Tag: Blues

Lockdown Blues – The Bottom Barrel Blues Band

Featuring Robin Auld, Steve Walsh, Simon Orange, Tonia Möller, Schalk Joubert, Willem Möller, Kevin Gibson, Mauritz Lotz & Nico Mac

“Lockdown Blues” is a blues song created and performed by the Bottom Barrel Blues Band – a collaboration of prominent South African contemporary musicians. It was recorded individually by the artists in isolation during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
True to the nature of the blues, “Lockdown Blues” is an uplifting, bitter-sweet tune depicting the challenges of life under lockdown regulations. It is produced by the Cape Town Music Academy (CTMA), a Cape Town based not for profit company, creating opportunities for local contemporary musicians.

During the Covid-19 pandemic many musicians have experienced a harsh decline or complete halt in income due to lockdown regulations and the ban on public gatherings. But despite these challenges, musicians will always express themselves, practice their craft and collaborate.
We therefore urge you to please support your local musicians by continuing to buy their albums, follow their online and streaming initiatives or by making a financial donation.

For more info on how you can donate to contemporary musicians in South Africa, please contact the Cape Town Music Academy at info@ctma.co.za.

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” ― Billy Joel

Credits:
Music by Robin Auld
Lyrics by Nico Mac/Robin Auld/Simon Orange
Video created & edited by Schalk Joubert
Arranged, Mixed & Mastered by Robin Auld
Executive Producer – The Cape Town Music Academy

Robin Auld – Vocals, Guitar & Harmonica
Simon Orange – Vocals & Keyboards
Steve Walsh – Vocals
Tonia Möller – Vocals
Kevin Gibson – Drums
Schalk Joubert – Bass
Willem Möller – Guitar
Mauritz Lotz – Guitar

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Press Release Mean Black Mamba: Raw foot stomping roots music – Album launch Friday 11 Oct – Side Street Studios 48 Albert Road Woodstock

Mean Black Mamba: Raw foot stomping roots music that grooves your body and soul. Words of humor and hope sliding between writhing riffs and the insistent thump of a cowhide drum. This is afro swamp gospel, this is blues n’ roll. Gritty & hard hitting, the music winds you off the floor and twists you to your feet. Fresh. Cosmic delta juju. Like its name-snake, mean with a smile on its face.

Born on the southern tip of Africa, Guy Collins has been playing guitar for most of his years. His interest really took off when he was 15 on a warm day. The long distance groove from somewhere in the American south, Howlin’ Wolf on Highway 49, beamed into the living room. African roots, blues, rock ‘n roll. A continual search for an elusive sound.

Mean Black Mamba Album Launch

“James van Minnen can extract a beat from a feather and a shoe if it were asked of him; seated at his drums he appears as a blur of limbs and crashing steel from which infectious rhythms emanate in metronomic waves…he infuses African and Middle Eastern rhythms into songs with hypnotic effect”

Mahala Review (voted in the top 25 artists of 2012 by IMR Magazine)

James van Minnen and Guy Collins have both been in the music scene for years, mostly somewhat under the radar, fuelling the backline in some of the more well-known outfits around.

Mean Black Mamba is the result of infrequent collaborations between these two musicians over the past decade, an unnamed two-piece appearing at house parties, street markets and other events where they have slipped in incognito and blown people away with their rich, gritty and rootsy sound.

Mean Black Mamba

Live, MBM follows the template of roots and rural musicians everywhere:

“Grooves are made for dancing and once people get moving, the music takes it’s own course. There are no rules when we are playing and while we have recorded an album of concise songs, we can stretch them out live and segue them into each other over whatever groove or tempo feels right at the time.

I believe that recording an album is an opportunity to create an art piece that reflects a moment in time and we have done our best to make an album that can stand for itself while imbuing it with the raw essence of our live sound.” – Guy Collins

“Our live shows clearly get people going and I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the music is as fresh to us as it is to the audience, being willing to ride the mamba wherever it chooses to take us.” – James van Minnen

Their much-anticipated “Killer album.” (Tim Lengfeld, Audio Mastering Engineer) will be launched at Side Street Studios, 48 Albert Rd, Woodstock, on October 11th this year where you can experience this and what is guaranteed to be one helluva shindig with some fantastic guest artists and collaborators.

Pre-buy albums, entry and awesome deals via their IndieGogo campaign at www.igg.me/at/mean-black-mamba

for press queries contact

Martin Myers

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Vagabond Blues Show on All Jazz Radio every Thursday afternoon

Join me on my Vagabond Blues show on www.AllJazzRadio.co.za every Thursday afternoon from 4pm to 6pm (SA time). I play a broad spectrum of music in the blues genre, with a special focus on South African blues. – Brian Currin

Extract from an article I wrote in February 2007

I was born in South Africa 4 days after “The Day The Music Died” according to Don McLean (you work it out!). I was born and bred in a home filled with music (mainly Church Hymns and Showtunes) but soon discovered in my pre-teen years that I had absolutely no talent for singing or playing an instrument. I do play a mean air guitar solo though – I usually play a Black Fender Stratocaster Original Air Guitar. I also play Air Organ – a Hammond B3 of course – and recently I’ve started learning to play Air Harmonica.

Since I had this overwhelming passion for music, but not the skills to perform it, I started collecting music as well as information about music and also statistics and lists. Finding musical information in Apartheid-era South Africa was difficult to say the least, but my passion knew no bounds and I persevered.

In 1973 I heard the ‘Made in Japan’ version of ‘Smoke Of The Water’ by Deep Purple and my fate as a Rock Fan was sealed. I always thought that when I grew up I would lose my love of Rock and get into Classical and Jazz as “older” people did. Never happened! What did happen is that I just added and added more styles, types and genres to my musical tastes, though Classic Rock is still my first love and Deep Purple is still my favourite group. After listening to Purple and Zeppelin and Tull and Clapton and such-like I wanted to hear the original blues that inspired them … and a whole new world of discovering the Blues masters opened up for me.

Blues From The Deep South (Of Africa)

Because of South Africa’s unique geographical position and cosmopolitan population, there is really no such thing as a single defining style of “South African Music”. We seem to have everything here on the Southern Tip of Africa including African Tribal music, Zulu Township Jazz, Country and Western, Death Metal, Electronica and so much more, all with their own clearly-defined (and sometimes overlapping) niche markets. However the blues seems to be very popular in South Africa amongst most population groups, though I’ve never seen any research to support this theory of mine.

Blues in South Africa includes a wide variety of genres including Jazz Blues, Folk Blues, Traditional Blues, Blues Rock, Acoustic Blues and even blues sung in the language of Afrikaans which for want of a better name we will call Afrikaans Blues. So really South African Blues is just a term to mean Blues played by South African musicians. Cover versions of old blues classics abound, but there are also a large number of original compositions written in a variety of blues styles. Very few South African Blues musicians actually concentrate on playing the Blues exclusively, but rather play a mix of Blues, Rock, Blues-Rock and Country Rock.

Join me on my Vagabond Blues show on www.AllJazzRadio.co.za every Thursday afternoon from 4pm to 6pm (SA time). I play a broad spectrum of music in the blues genre, with a special focus on South African blues. – Brian Currin

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Table Mountain Blues Summit: Final Countdown

blues_summit_small.png

Final Countdown to Blues Summit 2011
Well Guys and Gals …it’s been a tough year for alot of people….
But for the price of a ‘R180 ticket’ we can put it all behind us for 11 hours on Saturday and forget our worries and woes

and get into the spirit of one of the Biggest, Bluesiest and Grooviest Festivals in the country….
www.bluesfest.co.za ……..

The Band Menu and Prices:
12 45 to 1 15 Wayne Pauli
1 25 to 2 SpaceMan

2 15 to 3 Raoul and Black Friday
3 15 to 4 Dave Ferguson
4 15 to 5 Natasha Meister
5 15 to 6 Gerald Clark Band
6 15 to 7 05 Richard Pryor’s ‘Pebbleman’
(Fender Guitar Giveaway)

7 20 to 8 15 Blues Broers and Albert Frost
8 30 to 9 30 Boulevard Blues
9 45 to 10 45 Dan Patlansky
11 to 11 45 Black Cat Bone

Book now …
Direct Link: Computicket or 083 9158000
Remember only computickets are eligible for the Fender Guitar lucky draw which will take place at about 7pm on the day.
Band Merchandise will be on sale including Blues Summit 2011 T-shirts…. so bring some change.

NB: Bring plenty of clothing because Bloemendal can get cold especially at night

  • 11 of the greatest and most exciting blues/rock bands that South Africa has to offer
  • State of the art outdoor festival sound rig of 30 000watts
  • Huge LED backdrop TV screen of 25 square metres
  • Fantastic light show and LED’s
  • We have the obligatory Fender guitar giveaway… yes you could win a Fender guitar and plenty of smaller prizes
  • Massive stage with moving lights and 2 projector screens
  • Plenty of food and refreshments, a full food menu and plenty of outside bars
  • Plenty of men and women’s toilets
  • Lots of free off street parking
  • Huge marquee supplied
  • Beautiful rolling lawns on this charming farm where you can relax and watch your favourite bands
  • Kids under 11 are free

How do I get there?

 

GPS Coordinates Decimal Decimal Deg Min & Sec Deg & Decimal Min
Latitude -33.8386° S 33.8386° S 33° 50′ 18.96″ -33° 50.316′
Longitude 18.5993° E 18.5993° E 18° 35′ 57.48″ 18° 35.958′

Address Phone 021 9762682
Tygerbergvalley Road
Durbanville
Western Cape
South Africa

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Table Mountain Blues Summit – 2009

Table Mountain Blues Summit - 2009
The Biggest and Best Blues festival in the country is again making it’s home at the majestic Bloemendal Winehouse on the 28th of November 2009. This spectacular event is Presented by Combustion Technology and Boulevard Blues in conjunction with Fender with the hottest Blues/Rock bands coming together for 10 hours of non stop music that is live and direct.
Limited Tickets available – Book now at Computicket

The blues/rock acts gearing up to entertain all music lovers on the lawns of Bloemendal Winehouse are

These artists will be belting out the Blues and getting even the most jaded individuals up on their feet and rocking out.
Fender will be there with 3 of it’s endorsees: Dan Patlansky, Albert Frost and Richard Pryor
They will be giving away prizes including a brand new Fender Stratocaster Guitar!

There’s no doubt that these bands, a 30,000 watt P/A rig, rolling lawns, huge marquee, food & refreshments, plenty of free secure parking and the beautiful Bloemendal venue are going to be a treat that will be remembered for years to come.

Early booking is recommended as tickets are limited to secure the comfort of all the music lovers.
Bookings are open at Computicket on 083 9158000 or book online Click here
Tickets cost R160 and are limited, so book early to secure your place.
The venue is family friendly and children under 10 years old are free!

A special thanks to:

The Venue: Bloemendal Winehouse
M13, Racecourse Road, Durbanville, Cape Town.
Telephone 021 976 2682 or 083 4599748
Use Google Maps for directions or

Click on the map below to enlarge:

  • For some hip on-line pics taken at the Blues Summit 2008, check out Willem’s photos
  • Read the review by Aidan Harper
  • Read the review by Linda Evermore
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    Dan Patlansky – The “Move My Soul“ Tour

    Photo Credit: KevinG (courtesy Musical Mover)
    Photo Credit: KevinG (courtesy Musical Mover)

    Dan Patlansky, South Africa’s rock and blues guitar wizard, is on the move again – and is promoting his latest CD “Move My Soul”.

    The CD was produced by Dan at the renowned Peace Of Eden Studio in Knysna and mixed by Peter Auret of Watershed.

    The music continues Dan’s commitment and driving passion for music and features an explosive mix of wild blues, rock and roll and breathtaking balladeering.

    Since his previous tour Dan has recorded and performed with Jesse Clegg, played at various venues in Gauteng and headlined the Benefit Concert for musician “Judge Coetzee.

    Dan will be accompanied on this tour by Andy Turrell on drums and Errol “Smelly” Fellows on bass.

    The band featured at the FORR Festival in Mozambique and the Durban International Blues Festival during September.

    This tour will take the band across the country from cities to villages and from theatres to bars in a determined effort to move your soul.

    Further info and photographs are available on Dan’s website : www.danpatlansky.com

    Tour dates and venues :

    1/10/09             The Blues Room, Sandton Village Walk               0117845527

    2/10/09             Tanz  Café, Bryanston                                             0114633128

    7/10/09             Pablo’s, Potchefstroom                                          0834444101

    8/10/09            Aasvoel Club, Bloemfontein                                    0515233604

    10/10/09          Rocking The Daisies, Darling                                   0214811832

    14/10/09         Fogey’s, Muizenberg                                                0217883252

    16/10/09         Dorpstraat Theatre, Stellenbosch                          0218866107

    17/10/09        Bertie’s  Moorings, Gordon’s Bay                            0218563343

    21-23/10/09  Die Boer, Durbanville                                                 0219791911

    24/10/09        Klein Libertas Theatre, Stellenbosch                       0218838164

    29/10/09        Potter’s Place, Jeffreys’ Bay                                      0422932500

    30-31/10/09  Toni’s, Port Elizabeth                                                 0413641964

    Selected Dan Patlansky albums available at www.RhythmMusicStore.com

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