The Man Who Found Sugar Man | Sunday Argus October 5, 2014
The Man Who Found Sugar Man | Sunday Argus October 5, 2014
Still Searching for Sugarman | Ted Baker Blog
When we heard that friend of Ted, Ali B of Air Recordings, had been to the one and only Mabu record store in South Africa, we wanted to hear all about it, and now we want to go too – all donations welcome! read his tale and prepare to be just a little green around the gills…
“In April this year I made a trip to Cape Town, South Africa to attend Afrikaburn, the Burning Man Festival of Africa, which I was introduced to by my friend Tal. Tal’s father Stephen had been involved in the recent Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugarman, about Detroit musician Rodriguez, who had become huge in South Africa during the 70s, while remaining virtually unknown to the rest of the world. So, on arrival in Cape Town, I made sure that I made a trip to Stephen’s record store, Mabu, to see if I could find any of Rodriguez’ music on vinyl.
A few weeks later, when I finally caught up with my friend at Afrikaburn, we were chatting about the recent success of the film and I’d told her that I’d been digging for 45s in her Father’s store. Meanwhile she was busy eyeing up the jacket I was wearing; an 80s silk blazer covered in the most ridiculous design of black and white cats. Being a sucker for anything with animal print on it, Tal suggested that I trade the jacket with her and in return, she would set it up for me to visit her Father’s basement which was apparently full of 45s – my favourite ever kind of vinyl. As much as I love my stupid cat jacket, without hesitation, I agreed.
Read more at Still Searching for Sugarman | Ted Baker Blog.
Rodriguez is sweeter than sugar, man | StarTribune.com
He seemed frail when escorted onstage by two women Wednesday at the sold-out Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. But then he put on his dark-tinted glasses, his floppy black hat and his beige guitar and suddenly he transformed into Rodriguez, musician of mystery, melancholy and that Oscar-winning movie.
“Searching for Sugar Man,” which took the Academy Award this year for best documentary, told the story of an obscure Detroit folk-rock singer whose two albums from the early 1970s had somehow made him into a beloved cult hero in South Africa. Two obsessive fans there started searching for the singer, thought to be dead, and not only found him in Detroit but then brought him to South Africa for a series of major concerts in the late 1990s. It was all filmed and eventually turned into a 2012 movie.
It’s a fascinating story and a terrific footnote in rock history — that Rodriguez’s career was relaunched by an Oscar-honored movie.
And Rodriguez’s concert at the Fitzgerald was as winning as the movie. Maybe more so.
Read more at Rodriguez is sweeter than sugar, man | StarTribune.com.
ZekeFilm | After the Show: Searching for Sugar Man
“I just want to be treated like an ordinary….legend”
With these words, offered in in humility and a little jest, Rodriguez took the stage for the encore of his May 4, 2013 show at the University of Texas’ Frank Irwin Center in Austin, Texas. The show was an embodiment of a dream fulfilled that was brilliantly depicted in the Malik Bendjelloul documentary Searching for Sugar Man.
Malik Bendjelloul is a Swedish filmmaker who was traveling the world looking for an amazing story when he stumbled into South Africa and learned about the legendary Rodriguez. His album “Cold Fact” and its follow up “Coming From Reality” sold over 500,000 albums in the African country. It is credited with helping rally the youth to become anti-establishment and critical of their own government so as to stand and fight against the dark practice of apartheid. To any South African, Rodriguez was, and is, bigger than Elvis or the Beatles.
Read more at ZekeFilm | After the Show: Searching for Sugar Man.
‘Sugar Man’ Sixto Rodriguez tells WSU grads ‘well done’ | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com
Detroit — The Detroit musician who’s suddenly become one of Wayne State University’s more prominent alumni wished the class of 2013 good luck Thursday as he received an honorary degree from the school.
In a short speech thanking the University, musician Sixto Rodriguez wished the graduating students from Wayne State University good luck.
“Well done,” said Rodriguez told students taking commencement Thursday at Detroit’s Ford Field. “Or as we say in Spanish, ‘bien hecho.'”
Rodriguez, who garnered international fame this year after starring in the Oscar-winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony for his “musical genius and commitment to social justice.”
Rodriguez’s two albums in the early 1970s received little attention in the U.S. but he unknowingly developed a cult following in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Read more at ‘Sugar Man’ Sixto Rodriguez tells WSU grads ‘well done’ | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com.
Serj Tankian, Devin Townsend, Ihsahn To Feature On Revolution Harmony Charity Single ‘We Are’ | News | Metal Hammer
Revolution Harmony, a new project dreamt up by music lecturer and journalist Ray Holroyd, will release a special charity single featuring System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian, Devin Townsend and former Emperor frontman Ihsahn on July 18.
All proceeds from the single, titled We Are, will be donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa.
“It has been an absolute honour being involved with the Revolution Harmony project to bring much needed financial aid to Buskaid in South Africa,” says Serj. “Music has saved my life and has the potential to create positive change in all those young kids struggling to make themselves heard and to survive.” He continues on the single itself: “The song is a musical collage of complex yet moving colours intertwining genres and vibes.”
“Revolution Harmony is a dream come true, it’s the perfect harmonious marriage of my two callings: making music and making a positive change in the world!,” adds Ray. “We Are is the first milestone for Revolution Harmony, and to share it with three of my musical heroes, Serj, Ihsahn and Devin, who all believe in my vision, is deeply heartwarming and humbling. These musicians are overflowing with talent and compassion, and I am eternally grateful and monumentally honoured to have had them contribute to my cause by singing and playing on a piece of my music. The goal for these All-Star charity singles is to raise significant funds for various smaller charities, by making/selling creative and meaningful music that features rare collaborations by inspirational artists.”
Black Sheep Rockonspiracy in Rolling Stone Magazine
FREYGANG BAND feels honoured to be featured in the ROLLING STONE MAG SOUTH AFRICA!
Special thanks to TOAST COETZER for a very well written article.
The musicians can’t wait to perform first time ever in Africa and making new friends at the same time…
Black Sheep Rockonspiracy in Rolling Stone Magazine – click here for full article
‘Searching for Sugar Man’ star Sixto Rodriguez to receive Wayne State degree; Masonic Temple show sells out | MLive.com
DETROIT, MI – Add another honor to 70-year-old Detroit resident Sixto Rodriguez’s impressive stash.
The star of an Academy Award-winning documentary called “Searching for Sugar Man” will reportedly receive an honorary degree from Wayne State University this spring.
The Detroit News reported the news this week and mentioned Rodriguez will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters from WSU on May 9 at the 10 a.m. commencement ceremony.
Rodriguez is an 1981 graduate of Wayne State who studied philosophy. He lives in the city’s Woodbridge neighborhood near the school’s campus and bought his home for $1 decades ago during a federal land auction.
Headliners for The Hop Farm Music Festival: My Bloody Valentine and Rodriguez
The Hop Farm Music Festival, Kent’s number one festival, will be take place on the 5th and 6th July 2013.
The festival will offer two days of music for up to 10,000 people. Headliners have been announced as: My Bloody Valentine (exclusive festival show England & Wales) and Rodriguez.
Also announced for the Kent festival – The Horrors, Jimmy Cliff, The Cribs, First Aid Kit, Dinosaur Jr, The Presidents Of The United States Of America, Martha Wainwright, Edwyn Collins, Little Comets, Dry The River, The Staves, The Black Angels, Friends, Veronica Falls, Toy, Gaz Coombes, Tall Ships, Marcus Foster, Theme Park, Jack Savoretti, Cass McCombs, Sean Rowe, Wolf People, We Were Evergreen, Public Service Broadcasting, Temples, The Sheepdogs, Post War Years, Jesca Hoop, Concrete Knives, Luke Sital-Singh, Ben Caplan, Sweet Baboo, Drenge, Teleman. Sinkane, Paws, J Roddy Walston & The Business, Pales Seas, Syd Arthur, Washington Irving, Shields, Trevor Moss And Hannah Lou, The History Of Apple Pie, Acollective, Jess Roberts & The Silver Rays, Pyramids, Alba Lua, Ligers and Sally Archer. More acts are to be announced.
Oscar was ‘kersie op die koek’ | Die Burger
KAAPSTAD. – Die Oscar-toekenning is die kersie op die koek van ’n merkwaardige reis oor sy held Rodriguez.
Só gesels Stephen “Sugar” Segerman oor die dokumentêre rolprent oor Sixto Rodriguez, Searching for Sugar Man, wat pas ’n Oscar ingepalm het in die kategorie vir dokumentêre rolprente.
Segerman is ’n sentrale figuur in die dokumentêr.
Die rolprent is die verhaal van Segerman en Craig Bartholomew Strydom wat Rodriguez in die 1990’s in Detroit, Michigan, opgespoor en na Suid-Afrika gebring het.
Hy en Strydom was verlede week ook in Hollywood toe die goue beeldjie aan Malik Bendjelloul en Simon Chinn (regisseurs) oorhandig is.
Searching For Sugar Man (Documentary, 2012) Review | STATIC MASS EMPORIUM
In the modern world, celebrity culture has saturated almost every single aspect of our lives. It comes in the forms of the desperation for fame to be found on reality television, glossy gossip magazines and bookstores with entire sections devoted to celebrity hardbacks. In the modern era, a young footballer in his early twenties will already have produced at least one ghost-written autobiography. Z-list actors and one-hit pop stars are more than happy to debase themselves by eating cockroaches in the jungle. Fame has almost overtaken the resulting fortune as the coveted unit of currency and people of all shapes and sizes expressly long for it – or at least their allotted five minutes in the limelight.
In the world of music there are, naturally, alternatives to the pre-fabricated or talent show pop acts that spring up on a regular basis. The world still has many a band who get where they are through long years of graft. But given that current culture is permeated to the highest degree with a desire for fame, the story presented in Malik Bendjelloul’s riveting music documentary, Searching For Sugar Man, is even harder to believe.
via Searching For Sugar Man (Documentary, 2012) Review | STATIC MASS EMPORIUM.
Craig, Malik and Sugar with Oscar
SABC Media Libraries: Searching for Sugar Man, also in the SABC Archives
“Sugar Man”, the story of a forgotten singer, won the best documentary at the Oscars this week.
Sixto Rodriguez made two records in the early 1970s, but it never took off in America.
Unbeknown to him, it became very popular in South Africa.
Searching for Sugar Man, is the story of two South Africans and their search for this elusive singer.
Big is the surprise when we see a clip showing our own collections in the SABC Record Library and how censorship made it impossible for it to be played during the Apartheid years.
via SABC Media Libraries: Searching for Sugar Man, also in the SABC Archives.
Searching for Sugar Man star Sixto Rodriguez to play Masonic Temple Theater in May
DETROIT (WXYZ) – The star of the Oscar winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man will be performing his first post-Oscar show here in his hometown.
Sixto Rodriguez has scheduled a show at the Masonic Temple Theater for Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 pm. The show is being presented by the Crofoot Ballroom.
Ticket prices for the show have been set at two levels. They will cost you either $35 for the Balcony or $45 for the main floor. Tickets go on sale March 1 at Ticketmaster.com or thecrofoot.com.
Rodriguez is a local musician whose music made him bigger than Elvis in South Africa, all the while he remained little known her in his hometown.
via Searching for Sugar Man star Sixto Rodriguez to play Masonic Temple Theater in May.
SugarMan.org 