IN THE NEWS
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FEATURES Prime Circle
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Retrospective
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Homegrown: Jack Stone
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Topic: Are you feeling lucky, PUNK?
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8th Notes from the Underground: Skyforger
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REVIEWS
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E have enjoyed an overwhelming amount of positive response to our first edition. The June edition saw our facebook following growing rapidly and featured artists and advertisers giving us loads of positive feedback. This month we’ll be adding a bit of meat to the bones of our humble magazine. In our July edition we’ll be highlighting even more South African talent as I chat to legendary SA rockers Prime Circle about their music, their European tour and their plans for the future. We also interview rising star Jack Stone in the run-up to his much-anticipated debut album Walk On. In our retrospective feature, we’ll be talking about Black Sabbath and the incredible, incalculable influence they have had on modern music. Metal fans are in for a treat this month as our heavy metal section features Skyforger, Latvian folk metal greats. As always we will have all the latest news, reviews and events you need to know about. Happy reading and keep rocking,
Stone Showcase
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CDs
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Ed.
Rudi’s Guide to a Better Recording
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CALENDAR
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COLUMN: Pop goes the world 25
Features:Tristan Snijders Yolandé Erasmus Contributor:Rudi Massyn Design & Layout:Reinhardt Massyn Editorial Assistant:Charmaine Palm
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LADY GAGA B O R N
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OP music super starlet Lady Gaga never fails to make our news section. This time she has fans and media hysterically excited over her upcoming SA tour. The ‘Born This Way Ball’ will include special guests; Suffolk rockers The Darkness and Lady Starlight, Lady Gaga’s long-time performance partner. Lady Gaga is a five-time Grammy award winner, who will be bringing the joy of her ‘Born This Way Ball’ to South Africa – kicking off her SA tour in Johannesburg and then moving on to Cape Town. The ‘Born This Way Ball’ is this pop sensation’s first tour since Born This Way was released in May 2011. Tickets for the ‘Born This Way Ball’ went on sale on the 19th of June through Computicket online and via the Computicket call centre on the 21st of June. Seated ticket prices will start at R315 and all standing tickets will sell for R715. Exclusive tour packages including Early Entry ‘Government Hooker’ and Hot Tickets ‘Highway Unicorn’ will also be available for sale from www.computicket.com.
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INGING sensation Adele will soon be sporting baby photos alongside her six gleaming Grammy awards. The singer announced on the 28th of June that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Simon Konecki.
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O top Katie Perry’s already impressive list of achievements, including selling 3.7 million albums to date, she’ll also be following in the footsteps of Madonna, Prince and Frank Sinatra by launching her own record label. She claims that she will ‘try and avoid the things that take away any fighting chance for an artist to have financial success’. We’re eager to see if her plans will pan out.
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ANDALL Abrahams became a household name by rising to fame, or infamy, as an Idols SA judge. He is now the newly appointed managing director of Universal Music SA and sub-Saharan Africa. He was appointed by Vico Antippas, president of the Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe region at Universal Music Group International. Says Antippass: ‘There is no one better suited to take Universal Music South Africa into the future.’
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A’s all-girl power band, The Muses, have become the latest ambassadors of PinkDrive. PinkDrive is an organisation that strives to bring affordable and convenient mammography services to the private and corporate sectors, while also educating and providing free services to disadvantaged communities.
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APE TOWN-based retro hard-rockers, Goodnight Wembley, have announced that their first single ‘Time Machine’ is out and will be available for free download. The band has also released an accompanying performance video on YouTube. To grab this single visit their facebook page: http://www. facebook.com/GoodnightWembley. We think that this top track is worth a listen!
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HE Old Mutual Music in the Gardens series will take place in Pretoria, Roodepoort and Durban and the details are: Pretoria – The Pretoria National Botanical Gardens on the 15th of July. The Graeme Watkins Project will headline the event supported by 7th Son and Dance, You’re on Fire. The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens series will present live performances throughout winter at the Pretoria Botanical Garden. Tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.co.za and for every ticket sold through the site, R5 will be given to the Wildlands Conservation Trust and prices will range as follows: Ticketbreak tickets R80; pre-sale at gardens R90; sales on the day at the gardens and ticketbreak R100.
Kids under 13 enter for free. See our events calendar for a detailed breakdown of these events. Durban – Freshlyground at the Durban Botanic Gardens on the 22nd of July. This continued effort by Old Mutual ensures that biodiversity is maintained and improved. A series of live performances will be held at the Durban Botanic Gardens with proceeds going to the Garden Window Project and the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Trees for Life initiative. Tickets are available online at webtickets and tickets prices are structured as follows: R130 online, or at the gate for R150 on the day, kids between 8-12 pay R50, kids under eight are free. All children are welcome at the KidZone for some extra fun and games.
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Prime Circle – still ‘Everything You Want’! In anticipation of Prime Circle’s upcoming offering, presently being recorded in Cape Town, 8th Note’s Yolande Erasmus chats to Prime Circle about their recent tour, their music and their plans for the future…
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N a relatively short career Prime Circle has rocketed to international stardom. This band hails from humble beginnings in Mpumalanga but has managed to conquer the world so holistically, so convincingly, that they make it look easy. Prime Circle is based in Johannesburg and is Ross Learmoth (vocals, rhythm guitar), Dale Schnettler (drums, backing vocals), Marco Gomes (bass), Dirk Bisschoff (lead guitar) and Neil Breytenbach (keyboards). Alongside the accolades of three platinum albums and
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one gold album the band won a highly coveted MK Award last year, being named ‘Best International Breakthrough Act’ at the ceremony. Their win meant victory over acclaimed acts such as Locnville, Jack Parow, Die Antwoord and The Parlotones. They won the award based on a voting structure that gave fans the opportunity to vote
for their preferred artists. So far the band has produced four studio albums and they are: Hello Crazy World, Live this Life, All or Nothing and Jekyll & Hyde. From their very first album these guys have topped the local charts and have enjoyed record-setting sales figures.
for SA rockers, proving that it can be done, and it can be done extremely well. Their well-produced records and well-loved tunes have been celebrated at home and abroad, and there is no doubt that this band will continue to set industry standards and shatter expectations in the future.
Music is our life and we were born to do this, we just have to keep pushing on as we have so many more dreams to pursue.
Their 2010 offering Jekyll & Hyde is a well-received, international-quality product, which involves the genius of industry leaders such as Cape Town-based producer Theo Crous, Los Angeles-based mixing engineer, Kevin “The Cave Man” Shirley, and Sterling Sound’s senior mastering engineer George Marino, based in New York. The album is available in three forms: the standard release with a 12-track listing, the Limited Look&Listen release which comprises a 12-track disc and a bonus disc sporting eight live tracks and the Limited Musica release which comprises a 12-track disc with a bonus DVD featuring the Prime Circle India EPK. There is no doubt that Prime Circle has set the standard incredibly high by consistently producing excellent records and making it onto an international platform which sees foreign fans embracing them with open arms. This sets an entirely new trend
With Prime Circle’s muchanticipated fifth album currently being recorded in Cape Town, we have no doubt that this band will continue to break sales records and emphasise their role as a well-established hallmark of South African rock. The first half of 2012 is done and dusted, and these last six months saw the band touring, recording and keeping up the good work – we have no doubt that the rest of Prime Circle’s year will be equally jam-packed. The band’s most recent tour schedule included a June show in South Africa in the Western Cape, followed by a European tour that saw the band perform to audiences in the UK (London), Germany (Sulingen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Kevelaer) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam). Prime Circle is currently signed to EMI and continues to go from strength to strength. Although the band recently returned home from touring Europe and the UK, all the while also working on their fifth studio album, they readily took time out of their packed schedule to chat to 8th Note about the band, touring, their success and much more.
<Y>How did the band start? Whose brainchild was Prime Circle? The band wasn’t a brainchild, it was more of something that just had to be and had to happen (laws of attraction).
<Y>What are your biggest influences? All five of us have different musical influences, which is what makes things more interesting – from Pearl Jam, Muse, Chris Cornel, Bush, Nirvana to Switchfoot, Shinedown, Red and so on. Basically any music that is good.
<Y>What is it like touring overseas; what sort of reception do you guys get internationally? Tell us more about your recent European tour, including playing Youth Day in London… Our European fan base is growing quickly and steadily and the fans over there are very loyal and have driven 700km in a day to come and see us perform. Youth Day in London was an amazing show, the crowd loved us and the other bands were really killer. Touring overseas is the same as here, just on a bigger scale. You start small and PAGE5
you work your way up by perseverance, hard work and good business ethics.
<Y>What is the craziest thing that has ever happened to the band on tour? We have had too many crazy things happen to us on tour to list them all. But let’s just say we have left a member behind at a garage in Europe in the middle of winter and then proceeded to travel five hours to our destination before our driver realised the band member was missing – haha! It was hilarious for the rest of us, but freezing cold for the other guy who had no shoes on, no wallet, no cell phone and no knowledge of the German language. You have got to dig touring!
<Y>In terms of aspirations, what more does the band aim to achieve? Would any of you ever stop making music? Music is our life and we were born to do this, we just have to keep pushing on as we have so many more dreams to pursue.
<Y>If any of you could choose a favourite Prime Circle album, what would it be and why?
that you were no longer small fish in a big pond but that you actually managed to become a household name?
Our favourite album would be Jekyll & Hyde. We feel the songs are stronger, more mature and the title allows us to define between our harder songs and softer ballads. So it’s a great mix for the listeners.
Probably when we started earning enough money from music to do this as a business, which allowed us to keep our passion.
<Y>How has your music, or your outlook on music, changed over the years? We still approach music the same way, but just with more experience from touring internationally with huge international bands. But at the end of the day we try to keep it simple which allows us to do the songs justice.
<Y>In an 11-year career you guys have achieved so much, making it look easier than it is. As a band, what have been your biggest stumbling blocks so far? studio
We are in recording our fifth album and touring at the same time. So we are still working ourselves to the bone.
<Y>As a band, what has been your proudest moment? Proudest moments so far would be having three platinum albums and one gold album under the belt as well as winning many awards in South Africa. Also playing alongside bands such as Metallica, Muse, Korn, 3 Doors Down, Alter Bridge, Good Charlotte and 30 Seconds to Mars.
I think the biggest thing is to keep a band together. A lot of bands have internal issues, but the ones that make it are the ones that can get through these internal differences. Sometimes you have to man-up and see the bigger picture.
<Y>Specifically, in terms of stumbling blocks or challenges, which challenges do you think are unique to South African musicians? Financial challenges that put strain on a band in the first four years of its existence and also the lack of live venues, and the lack of support in particular areas for new and upcoming bands.
<Y>It must be exhausting to consistently produce such high-quality material; what keeps you motivated to get up every day and start all over again?
<Y>What are your plans for the future? Are you more focused on touring right now or do you have plans for a new album?
Purely the love of music.
We are in studio recording our fifth album and touring at the same time. So we are still working ourselves to the bone. Our plan for the future is to keep breaking down international walls while doing it from our home South Africa. ■
<Y>It is fairly easy to be a small fish in a big pond in the music industry, and lots of bands become complacent and give up trying to ‘go big’. When did you guys realise PAGE 6
Tristan Snijders
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LACK Sabbath is without a doubt one of the most influential bands in rock music. They singlehandedly crafted a sound that would create an entirely new genre of music – heavy metal. Other contemporary bands like Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple undoubtedly had an influence on the onslaught of heavy metal bands that were to come but Black Sabbath truly embodied the power and atmosphere, with a direct approach, that cements their place in history as the first heavy metal band. I can’t exactly pin down when I first heard Black Sabbath, but I remember when I first started listening to the band. My brother and I would visit a friend of ours almost every single weekend in 1996/1997 and that was where the love began. Our marathon visits were largely fuelled by Black Sabbath albums belonging to my friend’s father and upon hearing Geezer Butler’s roaring bass lines in ‘N.I.B.’, that was it: I could do nothing but love this band. My appreciation for Black Sabbath’s music and the effect they had on future generations of musicians has only increased with time and the band means even more to me now than ever before. Black Sabbath was formed in 1969 on the bleak, industrial streets of Birmingham. The roots of the band, however, were established slightly earlier and in 1968, the band went by the name The Polka Tulk Blues Band
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Never Say Die! and included a slide guitarist and a saxophonist. After dropping the two extra members, Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), Bill Ward (drums) and Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) formed Earth, a blues-rock band that wasn’t particularly unique. The band renamed itself Black Sabbath in 1969, after the 1963 Mario Bava horror film of the same name, and the legend was born. ‘Black Sabbath’ appeared on the band’s self-titled 1970 debut album. It was the band’s first song in this new direction, and is still one of the most ominous, dark pieces of modern music ever created and it is no wonder that most music critics of the time were horrified and abhorred
the band’s work. The public, however, felt differently about it. In a time when jobs were scarce in Britain and the United States was embroiled in a bitterly controversial war of attrition in Vietnam, the music of Black Sabbath provided the perfect accompaniment to the zeitgeist of the early 70s. The hugely successful follow-up record to Black Sabbath, entitled Paranoid, was also released in 1970 and a world tour soon followed. Black Sabbath built up a massive following in the 70s following the release of five absolutely phenomenal records between 1970 and 1973. Problems, however, were starting to brew within the band. By the late 70s, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward had basically become alcoholics and everyone in the band was nosedeep in cocaine and taking whatever other drugs were available. Ideas failed to flow and tensions rose to a breaking point before Iommi decided to fire Osbourne in 1979. This saw the end of the original Black Sabbath line-up and the dawn of a new era for the band… enter American vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Dio, who had turned down a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music earlier in life, was already an accomplished musician and vocalist having performed in various bands, including Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. When Dio joined Black Sabbath in June of 1979, the band’s song writing dynamics completely changed. Tony Iommi was used to writing riffs that Ozzy could easily follow with his voice, but Dio could sing across guitar riffs, rather than simply along with them, and drive songs with his vocal melodies, affording Iommi much greater freedom when writing riffs.
Following the dissolution of the reunited band, Iommi, Butler, Appice and Dio got together to perform songs from the band’s Dio era, under the moniker Heaven & Hell. The reception the band received prompted the recording of a new album, The Devil You Know, which was released in 2009. Tragically, however, Ronnie James Dio passed away in May 2010, aged 67, and the project ended. The debate about which version of Black Sabbath was the best will always remain. It is, of course, a matter of taste. For my part, Black Sabbath with Ozzy is Black Sabbath, whereas Black Sabbath with Dio is Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio. The band lost its trademark, genre-defining sound, but still produced absolutely amazing music. Neither incarnation of the band was better than the other, they were just vastly different. Black Sabbath is a truly timeless band and continues to sell records to this day, having sold up to 50 million albums since 1968. The band’s music has also been covered by innumerable artists and Nativity in Black, a tribute album, has been certified Gold by the RIAA. This aside, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne once again reunited as Black Sabbath in May 2012 and have been playing live shows to sold-out crowds since.
In a time when jobs were scarce in Britain and the United States was embroiled in a bitterly controversial war of attrition in Vietnam, the music of Black Sabbath provided the perfect accompaniment to the zeitgeist of the early 70s.
After nearly imploding several years earlier, Black Sabbath was completely rejuvenated by the highly successful 1980 album, Heaven and Hell. The band toured the US with Blue Öyster Cult throughout 1980, but all was not well. Drummer Bill Ward was having domestic problems and left the band during the tour; he was replaced by Vinny Appice. The following album, 1981’s Mob Rules, also sold well but soon afterwards the band saw the departure of both Dio and Appice, and it is fair to say that Black Sabbath became a shadow of its former self, and released several unremarkable albums, until 1992 when Dio and Appice returned to the band to record one of their best albums to date, Dehumanizer. The entire original Black Sabbath line-up finally reunited in 1997 and released a live double-album entitled Reunion in 1998. This resulted in Black Sabbath winning its first Grammy in 2000 for the song ‘Iron Man’ – 30 years after the track first appeared on a Black Sabbath recording.
The band played the closing set at the Download Festival in Donnington and had the crowd loving every single moment. Let’s just hope this reunion lasts a bit longer than the previous one – we may even be lucky enough to get a brand new album out of it!■
Our top three Black Sabbath albums: 3Master of Reality, 1971 2Black Sabbath, 1970 1Paranoid, 1970
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The spotlight’s on Jack Stone 8th Note’s Yolande Erasmus chats to SA’s brightest rising star Jack Stone about his recent explosion onto the local music scene…
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ACK Stone is a busy young musician. Currently in the process of recording his much-anticipated debut album Walk On in Johannesburg, he has also embarked on numerous lives shows where he has been well-received wherever he plays, always managing to woo the crowd with his undisputed musical talent, quick wit and ready charm.
Music lovers of all tastes and walks of life seem to find something indelible about his music, that is easy to love and natural to relate to. From the incredibly poignant lyrics of ‘Grace’ to the catchy, easy-listening of ‘Tonight’ his new album promises to bring well-loved rock music to a greater audience of music lovers by filling a void in the music market that has been ignored for much too long.
Jack Stone easily straddles the nation, being based in Cape Town but working in Johannesburg. This recently signed rising star is proving to be a rock-and-roll heavyweight in both these South African metropolitan hubs. The impact that this artist has had nationwide is but a litmus test of his increasing popularity, warning the market that the scene is on the cusp of a welcome, but permanent, change.
In the wake of an incredible performance schedule, wallto-wall rehearsals and ‘spare time’ taken up by recording his new album, Jack Stone makes the time to share a cup of coffee with 8th Note to chat about his upcoming album and his journey so far.
Despite his years, this musician has a holistic approach to his music. Having studied recording and with an impressive performance record he seems to hit every note just right, making him a musician and songwriter of unquestionable quality and one who is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
I got my first guitar at age 11 and taught myself how to play and sing for about two years. After that, I played on and off until I was about 18 years old and then picked up music for good. I wasn’t in school but in college at the time, so I started playing a lot. From there on I studied sound engineering at age 19, met two guys and we started our first band.
His music is in the smooth adult contemporary rock style of yesteryear, without sounding dated or derivative. PAGE10
<Y>When did the music start for you, tell us more about where you began your journey…
<Y>You studied sound engineering - was the idea always
to become a singer or did you make the transition? The only reason I studied sound engineering was to learn how to produce and record my own music, so the idea was always to go into making my own music, by trying my hand at sound engineering and learning the playing field first.
<Y>How long has your upcoming album Walk On been in the making? Walk On started last year February. After many years of
playing in different bands, and quitting because of band politics, I started recording my own album with my first song ‘Angel’. I then recorded my five-track EP including a music video for the first rendition of the song ‘Grace’.
<Y>What is your chief inspiration for this album? I guess the biggest inspiration for this album was to be as honest with myself as possible about the music that I love, the situations I have been in and the experiences of people close to me. So I’d say the main inspiration is my life, which is why this is the most honest work that I have done so far. I am really trying to put myself out there.
<Y>If you had to choose a favourite song off this album, which would it be and why? I can’t really choose a song. Every song has a different piece of me in it. The album is more than the sum of its parts and I cannot point out or give special credit to one song.
<Y>From where do you draw inspiration for your music generally? In general, and since starting this album, I have been very honest about situations that I’ve been in and experienced and also the experiences of people close to me. Some of it is fictional but it is all close to home – how I would have reacted in that situation. It is not purely love or hate; it is a story about all kinds of emotions. I try to do that; I try to make stories out of experiences.
I’m just getting started and hopefully I can travel the world. I feel I have found a platform to work from so I want to continue on this journey with extreme energy. been hard work these last two or three months but I have an amazing team, amazing label and some great people behind me to get a fantastic product out there.
<Y>What would you class as the biggest stumbling blocks that you, or any other musician, will have to face on the road to success? Perseverance, to be sure – it isn’t easy to put yourself out there every day and do a good job, so keeping at it can become challenging. One of the biggest struggles is to keep yourself together and not lose yourself – to do what you believe in, despite trends or fads. This is hard because musicians struggle to make money and end up doing work that they don’t want to do.
<Y>What can we expect from Jack Stone in the future? I’m just getting started and hopefully I can travel the world. I feel I have found a platform to work from so I want to continue on this journey with extreme energy. Hard work, many more albums and shows are on the cards.
<Y>Where can fans go to find out more about your live shows or your new album set to hit the shelves later this year? My own website is still under construction so for information, latest news and upcoming shows, folks can visit www.stonestudiosintl.com. Or contact my booking agent Nadia on bookings@stonestudiosintl.com.■
<Y>You have been playing live shows around Johannesburg, tell us more about this experience and what sort of reception you have received from fans and newcomers to your music alike… The live shows have been amazing and I have racked up all sorts of new experiences. I have met people from all walks of life, races and cultures. At this point I have played more shows in JHB than CPT, and it has been great. I consider it a privilege to play live and be accepted and welcomed by new fans and lovers of music.
<Y>You are also in the process of recording your album at present – tell us more about this process… The whole process has been an amazing experience and a dream come true. It is something that I have worked really hard for and I have finally gotten to do it. It has
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EVENT DETAILS ARE S
July 13th
August 3rd
July 14th
August 4th
Prime Circle at Billabong Pro in Jbay.
Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival. Endler Hall, Stellenbosch, Western Cape. 20h00. R110.
July 15th
Net in Afrikaans: Beste van Mel Botes at the Atterbury Theatre. 15h00.
The Parlotones: This is our Story at the Teatro Montecasino. 20h00. R200 – R300.
Afrikaanse Musiek Fees. Carnival City, Big Top Arena. 19h00. R120 – R240.
August 4th
Ukhozi FM Gospel Music Festival. Coca Cola Park (Ellis Park). 10h00. R80 – R130.
August 5th
The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Series: Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden. Mi Casa. Tickets available through www.ticketbreak.co.za. R80. Kids under 13 enter free.
July 21st
The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Series: Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden. Flash Republic, The Shadowclub and Planet Joy. Tickets available through www.ticketbreak.co.za. R80. Kids under 13 enter free.
July 22nd
Stef Bos at the Atterbury Theatre. PTA. 16h00. R150 – R175.
July 28th
If the World were Human at the Musaion, UP, PTA. 18h30. R60 – R80.
August 1st
Prime Circle at the Barnyard Theatre Rivonia.
August 8th
Seether. The Wave House, Gateway, Durban. 18h00. R265.
August 11th
Katherine Jenkins. Big Top Arena, Carnival City. 20h00. R200 – R650.
August 12th
The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Series: Pretoria Botanical Garden. HHP. Tickets available through www.ticketbreak.co.za. R80. Kids under 13 enter free.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
August 17th
Katherine Jenkins. Grand Arena, Grand West. 20h00. R225 – R525.
September 7th
9th – SA Tattoo at the Montecasino Outdoor Event Arena, JHB. R224 – R398.
September 9th August 26th
The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Series: Pretoria Botanical Garden. Bittereinder and The Frown. Tickets available through www.ticketbreak.co.za. R80. Kids under 13 enter free.
The Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Series: Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden. Die Heuwels Fantasties. Tickets available through www. ticketbreak.co.za. R80. Kids under 13 enter free.
September 12th
Flight of Birds at the Atterbury Theatre, PTA. 20h00. R120 – R180.
September 1st
Joburg Day. Riversands Farm, Fourways. 11h00. R220.
September 1st
Gospel Skouspel. Grand Arena, Grand West. 12h00. R125 – R225.
October 10th – 28th Michael Jackson History Show at the Artscape Opera House, CPT. 20h00. R150 – R270.
October 13th
Konstantin Scherbakov at the Linder Auditorium JHB. 20h00. R120 – R150.
Are you feeling lucky, PUNK? Yolande Erasmus
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HERE are various misconceptions and a lot of confusion surrounding punk as a genre. Die-hard fans believe in one style of this genre while a whole host of people listen to innocuous rock songs erroneously believing them to be punk. These songs are invariably ones in the style of music that inspired the genre, or developed as a consequence of this genre. I decided it was time to shed some light on this still-great genre of music and choose 8th Noteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite punk tracks of all time. The punk scene is one of those infamous music cultures that you either love or hate. For me personally, it is incredibly difficult to dismiss the efforts of the Ramones or the Sex Pistols in shaping this unique, gritty and dirty genre of music that flipped the bird to hippies everywhere and decided to go it alone by starting a completely new movement that has splintered into many of the popular sub-genres of music we still tap our feet to today. This genre has had a massive influence on modern music (for example, Green Day or The Offspring) proving that punk music still has a finger on the pulse of the contemporary music scene. The exact origin of punk is a hotly debated topic; the genre originated in the 70s and the extent to which it was influenced by other genres, from rock to glam rock, remains disputed. One has only to compare the Ramones
or Sid Vicious to David Bowie and his cadres and draw some personal conclusions. The earliest incarnation of this genre of music is a collage of abrasive, political, often violent and typically short songs. Forerunners of this new scene were The Stooges, MC5 and The Velvet Underground, the latter band run by Andy Warhol. From these humble beginnings punk music started taking shape out of the ether and laying down a big challenge to popular music of the time in the form of a metaphorical bar brawl. The punk scene straddled the great ocean, hitting its stride in New York with the Ramones while an entirely different brand of punk developed in London. While the NY scene saw bands taking the stage in unified camaraderie and good times, the London scene was set against the backdrop of an economic crisis, with unemployment, poor service delivery and roving blackouts being the order of the day. Inspired by these tough times, the music was angry, political and violent. This new brand of punk defined the genre in London and soon had many fans inspired to try their hand at making their own music. In the wake of vanguard punk rockers such as the Sex Pistols, others such as The Clash, Generation X, The Slits and Siouxsie and the Banshees soon followed with their own take on the genre.
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By the time punk started hitting its stride and becoming a legitimate genre, it fragmented into a number of other genres, a few of which such as hardcore, ska, psychobilly and rockabilly are still relevant today.
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While we accept that there are some hardcore punk fans out there who’d disagree with our choices, our top ten favourite punk songs of all time are:
The Offspring – ‘Blackball’. The Offspring released this gem themselves through Black Label Records in 1986. It was also released along with ‘I’ll be Waiting’ as the ninth and 10th tracks on their self-titled debut in 1989.
Minor Threat – ‘Straight Edge’. This song, a whole 46 seconds long, became the anthem of the straight edge movement. This tune is from the band’s first EP Minor Threat released in 1981.
The Clash – ‘Complete Control’. This song was released in 1977 as a single on 7” vinyl. The tune was recorded in Whitechapel at Sarm East Studios where it was engineered by Mickey Foote and produced by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
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Black Flag – ‘Rise Above’. This song was released in 1981, on Black Flag’s debut album Damaged. This song is credited as being one of the defining moments in hardcore punk.
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MC5 – ‘Kick Out The Jams’. This tune was released in 1969 as the title track of the band’s debut album, which was recorded live at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom over two nights in 1968.
Anti-Nowhere League – ‘So What’. In 1981 the band released a single. ‘So What’ featured on the b-side of this recording.
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Misfits – ‘Where Eagles Dare’. This track was released in 1979 and is another tune off a 7” vinyl entitled Night of the Living Dead.
Dead Kennedys – ‘Holiday in Cambodia’. This was the second single to be released by the Dead Kennedys from their 1979 album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
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Sex Pistols – ‘Anarchy in the UK’. This tune was the British punk rockers’ debut single and it was released in 1976 on Nevermind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.
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Ramones – ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. This is the Ramones’ debut single off their debut album Ramones, which was released in the US in 1979. The song is named after the German WWII tactic ‘Blitzkrieg’, which translates into lightning war.
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Forged in the Baltic sky Tristan Snijders
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HEN you mention Latvia to most people, chances are they wouldn’t even be able to point out the country on a map, let alone tell you anything about it. Europe’s bastions of heavy metal have traditionally been Germany, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom with great individual bands popping out from most European countries in between. Latvia’s Skyforger is one such band and deserves much more attention than most bands in the metal sphere. The band formed in 1995 in Riga, Latvia and has released five full-length studio albums to date, the latest of which, Kurbads, was released in 2010 through Metal Blade Records. Though Skyforger has always been firmly rooted in the pagan camp of metal, the band’s albums have never followed the same formula, providing listeners with a rich variety of sounds and genres. The band’s current line-up consists of Pēteris ‘Peter’ Kvetkovskis (vocals, guitars, traditional instruments), Edgars ‘Zirgs’ Grabovskis (bass, backing vocals, traditional instruments), Edgars ‘Mazais’ Krūmiņš (drums and percussion) and Egons Kronbergs (guitar). Considering the band is one of the international metal scene’s most underrated acts, I decided it was high time to chat to Skyforger front man, Peter, about his band, his passion for history and tradition and what’s next for Latvia’s greatest musical export.
<T> Could you tell me more about the origins of Skyforger… how did you guys get together to form the band? Some of us started in 1988 - 89 with different bands, until we met each other and formed our first project in 1990. Initially we played a kind of doom/death metal with historical lyrics. Skyforger, however, was only born in 1995, when we decided to completely change our style and intentions – we were overwhelmed by the rise of black metal and thought it would better suit our lyrics and ideas than the doom/death we played before. Therefore, Skyforger PAGE18
started as a black metal band, with a strong folk and historical background.
<T> Lyrically, your themes have focused on Latvian history and paganism. Where did the interest to write about these topics come from? History is my primary interest – it all stems from there. It started in school with reading about Ancient Greeks and Romans. Later I became enamoured with medieval history until I discovered my own heritage and Latvian/ Baltic history. So it was just natural that I wanted to put all of it into my music.
<T> You clearly feel strongly about your Latvian heritage and it has a huge impact on you and your music. Why do you feel it is important to pass one’s heritage and culture on to future generations? There is this saying: ‘without the past there is no future’. I love these things and I like to talk about them, but I’m not going to impose it on anyone – everyone is free, they can do as they please. Traditions and culture keep nations together and you’re always more interesting to people if there is something different about you, like your traditions and culture. The world is always changing: new generations have different values and you can’t do anything about it. It’s
good if they know their past, love to learn about it and try to keep some traditions alive, because in that way the deeds of the ancestors live on. But if they want to move on, there’s nothing you can do. The young generation always drives the world forward.
I found this tale very interesting, but knowing how popular the ‘Bear-Slayer’ tale is, I used another variation, about Kurbads; the son of a mare. The main thing we wanted was to share this part of Baltic culture with the rest of the world.
<T> Your fourth album, Zobena Dziesma, is completely different to any of the other material Skyforger has done, being an acoustic album where you reworked Latvian folk songs. What inspired you to record such an album – is it something you’ve always wanted to do, or were you approached by the Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia to record it?
<T> Were you happy with the reception the album received?
When we started Skyforger we started learning about traditional Latvian folk music. We wanted to incorporate it into our metal riffs and compositions, so we learned how to play some of those old instruments and also learned some folk songs. We often sang these songs at gatherings and even included a few on our albums. A friend then asked if we would record a folk album with the songs we had and even offered help with financing. We thought about it and finally decided to do it. Our friend contacted the Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and they agreed to give us some money for the recording sessions. That’s all there was to it!
More or less, yes. Sure there are lots of things we would change if we could but, for us, Kurbads is our best album to date. We got a lot of positive reviews. The negative reviews we received were mostly from people who wanted to hear more black metal or wanted a follow-up to some of our old albums. We’ve done what we’ve done and I doubt that we will ever revisit previous albums. I think all our albums are different and so is Kurbads. We hope that those fans who were disappointed will listen to it for a second time, check the lyrics, context and artwork and change their minds.
The main thing we wanted was to share this part of Baltic culture with the rest of the world.
People have recently asked us to record another purely folk album, but in Latvia there are many great professional folk bands and we’re just amateurs in the field, so we’re somewhat reluctant. Only time will tell…
<T> Tell me a bit more about the themes behind your latest album Kurbads… Kurbads is a Latvian fairy tale/legend that survived from olden times. One of the most common fairytales concerned a man born of a bear. He grew up to be very strong and went out into the world to help poor people and fight evil.
<T> You are currently signed to one of the biggest metal labels in the world, Metal Blade Records. What was it like going from much smaller labels and releasing material independently to signing with Metal Blade?
To be honest our lives didn’t change much when we signed with Metal Blade. We didn’t feel like, ‘Wow! Now we’re on the way up’. We aren’t their main band, they just helped us release Kurbads and paved the way for a wider audience – the rest we still do ourselves. Maybe in future we’ll get more support from them, but we’re not complaining – we know that we come from Latvia, a minor country in the metal world.
<T> As a band, your music has changed quite significantly over the years, starting off as very much black metalsounding and having developed to a more heavy metalsound, with big folk influences. Was this just a natural progression as the members’ skill and song writing abilities improved, or was it a conscious change to a more heavy metal sound? Well, if you listen to Skyforger’s albums, you’ll hear they’re all different. We emphasise every detail we sing about and try to create a specific mood for every album. We want to make music and lyrics work together, creating a suitable atmosphere. For example, if lyrics are about battle we want to make the song fast and furious, creating the intensity of battle through music.
Kurbads was an epic tale about a hero, which is why it’s so different from Semigalls’ Warchant, for example, which
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was more about battles and pagan religion. The upcoming album covers a new topic so it will also sound quite different. Of course the musical development we as musicians have gone through over the years plays a big part – it’s like that for every band: you grow up, become more skilled and wiser and your worldview changes. It all goes into your music.
<T> Are there any other bands from Latvia that people should look out for? Unfortunately the Latvian metal scene is very small and most bands simply copy their idols. There are, however, some worthy Latvian bands that play different styles of music like Sanctimony, Frailty, Husqarn, Malduguns, Trendkill Method, Preternatural, Rebel Riot and Diseim. I know it sounds strange but we are the only band that plays pagan metal in Latvia. I guess no-one wants to be known as Skyforger #2, hehe. Anyway, we hope things will change in Latvia and that some world-famous bands will come up in the future!
<T> What do you do in your spare time? Well, the band is our spare time – it’s a hobby for us. This is a problem to some degree, as we can’t spend that much time on the band and playing music. We all have daily jobs, some have family and children, so it’s not that easy to get together and play. I work in a big theatre as the plumber and operate and maintain the heating/ventilation systems. Our bass player, Zirgs, works at a local typography service as a paper cutter and our drummer Mazais is a night watchman at a university and helps his mother keep shop. Egons, our
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other guitarist, has his own sound studio, so he’s the only one who works in the music industry. You see – we’re hard-working men and music is just our hobby!
<T> Your top three albums (any genre)? Oh, c’mon, this is one of those impossible questions, haha! I don’t know what my top three albums are! But three albums I’ve recently enjoyed are: • Venom’s Fallen Angels • Nile’s At the Gates of Sethu • ZZ Top’s Texicali
<T> What are the plans for Skyforger for the near future? We’re playing a few European festivals and concerts this summer but we’re mainly working hard on a new album and already have eight songs near completion! I think we’ll maybe write two more songs and then go to studio. As I said above, it will be musically different from Kurbads and will tell the story of the now-extinct Old Prussians. We really hope this album will be released early next year.
<T> Thanks for your time! Any final words? Thanks for the chance to spread the word about Skyforger in South Africa! For more info I can suggest looking up our band pages and my history blog: • Homepage: http://www.skyforger.lv • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyforgerofficial • My history blog: http://history.skyforger.lv Thanks again and I hope we will see you guys in Africa one day! ■
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HE 27th of June saw the Stone Artist Showcase live at Tanz Café Fourways. The evening kicked off with Ryan’s vocal stylistics in an acoustic set accompanied by Rudi Massyn on guitar. This set the mood for what was to follow. Ryan was followed by Son of a 1000 who delivered their usual virtuoso-grade musical display, No EquaL who fans can never tire of, Jack Stone and his suave accompaniment of musicians and finally a smooth end to a fantastic event by the beautiful and talented Eden Michelle. Artists and fans alike had a wonderful time lapping up the mid-week pleasure of live music, great food and a wonderful night out. The event organiser Shelley Coetzee, however, added greatly to the evening’s entertainment by having Stone executives and artists thrown out of the venue in a pedantic display of displeasure because the mid-week crowd wasn’t big enough to earn her enough pocket money, with the comic aid of a large bouncer looming over her shoulder. She nearly smashed the success of this event, were it not for the fact that Stone employees and artists burst out of the doors convivially and concluded the evening’s entertainment somewhere else. The joys of the evening were not worn thin by Shelley Coetzee’s terrier-tenacious attempts to insult and slander everyone, including 8th Note Music Magazine’s own Tristan Snijders – who was promptly thrown out of the venue for having a bit of a ‘journalist mouth’ on him. We had a good time, our sensation-seeking media hunger was well satiated and we are proud of independent labels such as Stone for bringing a new dynamic to South African music. ■ PAGE21
The Parlotones Journey Through The Shadows Reviewed by : Tristan Snijders Score : 8/10
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OVE them or hate them, The Parlotones are a South African pop-rock powerhouse and are without a doubt the country’s most popular band at the moment.
Journey Through The Shadows is an album
that sticks closely to the band’s usual approach and will sit quite comfortably between their other albums on fans’ CD shelves. At the end of the day, when you hear The Parlotones, you know it’s them.
Journey Through The Shadows is perhaps the band’s
best album to date. The production brings out the bombast of the song writing and delivers a wonderfully full sound. This is the sort of music that will be perfect for arenas and hopefully this release will give The Parlotones the push they need to definitively make it overseas. There is a greater touch of new wave and post-punk influences on Journey Through The Shadows and that actually makes for a more interesting and varied record. There really is little to criticise here except for a handful of cheesy moments and refrains. The opening song sounds like a hybrid between Queen and African-American worksongs and doesn’t work very well, but it’s fortunately only a brief intro track. The other 11 tracks on the album are, however, extremely solid and this is absolutely perfect pop-rock for the masses, sure to draw even more fans The Parlotones’ way. If you’re looking for something inoffensive, with a rock edge and solid song writing, look no further than Journey Through The Shadows. ■
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Various Artists WENTYRock of Ages (Soundtrack) TWELVE saw Reviewed by : Reinhardt Massyn the dawn of a Score : 9/10 new approach to the traditional musical. Rock of Ages started screening in South Africa early July this year. Starring well-known industry names such as Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin & Catherine Zeta-Jones, supported by names such as Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, one can’t stop to wonder what quality of music can be produced by these names.
Tom Cruise was definitely the most surprising of them all, pulling off vocals one would only expect from Joe Elliott PAGE22
of Def Leppard. Catherine Zeta-Jones brings a fresh approach to female vocals with a rich sound. Alec Baldwin doesn’t play such a big part of the vocals, but is still features on some of the tracks in a more ‘comic’ way. The younger ones among the ‘die-hard actors’, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, have a road of fame paved for them. Julianne, who featured in musicals such as Footloose and Burlesque, has a unique signature in her voice and although a ‘girly voice’ is presented, it’s still quite pleasing to listen to. Diego Boneta, who is of Mexican origin, brings life to the party. For a young man of his age, he has what it takes to rank amongst the biggest male voices in the world. The titles on this album have been produced by Adam Anders and Peer Astrom. Anders is well known for his productions in High School Musical, Hannah Montana and the Glee TV Series. Astrom on the other hand, is well known for his co-production on the Celine Dion hit, ‘Drove All Night’. Astrom also co-wrote for artists such as Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Madonna, Ace of Base, Ashley Tisdale, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez. The mixture of talent from these two producers is a recipe for MAGIC! If you have seen the movie, you will definitely enjoy all the titles on this 20-track album, featuring music from Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, and REO Speedwagon. ■ John Mayer Born and Raised Reviewed by : Tristan Snijders Score : 9/10
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OHN MAYER has been in the headlines over the past few years for all the wrong reasons but his public escapades haven’t taken anything away from his music, and Born and Raised is a brilliant album. This Berkeley graduate is an adept guitarist, humble vocalist and exceptional song writer.
This album shifts further away from his blues-rock tendencies into almost bluegrass territory and showcases the Connecticut native’s diversity. At the heart of the matter this is still basically bluesy country-pop-rock but it never comes across as contrived or cheesy. Lyrically, John Mayer tackles his personal issues – this was clearly a cathartic album for him and it comes across in the music. I’d rather not delve too deeply into writing about this album as it is one you simply need to get your hands on. Regardless of what one may think of John Mayer, his music speaks for itself and the phenomenal Born and Raised easily ranks as our album of the month. Our local radio stations need to get with the times and give this man some more radio play. ■
Rudi’s guide to a better recording Product type : Hardware / Snare drum Product name : Ludwig Black Beauty Rating : 9 / 10
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IT back, play your favourite song… chances are you’re listening to a Ludwig Black Beauty. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, the Black Beauty snare drum is a feather in the cap of Ludwig and one of the reasons that this brand is heralded as one of the premiere manufacturers of drums. The brass shell of this snare is a sheet of brass, machine drawn and spun into a seamless beaded drum. The snare is then plated with black nickel (from where it draws its name), giving it an aesthetically pleasing finish.
The sound is unmistakeable, it cracks like a whip and cuts through a mix with ease.
It is a well-known fact that this highly coveted snare is the most recorded snare in history and remains a favourite for many producers and drummers recording in studio. The sound is so popular and famous that many sound developers have sampled the drum’s sounds for use in software-based products. I personally love this snare because of the warm tone it provides and the fact that it responds so sensitively at any volume. To boot, the drum is a true workhorse and is incredibly versatile. On top of all these accolades the drum is lightweight for a brass drum. The sound variation is fantastic and the signature ring (a brassy tone) can easily be reined in too – just proof positive of this drum’s versatility. The sound is unmistakeable, it cracks like a whip and cuts through a mix with ease. We use this snare in our studio as the versatility works great across all the genres of music that our artists produce. I’d rate this as one of the finest snare drums that studios can employ and it’s a must-have for a professional recording studio. Shoppers have a choice of the 5” or the 6.5”, though the 5” puts out more of a piccolo sound. Our studio sports a 6.5” and curious musicians and music lovers have only to listen to No EquaL’s upcoming album to hear this snare in action. This snare drum retails at about R7000, but it’s worth it.■ PAGE23
POP goes the world! P
OP music has never exactly been the height of artistic expression in musical terms, but then again, that has never been the point. Pop music is there to appeal to the masses – to create something that is catchy, easily remembered and generally rather inoffensive. When the average person turns on the radio they don’t want to be bombarded with a sonic assault of riffs and screams or listen to the intricate fretboard wizardry of a jazz virtuoso. People just want to tap their feet, sing along and go about their daily business. There’s nothing wrong with the idea of pop music. Everyone needs light-hearted, catchy music at times. Sitting in a restaurant without any background music is a bit creepy, and the gnawing silence of a dentist’s waiting room is even worse and feels downright oppressive. That said, the last thing you want to hear is Yanni or The Pan Pipes Play ABBA – that’s akin to being forced to watch the Saw films whilst trying to relax at a day spa. There’s no point in denying that I have an affinity for a lot of 80s pop music – the music perfectly followed the period’s fashion and pop culture. It was largely cheesy, over-the-top, whacky nonsense with hints of profundity and social commentary, let’s not forget some of the ridiculous music videos like Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry like the Wolf’ or Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, it was all simple, clean fun. Fast-forward to the 2000s – the world of complete homogeneity. How many times have you recently turned on the radio and heard some new pop song that you’ve heard before but have no idea who sings it? This happens all the time, and I’ll tell you why: it’s because almost all these pop tunes sound exactly the same and are largely written by the same song writers who’ve worked out a sort of ‘winning formula’. Just take one look at the writing credits of Łukasz Gottwald, Carl Falk, Wayne Hector and Max Martin and you’ll see what I
mean. They’ve written number one hits for pop stars from Katy Perry to Avril Lavigne and everyone in between. There is another worrying trend taking the pop music world by storm and that is the practice of pop melodies being musically driven by dubstep or some terrible approximation thereof. Dubstep is to music what passing gas is to humour. Then we also have the wonderful Europop-dance influence which is yet another plague on popular music. Most people despise both of these electronic genres but put them behind a catchy vocal line or two and suddenly everyone laps it up like starved lunatics. To highlight the banal nature of modern pop we have the latest ‘scientifically driven’ attempt to create the ideal pop song. This comes in the form of DarwinTunes which intends to create the perfect pop number by letting people choose what loops and melodies sound best to them from a random, computer-generated grouping of sounds. The most highly rated loops then continue on and may join together, mutating in a mockery of evolution. At the end of the day, the whole musical medley just sounds like some Kraftwerk off-cuts. While I agree that pop music is formulaic, this so-called Darwinian attempt at forcing the evolution of music just takes it to another level of triteness. In the end, music has always primarily been about entertainment. The difference now however, is that entertaining and awe-inspiring music has gone from the complex orchestrations of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to by-the-numbers drivel. ■ PAGE25