CT: Catch Simon Van Gend & Nick Turner
Back in Editorista’s more crusty hippy days, amongst other dubious activities she was an ardent groupie of the vibrant Cape Town based band Sons of Trout. Grooving to their every funked up note and lyric at packed out live performances from dodgy Middleburg, to sweaty Warner Beach all the way through to chockablock venues in Knysna and Bloem- Ed and her friends just couldn’t get enough of the boys oozing lusciousness (lipstick lady still her favourite!). Founding members Nick Turner and Mike Rennie have been seducing fans in New York for the last few years with their breakaway band Mikanic, growing a strong fanbase in the US and flying SA’s flag high. As Cape Town’s luck would have it, Nick is in town and will be performing next Thursday night at the Alliance Francais with local resident Simon Van Gend – if you love dope acoustic guitar and vocals, don’t miss it! Simon Van Gend & Nick Turner Thursday 28 May 20h / R40 @ Alliance Française 155 Loop Street Nick Turner : Just coming off a country-wide tour of South Africa with his New York City-based band Mikanic, guitarist and singer/songwriter, Nick Turner will bring his distinctive and infectious guitar style, voice and lyrics to solo performances throughout Cape Town before rejoining his band for a line-up of summer concerts back in America. Nick Turner is widely known in South Africa as a founding band member to Sons of Trout, one of the country’s top selling bands. With Sons of Trout, Nick headlined major music festivals in the country and toured extensively, releasing four albums, top single hits still played on the radio today. Although Nick has maintained a reputation for being an infectious singer-songwriter, his true talent lies in his innovative guitar style. Nick’s acoustic guitar playing is truly what makes him a musical genius and earns him the highest respect from his peers and worldwide audiences. Now based in New York City, USA, Nick collaborates with ex-Trout violinist and vocalist Mike Rennie in his band Mikanic formed in 2003. A modern-day Simon and Garfunkel, Mikanic’s energy and unpredictable collaborations and moments during live performances have captured a loyal following in the USA and abroad (touring Japan) and have quickly become one of New York City’s most sought after live acts. Mikanic recently finished a run of concerts in New York City with Zolani Mahola of Freshly Ground. Simon van Gend is a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Cape Town. In 2001, he released his first album, Unhinged, as self-produced, home recorded collection of 15 songs. His introspective lyrics and melancholic melodies found favour amongst a small but...
Experimental project space opens in downtown Jozi
GoetheonMain is opening tonight as part of the Arts on Main development in downtown Johannesburg. The 273 m2 space is intended as a multi-disciplinary project room, tonight’s launch will feature Isicathamiya and Oswenka performances and a photo projection of Sabelo Mlangeni’s new body of work Men Only, which will be followed on 8 to 10 May by the Informal Architecture master class – an architecture workshop on the structures that fills the gaps left by city planning. Ismail Farouk’s Trolley Works, the first of eight projects chosen by an independent jury, will open on 29 April. Opening Night: Mai Mai goes Main Isicathamiya and Oswenka Performances & Men Only – a photo projection of Sabelo Mlangeni’s new body of work on the George Goch hostel When: 8 May, 6 pm Where: GoetheonMain, Arts on Main, 245 Main Street (Closest corner Berea Street), City & Suburban, Johannesburg. From May onwards GoetheonMain will host eight projects selected from the open call for proposals that was launched in early March. The process will be repeated later in the year and is set to run twice a year. The distinguished jury consisting of Paul Grootboom, Sibongile Khumalo, Melissa Mboweni, Simon Njami and Hans-Georg Knopp met to decide the projects to be realised at GoetheonMain this year. The chosen proposals are reflective of the multi-disciplinary nature of GoetheonMain and the urban space that surrounds it. Art outreach project Sutherland Reflections; city intervention Trolley Works; a music and dance performance entitled Trespassing Permitted; visual art exhibition dedicated to Women’s day; Rhythm Tap. Multimedia Dance Project; a performance piece Fragile and Selogilwe; interdisciplinary presentation Merry Christmas Minister!; as well as Red Arts photography presentation and literature workshops, found the judges’ favour. With GoetheonMain, the Goethe-Institut engages with issues central to metropolises all over the world, and in particular Johannesburg. Through an engagement with the arts, urbanity is looked at: the hybridity, frenetic energy and constant transformation that make up our cities. Informal Architecture Master Class When: 9 & 10 May Despite the UN-Habitat’s call for “cities without slums” pronounced in 1999, the number of informal settlements has drastically increased. Similar ambitions are expressed closer to home: In South Africa housing lists dating back to 1998 demonstrate that formal approaches to housing delivery are not effective enough. The informal city fills the gaps left by what the formal city does not and cannot provide. Yet it is largely condemned and outlawed – its potential hidden. 26’10 south Architects has, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut, embarked on a research project to gather information in the form of mappings and drawings which capture the spatial and functional qualities of...
Don’t miss this treat of a gig – Sat 9 May
Oh this weekend is gonna be pumping out some sweet jazzy sounds – we cannot recommend a better gig for anyone that loves offbeat sublime SA jazz, at only R25 a ticket this is a gift… So how about dinner in Newtown or Melville and then zooting yourself over to the WITS Amphiteatre… Siya’s voice alone will have the hairs standing at attention, never mind the slickness of Marcus, Carlo and Justin. GO GO GO. Represent! The Prisoners of Strange with Siya Makuzeni: voice Marcus Wyatt: trumpet Carlo Mombelli: bass & soundscapes Justin Badenhorst: drums Venue: Wits Amphitheatre (University of the Witwatersrand) Saturday 9th MAY 9 pm Bookings – R25 at Strictlytickets.com or at the...
Levi’s® Vintage Sundays is back- Sun 10 May
The sixth edition of ‘Levi’s Vintage Sundays’ takes place this May in Joburg – it’s heartening to see a brand consistently supporting South African musicians by providing them with a (reliable) platform from whence to share their love. Good job Levi’s. Sharpile! The second installation of this 6th round of gigs takes place this Sunday at The Crazy 88 in Norwood at 7:30pm. Do you best to get there as it features three of our bestest South African musical wonders… Kwani Experience, the legendary Pops Mohammed and the poet mc TUMI. It’s gonna be crazy up in there. KWANI EXPERIENCE is a six-piece live band powerhouse, hailing from the inner city of Johannesburg. Featuring a gritty yet sophisticated sound, they present a distinctive edge in their attitude, their messages, their look and their sound. Having already performed on several European tours in countries like France, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands as well as a few African countries such as Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho and Cape Verde, Kwani Experience is proving to be one of the greatest South African exports. Check out www.kwani.co.za / www.myspace.com/kwaniexp for more information. Multi-talented artist, POPS MOHAMED is one of the greatest musical exports of our time. As a composer, arranger, producer, performer and teacher, he is an internationally renowned virtuoso in the field of indigenous African instruments. He also writes scores for film documentaries and radio jingles and as a member of the SA Chamber Orchestras, Pops Mohamed hosts workshops for children around the world with the preservation of traditional music at heart. Having performed across the globe several times over, Pops Mohamed is a must-see in the Levi’s® Vintage Sundays line-up. Check out www.myspace.com/popsmohamed for more information. TUMI MOLEKANE aka Tumi, is solo artist and lead vocalist of Tumi and the Volume. 2007 marked the arrival of Tumi’s first SAMA nomination, a double nomination under the Best Rap category. Having travelled the globe a few times over with a huge following in his own home country, Tumi is even more renowned abroad through his annual international tours and is arguably one of South Africa’s most electric performers right now. Check out http://www.myspace.com/tumipoetmc for more...
Apologies to all the winners for Ballentines ballsup @ Bassline
If you were a ‘winner’ and went to the Bassline on Saturday night only to find there was no list and your name was nowhere to be found, firstly, we’d like to apologise sincerely for this bad experience. Secondly, we’d like you to know that this had very little to do with Represent and everything to do with the venue, Bassline, and the organiser Andrew, who was managing our ticket giveaway. After generously piling on the free tickets for our readers, and us providing all info timeously, they had promised to have everyone’s names at the door on the list on time – a very simple thing to do – but it turns out they couldn’t be bothered. We are busy compiling a list of ‘winners’ experiences that night as well as finding out how they will compensate you, so please do get in touch on editor@represent.co.za, we have the list of everyone that won. It’s a sad day when people are treated so badly, without respect and we apologise once again, as you know, we do this all for the love and support of SA music, but we’re beginning to wonder if it’s worth it. Sharpile for your support as always. Editorista. We’ve got a bunch of tickets to give-away to this week’s Ballantines Finest Jazz “Leave an Impression” event – It’s happening live at the Bassline in Newtown on Saturday 2nd May 2009 and will feature the brilliant DON LAKA and the sultry SAMA winning SIMPHIWE DANA. If you’d like to win a pair, simply email Editorista on editor@represent.co.za with your name, your partners name, your cell numbers and the answer to this question: at which famous Johannesburg Jazz venue will the Ballentine’s Finest Jazz event take place this weekend? More details below or click on the flyer for more: Ballantine’s has been presenting some top South African jazz artist at various Newtown venues over the past year and is extremely proud to present two headline acts at arguably the home of South African Jazz on Saturday 02 May, when Don Laka and Simphiwe Dana play at the Ballantine’s Finest Jazz event at Bassline – this event is sure to LEAVE AN IMPRESSION and we are extremely proud to be the headline sponsors. The Ballantines Finest Jazz at the Bassline is a jazz event to look forward to reminiscent of the high quality jazz concerts from the Bassline Jazz Club in Melville days! Headline for the evening is the inimitable Don Laka performing his signature “Kwaai Jazz” with Jazz Diva supreme Simphiwe Dana taking on the support act slot. Don Laka after 35 years in the music...
Proudly brought to you by:
