancel the shows. Thanks to each and every one of you for your enthusiastic support. All tickets will be 100 percent refunded. “

Find us!

Saturday 30 July R20 cover

The Nameless Pub Main Road, Somerset West Tel: 072 555 2356 2nd - Bright Blue City, Firefly & Descent of an Empire 3rd - Akelian Circus 7th - The Rites 8th - Electric Garden Trance Party 9th - The Inside Job and Solid Born Noise 10th - Akelian Circus 14th - The Rites 15th - Survival Grounds 2 Trance Party 16th - Four A Penny and Dogtown 17th - Akelian Circus 21st - The Rites 22nd - CANDi House Night 23rd - Obsessie Met Als & guests 24th - Akelian Circus 28th - The Rites 30th - Liberty Attain, My Flawless Ending, Die Seisoen Na Somer + guests 31st - Akelian Circus

Mercury Live and Lounge 43 De Villiers Street, Zonnebloem, Tel: 021 465 2106 1st - 7th Son & Peachy Keen 2nd - Homegrown Drum & Bass 6th - Farrel Adams 7th - Classics feat DJs Azhul & Falko 8th - Holiday Murray, Fenris, Pascal & Pearce 9th - RubADub 13th - Farrel Adams 15th - Dead Alphabet, Pretty Blue Guns, Red Huxley 16th - Fuzigish, Hog Hoggidy Hog 20th - Benny Greb Drum Clinic 22nd - Niva 50th show - Gravity wins again, Reburn (TBC) and My Flawless Ending 23rd - Jesse Clegg & MCCREE 29th - Hot Water, Jack Mantis Band & The Stremes 30th - Taxi Violence Unplugged

Aandklas 43A Bird Street, Stellenbosch Tel: 021 883 3545 19th - Pretty Blue Guns 23rd - Autumn of August and guests 26th - Francois van Coke and Pierre Greeff 30th - Dustland Express, The Plastics and Like Knives

Bertie’s Mooring Harbour Island, Gordon’s Bay Tel: 021 856 3343 1st - Jesse Jordan Band 3rd - Gerald Clark 8th - Piet Botha & The Lizard Kings 10th - Boulevard Blues Band 15th - Taxi Violence 17th - Diamondback Blues Band 23rd - Southern Gypsey Queen 24th - Valiant Swart Duo 29th - Joint State 31st - Boulevard Blues Band

Gecko Bar New Harbour, Hermanus Tel: 028 312 4665 1st - Crossroads 3rd - Jo Martin 7th - Ladies night with the Cover Boys 8th - Sabre 10th - Elvis Blue 14th - Music/Trivia Quiz with Piano Ben 17th - Jo Martin 28th - Music/Trivia Quiz with Piano Ben 29th - Jo Martin Band

JULY 2011

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381 Crescent Road, Pringle Bay Tel:082 457 9403 2nd - Gian Groen 9th - Tribal Echo 16th - Wendy Oldfield 23rd - TBC 30th - Charlie & the Snakeman

Harley Davidson Motorcycle Club cnr Canterbury St & Constitution St ( behind Assembly ) Cape Town 6th - Peter Wyness 13th - Chris Hammer 20th - Jeff Brownell band 27th - Lionel Bastos

The Waiting Room Address Tel 5th - Danie Truter, Simon van Gend Band and Spooky Attraction from a Distance 12th - Natasha Meister 19th - Holiday Murray Acoustic 26th - Andrew James and Simon van Gend Band

JULY 2011

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Zula Sound Bar 194 Long Street, Cape Town Tel: 021 424 2442 8th - The Springbok Nude Girls, Ashtray Electric, Red Tape Riot, Wolftown, Saintfearless, DJ Sideshow, Hog Hoggidy Hog, The Rudimentals, Hot Water, The little Kings, The Limenals and DJ Hamma 9th - Haezer, Mark Wormstorm, Sedge Warbler, aKing, Holiday Murray, Wolftown, Southpaw, Stereo Zen and DJ Sideshow 12th - Acoustic Sessions 14th - Junior Kelly 15th - Dustland Express, Black Moscow, Coal, The La Els and Holiday Murray 16th - Coal, Batleur, Lemolow and Tidal Waves 19th - Acoustic Sessions with Bright Light City Blue 20th - The Brothers Streep and Forgotten Superhero 21st - Heldervue and Joint State 22nd - Van Coke Cartel, Southern Gypsey Queen, When Karma Sleeps, Kill Disco and Like Knives 23rd - The Dirty Skirts, The Boombox Troopers and Alive At Midnight 26th - Acoustic Sessions with Black Stone Radio 27th - Josie Field and Beatenberg 29th - Gazelle (TBC) and Party People 30th - Far Too Loud

Purple Turtle Cnr Shortmarket and Long Str Tel: 021 424 0811 1st - Mungus Fungus 2nd - The New Mustangs, My Flawless Ending and Shotgun Tori 7th - The Ill Human Nati Getuies 8th - Mungus Fungus 9th - Captain Stu, Fruits & Veggies and The Modes 14th - NKE, Alvin Ray Loo and Ill Verse 15th - Mungus Fungus 16th - Reburn and Youth 21st - Ekapa 22nd - Mungus Fungus 23rd - Holiday Murray, Jeremy Loops and La.Vi 27th - Supercancer, The Lottery Tickets and Bicycle Thief 29th - Mungus Fungus 30th - Joint State, Black Market Riots and Anton Syndrome

Klein Libertas Theatre Du Toit Street, Stellenbosch Tel: 076 416 7230 22nd - Jesse Clegg

The Assembly 61 Harrington Street, District 6 Tel: 021 465 7286 2nd - Organik & Groovy Troopers: 3rd Annual Metamorph 6th - Stone Age Citizens & Guests 8th - Discotheque: Double-Adapter, Sedge Warbler & Guests 16th - Discotheque: Richard the Third, Killer Robot, Battle Beyond the Stars & Lapse 22nd - Discotheque: Bteam, ILLtastic, Dank & Guests 29th - Discotheque: Don’t Party TV Launch with Haezer, PH Fat & Nistrone 30th - Zebra & Giraffe with Van Coke Cartel

Die Boer 5 Chenoweth Street, Bellville Tel: 021 979 1911 6th - Anke Pietrangeli 9th - Piet Botha & The Lizard Kings 12th - Elvis Blues 14th - Guitar Legends with The Graham Gillot Band 15th - Tony Cox in concert 16th - Tribute to Cliff Richard & The Shadows 20th & 21st - Bok van Blerk and Peter Mitchell acoustic 23rd - The Kevin Floyd Project

Other 1st - My Flawless Ending and When Karma Sleeps at Viper Lounge, Tableview 22nd - 7th Son at Bohemia, Stellenbosch 23rd - The Inside Job and guests TBC at ROAR, Observatory

The Music Industry Did you ever have a tune stuck in your head? Have you ever broken out into song by hearing random words your friend just mumbled? If yes, it would probably be safe to say that you love your music. Music means so much more to so many people than can possibly be described by mere words. It’s a thought, a feeling, an action. Music is what drives so many people in this world and out of this love the music industry has grown to what it is today. This can be seen as both a good and bad thing. On the one side, there are so many opportunities offered to so many young, talented musicians and talent is what there is in excess in today’s world. No more struggling to record, as many studios have open days for bands to record live tracks to be used as demos. Talent scouts scour the clubs and festivals to find unsigned artists to sign to their labels. Great things are happening in the world of music, but I can’t help and ask myself if it’s not happening for the wrong reasons. Music is an Art form, a means of self expression. People, some of whom are highly untalented sorry to say, succeed in the industry merely because of their looks or because they are willing to conform to what the truly talented are not. I’m sure that you, the reader, have read articles where musicians mention where they have been in similar situations. This is a very sad reality both locally and internationally, but it is however only an opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs. Opinion is what either makes you or breaks you in any industry. When looking at the Cape Town music industry specifically, I must say that a lot of genuine opportunities are being served on a platter to those willing to feast. Whether it is recording studios or venues, our musicians are definitely being given every chance to succeed. Decently priced studio time is great for getting your music recorded. Open mic nights are a very popular means of getting yourself or your band into the big clubs and are happening all over at clubs like Mercury Live & Lounge, The Purple Turtle and Corner bar to name but a few. As I mentioned before, great things are happening and they are happening right in our own backyard. There is an infinite amount of talent in this city alone and our musicians simply have to take a chance and work hard at what they want. Win over the crowds by showing them that you mean business. Easier said than done? Maybe, but no victory is greater than the ones that require you to overcome the biggest obstacles. Article sent by Clinton Koordom

SEND US YOUR ARTICLES - GIGGUIDE@NIVARECORDS.COM

FUZIGISH RELEASES NEW ALBUM “SETLIST” On the 13th May 2011, Fuzigish, South Africa’s most legendary party band and successfully unique skanking machine will release ‘SETLIST’ at Cool Runnings in Fourways. For those not in Gauteng, do not fear as the Fat Ska Beatin's will be dealt out nationwide as Fuzi hits the road this May, June & July. The SETLIST album represents a collection of 23 songs taken from four previous full length albums. Fuzigish also decided to take a trip to the studio and record two new songs, “Burn the f%^&ing house down” and “We Rise!”. SETLIST is completely and proudly an independent release. “At the time of this release, these are the songs that we seem to play the most at our shows. Our “Set-List” more or less, for the past two years... Almost.”- J Bones SETLIST is the perfect album for new fans as well as die hard Fuzi fans. All the songs have been entirely remixed and re-mastered into more powerful tracks for your listening pleasure. The SETLIST Album will be on sale at all gigs for R100. Don’t miss out on the limited edition SETLIST USB stick which features all 5 albums as well as artwork, demos and more for sale for R250. Fuzigish merchandise will be on sale at all tour gigs. Fuzigish have remained one of South Africa’s top bands, both live and in what they record. Their longevity alone is proof of that tasty pudding, and the popularity of the recorded albums is the back up. After spending a few years on the back burner, Fuzigish are back, so Burn the house down, watch out for Secret police, keep it Maximum & many Fat ska beatings to you. Brace Yourselves!

16 July Mercury Live, R50

Spotting Bad Tattoo Artists Imagine going into surgery, would you shit in your pants if the area that you are about to get cut open in was dusty, unhygienic and just a little bit dodgy? I definitely would, and if we compare surgery and tattooing, there are common factors to be worried about... In a perfect world, every tattoo artist would be a talented and experienced professional, the sort of artist that may have a waiting list of a couple of weeks or even months with tattoo crazed individuals just waiting to get inked by this one artist. Every tattoo designed by this artist would be a masterpiece and every customer would leave the shop very much satisfied and itching for the next bit of ink. Sadly we don't live in a perfect world. As in all other trades or professions, the tattoo industry has its basket of rotten apples, but unfortunately in this sort of profession, if you choose the wrong artist, ‘once you go black, you never go back’, so precautions and common sense need to be the order of the day when getting a tattoo. Here are just a few ways that you can prevent ending up with a ‘disaster tattoo’ that could possibly never be corrected. Any decent tattoo artist will have a portfolio for you to view, be it in the shop, on the internet or even at the artist’s house. This portfolio should consist of photographs showing successfully completed tattoo’s. It is also easy for an artist to ‘steal’ or ‘borrow’ another artists portfolio, so if possible, take notice of the surroundings in the photo portfolio, if the floors and walls are a different colour, you should hear alarm bells ringing very loudly! If the artist has no portfolio available at all, I’d really suggest to make a false phone call, break into tears, explain that your mom has died, and cancel your appointment...or if you up for it, you could tell the artist to go f**k him/herself! As with other professions, tattoo artists may be required to be of service in their homes or their friend’s homes to make extra cash, most of these artists are affiliated with a tattoo shop, even if it is their own business run from a small shop attached to their house or something, or they just work for a local tattoo shop. The problem comes in when you hook up with an artist who is a friend of your friend’s uncle’s sister’s brother who has never worked at a tattoo shop and is not currently working for one. The obvious for this is that he/she is probably not good enough and does not have the skills required to do your tattoo. There is usually a reason why he/she can't find employment in a tattoo shop or establish enough clientele to open a small shop. Many artists share the same basic principles regarding tattoo aftercare. For example, keeping the tattoo out of the sun, not drinking before a tattoo etc. When you come across a tattoo artist that you have never worked with before who is giving you strange directions be wary. These are only a handful of methods that are useful when sorting the bad tattoo artists from the hundreds of good tattoo artists. Using these methods can help you and those you know avoid tattoo disasters. In addition to these methods, always use your own common sense, and when in doubt, go with your gut. It is always better to reschedule an appointment than get stuck with a tattoo you despise, because sometimes it can never be fixed!

FINGERS IN THE SKY How long has the band been around?

About one year, six months and four days, relatively speaking.

It is definitely not an average 'sound' that FITS has,

how did it come about? Well, the five of us all have different influences and have an appreciation for most pleasing sounds. I

don’t know hey, I guess we just got together, plugged our shit in and made some sort of coherent

noises.

Who are the bands influences? We take influence from a broad range of sounds

and genre’s. To mention a few specific sounds that plays a part in the sound of the music we make, we

take influence from people as far apart as Jack Johnson, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, The Clash,

Queen, Fort Minor. We also take a lot of influence from South African bands we love, like Dirty Skirts

and Fokofpolisiekar.

What is your opinion on the state of the SA, but mainly CT music scene?

Erm, it’s too easy to play bad metal. Andriques feels it’s a hopeful scene. There is the potential for

a great music scene. But I (Wilton) am a bit negative about the whole thing. Everyone claims to

be indie, and so the whole idea of indie has become watered down. We’re not indie, not in the

current mould of indie at least. Leigh feels we need more receptive venues, since the whole electronic scene has taken over recently. Few people watch live gigs of bands that aren’t established yet, and it

creates a vacuum.

What are your day jobs? Riaan: Farmer by day, guitar hero by night.

Wilton: English Honours’ student and nude portrait model.

Aidan: History Honours’ student, and also heads a very successful gamers’ cult.

Leigh: B.A. student, and I also take part in part-time possessions.

Aandriques: B.A. student, and professional time traveller from the 1980’s.

MONTHLY POLL:

The National Arts Festival has been, for many years, South Africa’s benchmark when it comes to a cultural event. This years event consists of hundreds of different performances in different areas of the arts ranging from drama, comedy and poetry to live music and dance. The 11 days of culture begins on June the 30th and will end on July the 10th. If you already have your tickets, you will be pleased to know that the event staff will have updated information available at kiosk’s around the festival to keep you up to date with any changes on the line up’s and to make sure you don't miss anything! If you want to buy tickets to this sure to be amazing festival, visit www.nationalartsfestival.co.za. Thumbs up to all the organizers, it is always awesome to know an event will be “kick ass” even before it begins!

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Kerrang

MK

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New release: Ashtray Electric – Measured in Falls. Ashtray Electric released their latest album ‘Measured in Falls’ during June 2011. The new album is accompanied by a nation-wide tour in June/July, that kicked off at The Assembly in Harrington Street, Cape Town on Saturday 11 June. Winner of MK`s Best Newcomer Award 2009 and voted to have the potential to be SA`s next musical export, Ashtray Electric have been leaving their gutsy footprints at venues and festivals nationwide. Their music is laced with engaging melodies and packed with galloping riffs and attitude. Add to that their signature sleazy-slow motion sexiness and you`ll find this unique package of four musicians that have skillfully made their mark on the SA scene. Ashtray Electric first unapologetically gallivanted onto the SA Music Scene three years ago with their debut album “Bonjour” receiving some raving reviews from fans and media alike. Music journalist Atiyyah Khan commented: “Ashtray Electric is in fashion. They most certainly ignite something electric on stage.” Measured in Falls introduces Ashtray Electric`s new musical progression. It is not merely a collection of songs, it’s an album in the full sense of the word. The new tracks are warm, lus-cious, and extraordinary. The album contains 11 brand new tracks, as well as their popular single “Release” (with Gazelle) as a bonus track. “Release” enjoyed high rotation on 5fm and national campus radio stations with their video reaching number 1 on MK. Lyrically the new songs touch on the concept of truth and deception and the tools such as manipulation that come along with it. “With growing up, these are our closest everyday concepts that we deal with that define who we become/want to be.” - AGMP The vocals of the album were recorded at Bovlei Studios in Wellington. Vocalist André Pienaar turned a room at his home into a studio. He literally lived in the studio during the time of recording, as they say, home is where the heart is. Drums, bass and lead guitars were recorded at Openroom Productions/SABC RBF Studios in Johannesburg with the album being produced by Darryl Torr and mastered by Troy Glessner at Spectre Mastering, Seattle, WA. The bonus track “Release” (featuring Gazelle) was recorded at Red Bull Studios, Cape Town with the track being engineered by Richard III, mixed by Regard Nel at Signpost Sound, and mastered by Troy Glessner at Spectre Mastering, Seattle, WA. "Measured in Falls is a dictation of fears, trusts and other internal questions, but more importantly as its name suggests, it tries to bring across the message that we all f*ck up, but It`s okay...You can always get up, go on, and fall again." - AGMP

1. Angst 2. Dear 3. Blood 4. Tunnels 5. Here Comes the Rain Again 6. Bittersweet Manipulator 7. Over and Over 8. Liar 9. Hip Stop 10. When the Weather Changes 11. I’ll Change Bonus Track: 12. Release (With Gazelle)

Facebook: AshtrayElectric

Twitter:

@AshtrayElectric

Website: www.ashtrayelectric.co.za

CRATE GT65

CRATE GT212

Band: The Mysticcs Photographer: Glen Montgomery Models: Zen and Jade