OK. There has been some action on the music front. I've been jamming on harmonica with South Africa's "dark knight of country and western", Jim Neversink.

Jim has a bass player called Luandi. I told Luandi a long time ago that we should just get a duo together, and it's still on the cards.

Luandi also plays with a wreckhead girl rock band called Rokkeloos (which means "without dresses" in Afrikaans -- mispronunciation of "roekeloos", which would be "reckless"...).

They are bad, man. Read about them here.
http://www.joeblog.co.za/articles/rokkeloos

-- Luandi has her own band, also. I think they have a great name.

Cortina Whiplash

... I had a pal once, a British metalwork teacher, who had a pile of car magazines up to his roof. Always swore that the Cortina was the greatest car ever made.

I drove a 3-litre blue Cortina LDV in one job, on the mines, I was doing satellite image processing for them, driving out to the radio observatory. That truck could do 280km/h with a purr. Then someone turned straight in my path, and I wrote the truck off, and nearly myself as well. I had my seatbelt on. I bumped my knee, and also had ... a little whiplash. So yes, I've been there.

Luandi has a Cortina tattoo on her arm. That band is a long-term project.

But I also have a name for our possible little duo. I'm running it past you here in case someone else steals it, because I don't think anyone has this. Decided we need to be where it's @ -- you know.

So. This is the name:

@AK

-- pronounced "at-ack", of course.

And this is the girl, I hope you can see her. Luandi is on the right. She is a very disturbing sight on the bass. She really moves. I found myself leaning up against her the other night, playing harp. I never do that kind of thing. It was amazing. This girl ... is a real performer. And Princess Petro, in the middle, would seriously blow Madonna off any stage. I am deadly serious. Maybe that's not the best choice of phrase, but nonetheless.

Must dash.

Sweet Jeezis!

And it's only a matter of time before some rogue makes a joke about volunteering to be their unpaid road crew because he'd gladly hump their equipment for free.

Oh. Wait.

and my favorite south african does a hit and run again.

Hey Amigo!

The Plump Native Hussies

The Popewhore Mikados

Don't play in bands with girls. Seriously, don't.

Situation Normal

Pasa Volante

(I've been reading Cortés' letters, again)

Quasar Dilemma

Voortreker

Holo-Parcheesi

Mary Kate and Assplay

quote:

Originally posted by digitalprimate:
Don't play in bands with girls. Seriously, don't.

Yeah, I know, I know.

Even if they look like this on stage:



... I actually got my friend's name wrong, she is Loandi, I thought I'd better correct it. She just recorded on Jim Neversink's new (his third) album, which is called "Skinny Girls Are Trouble" ... it was produced by Richard Lloyd of an American punk band once upon a time called
Television
... he plays very hot guitar, I was on stage with him at one gig. Didn't know who he was, thought, this guy can rock, but I later discover that this is the man who once tried to console Jimmi Hendrix that his playing wasn't so bad, and got punched in the face for his pains.

His band at the moment is called
The Sufi Monkeys...
not quite sure about that one.

Jim's album should be released in the US soon, and I think it's going to be very very good. Extremely hectic recording process, I'll tell you more later.

But album's title, Skinny Girls Are Trouble, is a special tribute to Loandi. Yes, we know. We really do know.

Jim has a second album called "Shakey is Good" ... Shakey being a tribute to Neil Young...

I'm trying to find a picture of my other favourite girl in a band, Claire of
Trike ...
she makes Sinead O'Connor look quite tame, but she's a total sweetheart, and an incredible singer. This is the only one I can find. That's her on the left. We've also made a pact to do a gig or two together. Yes, I know. I know.



Yep. Girls in bands are deep deep trouble.

But then, Deep Deep Trouble is my middle name, when translated from the African.

Drikus, on the right, has had a couple of other Afrikaans bands with nice names. One is
Plank
kinda rhymes with "sunk" in Afrikaans... and the other, well, I have to explain.
Brixton Moord en Roof Orkes
is named after a very notorious and now defunct police unit in Johannesburg, the Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad, who were famous for their high prosecution rate, and even more famous for their methods of getting information out of miscreants. Let's just say you didn't want to be a "usual suspect" on their books. Anyway, the Brixton Murder and Robbery Orchestra are great fun, we've shared a stage with them. Brixton is just up the road from here, a very interesting neighbourhood.

Only thing I could find by Jim Neversink on teh YouTube:

Mail Order Russian Bride

I like it. A Lot.

Also, I gotta get a 8mm film movie camera. They make stuff look very very cool.

Vague Recollection

quote:

Originally posted by Amigo da Casa:
Even if they look like this on stage:

Sorry did I say even, I meant to say ESPECIALLY:



ps. Mail Order Russian Bride is a very special song. It contains one of the very few clues to the South African origins of the music -- "They say that shots was heard, I heard them too."

Straight quote from an SA policeman: "Shots was heard..."

Someone moaned at Jim for his bad grammar once, based on that. He said, you know, you just don't get it.

A few months ago I was monitoring the news wires, and there it was again. "A policeman said 'Shots was fired'."

Oddly -- yesterday -- I meet a pal, Antonie, demonic bass player in a really vicious local metal band. Basically, the best musicians around here (after the reggae men) are the metal boys, I love 'em. Thrash. Anyway, his band is called:

Shots Fired

... not bad.

If you can hear Mail Order Russian Bride, it starts with harp. Jim forgot his one night, and said -- "Is there anyone with a harmonica in the audience?" and as it happened, I had brought an A harp, just in case, so I said yep. So he says to me on stage, "You start the song." I thought, fine, and waited for the drummer to go tak, tak, tak. Then he said, no, *YOU* start the song. And I thought, oh yes, so I do, and so I did. That was my baptism of fire on stage with Jim Neversink.

Jeez, you guys get all my best stories, how do you do it.

Jim's old backing musicians have formed a new band, by the way, I heard their album launch on Saturday, and it was totally brilliant, very poppy and great fun. Nice lyrics ... "Superman, with broken bones..."

They also have quite a nice name ...

The Black Hotels

quote:

you guys get all my best stories

We appreciate it very, very much.

(I know I don't want to be in a band with that girl but... @$%k!!)

quote:

We appreciate it very, very much.

yes we do!

Damage Control Monkeys

@Bravus: No stealing my job title!

@Amigo De Casa: It would be hard to say no if that girl requested I play a gig with her. Or, you know, run barefoot over hot coals, etc etc.

Ramen Ra

quote:

Also, I gotta get a 8mm film movie camera. They make stuff look very very cool.

i got three, wanna buy one?

Hmm, has anyone yet suggested a band named 'Band Name'?