JUST JINGER

Source: YOU magazine, October 16 1997 (Pieter van der Lugt) Until recently it was tough for local bands to get noticed, says Verny Scholtz of Jo'burg outfit Just Jinger. "That's changed," he adds gratefully, "now the publicity is good and you get an excellent response all over the country." Just Jinger is Verny (lead guitarist, keyboards), Art Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Brent Harris (drums) and Tuxx (bass). They've performed with Def Leppard and the Crash Test Dummies and are big favourites at rock festivals. "We want a distinctive sound, but we also tried to get a lot of variety on our album," says Verny of their debut. He isn't interested in following the trend to distort and transform the guitar's sound. "I think the classic rock guitar will be there no matter how the music changes." Just Jinger will start thinking about a second album only next year. "At the moment we're busy day and night with band-related things," Verny says. It's the price of success - and he's not complaining.

JUST JINGER: THE GOOD, CLEAN, FUN GUYS

Source: Sunday Times, October 12 1997 (Erica Mclean) Just Jinger prove that a successful band does not have to be bad In an age where sex and rebellion boost the sales of pop records, the family-friendly lyrics of local band Just Jinger are quite a phenomenon - and are outselling international acts such as U2 and the Rolling Stones in this country. With their debut album All Comes Around, Just Jinger is the first "South African pop-rock" band to reach what the industry calls gold status (25 000 copies - as defined by the Association of South African Music Industry) since the 70s hit group Rabbit, whose sales reached up to 50 000 at the height of their career. During the 5fm national roadshow in the last week of September they packed large concert venues like the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg to capacity - a first for local white-orientated bands. Just Jinger has wide appeal, with fans ranging from primary school children right through to 50-year-olds. They sing about love and the break-up families; they sing about hope and devastation wrought on people by war. The "clean" image is a result of the upbringing of each band member, according to its 22-year-old lead singer, Art Matthews. "We all come from clean backgrounds with the same basic moral principles. Let's just say we have very strong roots in being good," he says. The band's real appeal lies in their lack of pretence and the positive message that lies at the heart of their songs. "We don't write gimmicky songs, we write songs people will listen to years from now. Songs that capture people's hearts. There are a lot of bad things in life but there is always a good side. We look at the good side." Other band members are guitarist Verny Scholtz, bassist Tuxx and drummer Brent Harris. A mix of personalities and talent, Just Jinger is no overnight sensation. The key to their dynamic stage performance is a combination of confidence and hard work. The original band was called TriFunk Era, with Tuxx, Brent and Verny as it's three members. In 1996 the soulful-voiced Art originally from Durban, was asked to join them. The band then changed it's name to Funk Era. When the word "funk" began to sound to the band like a cliche, they renamed themselves Just Jinger - a phrase taken from band-member slang for "everything's cool". The band is quick to downplay praise of their success. As Brent explains: "When you look at success in the larger scheme of things, compared to the success of overseas bands we are a drop in the ocean. At the end of the day you have to keep your head." In the interim, the band is not basking in the limelight, but getting on with business. They've written 20 new songs and hope to release a new album in the middle of next year. With sales of their album still climbing, Just Jinger's career continues it's upward journey. Are the sales of Just Jinger's wholesome album a reflection of a new set of values that we embrace as a society? Are we tired of abusive, nihilistic lyrics that have been fashionable internatinally over the past few years? Or is Just Jinger just another flash in the pan, a creation of marketing hype? That remains to be seen.

BATTERY 9

Source: YOU magazine, November 7 1996 (Pieter van der Lugt) Paul Riekert and his gang need to recharge their batteries. After ordering steak and chips, they sit back and look around expectantly. Nothing much going on in this tacky little cafe. "So this is Cape Town," says frontman Paul with a hint of irony. He creates the fierce industrial tracks that have earner Battery 9 a loyal following. "The music comes from living with violence in Johannesburg," says Paul. "All the paranoia, the feeling of a noose tightening around your neck. People have a lot of pent-up aggression and our music provides a harmless release for that." Battery 9 are Paul, At Nel (sampler, percussion), Arnaud van Vliet (guitar, percussion) and Huyser Burger (canvas, percussion). Their albums are recorded mostly at Paul's home. "In studio's there are rules," he explains. "At home I can work when and how I want." He avoids pre-fab samples, creating his own instead. "It's much more fun and you can get a rawer sound." After lunch Battery 9 mill about on the sidewalk, pondering their next move. "We have a car, but we don't have a plan," chuckles Paul. No problem. Battery 9 are going places - and the fans will follow.

SA MUSIC STORMS ONTO THE WEB

Source: PCReview: Web Feet 6 August 1997 This weekend sees the climax of 1997's biggest, noisiest and most fascinating South African music event, the third Oppikoppi Festival of Rock held in the bushveld out beyond Sun City. What started as a University of Pretoria Graphic Design school project is now the keynote event in the live music calendar. In honour of the event, which can be followed via a quirky web page, this week's column is devoted to the explosion of South African music across the Internet. Even the smallest of small bands take to a medium that should be their natural home, considering the ease of access to it and the incredibly improved exposure it offers them. Ironically, it has been the bands and artists themselves who have led the SA music industry onto the Web, showing up an archaic industry that has difficulty coming to grips with new technology, despite operating in an environment where technology, along with music, is almost the air they breathe. Unfortunately for many of the garage bands hoping to bypass the straitjacket of the established industry, their web sites tend to reflect the garage attitude, and are often cobbled together from templates found in some web scrapyard for page designs that crashed years ago. Almost every band site boasts a guest book - even those that pass themselves off as mean and ugly and angry. Even bands that pride themselves on breaking the musical envelope employ the most astonishingly pedestrian approaches to their web presences. All is not lost however, and at the very least it can be said that the bands are taking control of their own international destinies.

JUST JINGER GO PLATIMUN WITH THEIR DEBUT ALBUM

Source: Sunday Times, January 18 1998 (Vusumuzi Nzapheza) Just Jinger is the first South African rock band in 20 years to go platinum, with sales of their debut album, 'All Comes Round', having topped 50 000 copies. After just two years, the band are giving supergroups such as U2 a run for their money on the local market. Bono and the boys of U2 generally sell no more than 20 000 albums in SA. Just Jinger, which is street parlance for "things are okay, nice", are the first which South African pop-rock band to achieve platinum status since Rabbit did so at the peak of their popularity in the 70s. Just Jinger's lead singer, Art Matthews, explained the secret of their success: "We don't write gimmicky songs. We write songs that people will listen to years from now, songs that capture people's hearts." "There are a lot of bad things in life but there is always a good side to life. We look at the good side." Derek Lategan, managing director of recording studio Cube Music, said another part of Just Jinger's appeal was that, unlike many modern bands, they still played real instruments." 5FM disc jockey Mark Gillman said Just Jinger were clever to have struck a popular formula. He said they had done well on 5FM because of the station's "affirmative action policy which favours local music." The band - Matthews, bass player Brent Harris and Verny Scholtz, who plays guitar and keyboard - has had to use freelance drummers after their original bassist, Tuxx, left recently. Voted Johannesburg's best band by Options magazine, Just Jinger have topped radio charts with their singles 'Shallow Waters' and 'Father And Farther', which is about the disintegration of family life. 'Shallow' Waters reached number one on 5FM, 'Father and Farther' number two and 'Paradise' reached sixth spot. Scholtz said a highlight had been filling the Standard Band Arena in Johannesburg to capacity. Despite their success, the band members are still down to earth, playing at pubs and clubs across South Africa. The band grew out of the trio Tri Funk Era, formed by Matthews, Scholtz and Harris. They changed their name in 1996. They are open-minded about the future. Matthews said although they enjoyed what they were doing at the moment, the future would determine their musical direction. They might change tack to meet the expectations of music lovers. Not content to bask in their glory, they are eyeing the overseas market. But Matthews said: "At the moment it's only carrots dangling before us, nothing solid yet." Of note, however, is interest shown by Italy and Canada. The band have also performed a song in a Nokia advert for East Asia. Last year they were the supporting act for British group Toto's SA tour. Asked if their success had brough them proverbial fortunes, Matthews said: "We are doing well by local standards. I mean, South Africa represents maybe a fraction of the world market."

CEDRIC SAMSON SNAPS UP A GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATION

Source: Sunday Times, January 18 1998 (Fred Khumalo) South African music producer and songwriter Cedric Samson has been nominated for a Grammy award for a tribute to Nelson Mandela. "Writing the song was an exhilarating trip in itself, a satisfying achievement. Now being nominated is even more, it's a major honour," Samson, 45, said this week. The nomination - in the category of best song written specifically for a motion picture or television - is for 'Father Of Our Nation', which was performed by Cape Town soul singer Jennifer Jones and trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Samson wrote the eulogy to Mandela and his rainbow nation for the documentary 'Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation'. The soundtrack for this 1996 documentary was nominated for an Academy Award last year. Samson was also nominated last year for an Emmy for the soundtrack of 'Mandela and De Klerk', a film starring Sidney Poitier as Mandela. Samson wrote, arranged and produced the soundtrack, while the music was mixed and engineered by his partner Fernando Perdigao. "Working on the music for both films was its own reward. You're writing about Mandela, a legand. You get inspired and you work non-stop on music in this man's honour," Samson said. "The producers of the movie gave me a free rein when it came to writing the music, and I had a great time writing the stuff," he said. Besides scoring movies, Samson has penned and produced a number of other music pieces that are recognisable to South African ears, including the signature music for the former television channel CCV. He also wrote the signature music for the TV show 'People of the South', hosted by Dali Tambo, and is responsible for jingles for a number of products, including Coca Cola. Samson started his music career as a drummer, playing with various bands, including the popular 60's outfit The Fireflies. In the 80's he presented the TV music programme Popshop. He went on to produce US hiphop star Ice Cube's 'Gangsters Make The World Go Round', which is on the artist's latest album 'West Side Connection'. The album has gone platinum in the US, selling more than a million copies. South African who have won grammies in the past include singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo for their 1987 album, 'Shaka Zulu', and guitarist Jonathan Butler. Samson is up against tough competition for the Grammy. R Kelly, the American singer and composer, has been nominated in the same category for his song 'I believe I can fly', which was written for the movie 'Space Jam'. Another strong contender is Babyface, the R&B singer and composer, for his song 'A Song for Mama', which he wrote for the group Boyz II Men's video 'Soul Food'. The Grammies, which comprise 92 categories, will be presented on February 25 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. A father of five, Samson was born in Yeoville, Johannesburg, and now lives and works from home in Norwood, Johannesburg.

THE CHANGING FACE OF SA POP: FEATURING AMERSHAM AND THE USUAL

Source: Edgars Club Magazine, February 1998 (Peter Feldman) Riding high at the moment, like Just Jinger, is Amersham - a power pop outfit who has an amazing ability to create complex pop songs while making it look and sound easy. They are not middle-of-the-road as those fans that have seen them live are ready to testify! The band, with Adam Lomas on vocals and guitar, Marc Bental on guitar, Tim Trotter on percussion and Nathan Wayell on bass has built up a formidable reputation by constant touring. Nathan, who is 23 and the tallest in the band, wants people to have a party at their gigs, and forget their problems. "When we are playing and we see the crowd partying, that positive vibe rubs off on us. We don't consider ourselves stars. We're not different from anyone else just 'cos we can play our instruments fairly well." He thinks the best thing about being in a band is that they feel loved. "Even though we argue at times about music, art, work or our sanity, someone in the band always sticks up for you. It's great." Their debut album Wearing Thin has taken off exactly where their EP Pickled left off. Matchbox was their first single and they also released a house version of Bob, one of their more popular live songs. The CD single features several remixes and is proving to be a club hit nationwide. While most albums are sent overseas to be mastered, Wearing Thin is a wholly South African product which was produced under the superversion of Oz producer Reggie Bowman. Says Adam: "The problem with sending an album overseas, where you as a band have very little control, is that engineers seem to want to get their own two cents worth." Adds guitarist Marc: "I think the fact that we were involved in all aspects of the recording process; from the production of the album to the mastering and mixing helped. It was a very hands-on process from our side." Then there is The Usual. They are four musicians from Cape Town who rose to fame in 1996 with their his singles The Shape That I'm In, In My Head, I'm Going Nowhere and I Gave You My Heart. Their latest offering is a seven track EP Like A Vision, which continues in typical The Usual fashion. The Usual is Tom Fox, Johan "Yo-Yo" Buys, James Stewart and Paul Tizzard. Tom Fox, of course, was with Bright Blue whose classic song, Weeping, remains an emotional pop high years after it was first penned. Fox produces a distinctive guitar sound and guitarist James Stewart is an experienced performer who writes and sings his songs from the heart. Then there is the rhythm section of Paul Tizzard on drums and Yo-Yo Buys on bass who forms the machine that anchors the band. They were nominated for an FNB South African Music Award last year (1997) in the Best Rock Album category, and it's safe to say that they will be in line for big honours in the future. They describe their music as an Afro-Pop groove and are obsessed with playing danceable songs really well. "Keep up with the groove," contends Tom Fox, "and the people will stand on their feet." And that is exactly what they did when they joined forces with Just Jinger and Amersham on a national tour. Viva SA Music!

SONGS FROM THE NUDE GIRLS' SOFA: THEY'RE FOR RELAXING TO

Source: Cape Argus, 6 February 1998 (Evan Milton) Guitarist Theo Crous, talking about the songs planned for the EP Omnisofa - the followup to the Springbok Nude Girls mega-seller album, Afterlifesatisfaction - says, "We're now playing songs for what they are. They're for listening and relaxing to, with not too much happening at the same time." Drummer Francois Kruger slyly suggests, "These songs aren't anything like Just Jingle's but they're quite easy to listen to." Bassist Arno grins, "They're songs written on the chairs and on the sofa..." "The multi-functional sofa," ends keyboardist and trumpeter Adriaan Brand. Blumer clarifies: "We haven't decided on any 'sound' - it came out that we wrote a few slower songs, but we can't say where that's going." "You can immediately draw conclusions from the music about our lives," says Kruger. "I'm shocked that I'm going to be 24 soon! I'd never even pictured myself as older than 22." "Last year made us pay a price. We know there's a hectic liability built into our careers and this year we want to treat with a little foresight. We want to go bigger, better and healthier." "It's comtemplative," adds Brand. Blue Eyes, intended for release on Omnisofa was first showcased to the public at the Up The Creek festival last week. It's a dark kind of love-song, playing with ideas and feelings and, like so many SNG offerings, always threatening to collapse into another style, cleverly picking a path between easily classified genres and emotions. The band played the song during their morning soundcheck to a languid crowd of about 100 early-rising revellers, every single one of whom drank in the notes, perhaps realising the unique nature of their glimpse into the Sprinbok Nude world without the lights and full stage-power. That night, the same song captivated a capacity crowd, sweeping them into the first steps of acceptance of a slightly new look band. "We will release an album, and hopefully two EPs," says Blummer. "We'll probably tour England again, and hope to play at a few festivals," plans Crous. "And an American tou will hopefully materialise." "We will play fewer gigs, and each one will be nicer," hopes Carstens. "That way we will get more time to write." "We have a few remixes to do," says Crous, "and so we'll have that as an experiment." "We're going to spreadeagle it this year," says Carstens. "And we're very excited - the only thing that can go wrong is this country." Talking more broadly about South Africa in 1998, the band members express a fear for the country's future, relating incidences of crime and ranging to Brand's ironic comment, "It's only going to be cool to take on issues in the year 2000, but not until then." In conversation, the band often roll along like their songs: contributing pieces, jumping gears, shifting direction with satisfying precision. "Apollo (another EP track, first heard on New Year's Eve) was written in George in the mountin during a jam," says Crous - and, explains Carstens, "is about male rule on this planet." Kruger undercuts, "Although we don't know for how long," and, quips Brand, "It takes the piss out of that." "It's like this..." (one readies oneself for a classic Carstens conundrum-explanation) "while Santa Claus is male, males will rule." Distorting the flow somewhat, Brand takes a tangent: "I have a suspicion that, deep down, Arno is a feminist," from which Crous ends, "Agter elke man is daar 'n vrou." The five become palpably animated while talking about their music, a sit-down, verbal version of their stage presence. Brand cannot resist explaining a section of a tune by playing trumpet sounds through his hands, while Carsten's body unconciously performs a seated version of the forward-backward then side-to-side dance unique to him. Live, this dance time and again weakens the knees of female fans and throws into a slam-dancing frenzy the men in the crowd. The "sofa version", unprompted and wholly inherent, bespeaks a young artist intensely dedicated to his craft, a rock musician living the very music he creates. It is an intensity echoed by the rest of the band.