Where to Practice and Record

Festival Reviews coming up!

Venue reviews coming up!

Band Reviews coming up!

Sutherland

These three good looking blokes have gathered there musical super powers to bring us a fresh acoustic sound right to the door step of the Johannesburg entertainment scene.
With my heart pumping warm lumpy custard while listening to their first single “Keep on Pushing on” , let’s find out a little bit more about them.            

Firstly WHO are you and how did you guys join forces to create Sutherland?
Sutherland is Misty, Mika and Chris.. We’ve all been really great friends for a pretty long time now and have been in bands together before Sutherland..
I became the bridge between Mika and Chris by working on separate acoustic projects with each of them; We then decided to join forces.
We thought it would be a lot more fun and effective to work on the same project together rather than dividing our attention.

All three of you are from musical backgrounds. Was modern folk always your chosen genre?
We have all been and Chris and I still are involved in other bands/projects that are worlds apart from the ‘Modern folk’ genre.
I guess, as individuals, it was never really our chosen genre… But we have always dabbled in the acoustic side of things... Even if it was just for the fun of it .
It’s only recently that we’ve decided to make something of it.

Was there a specific influence?
We’re inspired by artists who have done things that stand out to us in the acoustic style.
Artists such as Shakey Graves, Mikhael Paskalev, Chet Faker and Jonas Alaska.
That doesn’t go to say we sound like them, but more to say that we are inspired to create our own unique sound.

                                       Watch Sutherland’s Live Session of their song Lost

How have you found the South African response?
So far, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received. Considering we’re such a new band, I think the response has been incredible. We’d like to say thank you to everyone for showing us the love!

You guys recently entered the Jagermeister -Back the artist competition - how important is it for brands to get behind artists such as yourselves and what exposure did you guys get from this competition? Sadly you didn’t win, but will you guys enter more of these competitions in the future?
Because we’re such a young band, big brands like Jagermeister are platforms for getting our name out there; they really help to promote bands in a short space of time. In that sense, this competition has really helped get the ball rolling for us.
While we’re in the spirit of competition, yes we probably would enter another one.

From a 2 piece to a 3 piece, what more dynamics will Chris bring to the band and how will this influence your writing style?
Chris fulfills the rhythmic-percussive element in the band and also helps with the writing and performance of various other instruments. He was a major influence before he officially came aboard in any case, so the dynamic of the band won’t really change all that much.

Is there a gap in the South African market for acoustic acts such as yourselves? 
Yes, we believe there is niche growing in the music industry. With so many live venues closing down, acoustic acts like us can play shows at smaller places where most other bands can’t. It’s something we see every weekend and we plan to get involved.

Where to from here?
Onwards!! We’re just going to keep doing what we do and have as much fun with it as we can.
Whatever happens, happens.


Written by: Rachel Steen-Stenersen
Photographer: Dominique Little

Lamb of God

Heavy Metal supporters in South Africa have held their breath since early 2012 when rumours first emerged that a local appearance by USA metal titans Lamb Of God was imminent.  Hopes were crushed later that year when the remainder of the band’s tour was cancelled in mid-2012 and activity curbed to within United States borders up until June this year. In fulfilling an old promise, Lamb Of God are finally on the road and catching up on a major back log of shows across the globe.  The great news for South Africa is that two dates have been squeezed into the bands cram-packed touring schedule for early 2014.

"With only two dates available, we'll be touring them to Cape Town and Johannesburg," said Dawid Fourie of RAM Touring, "and we're expecting that by playing those two cities, the maximum number of fans will get an opportunity to begin planning early for a trip to one of the larger centres."
 Lamb Of God, from the State of Virginia in the USA, were formed in 1990 with current members John Campbell on bass, Mark Morton on Guitar, and the legendary Chris Adler on Drums.  Vocalist Randy Blythe joined in 1995 and drummer Chris's brother Willie Adler replaced Abe Spear on guitar in 1999, resulting in the current line-up which spans more than a decade; and introducing the electrifying chemistry which has launched a successful career for the band we see today.
Chris Adler, endorsed internationally by Mapex Drums, is lauded by drummers the world over for his unique style of playing, and his often used 'heel-toe' technique.  Guitarist Mark Morton has also made a significant impact on the global guitar-playing fraternity, as celebrated by Jackson Guitars with his 'Dominion' signature model being highly sought after.
The band has released six studio albums to date, with their 2006 album 'Sacrament' receiving a Grammy nomination, and selling a cumulative two million copies in the USA alone.  Lamb Of God is considered to be the spearhead of what heavy metal fans call "The New Wave of American Heavy metal".  What has also won this band great public acclaim are their DVD's containing many hours of footage on the stage and off of it, but more importantly documenting normal days in the life of a hard working band on tour.

Lamb Of God will melt faces on Friday 24 January in Cape Town, and Saturday 25 January in Johannesburg.  Tickets via www.computicket.co.za, or from any Computicket outlet nationwide.  General standing is available at R450 and for Golden Circle, only R550.

Cape Town Venue: The Hillcrest Quarry outside Durbanville is a mere 30 minute drive from Cape Town CBD (traffic depending) and can be found on the M13 (Tygervalley Road) which bridges the Tygervalley Hills between Durbanville and Parklands (Table View).  Safe and secure parking will be available +/- 0.9km from the grounds, where attendees will be required to park & walk.  A shuttle service will be available at R5 per single trip for any special-needs patrons or for those who just don't feel like walking.

Johannesburg Venue: The Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec (Hall 8) is situated just to the South-West of the city CBD on the Corner of Rand Show and Nasrec Roads, directly adjacent to the iconic "Soccer City" National Stadium.  The best approaches from the directions of Pretoria, Sandton, OR Tambo Airtport, and Bloemfontein are all well detailed on the venues website .

Facilities at both venues include: Well-stocked bars (no alcohol served to u18s), Food Stalls, Security, Medics & kick ass production.
Regretfully, no under 16's will be allowed, and u18's will only be admissible if accompanied by adult (21+) supervision and their ID documents.

The opening acts for both shows are: Mind Assault & The Drift.

Connect with Lamb of God and RAMtouring by clicking on their respective icons:

           Lamb of God RAMtouring