Niva Magazine December 2012 Edition #20

So we have arrived at the point in our human existence where some theories are suggesting that the end of the world is near. Take it whichever way you like, but there has never been an excuse such as this to let loose, enjoy the summer, and rock the f*ck out to a mass of amazing events and festivals that are hitting us this holiday season.

On another note, we have decided to give the December cover to a Cape Town based band of Indie rockers called Reburn. The band has set their name alight over the past few months, simply proving to the Cape Town and South African scene that they have what it takes to deliver amazing performances, attract big crowds, and top the charts. The band is setting up for a huge summer season, so be sure to catch them in action at Rock the River where they will be headlining the main stage together with Van Coke Kartel, Hog Hoggidy Hog, The Rudimentals and many other supporting acts.

Don’t forget to keep up to date with Niva Magazine on Facebook to stand a chance of winning tickets to Rock the River music festival which will be happening over New Year’s.

If you are heading away for the holidays, don’t drink and drive as you may just hit a bump and spill your beer… lol.. I guess it took me 20 editions to crack a joke, haha! But on a serious note, take it easy, be safe and have a blast! Hope to see you at Rock the River!

I hope you enjoy this edition! :) Nic Owen (Editor) Writers / contributors: Ryno De Lange, Liny Kruger, Tiandi Van Niekerk, Ashley Brown, Jean Marais Photographers: Jade Bedford, Nic Owen, Jaco S Venter, Karla Koen, Kevan Stuart, Tiandi Photography, Eldavinn Davids, Vetman Van Der Naam Cover Photography: Printing: Spectrum Print / Boland Print Editor: Nic Owen Design and Layout: Nic Owen General Magazine Queries: nivamag@nivarecords.com Advertising Related Queries: nowen@nivarecords.com Send Your Contributions and Articles to: nivamag@nivarecords.com Disclaimer: The views expressed in Niva Magazine are not necessarily those of Niva Magazine, it’s editor, or it’s advertisers. No parts of this magazine may be edited or reproduced without consent from Niva Magazine.

Ramfest fans are up in arms at the moment as the Bloemfontein leg of the Ramfest Tour was forced to be cancelled due to complaints and a little bit of ‘attention seeking’ from religious groups in the district. It is really sad to see how closed minded many South Africans are when it comes to viewing music as an art and simple expression. Focus on your beliefs, and let ‘US’ focus on Rock n Roll !

Are your pockets running dry this summer time? Do you want to WIN tickets to Rock the River music festival? Are you over 18 years of age? Are you a rocker? If you answered ‘yes’, visit Niva Magazine on Facebook to enter the ticket competition! Winners will be announced on the 15th of December!

DOGTOWN have recently released their video and single entitled, ‘Sunshine’. The band is brand spanking new on the scene, but have ensured us that we can expect a full EP to be released in Jan 2013.

South Africa’s premier New Years festival, Rock The River, has pulled out all the stops for this years event by confirming a brand new venue, adding an extra couple of days onto the festival, as well as having confirmed the best in SA talent. Be sure to get your tickets whilst they are still available! You don't want to miss this one!

REBURN’s latest single entitled, ‘No Other Place’ has been receiving a lot of attention since it has been released. The track has recently topped the charts on Bush Radio, peaking at number 1. Keep your ears in tune with REBURN, they aren't done just yet!

Somerset West based metal legends, Mind Assault, have been confirmed to join the amazing line up of Ramfest Johannesburg.

Mind Assault have over the past 8 years dominated the metal scene in our province, and now have the opportunity of shredding up the stage in JHB to simply show how Capetonians roll!

The 10th of November hosted an initiative driven by Band Aid SA and Thought Police, whereby the music scene could assist the less fortunate who are infected with HIV/Aids.

There was an amazing line up on the night of the event, but the attendance was sad to say the very least! Here’s to the next one! Lets make it bigger and better!

Big Concerts confirmed that Metallica will perform two stadium shows in South Africa next year. The tour is scheduled for Wednesday 24th April 2013 at Cape Town Stadium and Saturday 27th April at Soccer City Complex, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg. Metallica Live in South Africa is another Big Concerts Experience presented by 5FM’s Power Nite of Rock and MK. Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo collectively known as Metallica, are one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold 110 million albums worldwide and playing to millions of fans the world over. They have scored almost a dozen multi-platinum albums, including 1991′s Metallica (commonly referred to as “The Black Album”), which is the bestselling album in history of Soundscan, scanning almost 16 million albums in the United States alone, and nearly 30 million worldwide. In October 2008, their latest album, Death Magnetic, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and in 27 additional countries around the world.

Metallica have garnered numerous awards and accolades, including nine Grammy®Awards, two American Music Awards, and multiple MTV Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. In December 2011 Metallica celebrated its 30th anniversary. This past summer Metallica unveiled a brand new stage that featured iconic elements that spanned its 30-year career.

Courtesy Ashley Brown (CTMS)

It was back in 2009 that renowned tattoo artist Manuela Gray realised a dream of putting together an international tattoo convention on South African soil.

Held at the CTICC, the inaugural event was attended by more than 75 artists, amongst them some of the brightest stars in international skin ink. For the 5 500 members of the public who attended the first event it was a clear sign that tattoos and tattoo culture had outgrown the stigma of being a ‘fringe’ or ‘backstreet’ art form and found its place in mainstream society.

Over the following four years, the event attracted scores more top international artists to the Cape shores, to the point where artists from over thirty countries have attended.

In 2013, Southern Ink Xposure will again bring the best in global tattoo culture and lifestyle. Attendees can look forward to thrilling in the artworks of big-name international convention “regulars” such as Bob Tyrrell (US), Laura Juan (Spain), Randy Englehard (Germany), Robert Hernandez (Sp/Pol), Mark Bester (UK), as well as the very best that South Africa has to offer.

Ticket sales: A day pass will cost R100 (which, for the first time, includes admission to expo concerts), and an all-access weekend pass R250. Tickets will be available through the Cape Tattoo Expo website and select retail outlets nationwide from 26 November 2013.

Courtesy Liny Kruger

By Nic Owen

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Reburn has successfully independently released an EP, Album and DVD – What were some of the stumbling blocks that the band faced from the beginning in being an independent band?

“I found teaching the band to read and write was probably the biggest stumbling block but I persevered and now the can read books with pictures and words! Seriously though, we all come from working class families so the biggest stumbling block for us was money or the lack of it.” Alex Reburn has recently released their latest single “No other Place”, and has received extensive play online as well as radio stations – What was the bands emotions once the new single topped the charts on Bush FM and was playlisted on 5fm?

“Scottie cried (no joke) We were all really happy but we decided long ago not to be caught up in things like this anymore. We just make music now because we love it, the funny thing is when we changed our outlook on things everything started to change for us!” Alex Reburn is definitely no stranger to playing large stages and festivals in prime slots – With a feature slot at Rock the River festival this New Year’s, and Ramfest in March, can these 2 slots be the most important in the bands history thus far? Last year Reburn simply blew the crowd away at Rock the River, what can we expect at this years event?

“BIGGER - HIGHER - FASTER - MORE!!! You're only as good as your last gig and people forget fast.

We look at each of these Festivals as a project on it's own and this year we have something really special planned... Something different and... TOP SECRET!” Scottie Scottie – From what age did you start singing?

Who do you become when you are on stage?

Does the world disappear when you see the lights and peoples faces looking back at you?

“I started singing from a young age but I lacked the confidence to sing in front of people, I only really started from about the age of 19. A lot of my friends supported me especially my one friend Nene who even in school told me that he was my biggest fan and he still comes to our shows from this day. I'm not really sure who I become as a lot of people tell me that its such a change when they speak to me after seeing me on stage.” Scottie Does Reburn see a possible future of focusing on music as a career? What are your day jobs at the moment?

“Yeah, of course that's what we plan to do! I'm sure any band would love to make music for a living. Ok, I won't give you names so see if you can guess: We have 1 guy in sales 1 in recruitment, 1 professional waiter, 1 copyrighter and 1 chill-out-ama-aite.” Alex

Some personal questions – 5 super sexy rockers – Who’s in a relationship, married, has kids, enjoys one night stands etc?

“Scottie and I are both engaged, Wade, Quinton and Craig are single. No one has kids and I'm sure everyone enjoys a one night stand?” Alex Reburn is made up of a diverse group of musicians – What does each member bring to the band that creates the magic behind Reburn? Are you guys all great friends? What do you do in your spare time?

“We're like a whole bunch of diverse movie characters thrown together in a room and somehow music comes out the other end. If I had to put names to the characters it would be: Alex - Dr. Evil, Craig - James Bond, Scottie - Ace Ventura, Quinton - Chewbacca, Wade - The Predator.

We're all great friends until someone drinks the last beer. Then we're 4 great friends and one wanker!

Spare time? Are you avin a laugh?” Alex Is there a general message that Reburn wants to get across in their tracks? Or is each track an individual message? What/who has influenced Reburn from the beginning?

“Each track has an individual message and usually relates to where/how we are when the track is written.

Indie rock, wine, women and popular culture are probably our biggest influences.” Alex Anybody you would like to thank?

“We would like to thank our sponsors Paul Bothners and Scooter Angels. Antonio, Simone, John, Pauline, Ian, Betty, Trevor, June and Marnus. Also John Fortis, Tristin Keyte, Neal Snyman and Rusti. Most of all I would like to thank Neal Walters our 6th member and sound man, that dude is legend and has been with us from the beginning. Thank you for everything Neal please know that we do appreciate it!” Alex & Scottie “To everyone that has supported us through the years we also want to thank you. When people dismissed us and industry turned its back on us you guys were there.......... We salute you!” Alex Does Reburn have any news as to when fans could expect to listen to the full album “no other place”? What are some of the hardships that obviously come the way of a successful independent band?

“We're aiming for the 2nd half of 2013 for the album but we will be releasing the tracks as they come. We would rather give everyone a track at a time than a long wait for an album. As for hardships it's all about staying creative in a world that can't move without money. It's like a huge game of Monopoly and instead of the boot on Mayfair street it's REBURN on Lower main road! We love what we do though and we're excited about the future! Peace & Love! This is only the beginning...................” Scottie Interview by Nic Owen

Four a Penny has been on the scene for a while now – How have things changed since the band got together?

“We have been around for just over a year, so not too long. During this time we acquired a new drummer which ultimately lead to a more upbeat post-grunge/metal genre within the band” FAP recently recorded 3 new singles – Have these songs been playlisted on any radio stations?

“We have only released one of the new tracks on social media sites. The first single, “Guide”, will be playlisted on 5fm, tuksfm, matiefm and Afm and will be released Wednesday the 5’th of December for free Download on Boom.fm and on our Facebook page” What has the biggest stumbling block been in the journey of FAP? Cash? Connections?

Following?

“Connections are crucial is the SA music scene! We are steadily building connections, but Hard Rock/ Metal bands in SA do have a tough time making a name for themselves. We do however pride ourselves in the love for the music, which at this stage is more important to us than changing who we are and making music which might be more commercial, but we don't love it.”

Does the band feel that there is still a market in SA that could support a hard rock band and turn

FAP into a full time job? If yes, what is the bands plans for the future, and how do you plan on achieving your goals?

“Unfortunately the market is very small, but as stated before, the love for the music is most important to us. It could never be a full time job in SA but there are opportunities internationally. Also, the SA Hard Rock fans are very passionate and loyal, which is as much as we can ask for at this stage.”

FAP have been confirmed for Ramfest 2013 – This is the bands largest performance yet, what are some of the emotions you guys are feeling? Could this possibly be the time that the band has been waiting for? Can we expect anything special from FAP at Ramfest?

“We are very excited about Ramfest! We are hitting the Monster stage at Ramfest which already has a amazing line up with bands such as Pestroy, Facing the Gallows, Strident and Juggernaught. We do have a few surprises up our sleeve and hope to make a big impact as quoted before: “one of the best “new” live acts on the music scene at the moment.”

Regardless of what critics have said in the past – How would FAP describe one of their performances to their fans?

“A Four A Penny performance is highly energetic. We try to get everyone’s adrenalin pumping as much as possible through staying true to our style, blend each of our personalities and influences into the music we create and effortlessly convey infectious energy to the audience we perform to.” Interview by Nic Owen

The line up is confirmed, the new venue has been confirmed, are you confirmed? If not, I have graciously made a ‘top 10’ to help you make your mind up.

Remember, limited tickets are available from Computicket!

Van Coke Kartel have been at the forefront of SA rock for longer than most bands enjoy the lime light. The band has been credited as being able to attract huge crowds and provide them with a first class performance whilst still being true to rock and roll.

Francois, who has been listed as South Africa’s number 1 rocker of all time, continues to pull out all the stops in performances and is in my opinion, one of the most entertaining frontmen I have come across in SA. If you haven't yet had the privilege of witnessing Van Coke Kartel on stage, then New Years is the perfect opportunity! Van Coke Kartel is pretty much unchallenged on our ‘Rock the River Top 10’ list, so be sure to catch them headlining the main stage at this years event!

Hog Hoggidy Hog have been busting out big ska jams since even before I can remember. The band is returning to South Africa from their new home in Europe, and will be embarking on a national tour which will include a headline slot at Rock the River! This is a MUST SEE ACT for all you skankin-ska fans who like to bust it out big!

When we mention or hear about a band (in this case an 8 piece band) who has toured with UB40, and planning to drop a 3rd studio album, one word should come to mind; Be -jizzle-shizzle! The band has performed at most SA festivals and have definitely earned their spot at number 3!

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Photo by Media Monster

What is the message that Thought Police is trying to get across to their listeners and fans?

In the words of Bono ~“Music can change the world. Because Music can change people.” “Quite simply, we want to change the world... for the better. Sound cheesy? Well not to us, so we’re doing it. One day at a time. Even if we only change or improve the views or life of a single person, then we’re already on our way to achieving our goal. If many other did the same, guess what?

The world would be a better place. Our music is thought provoking and often takes a view on life in general… We talk about life’s many challenges that we all face on a daily basis or have perhaps faced in the past. We sometimes pass commentary on unpleasant truths we see in the world today in the hope that our music and lyrics will have a positive or even eye-opening effect on the views of others and the actions that people may take in the future. Be more aware about the world around them, think differently. I founded Band Aid SA to help this vision along. Get behind it.”

Is Thought Police the kind of band that is making tunes that people may want to hear, or is Thought Police a band that pretty much makes music for themselves?

“We make music for ourselves absolutely. There’s no doubt about that. If we don’t all feel it, we don’t play it. Otherwise you’d have seen us on more festival bills or heard us on radio more over the last few years. That said, we have learned that in order to get a message across to the masses, it has to be in a format that people can understand, so our sound has evolved over the years, being our own worst critics we’ve crafted our sound into a more consistently uplifting style with what I call more “Happy notes”.

Solid, big, stage rock – not frothy throw-away tunes for an instant ‘please-me-quick’ generation. Songs should take the listener on a journey, develop emotions, please them and tease them… That’s the Thought Police sound and vibe. If you don’t wanna hear that, you must be dead!”

All pics by Kevin Stuart

Thought Police have been making their version of ‘original rock’ since 2009. Since then, the band has found its place in the local Cape Town scene by doing as much as they can to first of all promote the scene and the bands in it, as well as unselfishly dedicate time and funds to projects such as Band Aid SA. The band will be hitting up Rock the River festival for the 3rd time this New Years, so keep up to date with the band on their Facebook page. Enjoy the interview, it’s potent!

I am sure your fans want to know a few personal details about the band members. Any of the band mebers married, have kids, into love affairs or kinky things that involve leather and hand cuffs?

“Well, all of us are in long term relationships and most of us have kids, so there’s no cute rebellious, I’m not cutting my hair and FTW story for our fans here, but then again our fans are also mostly living in adulthood now. Look, there are skeletons in the closet... that’s for sure and there are probably many things we’ve done and forgotten... that many still need to learn. I can tell you that one of us has co-written a full length CD for AIDS benefit in Africa many years ago and was in a full-on punk band once upon a time; the other had hair down to his arse, played in a very popular alternative rock band in the 90’s and regularly wore a Sisters of Mercy T-Shirt; the other had a Harley and rode with probably the biggest motorcycle club in the world, one of us is regularly on fire (literally) and was recently teaching Indians how to fight in movie sequences filmed in the Himalayas and I’d tell you more... but then I’d have to kill you. So we’ve been around (The world in many cases) and we have a purpose. We’re not here to kiss arse, be the party band of choice, makes buddies or be a pantomime and play Sex Pistols dress up on the weekends. We’re real people, who’ve experienced real life, who write real songs about real things, to make a real difference and have real things to talk about. You only have to talk with one of us to find that out, well excepting one of us whom is mostly angry. LOL If that doesn’t resonate with you, then we’re not for you. Simple as that!”

Now here’s a question that I seem to get a similar answer to every time I ask it - What are your honest thoughts on the SA music industry and what are the bands ideas on possibly improving it for the future of SA rock specifically?

“You shouldn’t have asked... ;-) It’s a broken record.

Excuse the pun. It’s like a sausage machine. It’s shrinking and everyone is trying to fight for a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. There doesn’t seem to be value in what we do and it’s not the bands that have created this system. I think it’s a combination of the venues, who’s core agenda understandably is sometimes only to make money so deliver poor production and marketing; managers/booking agents who are totally reactive and not true salesman (Kinda like how estate agents work); along with the lack of truly objective professionals (Not surprising because there isn’t real money around) along with a lack of good old sharing and just plain lazy and uncreative sponsors and brand managers. I think the only real way of fixing it is to collapse the hierarchy and start again. Maybe SA musicians and our skills should be regulated, much like in other industries. We should boycott venues and radio totally to start off with and set up a minimum wage system with minimum sound and advertising requirements etc. It may sound silly, but think about it.

A venue must be approved by the Music Federation, like is the case with Halaal and Health and Safety etc. and comply with guidelines such as minimum pay per

her per band member, minimum sound and production quality, minimum advertising and promotional budget and must be SAMRO registered etc. so that musicians with registered music can claim the revenue that is theirs. Booking agents and managers alike, but to a different degree of course. Music review sites and magazines the same. In the world today you can’t just start a financial services firm, cost people money due to your lack of knowledge and destroy the credibility of the industry because you feel like trying it out. No you need to be FAIS registered and approved. Skilled, trained and qualified. If we could create a similar system that could also properly audit SA Radio’s International to Local airplay quotas etc. and hold them to their commitments we’d be able to bring some consistency to the industry, give credit where credit is due, ensuring fairness for all. Those who’d work for it and comply would get ahead. Those that bring no value would get left behind. Essentially we’d be able to build something more scalable and predictable that would encourage younger and new artists to go for it because there is some degree of predictability, not just absolute hit and miss. If I had another day to talk about it, I’d actually be able to design the whole system. Then we could get sponsors that are truly behind growing the local music scene to better place their sponsorship and into a functional system that develops grows and nurtures our local musicians and helps fund the venues, concerts and radio time if need be. I think I read something about some part of Canada that did something like this that worked very well. I can’t remember for sure where it was though.

If you think about it, it could really work.”

Thought Police are hitting up Rock the River festival for the 3rd time this December – Do you guys have anything special planned for your fans?

“Yep, we’re considering setting Darrell alight. He does it every other day, so why not at RTR too. Other than that we’ll be rocking the crowd like we did last year, just better. They’ll be excited by the new sound that has evolved for us since taking on some new band members and reworking our material. It’s really uplifting, with big choruses to rock out to. We like where we’re at musically at the moment.”

If we take critics out of the equation completely, how would you describe a performance by Thought Police?

“Honest, Enlightening and Uplifting.”

Lastly, does Thought Police feel that there is enough being done to promote local rock music within music magazines and online sites?

I think a lot is being done. I just think it’s not being done with any real cohesion or strategic intent. It seems to just be every man for himself and therefore trying to corner little pockets of the scene, venues and even bands. Oh yeh... and supporting Niva Magazine will help the industry. Viva Niva! Viva!

Interview by Nic Owen

Jakobyn was therefore created as a musical upshot, shaped on the one hand by shared experience and on the other, by the exceptionally natural and uniquely fresh sound that Wiaan brought to the Jakobyn writing table when he joined the other three musicians in this brand new band.

The band was named after the most influential political group in the French Revolution of 1789, "The Jacobins". Jakobyn does however not claim to be revolutionary, or innately political, but they are proving to be fairly unique when the question of genre comes to the fore. Their sound is very hard to characterize and this can mainly be attributed the tendency to introduce loud and soft sections accompanied by multi-lingual lyrics and various musical styles, all within the same song. The band has since started referring to this unique style of music as, African Funk Rock Fusion, but it remains open for interpretation.

In December 2011, Jakobyn recorded their first demo tracks at Tunes Studio. The tracks; "The "Jacobin", "Nou wat Nou?", "Tatamkulu" and "JaJah" , were released in the beginning of 2012. "Nou Wat Nou? has subsequently been played on Matie FM. Keep up to date with Jakobyn on Facebook and be sure to catch them at their upcoming events this summer season! Courtesy Jean Marais

Jakobyn was formed in Stellenbosch in the aftermath of a free style jam session at Tunes Studio during the winter of 2011. There it was decided that the group would comprise of four members: Francois Marais (vocals and semiacoustic guitar), Wiaan van Rensburg (electric guitar), AndrĂŠ Steyn (bass guitar) and Jean Marais (drums). Although the band formed spontaneously, the material that they first started working on mainly consisted of bits and pieces of music written a couple of years earlier.

Francois and AndrĂŠ arranged these riffs, melodies and jams during the years that they shared an apartment with drummer, Jean, in the Western Cape university town. These three musicians were previously members of Belhamel, an Afrikaans hard rock group that originated in Worcester in 2005.

The Marais brothers also share their introduction to the South African music scene in the form of their original high school band, Fudge, that dates back to 1999.

The members have played in various other bands such as Alive dNb Trio, Antipathy and Emboldened.

14.2

Dogtown is still brand spanking new on the rock scene, so I want to begin by asking you to describe to the readers what the band is about, and exactly what they can be expecting at a Dogtown performance.

“We are all about having a good time. We want to show people that life isn’t so bad if you can learn to appreciate the moment before its gone, and you can expect to feel at home, at any of our gigs and definitely a good nights party.”

How did you guys find each other, and when did you start jamming and putting ideas together for Dogtown?

“We (Bennie, Sias and Nelis) have been friends from our school days and we met Jp and Tyan after school at a gig in Durbanville. But we started jamming a while before the band started. We used to jam acoustics and bongos twice a week after a good nights party in Stellenbosch, that’s where the ideas came from (a very care free environment) and that’s why we like to make feel good music.”

How did you guys think up the name Dogtown, and what, if anything, is the deeper meaning behind the name?

“Many people associate us with “Lords of Dogtown” but that was not why we chose the name. There’s certain ways people choose to live their life and you try to create your own perfect little world, I guess Dogtown represents our little world and the town we live in, the people around us all want the same out of life, we want to have a good time. There’s a lot of dreamers around and we want to embrace that.”

Since Dogtown is still pretty fresh on the scene, I think it would be a fitting question to ask – What is the plan for Dogtown over the next few crucial years as a band? Will we be seeing an EP soon?

“We are releasing a 6 track EP in January but we definitely want to push for a full album sometime next year and we want to do a lot of music videos.

Obviously it’s a lot of money but it will work out , “no stopping till Wembley”

How does ‘Sunshine’ describe you all as a band?

“The sun is out there for good, always shining whether you like it or not, I guess that’s how we all are as individuals.”

Is there any specific people that Dogtown would like to thank so far?

“Firstly and most importantly Ezelle Louw our manager/party companion, for joining the Dogtown family and working very hard just because she believes in our bigger picture. Then the rest of the Dogtown family, all the friends that encouraged us to do this, still having a good time at every show they all play a part in what Dogtown will become.”

What is the bands general opinion on the SA music scene? And, how does the band plan to crack into the heart of it?

“We found that the fast growing music scene is still very small, but there is a lot of undiscovered talent in South Africa and the time will come where the world will recognise this. We still need to grow as a band all we have to do is practise to get that perfect style and sound that we are trying to mould, if that happens we could definitely compete with some big names, it will take some time.”

Keep up to date with DOGTOWN on Facebook, and show your love by attending some of their upcoming events!

Interview by Nic Owen

Vetman Photography

Peachy Keen have been rocking the local scene for a few years now, and having featured on the YourLMG stage at last years Synergy Live. The band seemed pretty stoked and appreciative to have been given the opportunity to entertain the crowds from the bliss of the main stage. Fronted by 2 female musos, Peach Keen delivered a performance much like any of their others Solid, upbeat and simply exciting!

By Nic Owen South Africa’s introduction to summer has and will probably always involve the legendary Synergy Live Music Festival. This years festival was hosted at a brand new venue which was situated at the Theewater Sports Club in Theewaterskloof.

After getting into the gates of Synergy Live, we spent another hour or so trying to figure out where our camping area was. Getting around wasn't going to be as easy as we had expected - I feel that the festival was layed out in a very confusing manner, and took me most of the weekend to figure out exactly what was what.

The main stage was scheduled to start at 4pm, but obviously due to the terrible weather the stages had experienced in the build up to the festival, the first act only hit the main stage at around 6:30pm.

After we had actually figured out where to find the comedy tent, we spent a good amount of time chilling it out to some amazing comedians. Martin Evans, Liam Bento, Lunga Tsuku & Charl Weber stole the show and got me laughing to a point where I was crying. Being in a peaceful environment where people can make fun of just about anything or anyone, including religion and race, made me wish that I could experience this sort of entertainment on a more regular basis. Some of the comedians touched on topics that South Africans wouldn't really dare to speak about, and it was awesome to see that no matter what colour your skin may be, we can all laugh together and understand that its all just a joke.

Ballistic Blues opened the YourLMG stage on Friday to a small but receptive crowd of people. This band performed at one of my competitions earlier in 2012 (Niva Battle of the Bands), so I knew what to expect - A well thought out set list combined with an exciting stage presence. The band is still fairly new on the scene, but be sure to expect big things from these boys, and hopefully see them on main stage next year!

Niva Magazine was awarded the opportunity along with only 4 other photographers to enter into ’the pit’ during the performance by The Prodigy.

Personally, this was a dream come true as The Prodigy have been one of my favourite bands whilst growing up. The band attracted the largest crowd over the festival (which was to be expected) and when they struck their first note, so did the crowd! The Prodigy boasts one of the most amazing and well thought out stage presences that I have ever had the privilege of watching Dirty punk vibes dominated the stage, the crowd was going wild to the bands huge arsenal of well known songs, as well as their very energetic performance. It was a dream come true when Rob (Guitarist) posed for a photograph, then leaned over the side of the stage to hand me his guitar pick. I felt like a young teenager who had just experienced the joys of having sex for the first time, lol! The Prodigy’s performance has definitely topped my list for 2012, as the best act I have been able to see!

Jack Parow is regarded by many as a kind of ‘zeffer as zef’ character, but in all honesty, WHAT A GROUP OF MUSICIANS!! I witnessed the best acoustic guitar solo of my career - There were moments where I thought to myself that there must be a back track or a second guitar playing, as the skills that the Jack Parow guitarist was busting out was one of the most amazing things I have seen! To add to this, what could be better than having a sexy female drummer armed with a boob-tube? The answer would be - A sexy female drummer with a boob-tube and crazy skills!

Although she was pretty much ‘unknown’ to me, she busted out the beats, and added yet another ‘unexpected’ inclusion to the Jack Parow group of musos. Jack Parow was joined on stage by Francois from Van Coke Kartel to perform the collaboration called ‘Party’. Jack Parow attracted rock fans, electronic fans, zef boere fans and of course the critics… When a band is able to attract a full house like Jack Parow did at Synergy, I pretty much say that critics should open their eyes, and not be so judgemental - There are very few bands that can do what Jack Parow is doing at the moment! And as it comes from the horses mouth, ‘PIELE’!

All in all, the weather cleared up nicely after the opening day of the festival, the line up was amazing, and I will definitely be attending the 2013 Synergy Live!

Other bands who deserve a mention for spectacular performances which set the mood for the weekend are - LA.VI, 7th Son, The Narrow, HAEZER, Van Coke Kartel, Southern Gypsey Queen, Prime Circle and The Bone Collectors.

Over the past few years, the South African music festival scene has upped the ante. Fans can now enjoy world-class events that attract countless international acts, as well as the cream of our own local talent crop.

However, it remains an immense challenge for local festivals to streamline the process of getting festival goers to the location of the event. One of the biggest hardships any festival goer has to endure is the trek to and from the event. This usually involves great driving distances, long queues and the ever rising petrol price. All these factors result in a potentially not so happy camper.

GMTTF is a safe and affordable way for festival goers to make their way to the event location.

What better way to do your bit for the environment and get to the festival safely than with an ice cold drink in your hand? It's more than just getting festival goers to and from the festival - GMTTF aims to create the hottest party vibe making them wish the journey could go on forever. As a bonus, group traveling is pretty cool – nothing quite beats pulling up to the gates in the real life version of a tour bus with all your mates in tow.

GMTTF’s main goal is to provide festival goers with a one-stop shop for two of their main needs: their festival ticket and transport. To ensure the success of a venture of this nature, will however require that we partner up with the festivals in question.

Thus far Get Me To The Fest have been confirmed as official transport for Synergy Live 2012 and RAMfest 2013. We are excited to say that we are in the process of confirming another two festivals.

For more information about Get Me To The Fest: Visit our website: www.getmetothefest.co.za Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GetMeToTheFest Courtesy Eldavinn Davids & Ashley Brown

Volume Conflict is an alternative grunge band which was formed in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

by Triston Smith ( Vocalist, Songwriter, Composer, Rhythm Guitarist ) and his 2 brothers, Leon (Lee ) Smith ( Drummer, Composer ) and Stefan ( Stitch ) Smith ( Bass, Back-up vocalist, Composer ) in 2007.

Volume Conflict is everything the band’s name suggests, it has dirty guitar sound, strong riffs and heavy drumming and much more. They set out to make music that people they like would want to listen to, and they enjoy playing it too. As soon as you start thinking about fitting in with somebody else’s format – that’s when you lose the map.

They added a Lead guitarist, Wilco ( Snow ) Heunis, to the group in 2011 and they always leave fans wondering “what can we expect from Volume Conflict next”. But the road up to now was not fun and games for the brothers. Their lives were thrown into turmoil after a business deal

went horribly wrong in 2001 and they ended up in an abandoned trailer park outside of Port Elizabeth. The 3 brothers made their debut onto the music scene in 2004 as Apostle Spoon out of those humble surroundings. But the harsh living environment of the trailer park took their music style into another direction “much like the way a storm forms and has to anger itself out until it’s over and in 2006 they changed the band’s name to Socialweak.

Playing the Club circuit was extremely difficult for them as they did not own a car and had to depend on friends to get them where they needed to be. Using their resources to the max, something was still wanting musically for the 3 brothers and with advice from the well-known Koleski brothers the Smith brothers pulled out of the music scene in 2009 till now (2011) working on their distinctive sound that divines Volume Conflict and proving that it’s an emerging sound and a band worth looking out for and supporting.

magnetic stage presence at their shows. The band’s show at OppiKoppi Sweet/Thing drew one of the largest crowds at this festival.

Media quotes from OppiKoppi Sweet/Thing: “The area was packed and the energy was amazing. I’ve heard guestimates of 15 000 people, which could be correct. Either way, the people came to see the boys they love so much. Men were crying. Everyone was singing along. Next year is their ten year anniversary. It’s going to be hard to top what we saw at midnight two Saturdays ago.” – Dan Nash

Double Collector`s Disc to mark 10 Years.

To celebrate their approaching 10th birthday Fokofpolisiekar have just released a double disc offering with a decade of Fokofpolisiekar Rock-‘n-Roll.

The double album consists of FPK fans` personal favourite songs, as well as all FPK music videos, official and previously unreleased bootleg stuff. This is the ideal must have for those who have lost their original FPK CD copies, the younger brothers and sisters of the original followers who were still in the lower school grades when Fokof first broke the mould and those who are curious to see some unreleased video material of the band in their early days.

The legendary 5-piece Rock outfit, originally from Bellville, made a massive impact on the local music scene since their first musical offering, As jy met vuur speel sal jy brand, in 2003. Since then Fokofpolisiekar has had a controversial, exciting and successful career to date.

Nine years later and a few months away from their ten year anniversary as one of South Africa’s most celebrated bands, Fokofpolisiekar still exudes that

Fokofpolisiekar is currently touring SA: The Acoustic & Rock: Let The Good Times Roll Tour (sponsored by MK) showcases a selection of the band’s most popular acoustic and rock musical offerings from over the past 9 years, performed in true Fokofpolisiekar style.

Courtesy Liny Kruger

“Locked and Loaded with All Guns Full Ammo” In this months Niva metal corner I took the time of interviewing a new injection of rock and metal. The love of guzzling beer and playing video games brought this five man firing squad together in early 2011, sight ready at the aim and fingers ready to fire their powerful blend of hard rock and metal through the spheres of the South African metal scene. Ladies and gentleman; All Guns Full Ammo!

Can you tell the readers who AGFA is, and what the band is all about?

At the heart of it, All Guns Full Ammo is just a bunch of guys who enjoy drinking beer, jamming console games and rocking out some epic tunes. This steadily encroaching popularity is really just a pleasant consequence of spending too much time indoors.

All we really want is to have a good time doing something we love, and if others want to rock along with us, then that’s awesome too. We always try to put on professional, high energy performances for our fans, and if they want to reward us with horns held high, some scattered cheering and maybe a beer, then we’ve done our job.

Every single rock and metal band has a background of were each member came from, which would ultimately lead to establishing the band and how it was thought up; how did the concept of AGFA form?

The year was 2011, and Greig was living the high life of a script writer – hunting pre-indie, post-modernism, pseudo-neo-emo hipsters for fresh meat and streetfighting with stray zine-editors for stationery.

Mark was running an indonesian, pre-prod sweatshop and making a mint forging Russian nesting dolls in his spare time. They met on the street one nght while simultaneously attempting to mug David Kramer for three Fizzers and a handshake. Dave mentioned to them that there was an easier way to raise money for beer, and so All Guns Full Ammo was born.

They enlisted the help of Mike who, at the time, was making a living shouting at people professionally, and cocktail-waitressing every second Thursday. His only condition was that he got to continue shouting at people. It didn’t matter who.

Gareth they found in solitary confinement at a senior residents home. He’d been diagnosed with chronic punching, kicking an biting, and the senior citizens were renting him out to underground cock-fighting organisers to get the contestants riled up before their matches. Greig purchased him for nine sticks of liquorice and a bottle of cherry-mint liquor.

No-one’s entirely sure how Brett ended up in the band. The general consensus, however, is that someone left the back door open.

AGFA have quite a unique sound with various metal and rock influences; can you name a few of those influences for the fans?

Where do we start? Metallica, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, In Flames, Motorhead, System of a Down, Foo Fighters, Tom Waits, Golden Axe, Doom 2, Frogger, Dig Dug, Diana Ross, Marky Mark and the Funky Boys – you know, the usual.

Does AGFA have future plans to release an album or EP? We have a DEMO out, and we’re currently looking at putting an EP together, hopefully sometime next year.

Does AGFA have influences from older local South African bands?

Again, the list just goes on and on – Saron Gas, Agro, The Springbok Nude Girls, The Narrow, Battery 9, LARK, David Kramer – we have an incredible history of great bands in this country, and so many of them have helped to mould us into the musicians we are today.

And when the police come knocking, that’s what you tell them: “Theo Crous made them do it”.

What musical background do the members of AGFA have?

Incredibly vast. As individuals, we’ve played in bands from almost every genre; metal, rock, punk, alternative, ska, prog-rock. We even have a smattering of classical traing behind us – although don’t go telling the fans that. It tested badly in focus groups.

What has been AGFA most exciting endeavour to date?

We went on an unexpected tour up though P.E./ Joburg/Pretoria late in 2011. We rocked out with some awesome bands, met a couple of legends, and all in all had a gloriously drunken time. We’d do it again in a heartbeat. Especially if they keep developing and digging up the JHB city centre. If we don’t move them soon, someone’s bound to find the bodies.

Who would AGFA like to thank and where can your fans expect to see you next?

Friends and family for feeling obliged to like us on Facebook, the bands we jam with, the die-hard fans who make it to almost every gig, and the new fans we make every time we rock-out a show. Without even one of these groups, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

Our next show is on the 24th November at the Jolly Roger in Plumstead, then Rock the River festival over the New Years celebrations. As for next year, keep your ears and eyes peeled!

By Ryno De Lange

Emalyth is proud to Announce the South African Nationwide Tour of South American progressive death metal band, Shajol, alongside our local 'swine -core' piggies, Boargazm which will be taking place from the 5th of December until the 15th of December 2012 Emalyth as an alternative arts promotion brand based in Gauteng, who believe in a spirit of fellowship and common interest. We seek ways in which to promote all forms of alternative art. We have put together this tour alonside South African band, Boargazm to showcase South Africa’s great music culture with as well as exquisite heritage with the members of the band from Ecuador, Shajol, in this nation-wide tour.

Shajol are a progressive metal band hailing from Ecuador in the humid parts of Southern America.

The band, made up of expeirenced and talented muscians are currently studying their masters degree at the prestigious Berkee Institute of Contempary Music. They are also currently recording their debut album, Device of Madness, and will release it on a tour of Africa and Europe at the end of 2012.

With heavy influences by acts such as Meshuggah, Gojira and Pantera, Shajol are set to push the limits of metal music.

Boargazm have come a long way in terms of metal music in South Africa. Comprising of former members of Rhutz and Black Cat Bones, the band recorded their debut album, The Aporkolypse, in 2011.

The album has set a new standard for underground metal in South Africa. Classifying their music as ‘swinecore’, in line with their pig theme, Boragazm released their first official music video Lust in June 2012. The band has grown from strength to strength having opened for Italy’s Fleshgod Apocolypse and performing at Oppikoppi Sweet Thing 2012.

Catch them at ROAR on the 15th of December where they will be tearing up the stage along withING and Suiderbees.

Courtesy Ryno De Lange & Sashquita Northey