Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Well well well (three holes in the ground). So it's the new year and Zephyr is looking to get "back on the circut" so to speak! Woo hoo! So, to that end . . . . . . . . we have been asked to play at a certain local establishment from 10am 'till 7pm on Saturdays or Sundays. Realistic or not? Hmmmmmmm . . . . . . . . we'll let you be the judge of that and possibly come up with some suggestions as to how we might proceed :-). Hear from y'all soon. Over and out. The Wizard from Oz.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
B.O.B. says Bye! (for now)
Once again its been a while since we last updated. Band of Brothers (unofficially abbreviated to BOB) have been going strong and rocking crowds at various places and venues. The Maritzburg Music Club gig was a huge success and the boys rocked "around the clock" til voices were hoarse on stage and hands were aching from the clapping along in the crowd. They even got a standing ovation at the end of the performance, a rare occurence for the usually mellow-maritzburgers.
Band of Brothers then graced Lunar Lounge with a show at the Shamwari stage in Drummond. A few broken strings, some frozen fingers and a broken drum skin later, it all turned out well (with the help of a few glasses of red wine afterwards!) The most recent performance was at Forest Gate in Howick and once again there were broken strings but all in all we pulled it off and the venue was well-suited to the vibey sounds of the band.
Unfortunately White Mountain didnt happen for us this year but hopefully we'll back there soon.
The next gig will be on the 17th Oct, at Cliffy's in Lincoln Meade, PMB. The band will be reverting to Zephyr for this gig and probably sticking with that again more from now. Band of Brothers will not fall away completely but be kept on as a side-project. There is also a fundraiser on the 31st of Oct where Band of brothers have a slot at the Forgotten Falls in Howick so come along and support a good cause (the money rasied will go to Darren Bode's medical expenses as he had a car accident earlier this year).
Keep up the support as the end of the year draws near and "see you there".
CB
Band of Brothers then graced Lunar Lounge with a show at the Shamwari stage in Drummond. A few broken strings, some frozen fingers and a broken drum skin later, it all turned out well (with the help of a few glasses of red wine afterwards!) The most recent performance was at Forest Gate in Howick and once again there were broken strings but all in all we pulled it off and the venue was well-suited to the vibey sounds of the band.
Unfortunately White Mountain didnt happen for us this year but hopefully we'll back there soon.
The next gig will be on the 17th Oct, at Cliffy's in Lincoln Meade, PMB. The band will be reverting to Zephyr for this gig and probably sticking with that again more from now. Band of Brothers will not fall away completely but be kept on as a side-project. There is also a fundraiser on the 31st of Oct where Band of brothers have a slot at the Forgotten Falls in Howick so come along and support a good cause (the money rasied will go to Darren Bode's medical expenses as he had a car accident earlier this year).
Keep up the support as the end of the year draws near and "see you there".
CB
Friday, June 12, 2009
Latest Updates & Happenings
Okay it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here, only our post Splashy write up, quite a bit’s happened since then.
The Band is continuing to play under the Name Band of Brothers, though Zephyr’s not lost and gone, just on the Backburners for now.
All our news, updates, gigs & doings of the Band will still be here on our Blog and the Zephyr Website.
So what’s the update on what’s been happening and what’s going on, since I last wrote Band of Brothers opened for Jason Hartman (brother of Scott who drummed for us at Splashy and when we opened for his brother) Idols winner at Pecan wood estate. It was a great concert and the crowd was awesome. Besides us and Jason another act on the night were Gonzo Republic, who I (and the rest of the Band actually) really enjoy, they’ve got their own unique sound and stage presence. So we had a really enjoyable evening, and it was very cool to open for my good friend Jason (did I ever mention that he taught me to play guitar) just after his Idols win.
Anyway so moving forward with the news, unfortunately Scott being as busy musically as he is with his own stuff and playing with his now very much in demand brother was never going to be a permanent feature, though we loved playing with him, this has now opened the door to new friendships and Musical relationships. Band of Brothers has been joined now by a new drummer in Loz Smith, and we’ve all been working hard together coming up with new songs and teaching Loz some of the older ones. It’s been fun, but now we’re ready to get out there as this new Musical Machine and flaunt ourselves to you the fantastic Public.
Our first gig as this new unit will be at the PMB Musicians club, and we’re really looking forward to entertaining the local crowds, we’re also hoping to head up to the Newcastle folk club a bit later this year.
Then in September (24th to the 27th to be exact) we’re hoping to get into White Mountain Folk Festival – it’s a really awesome festival up in the Berg outside of Escourt, and along with Splashy Fen this is one of my favorite’s festivals. Part of what I love about it is that it’s a folk festival, which basically means all the Bands that play there have to play Acoustics, which makes it such a mellowed out festival with rich sounding easy listening music, and it’s a great time to see some of your favorites bands playing in a slightly different format, with different takes on some of their favorites songs.
Anyway that’s all from me for now, I will try and make some more regular updates to let you all know what’s been happening and what is happening.
For now though that’s all
Peace and Love
Liam
The Band is continuing to play under the Name Band of Brothers, though Zephyr’s not lost and gone, just on the Backburners for now.
All our news, updates, gigs & doings of the Band will still be here on our Blog and the Zephyr Website.
So what’s the update on what’s been happening and what’s going on, since I last wrote Band of Brothers opened for Jason Hartman (brother of Scott who drummed for us at Splashy and when we opened for his brother) Idols winner at Pecan wood estate. It was a great concert and the crowd was awesome. Besides us and Jason another act on the night were Gonzo Republic, who I (and the rest of the Band actually) really enjoy, they’ve got their own unique sound and stage presence. So we had a really enjoyable evening, and it was very cool to open for my good friend Jason (did I ever mention that he taught me to play guitar) just after his Idols win.
Anyway so moving forward with the news, unfortunately Scott being as busy musically as he is with his own stuff and playing with his now very much in demand brother was never going to be a permanent feature, though we loved playing with him, this has now opened the door to new friendships and Musical relationships. Band of Brothers has been joined now by a new drummer in Loz Smith, and we’ve all been working hard together coming up with new songs and teaching Loz some of the older ones. It’s been fun, but now we’re ready to get out there as this new Musical Machine and flaunt ourselves to you the fantastic Public.
Our first gig as this new unit will be at the PMB Musicians club, and we’re really looking forward to entertaining the local crowds, we’re also hoping to head up to the Newcastle folk club a bit later this year.
Then in September (24th to the 27th to be exact) we’re hoping to get into White Mountain Folk Festival – it’s a really awesome festival up in the Berg outside of Escourt, and along with Splashy Fen this is one of my favorite’s festivals. Part of what I love about it is that it’s a folk festival, which basically means all the Bands that play there have to play Acoustics, which makes it such a mellowed out festival with rich sounding easy listening music, and it’s a great time to see some of your favorites bands playing in a slightly different format, with different takes on some of their favorites songs.
Anyway that’s all from me for now, I will try and make some more regular updates to let you all know what’s been happening and what is happening.
For now though that’s all
Peace and Love
Liam
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Splashy Fen
So Band of Brothers had it’s first gig at Splashy fen (Click here for Photo's) and it went down really well, we had a few problems with the onstage sound – unable to hear our vocals and guitars that well, but the sound in front of the stage was good and the crowd we’re really great.The nice thing about Splashy and similar music festivals is being able to meet and chat to other muso’s some who we’ve met before and others we haven’t, maybe even get together and have a Jam around the fire.
Scott, Jeremy and I were also joined by Chris Wyatt on the day - for a last minute addition it worked really well, we’d only had one practice with Scott and that morning did a run through of the songs with Chris but we managed to pull it off. We really enjoyed playing the two new songs “We Dance” and “Trailblazer Jack” and the crowd loved them too. So if you were there at Splashy sitting in the crowd, thanks for the support it was awesome and we’re looking forward to getting stuck into some new gigs soon.
Peace and Love
Liam
Thursday, March 05, 2009
BETWEEN FESTIVALS
Its been a while and although quiet online, life has been busy. Christmas came and went with the usual abundance of good food and drink and new year was seen in, civilly in the outdoors as it should be! The champagne was flowing freely though! ;-)
So between festivals Zephyr has been gently floating on the breeze and working on new songs and refining older ones. Liam graced the Maritzburg Music Club with his melodies on Tues 3 March and the audience enjoyed the laid back set. He was followed by some Durban talent that were hip and vibey and well-received by us small-town folk!
Of course the countdown is on til the BIG Splashy Fen and what a weekend its going to be! With the line-up of all line-ups and a new-look Zephyr-morph who will be known as Band of Brothers playing on Friday (11h20) with the super-talented Scott Hartmann (the adopted brother of the trio) drumming for the Mathias' it'll be fun all round and they'll be sure to kick start the second half of the day in a rocking way!
Check out the BIG 2-0 Splashy site for more info and keep a look out for the Band of Brothers doing their thing on Friday!
Caro
The Band of Brothers Project
Myself and my Brother Jeremy have always wanted to get together and play with another talented brother combination, who also happen to be good friends Jason and Scott Hartman – is it a coincidence that they play Guitar and Drums and we play guitar and Bass respectively, that already in that you have your Basic Band Makeup – maybe but I like to think it’s a good omen.
Like us their common genes and similarity of voice produce awesome Harmonies, heck you could take away the instruments and have an awesome male acapela group.
Truth be told we have Jammed with them before, and I (in the days before my brother picked up a bass and realized his musical ability) played a few gigs with them, at one time also as an early version of Zephyr.
Why am I calling it a project and not a band… well “Band of Brothers” is a band, though it’s a side project from each of our respective bands. (the Hartman brothers play and have played under different band names, very often with their Father, Sam. Band names they’ve played in or under are, Samson, Justus, One River and Redeye to name a few)
Of course we’d love the project to grow into a full time Band if it were well received and supported, but that’s something we’ll have to gauge down the line, from all parties concerned. Personally I would also love to do some song writing and hopefully produce a CD as band of brothers, but again as a unit we haven’t all sat down to talk about the possibilities.
For now though Band of brothers is going to be doing a first performance at this years Splashy Fen… well in a sense, because Jason due to his own talent won’t be able to join us. The good man has gone and got himself into the top ten of Idols, while we are super stoked for him, means the full band of brothers will have to wait for another opportunity to get to play alongside one another.
The three of us however are just as exicted to get up and rock Splashy Fen, which we will, so get your camping gear out, because Band of Brothers is heading to Splashy Fen!
Like us their common genes and similarity of voice produce awesome Harmonies, heck you could take away the instruments and have an awesome male acapela group.
Truth be told we have Jammed with them before, and I (in the days before my brother picked up a bass and realized his musical ability) played a few gigs with them, at one time also as an early version of Zephyr.
Why am I calling it a project and not a band… well “Band of Brothers” is a band, though it’s a side project from each of our respective bands. (the Hartman brothers play and have played under different band names, very often with their Father, Sam. Band names they’ve played in or under are, Samson, Justus, One River and Redeye to name a few)
Of course we’d love the project to grow into a full time Band if it were well received and supported, but that’s something we’ll have to gauge down the line, from all parties concerned. Personally I would also love to do some song writing and hopefully produce a CD as band of brothers, but again as a unit we haven’t all sat down to talk about the possibilities.
For now though Band of brothers is going to be doing a first performance at this years Splashy Fen… well in a sense, because Jason due to his own talent won’t be able to join us. The good man has gone and got himself into the top ten of Idols, while we are super stoked for him, means the full band of brothers will have to wait for another opportunity to get to play alongside one another.
The three of us however are just as exicted to get up and rock Splashy Fen, which we will, so get your camping gear out, because Band of Brothers is heading to Splashy Fen!
Peace and Love
Liam
Thursday, September 11, 2008
White Mountain Folk Festival
24 to 28 September 2008
More than music at White Mountain
Start ticking off the days and get ready for White Mountain 2008 – KwaZulu-Natal’s only acoustic music festival that promises more than 40 live acts over five days, as well as a host of other activities for the whole family. Coinciding with Heritage Day and the start of the school holidays, the festival runs from 24-28 September and is held at White Mountain Lodge in the foothills of the Giant's Castle Nature Reserve, just 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads and 200km from Durban.
Included in the line-up are Prime Circle, John Ellis of Tree63, Syd Kitchen, Laurie Levine, Maisha, Black Cat Bone, Cabins in the Forest and many others, all of whom will perform acoustic sets either on the main marquee stage, in the lodge’s 150-year-old restaurant and pub (Tom’s Tavern) or around the pool. See below for the full programme.
Food, beer and craft markets
Aside from the live music, there’ll also be a variety of food stalls and a beer market featuring naturally brewed ales, lagers, draughts and fruit beers from Nottingham Road Brewing Company, Bavaria Breweries, Shongweni Brewery and the full selection of SAB brands.
Not to be missed is the craft market where you’ll find original handcrafted wares, ranging from aluminium flutes and other musical instruments to stained glass, pewter and copper décor items, artworks, colourful hammocks, clothing and jewellery, as well as massage therapy and organic healing creams. Supported by the Imbabazane Municipality, crafters from the local community will also showcase their intricate bead, wire and woven goods. And rest assured, Standard Bank’s Saswitch-enabled mobile ATM facilities will be available around the clock for when the shopping bug bites!
Outdoor activities
With even more outdoor activities on offer this year, festival-goers are going to be spoilt for choice and the dilemma is going to be in deciding how to fit it all in! Kids will be able to enjoy fun and games coordinated by White Mountain’s team of qualified instructors, while adventure-seekers can look forward to abseiling, paintball and a fuffi slide across a nearby 100m-wide gorge, with helicopter flips also available if the weather permits. Or there’s always swimming, hiking, boating or bass fishing in either of the lodge’s two dams. There’ll be great prizes up for grabs for catching the biggest fish, so don’t forget to bring your rods and tackle!
You’ll also have an opportunity to glide on the world’s only ‘self-balancing personal transport system’, called a Segway. These two-wheel battery operated machines work together with tilt sensors and gyroscopes to make for a totally unique experience. Give one a try on the specially designed track which will be operational throughout the festival.
With all of this on offer, how many more reasons do you need to pack up the family and head to White Mountain for a long weekend of fun and music in one of the most scenic spots in the central Drakensberg? Tickets are available at Game stores (R350), Computicket (R400) and at the festival gate (R450). Children under 12 pay R50 – tickets at the gate only. The price includes camping for the entire festival.
For more information, visit www.whitemountain.co.za or contact Pedro at 082 892 6176.
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Wednesday, 24 September (Tom’s Tavern): 12:00 Rob & Garth Warren, 13:00 Off The Cuff, 14:00 Hruki, 15:00 Open Mic Session, 18:00 Dani Nieuwoudt, 19:00 Mitch Barné, 20:00 Manuvah to Land, 21:00 Sara Jackson, 22:00 Tresor Riziky, 23:00 Rob Warren & Steve Murray, 24:00 Open Mic Session.
Thursday, 25 September (Tom’s Tavern): 12:00 Bruce Warren, 13:00 Barry Thomson, 14:00 Sern Lagerwall, 15:00 Open Mic Session, 18:00 Shannon Connolly, 19:00 Cornel Meyer, 20:00 Catlike Thieves, 21:00 Candice Nel, 22:00 Jean Morrison, 23:00 Rob & Garth Warren, 24:00 Open Mic Session.
Friday, 26 September (Tom’s Tavern): 11:00 Dr Fly and the Nurses, 11:20 Brandon Hunt, 12:00 Zephyr, 24:00 Open Mic Session. Marquee Stage: 13:00 Cherise, 14:00 Elizabeth, 15:00 Fox Fyre, 16:00 Aden Hinds, 17:00 The Originals, 18:00 Cabins in the Forest, 19:15 Dave McMillan & Roly Struckmeyer, 20:30 Laurie Levine, 21:30 Habit To, 22:30 Black Cat Bone.
Saturday, 27 September (Tom’s Tavern): 11:00 Black Cat Bone, 12:00 Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, 17:00 Xerox Lions v The Sharks, 24:00 Open Mic Session. Marquee Stage: 13:00 The Ryan Calder Band, 14:00 Angus Burns & Friends, 15:00 Shomon, 16:00 Syd Kitchen, 17:00 Zoe & Somebody’s Child, 18:00 Shannon Hope, 19:00 Van der Hoven feat. Henry Steel, 20:15 John Ellis, 21:30 Maisha, 22:30 Prime Circle.
Sunday, 28 September (Marquee Stage): 11:00 The Association of Weak Tea Drinkers, 12:00 The Bandits, 13:00 Ilan Lax & Friends, 14:00 Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters.
More than music at White Mountain
Start ticking off the days and get ready for White Mountain 2008 – KwaZulu-Natal’s only acoustic music festival that promises more than 40 live acts over five days, as well as a host of other activities for the whole family. Coinciding with Heritage Day and the start of the school holidays, the festival runs from 24-28 September and is held at White Mountain Lodge in the foothills of the Giant's Castle Nature Reserve, just 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads and 200km from Durban.
Included in the line-up are Prime Circle, John Ellis of Tree63, Syd Kitchen, Laurie Levine, Maisha, Black Cat Bone, Cabins in the Forest and many others, all of whom will perform acoustic sets either on the main marquee stage, in the lodge’s 150-year-old restaurant and pub (Tom’s Tavern) or around the pool. See below for the full programme.
Food, beer and craft markets
Aside from the live music, there’ll also be a variety of food stalls and a beer market featuring naturally brewed ales, lagers, draughts and fruit beers from Nottingham Road Brewing Company, Bavaria Breweries, Shongweni Brewery and the full selection of SAB brands.
Not to be missed is the craft market where you’ll find original handcrafted wares, ranging from aluminium flutes and other musical instruments to stained glass, pewter and copper décor items, artworks, colourful hammocks, clothing and jewellery, as well as massage therapy and organic healing creams. Supported by the Imbabazane Municipality, crafters from the local community will also showcase their intricate bead, wire and woven goods. And rest assured, Standard Bank’s Saswitch-enabled mobile ATM facilities will be available around the clock for when the shopping bug bites!
Outdoor activities
With even more outdoor activities on offer this year, festival-goers are going to be spoilt for choice and the dilemma is going to be in deciding how to fit it all in! Kids will be able to enjoy fun and games coordinated by White Mountain’s team of qualified instructors, while adventure-seekers can look forward to abseiling, paintball and a fuffi slide across a nearby 100m-wide gorge, with helicopter flips also available if the weather permits. Or there’s always swimming, hiking, boating or bass fishing in either of the lodge’s two dams. There’ll be great prizes up for grabs for catching the biggest fish, so don’t forget to bring your rods and tackle!
You’ll also have an opportunity to glide on the world’s only ‘self-balancing personal transport system’, called a Segway. These two-wheel battery operated machines work together with tilt sensors and gyroscopes to make for a totally unique experience. Give one a try on the specially designed track which will be operational throughout the festival.
With all of this on offer, how many more reasons do you need to pack up the family and head to White Mountain for a long weekend of fun and music in one of the most scenic spots in the central Drakensberg? Tickets are available at Game stores (R350), Computicket (R400) and at the festival gate (R450). Children under 12 pay R50 – tickets at the gate only. The price includes camping for the entire festival.
For more information, visit www.whitemountain.co.za or contact Pedro at 082 892 6176.
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Wednesday, 24 September (Tom’s Tavern): 12:00 Rob & Garth Warren, 13:00 Off The Cuff, 14:00 Hruki, 15:00 Open Mic Session, 18:00 Dani Nieuwoudt, 19:00 Mitch Barné, 20:00 Manuvah to Land, 21:00 Sara Jackson, 22:00 Tresor Riziky, 23:00 Rob Warren & Steve Murray, 24:00 Open Mic Session.
Thursday, 25 September (Tom’s Tavern): 12:00 Bruce Warren, 13:00 Barry Thomson, 14:00 Sern Lagerwall, 15:00 Open Mic Session, 18:00 Shannon Connolly, 19:00 Cornel Meyer, 20:00 Catlike Thieves, 21:00 Candice Nel, 22:00 Jean Morrison, 23:00 Rob & Garth Warren, 24:00 Open Mic Session.
Friday, 26 September (Tom’s Tavern): 11:00 Dr Fly and the Nurses, 11:20 Brandon Hunt, 12:00 Zephyr, 24:00 Open Mic Session. Marquee Stage: 13:00 Cherise, 14:00 Elizabeth, 15:00 Fox Fyre, 16:00 Aden Hinds, 17:00 The Originals, 18:00 Cabins in the Forest, 19:15 Dave McMillan & Roly Struckmeyer, 20:30 Laurie Levine, 21:30 Habit To, 22:30 Black Cat Bone.
Saturday, 27 September (Tom’s Tavern): 11:00 Black Cat Bone, 12:00 Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters, 17:00 Xerox Lions v The Sharks, 24:00 Open Mic Session. Marquee Stage: 13:00 The Ryan Calder Band, 14:00 Angus Burns & Friends, 15:00 Shomon, 16:00 Syd Kitchen, 17:00 Zoe & Somebody’s Child, 18:00 Shannon Hope, 19:00 Van der Hoven feat. Henry Steel, 20:15 John Ellis, 21:30 Maisha, 22:30 Prime Circle.
Sunday, 28 September (Marquee Stage): 11:00 The Association of Weak Tea Drinkers, 12:00 The Bandits, 13:00 Ilan Lax & Friends, 14:00 Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters.
Monday, September 08, 2008
White Mountain Festival
Hey all.
So change is in the air but Zephyr will still blow on (and... on... -to the tune of my heart will go on:-) The Hillside Concert was an absolute success and the crowd loved Zephyr who heated things up in the afternoon sun, stirring souls and warming hearts. Check out the
foto's with the general foto's on our Facebook page!
With everyone being super-busy, their manager-lady deserting them to go be the princess of the lemurs, and Colin gearing up for a big move, its been quite quiet. But as one last gig as the Zephyr we know and love they playin at the White Mountain Music Festival. Catch them at midday in the bar (Tom's Tavern) on the friday. Doing an acoustic set, it'll be an awesome atmosphere and not to be missed!
Peace out all. Take good care of the boys while I'm gone...
Caro:-)
Below’s a bit on White mountain, Click the link to go to the site.
White Mountain Folk Festival 2008 A must for acoustic music lovers, the annual White Mountain Folk Festival is held near Giant’s Castle in the beautiful Central Drakensberg region of KwaZulu-Natal – only 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads, 200km from Durban and roughly 430km from Johannesburg.Coinciding with Heritage Day and the start of the school holidays, the festival offers acoustic performances by well-known and up-
and-coming South African artists, a choice of camping, caravanning and chalet accommodation, plus outdoor activities for the whole family.Attractions include hiking, boating and bass fishing, arts and crafts, a beer market, assorted food stalls and fun kids’ entertainment. For the more adventurous, there’s abseiling down a 45m cliff face or a fuffi slide across a nearby 100m-wide gorge, with helicopter flips also available if the weather permits. Alternatively you can simply relax outdoors and soak up the peaceful beauty of one of the most idyllic spots in the Berg.
So change is in the air but Zephyr will still blow on (and... on... -to the tune of my heart will go on:-) The Hillside Concert was an absolute success and the crowd loved Zephyr who heated things up in the afternoon sun, stirring souls and warming hearts. Check out the
foto's with the general foto's on our Facebook page!With everyone being super-busy, their manager-lady deserting them to go be the princess of the lemurs, and Colin gearing up for a big move, its been quite quiet. But as one last gig as the Zephyr we know and love they playin at the White Mountain Music Festival. Catch them at midday in the bar (Tom's Tavern) on the friday. Doing an acoustic set, it'll be an awesome atmosphere and not to be missed!
Peace out all. Take good care of the boys while I'm gone...
Caro:-)
Below’s a bit on White mountain, Click the link to go to the site.
White Mountain Folk Festival 2008 A must for acoustic music lovers, the annual White Mountain Folk Festival is held near Giant’s Castle in the beautiful Central Drakensberg region of KwaZulu-Natal – only 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads, 200km from Durban and roughly 430km from Johannesburg.Coinciding with Heritage Day and the start of the school holidays, the festival offers acoustic performances by well-known and up-
and-coming South African artists, a choice of camping, caravanning and chalet accommodation, plus outdoor activities for the whole family.Attractions include hiking, boating and bass fishing, arts and crafts, a beer market, assorted food stalls and fun kids’ entertainment. For the more adventurous, there’s abseiling down a 45m cliff face or a fuffi slide across a nearby 100m-wide gorge, with helicopter flips also available if the weather permits. Alternatively you can simply relax outdoors and soak up the peaceful beauty of one of the most idyllic spots in the Berg.Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What a venue, what a crowd, what music and what a day, Sunday’s Hillside concert was brilliant, I definitely think it’s up there with one of our favorite gigs to date. Due to time constraints and the amount of bands, The four local bands (us included) only had a half hour time slot which included our set up time.
We did manage to get through the 5 songs we’d chosen to do though, the onstage sound was great, I think it’s the first time in a while, the whole band had absolutely no complaints about something being to low or too loud. I must just let you know this isn’t the easiest thing to achieve, what the Audience is hearing in front of the stage isn’t always what we’re hearing on it, and that makes a big difference to our performance, because if we can’t really hear what we’re sounding like, we don’t know if we’re playing it right or not.
The bands of the day were great, the Ryan Calder band kicked the afternoon off to an awesome start with some great songs, and really set the tone for the afternoon, they were followed by us, then Ilan lux, The Hairy Legged lentil Eaters, Magna Carter and then Southern Gypsey Queen ended off the wonderful afternoon.
The Substantial crowd which turned out to support the concert were great, and by the looks and sound of it had a good time of it all, seated up the hill which acted as a Natural amphitheatre everyone could get a view of the stage and we could get a look at everyone.
It is a beautiful venue, and I think I speak for most the musicians and audience when I say I hope it becomes an annual event.
Peace and love to you all.
Liam
We did manage to get through the 5 songs we’d chosen to do though, the onstage sound was great, I think it’s the first time in a while, the whole band had absolutely no complaints about something being to low or too loud. I must just let you know this isn’t the easiest thing to achieve, what the Audience is hearing in front of the stage isn’t always what we’re hearing on it, and that makes a big difference to our performance, because if we can’t really hear what we’re sounding like, we don’t know if we’re playing it right or not.
The bands of the day were great, the Ryan Calder band kicked the afternoon off to an awesome start with some great songs, and really set the tone for the afternoon, they were followed by us, then Ilan lux, The Hairy Legged lentil Eaters, Magna Carter and then Southern Gypsey Queen ended off the wonderful afternoon.
The Substantial crowd which turned out to support the concert were great, and by the looks and sound of it had a good time of it all, seated up the hill which acted as a Natural amphitheatre everyone could get a view of the stage and we could get a look at everyone.
It is a beautiful venue, and I think I speak for most the musicians and audience when I say I hope it becomes an annual event.
Peace and love to you all.
Liam
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Latest News and Gigs
It’s been a while – been pretty busy at work, and outside of work so not much chance to post anything. Well the bands got a busy couple weeks ahead of them with a gig this Saturday and then two next weekend to fit into our bustling lifestyle.
The sad news is that our long time friend and Drummer Colin Arbuckle will be leaving us for greener pastures in October, him and his family have decided to move to Spain, but fear not this is not the end of Zephyr, myself and my brother (Jeremy) have decided we will continue on, and even now are in the process of looking for a New Drummer. Though we’ll probably also be doing a lot of stuff with just the two of us.
What all of this does mean though is that you’ve got to catch as many as our gigs between now and September, so you can see the Lively mister Arbuckle doing his thing behind his drums, and sometimes infront (depends what mood he's in). Each performance is and will be special, and it’s not likely you going to be seeing the same show twice, we’re going to squeeze every last minute we have of playing with him.
Next weekend we’ll be playing a fundraising event for our lovely band manager who’s raising funds for a research trip she’s been accepted onto to Madagascar, where she’ll be doing research on our furry friends the Lemurs. The Following day we’ll be playing the big one at the Botanical Gardens with the Likes of Magna Carter and Southern Gypsy Queens, Hairy legged lentil eaters Ilan and Ryan Calder. More on those gigs Later.
That brings us to this Saturday, we don’t often get the chance to play in Durban, so we thought we’d rectify that. The People at the Dock Yard theatre have opened their doors to the likes of musicians like us to do a performance after their show. So it’s a late night dinner theatre type thing. From 11pm this Saturday (12th July) catch us at The Dockyard Theatre in Musgrave for a great evening of musical entertainment.
Hope to see you there.
Liam
Thursday, June 05, 2008
AT the Royal Show
Just thought I'd Up load this short clip of us at the Royal Show - unfortunately the Sound qualities not that great. But it gives you a bit of an Idea.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
At the Red Door
A week later and finally I get round to posting about our last gig with Redeye at the Red Door – well it was great, and we had a lot of fun – the Audience was great, it was great to see so many people we know out to support us, it’s nice to be able to chat to people you know in the crowd before and after you’ve played. Redeye were great as usual and we’re really looking forward to playing with them again at the Royal Show on the 23 May, so look out for both of us there.
In other news my awesome coworker is doing some great work in designing our website, so that should be up and running in the near future… now we just need to get that CD out.
Peace and love all
Liam
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Heating it up in May
We’re shifting gear as we head into the cooler part of the year – Yup Zephyr’s getting ready to warm your souls and heat up your hearts, there are four gigs in the pipeline for us in May, some yet to be finalized, but mostly definite.
The first would be at Swissland Cheese in the Midlands (2 May) for an afternoon of relaxing and enjoying great music in serene surroundings, there will be two other artist at this function yet to be confirmed, but we’ll keep you updated.
The next would be at the PMB Musicians Club (6 May) – hosted by the Red Door, in Quarry Ave. off Victoria St in PMB, the musicians club is always a great gig for us and we love the crowd there. A big bonus is we should be joined on the night by our very Good friends and fellow Musicians Red Eye, who will definitely have you grooving the night away.
During the month we should hopefully be playing the backing music to the visual feast at art in the park, myself and Colin really enjoyed ourselves last year, playing our music set in the Autumn trees surrounded by amazing artwork, and we’re really looking forward to enjoying it again with Jeremy there.
Then we’ll be rounding off the Month bye kick starting the Royal Show into action on Friday 23rd, where once again we’ll be accompanied by Redeye and another one or two bands, yet to be confirmed.
So hold onto your hats, ‘cause Zephyr’s going to be blowing strong through the month of May – We’ll be posting more details on each of the gigs closer to the time, but we thought we’d just let U in a little earlier so you can prepare yourself.
Love and Peace.
Liam
The first would be at Swissland Cheese in the Midlands (2 May) for an afternoon of relaxing and enjoying great music in serene surroundings, there will be two other artist at this function yet to be confirmed, but we’ll keep you updated.
The next would be at the PMB Musicians Club (6 May) – hosted by the Red Door, in Quarry Ave. off Victoria St in PMB, the musicians club is always a great gig for us and we love the crowd there. A big bonus is we should be joined on the night by our very Good friends and fellow Musicians Red Eye, who will definitely have you grooving the night away.
During the month we should hopefully be playing the backing music to the visual feast at art in the park, myself and Colin really enjoyed ourselves last year, playing our music set in the Autumn trees surrounded by amazing artwork, and we’re really looking forward to enjoying it again with Jeremy there.
Then we’ll be rounding off the Month bye kick starting the Royal Show into action on Friday 23rd, where once again we’ll be accompanied by Redeye and another one or two bands, yet to be confirmed.
So hold onto your hats, ‘cause Zephyr’s going to be blowing strong through the month of May – We’ll be posting more details on each of the gigs closer to the time, but we thought we’d just let U in a little earlier so you can prepare yourself.
Love and Peace.
Liam
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Our Splashy Gig
Nerves rung high backstage as Colin Jeremy and myself sat in our own private partition, tuning our instruments, running through harmonies and chord sequences and then making sure our instruments were in tune again. We tried forcing back the nerves by drinking numerous cups of coffee and tea that were supplied, only to find this made us need the portaloo outback more.
This was a gig, we’d done it before, what was with all the Nerves – Well to be fair we’d been out of gigging for a few months, but the probable answer was “this is Splashy Fen, Even the Big Name Bands have been telling me how nervous they were” as Sue the backstage manager put it. I’m sure the more renowned older hands delt with their nerves better than we were, but I bet they had them none the less.
The time came, the band before us played the last chord of their last song, and suddenly we were asking each other “do we go on now?”. We entered onto the stage, bearing our instruments and studiously avoiding looking at the Crowd, instead focusing on setting up. We ran through our sound checks, in what felt like a bit of a blur. Then before you knew it we were into the first song and the crowd cheering signale
d its end. The Nerves barely left me as I played but I was held solid by the crowd’s applause and the Smiling encouragement from faces of friends and loved ones.
We were fortunate enough to have Kech Sanchez accompanying us on two of our songs “Watching Satellite” and “Maybe Angels” – he’s an accomplished musician, and Good friend and he definitely brings something to our songs, filling them out with his Haunting Pipes.
Jeremy and Colin were as Solid as ever on Bass and Drums respectively, though Jeremy said to me after he was Just as nervous as I. Colin seemed to be having an awesome time and rocked the whole way through - all in all it was a great gig, but passed by rather fast, if you were there, thanks for the support – the Audience was great.
God bless all
Liam
This was a gig, we’d done it before, what was with all the Nerves – Well to be fair we’d been out of gigging for a few months, but the probable answer was “this is Splashy Fen, Even the Big Name Bands have been telling me how nervous they were” as Sue the backstage manager put it. I’m sure the more renowned older hands delt with their nerves better than we were, but I bet they had them none the less.
The time came, the band before us played the last chord of their last song, and suddenly we were asking each other “do we go on now?”. We entered onto the stage, bearing our instruments and studiously avoiding looking at the Crowd, instead focusing on setting up. We ran through our sound checks, in what felt like a bit of a blur. Then before you knew it we were into the first song and the crowd cheering signale
d its end. The Nerves barely left me as I played but I was held solid by the crowd’s applause and the Smiling encouragement from faces of friends and loved ones.We were fortunate enough to have Kech Sanchez accompanying us on two of our songs “Watching Satellite” and “Maybe Angels” – he’s an accomplished musician, and Good friend and he definitely brings something to our songs, filling them out with his Haunting Pipes.
Jeremy and Colin were as Solid as ever on Bass and Drums respectively, though Jeremy said to me after he was Just as nervous as I. Colin seemed to be having an awesome time and rocked the whole way through - all in all it was a great gig, but passed by rather fast, if you were there, thanks for the support – the Audience was great.
God bless all
Liam
P.S see below for a video clip of us on stage, and below that Colin Interviewing me the morning before we played
Monday, March 17, 2008
Anticipating Splashy Fen
Anticipation… right now it’s like sitting in a playhouse or large musical production, and you can hear the Orchestra warming up, all the stringed instruments warming up along with the wind section getting the reeds wet, with the occasional cough from the audience and you know at any second now it’s going to start.
03 Days Until Splashy fen 2008 gets underway – and the excitement is mounting, almost everyone I’ve spoken to is going, and yes it’s going to be great. Aside from really looking forward to playing there, I really can’t wait to pull up a splash of grass, get comfortable, and enjoy some quality SA music. Being a musician you get exposed to a load of local talent, either playing along side them or supporting your fellow musicians. The talent in South Africa is amazing, and the sounds so fresh, and it feels like an age since I’ve been able to sit back and enjoy the plethora of sounds I’ll be able to enjoy this weekend – I’ve been checking out the splashy Program and following links to the band/ musicians respective sights, and listening to some of their tracks and it’s really been getting me in the mood for sitting in front of the stage in three days time… as for being on the stage a couple days after… well I know the crowd and the beautiful scenery will have the band ready to share their musical souls.
03 Days Until Splashy fen 2008 gets underway – and the excitement is mounting, almost everyone I’ve spoken to is going, and yes it’s going to be great. Aside from really looking forward to playing there, I really can’t wait to pull up a splash of grass, get comfortable, and enjoy some quality SA music. Being a musician you get exposed to a load of local talent, either playing along side them or supporting your fellow musicians. The talent in South Africa is amazing, and the sounds so fresh, and it feels like an age since I’ve been able to sit back and enjoy the plethora of sounds I’ll be able to enjoy this weekend – I’ve been checking out the splashy Program and following links to the band/ musicians respective sights, and listening to some of their tracks and it’s really been getting me in the mood for sitting in front of the stage in three days time… as for being on the stage a couple days after… well I know the crowd and the beautiful scenery will have the band ready to share their musical souls.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Zephyr at Splashy Fen
It’s the big one once again! If you love music and the beautiful outdoors then this is the event of the year for you Splashy Fen kicks of in a few weeks time. And that’s the next time to see the band in action. Zephyr loves this festival and has been working hard in the practice room to come up with a brilliant play list and we’re really looking forward to this one. There’s going to be a great line up of Local and International Musicians this year (click through on the link to get to the Splashy Page and have a look at the program) so get there as early as you can and stay until the last musical note has been played. Call in sick – tell them your favorite goldfish “spot” died and you're holding a service, just make a plan and get there. Zephyr will be playing on the Sunday afternoon, and there’s a great line up of bands on the Sunday evening, so make sure your set up to stay until Monday (which is a Public Holiday).
Here’s part of the press release to get your musical taste buds salivating.
“Most diverse line-up in recent years
Proudly supported by East Coast Radio, Durban's No 1 Hit Music Radio Station, Splashy Fen 2008 is geared up to offer one of its most diverse line-ups in recent years. Expect a showcase of not only the best in folk, blues, rock, indie and electro dance, but also some of the most exciting new acts to come out of South Africa in a long time.
Included in the four-day, two marquee programme of over 80 artists are the likes of Tree63, Goldfish, The Rudimentals, Miriam Backhouse, Dan Patlansky, Plush, Gonzo Republic, Redflecks (USA), Kidofdoom, Southern Gypsey Queen, Syd Kitchen, Josie Field, Avatar, Crossingpoint, New Loud Rockets, Napalma, The Arrows and many more. Whatever your preference in music, Splashy’s got it covered!
Snuggling up under the Southern Berg stars
Just as this year’s line-up is better than ever, so are the choices of where to snuggle up under the Southern Berg stars at the end of each day. The long-standing tradition of staking out a site, setting up camp and settling in for a weekend of fun and fellowship means the general camping areas will no doubt continue to be the first choice for many festival-goers. As always, entrance to these campsites is included in the ticket price and campers can also look forward to improved ablution facilities.
Family campsite
With the festival fast approaching its 20th anniversary, it’s not too surprising that many Splashy ‘veterans’ now have spouses and children in tow, making the centrally-located, cordoned-off family campsite an option well worth considering. Although it carries a R100 per vehicle surcharge (payable on arrival), don’t forget that entry for children under 12 is free. Also situated in this area is the children’s marquee and entertainment zone, with a full programme of daytime amusements plus an evening child-minding service.
Other attractions
Aside from all the great music and fun outdoor activities on offer, festival-goers can also look forward to a bigger and more colourful Craft Market and an even more extensive selection of appetizing treats in the Food Court.
Whether buying or just browsing, Splashy Fen’s ‘new-look’ Craft Market offers the widest-ever choice of original handcrafted wares, ranging from aluminium flutes and other musical instruments to décor items, pottery, basketry and fine-art, funky local clothing lines, jewellery and accessories. There will also be marble mosaics for the home and garden, hammocks, solar-powered camping gear, goods crafted from pewter, silver, leather, crystals and recycled materials, plus authentic Native American arts, crafts and teepees, complementary health therapies and the opportunity to see one of SA’s top graffiti artists in action. And rest assured, Saswitch-enabled ATM facilities will be available around the clock for when the shopping bug bites!
With a line-up of over 80 of the country’s hottest acts, fun activities for the whole family, arts and crafts, an abundance of different food and drink outlets and various camping options, there’s no doubt that Splashy Fen is the place to be this Easter – make sure you’re a part of it!
Tickets are available at selected Game stores (R300), Computicket (R350) and at the festival gate (R400). The price includes camping for the entire long weekend and entrance for children under 12 is free. For more information and the latest festival news, visit www.splashyfen.co.za or contact Pedro at 082 892 6176.”
See you all there
Friday, February 01, 2008
Splashy Fen
It’s that time of year again, and I can’t wait. The organizers are holding a competition this year for musicians to write a song for Splashy, which I heard about while I was on that cold wet island – so bumbled around on my brothers guitar a bit and ended up finishing the song a week or so ago. Which we have recorded and will be sending in soon, and this is the cover I designed for it which I think is pretty cool. Whether our song gets chosen or not, we’ll see, but either way we’ll more than likely be playing anyway – and I’m definitely going. So who’s up for another splashy experience? Hope we’ll see you all there, follow the link to our myspace to have a listen to the song
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