Ryan Calder Band » Cape Town

A week in Cape Town

Ryan — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:22:14 +0000

I’ve spent the past week in Cape Town as travelling salesman for the band, getting to meetings, doing general PR, sorting out Schengan and UK visas… and would you believe, performing a couple of shows.

My Sea Point view... hard life as a working muso.

As any South African knows, Cape Town is a very seductive city when the weather plays its part. This past week consisted of blue skies on most days, showcasing the mountain in all its iconic glory. Staying in Sea Point didn’t hinder the effect either. I don’t know how anyone gets any work done here, but anyway…

I had two confirmed shows for the week I was in the Mother City. The first of which was at Mercury Lounge, one of the longest-standing live music venues. There was a smallish crowd for the gig (following the public holiday on Tuesday), but my set went well, the songs were well received, and it was great meeting up with some old friends from Maritzburg who are now living in Cape Town.

Other bands on the line-up included Sam Jam, a Kenyan now based in Cape Town with some real raw rock talent. He showcased some of his newer tunes as a three-piece act. Rounding up the evening was the Ghostbane Collective, a five-piece hard rocking band who I kept thinking our drummer Rudi would’ve really appreciated (as the former frontman of hard rock act 2Flye).

Monday night was a stop in at the Barleycorn Music Club, which meets weekly at the Villagers Rugby Club pub – a great venue (it’s carpeted!) with good sound and an attentive, appreciative audience. Discerning, but appreciative. I followed on from Sam Jam (this time performing as an acoustic solo artist) and my long-time friend Matt Allison, whose tunes brought back many good memories from gigs at the old Red Door (in PMB) and at my folks’ old house.

The set went so well that I actually managed to sell albums, which all help get us a few centimetres closer to Spain in September.

Just to say a very big thank you to all who came and supported and met up during the week. It was good to see so many of you again, and for all your support of this band and this music.

Cape Town shows

Ryan — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:57:49 +0000

Last year’s Cape tour was an incredible experience for me personally. We performed in a packed-out 25m² café of wine drinkers. We opened for Plush at the Assembly to hundreds of young boozers. We performed a supper-theatre show for an audience where the average age was 65. And we set up on a verandah in Paarl and performed for a group of orphaned children. Six nights out of seven, and Rudi made it through alive.

That seems a lifetime ago.

For those of you who aren’t as up-to-speed with the RCB, you should know we’re breeding like bunnies here at the moment. The Calders and Hemmeros have produced three new roadies in the past 3 years, and Berto and I are sleep-deprived, cash-strapped daddys.

Jon has gone AWOL to dodge the pursuit of many wild women and has buried himself in a top-secret location to try to finish his Masters thesis.

Rudi, in the meantime, has been delving into the meaning of life on a daily basis while trying to stay warm on the nothern slopes of Maritzburg (where the temperature is -112).

Putting on some acoustic shows in the Mother City.

The good news is some of the RCB will be in Cape Town in August, with a variety of different shows. I’ll be doing some intimate solo and duo shows around town between 9 and 16 August.

I’ll be performing a number of shows with Kenn Gibson, a friend of the RCB who we met last year and have got to know since. I’m looking forward to hustling around Cape Town with him and my other trooper, Matt Allison. You can check out the gigs here: www.ryancalder.co.za/gigs

Hope to see you at the shows!

Cape Town: Perfect place for a weekend, or longer

Ryan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:29:23 +0000

It really was an impulse decision. Three days after the announcement, tickets were 90% sold out – which was cause for sudden reflection, questions of an existential nature and the opportunity to be young again.

Click click. Computicket. Credit card. Done. U2 in Cape Town, February 2011.

Incidentally, we were always going to head for Cape Town. Ten years ago I decided that I am going to live there – and so in the interim, any excuse to visit the Mother City is as good as a U2 gig!

Joburg would have been a more viable financial option. But alas, there’s no Table Mountain, no beach, no cool south-easter and more importantly, no grandparents.

Rachel Grace, chowing breakfast and representing with her dad's hat of choice.

And so Tam and I arrived at King Shaka, along with babies, pram, toys and various domestic bits and bobs, shuttled along and dropped off courtesy of our bro G, who at this stage is legendary in his chauffeur role (don’t believe me? Read it here.)

Adam Judah ready for his first flight.

There were a couple of epic moments on the flight with a two-year-old and four-month-old, but we made it. Suffice to say, I have new-found respect for single moms and dads, their kids and to some extent, the Jolie-Pitts as well.

Our stand-in chauffeur for this occasion was my mother, a.k.a. Grammy (as she is affectionately known by Rachel). Any fractiousness was quickly mended on the way to our suite at chatteu le Calder, as we caught up with Grammy and soaked up the full view of the glorious Table Mountain. No wonder Capetonians are so “lank shwaaaar bruuu”… it’s near impossible to be stressed down there with all those blissful surroundings.

One for the memory album.

Pre-show get-together.

Friday arrived all too soon. Tam and I drove into Sea Point as the base for our adventure. Pre-show drinks with our entourage and more yacking as the sun went down over the sea, before our taxi arrived to take us into the 70000-strong mob. The use of public transport was strongly encouraged, what with just about every road in the Western Cape sectioned off. Only the Irish could cause such mayhem.

Ready for lift off.

This got me thinking, as we joined in the Fan Walk (famed for its World Cup popularity), that all these people – all 71092 of them – were essentially here to support four Irish guys. Only in Africa are these things not scrutinised more closely. Any excuse for something crazy and memorable.

It just so happened that we landed ourselves, courtesy of Alex, a range of Round Room tickets. Word was, if the band was going to go anywhere before the show, they were going to go here – the VVVIP place. We got into the stadium and followed the directions, down to the lower floor, at which point security started getting more frequent.

The Round Room was in fact rectangular (huh?) and we stood yacking some more, munching on biltong, popcorn and peanuts and enjoying free drinks. While hanging about in the outside foyer, it was Tammy who recognised Larry Mullen on his way out first. Not surprising, for those who know our story, as Tam always had an eye for drummer boys.

While the gang deliberated as to where next we should position ourselves as celebrity stalkers, Edge casually strolled out and down the steps, followed closely by Ryan Reynolds, who avoided waving for the camera. Apparently he’s filming a new flick with Denzel Washington in Cape Town.

With that, the show began. Read the full review here. Needless to say, it is going to take a lot to top that concert experience.

Saturday afternoon at Sea Point with the grandparents. Who's taking who for a walk?

The following day, we met up with my old mate and groomsman Dean and his wife Carol, to reminisce on the night before. Dean is the most seasoned, hardcore U2 fan I know. (At one point he had posters of Bono in his lounge. True story.) It was awesome to catch up and do some more yacking with the hooligan friend of ours again.

Saturday afternoon was a time to hang out with the grandparents and take a stroll along with beachfront – once again at Seapoint – and soak up the sea breeze and scenery, while the evening was time to solve the world’s problems over dinner in true Cape-style over a glass or two of wine. Truly a special time to be with family.

Rob, Andrew and Gareth, debating if there's any better way to spend a Sunday.

Sunday’s lunch-time affair was a festive braai at Rob and Alex’s place in Sea Point – the perfect way to round off an epic weekend. Beautiful place, they’ve got there – almost ideal for an acoustic-style house concert…?

Aah… Cape Town. Just so intoxicating. Monday morning’s 4am start came all too quickly after relishing the beauty that only belongs to the south-west part of our country. How do they get any work done down there?

U2 360 in Cape Town

Ryan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:27:31 +0000

Now I know that the Irish, and their frontman in particular, fetch a lot of criticism from the grumpy and the generally cynical. But it really would take a very unique type of anal-retentiveness to not be amazed at this concert experience.

The excitement in the outer hallways of the stadium is as electric as the vibe inside. And all of a sudden, there they are…

No-one enters a room like U2. It’ll be a while before anyone comes close. It’s not like there’s hectic stunts or trapeze trickery – in fact, given their respective ages, I think that’d be a bad idea. They’d probably put their backs out, tear muscles and snap ligaments.

The eighth wonder of the world?

No. Rather, in front of over 70 000 fans, filmed and projected on to a 360-degree high-quality video screen, they just casually stroll on. And everyone and their auntie goes buck wild: 30% of the audience are trying not to pee in their pants, tears are rolling down cheeks and as Zapiro so articulately put it, Edge leans over to Adam Clayton and says “Steve who?”

The emotion is the story, you see. It’s the fact that they’re still in a band, still playing the same anthems together. Four young Irish punks who started a band in the 70s are here in front of you: well-travelled and wrinkled. Even Bono has a lump in his throat.

On this night in Cape Town, the show is streamed via web and radio broadcast around the world… and on this night, everyone around the world who is listening, is an African. It feels good to have the Irishmen and their stage on our continent.

And if I ever thought it couldn’t get louder and the atmosphere more electric, I was quickly proved wrong and my rib cage belted into submission. So begins Beautiful Day.

Edge then begins the vintage riff from I Will Follow, and the rock ‘n roll quickly compels us into sing-along of “Let me in the sound” from Get On Your Boots.

Magnificent lulled the vibe momentarily before the intro for Mysterious Ways began, followed by Elevation.

The Cape Town vibe must have eased Bono into the African way of life, who chats a lot more than he did in Joburg.

“I know you have the Big Five, but we see ourselves as the small-to-medium-sized four,” he tells the audience.

“On the bass: he began his journey as the Great White, and has evolved over millions of years to reveal something similar to the jackass penguin. And then he adapts to more parched ground, and grows wiser and wiser. In fact, so wise, Adam Clayton is the lama of U2.”

Everyone cheers loudly.

“Now,” continues Bono, “the man behind me, is not known for popping his head up all that much… but there have been some rare sightings among various waterholes here in Cape Town. Now ladies and gentlemen, heed my warning when I say approach with extreme caution – because this cat is dangerous to mice and small rodents. The meerkat of U2 – Larry Mullen Jnr!”

Even louder cheers.

“Now on my right…” says Bono, looking at The Edge, which prompts rapturous applause. “What manner of exotic creature do we have here? Not native, no… specially imported for this evening, ladies and gentlemen: he has spent most of his life hanging upside down doing very difficult mathematical equations. He is somewhere between the ring-tailed lemur and the spider monkey. The Edge!”

Wild applause. And then, gesturing to himself, Bono says: “It’s obvious… I move so light on my feet, 50 miles an hour… Impala? What do you think Edge? Impala?”

“I think,” says Edge, “with all due respect, it has to be the wildebeest.”

And with everyone laughing and cheering, the band launch 70000 people into the stratosphere with I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

"When the night has come..."

Halfway into the first verse the band pulls back, Bono takes out his ear monitors and soaks up the anthemic chorus of Cape Town voices… who knows where his thoughts go, but at the end of the acapella first verse he says “Thank you,” and continues on. South African Diva Yvonne Chaka Chaka comes out to join the band in the last verse, before Bono and her launch into impromptu, slightly out-of-time but ultimately monumental version of Stand By Me, under the full moon.

Magical.

Then follows a new offering, performed by Bono and Edge alone, called North Star, before the band launch into Pride (In The Name Of Love), for “Madiba, who is in our thoughts tonight”.

In A Little While and Miss Sarajevo bring the tempo down, before an epic rendition of City Of Blinding Lights showcases just how spectacular The Claw really is: the extended video screen drops down into segments, while the video content maintains its aspect ratio with the realignment of the extended smaller screens. Very impressive.

Stage design for City of Blinding Lights.

Straight into Vertigo, which – when witnessed live – is like rock ‘n roll on serious steroids, such is the raw power of Edge’s riffs and tonal quality. Crazy Tonight sees Larry walking around the outer ring of the stage with a djembe (native African drum) before the band get the crowd singing along for Sunday Bloody Sunday as Bono reminds everyone of the struggle in Libya.

Scarlet and Walk On are encored with One (featuring The Arch) and then Amazing Grace leads into the majestical Where The Streets Have No Name.

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me is followed by With Or Without You, and things are brought back down to earth with Moment of Surrender as U2 bring an impressive evening to an end.

It’s difficult to know if we’ll ever experience something this special again in our lifetime. U2 has the longest and most determined commitment to their live show and their music out of any of their contemporaries or predecessors. We can only hope they return.

::Harbourlight::

Jon — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:35:19 +0000

::Harbourlight:: is a band from Johannesburg, made up of 5 guys who work hard but have a whole lot of fun making awesome music together. Their first brilliant offering, entitled Come Home, was initially released in July 2008 and subsequently re-released in late 2010 after they secured a distribution deal with Maranatha Music. Their second album was recently released and has already been well received, with the single Closer being playlisted on local radio stations KFM in Cape Town and OFM in Bloemfontein.

But that’s not how you know they’re cool. You know they’re cool cos we think they’re cool. We like the fact that they’re a five-piece (and there are some awesome five-piece bands in SA. *wink!*). And we like that they love God. We think they are a band destined for great things…

Check out our interview with them below:

Band members names and ages:

Hey! Don’t you know it’s rude to ask a lady… oh. Right.

Well, from youngest to oldest we have:
Ashley (22), Shaun (25), Chris (26), Josh (29) and Craig is the wise, responsible 33 year old. Nah, that’s a lie. Craig’s usually the one fooling around and making us all laugh!

Hometown:
Alberton (you know.. south of Jo’burg).

What is your genre of music and how would you describe your target market?

The best description for it we’ve come up with so far is ‘melodic rock’. But we’d rather you take a listen and make up your own mind! Our “market” is mainly students and young adults, and we really love playing at universities. However, the music we make is accessible to pretty much anyone and it seems that the not-so-young adults enjoy our sound too.

Band members (from left to right): Chris, Craig, Shaun, Josh & Ash

What are the three best ways that you (or any other similar band) can market yourselves?

With marketing, the magic phrase is “word of mouth”. When it comes down to it, it’s the strength of your songs and the quality of the music you produce that will get people talking about your band.

That said, you can’t just make some groovy tunes and hope that people stumble upon them. Work hard on your online presence and make sure your website, Twitter stream and Facebook page are rocking. Build up a mailing list and advertise your gigs using SMS and e-mail as well as a Facebook event invite.

What’s the secret to putting together a live performance that everyone can enjoy?

PRACTICE! We get together and rehearse twice a week, but jamming the songs individually at home is just as important. Work on your skills for a few minutes every day and you’ll probably be amazed at how quickly your playing/singing improves.

It’s also essential for a band to enjoy themselves on stage and to interact naturally with each other and the crowd. If you’re uncomfortable (for whatever reason) your audience will pick up on it. Work hard on finding creative arrangements to your songs, be professional in your preparation, and then go up there and give it everything you’ve got!

How do you go about the songwriting process?

Shaun: I’ll just jam on guitar or the piano, and often a song will come out of a personal worship time. You get those occasions where the song pours out of you almost effortlessly. Other times it can be a struggle and you’ll sit on a song for years before it’s “done”… don’t rush the process!

"It's essential for a band to enjoy themselves on stage..."

What instruments do you play?

Chris: Fender Lite Ash Tele, my red Squier strat, and on the odd occasion I play my Epiphone Les Paul. Very keen on Fender though!

Shaun: I love my two Ibanez hollow-body guitars, and I also have an ancient Hondo electric (which makes it classic!). Of course, valve amps and analog pedals are the only way to go. My acoustic guitar is a Walden and it has a really nice, full sound.

Craig: Yamaha TRB-5 bass guitar. Saving up for a Fender!

Josh: Yamaha keyboard, tambourines, djembes and other fun stuff.

Ashley: I use Tama Starclassic and Mapex Maple Pro drums, and Ziljian cymbals.

Describe your ideal weekend.

The perfect weekend would definitely be spent chilling out and spending time at home with our loved ones and families. Maybe a braai, a few games of FIFA soccer on Xbox, and then of course playing an epic gig! And yup, church on Sunday.

Who or what is the most inspirational element in your music?

We hope it’s obvious that the focus point of all our music is Jesus Christ. It’s a total celebration of the way He loves us despite the stupid things we keep doing. No matter how messed up life can get, or how lost or broken we feel we are, He’s still there showing us love, mercy, healing, grace. It’s mindblowing! He is for sure the only thing that makes life complete and meaningful.

What’s the common denominator amongst all the band members when it comes to food?

That’s an easy one… follow the golden arches and that’s where you’ll be most likely to find us hanging out after band practice!

"...the focus point of all our music is Jesus Christ."

What’s your most memorable moment as a band?

Wow, too many to mention. It’s always fun hanging out as a band and chatting, remembering some of the amazing gigs we’ve had (and the shockers too!). Playing at Shaun’s wedding in December was pretty special. Looking back over the years, another one of the highlights has been going on a mini tour to Cape Town together in 2009.

Tell us about the new album.

It’s called Mystery Story and we’re really stoked about it!

As sold-out as we are in following Christ, we try our best to avoid creating music that sounds “churchy”. We started out on that journey with our first album Come Home, and hopefully Mystery Story is a further development of that aim. Both CDs are available now in music stores around the country… props to Maranatha Record Company for believing in us!

It seems true for most bands that recording your second album is going to be a challenge, and we’ve definitely had some frustrating times with this album, and moments when it felt like things were just not coming together. But with lots of support and encouragement along the way, we finally pushed through and we’re super happy with the finished product. We hope you like it too!

Check out the Harbourlight web site for bookings or info on upcoming gigs.

Behind the Song: Crazy World

Ryan — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:16:03 +0000

Crazy World is the oldest song on the album.

I started writing it over two years ago while on holiday in Cape Town. I remember the vast, crazy contrast while I was there: the immense opulence of Camps Bay versus the in-your-face drags of Khayelitsha. I remember how foreign both ways of life were to me. I pondered over it for weeks. In the end, I could see that people in both circumstances had the same need.

When you’re on the bones of your bum… or when you’re not… the instinctive desire of the human experience is to share it.

A view of Camps Bay.

Shortly after that Cape Town visit, I went to watch the film Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hirsch. A great movie, and one which has some interesting philosophical ideas. One of them stood out for me – that “happiness is only happiness when shared”. I thought about that for a long time, and it cemented my initial reflections on how life could be so polar opposite.

Crazy World talks about two opposing worlds – the rich and excessive in the first verse, and the poor and downtrodden in the second verse. Both worlds have their problems, their own crazy elements, either from the inside looking out or from the outside looking in.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Musically, this was a deliberate diversion for me in songwriting. The starkness of the guitar and the vocal harmonies give the song a haunting quality which, to me, speaks about the weightiness of the lyrics and the ideas in the song: that this is a crazy world of haves and the have-nots, and some things are just not fair. Some things are just so ridiculous, and we wonder why they occur.

But through it all, the saving grace is being able to share this crazy journey with those we hold dearest to our hearts. The last line in this song – “When the darkness stays, I’ll get by if your love remains” – might sound like an ultimatum, or laying on a guilt trip on someone else… but I see it as an important reminder that we surround ourselves with those we can really trust and rely on.

The world is a rough place, we need to know who we can put our hope and our trust in.

The RCB Cape Town tour memoirs

Ryan — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:55:23 +0000

So at last, our issues with web service providers seem to have been solved and we’re back up and running. Many apologies to all those who were trying to get on the website and couldn’t… it was beyond our control and incredibly frustrating, but we’re glad to be up and running again!

The band’s first soiree into Cape Town was an unbelievable time. For a band, there is nothing like being on the road. Especially a road where you make so many friends and meet so many awesome people.

It’s far too much to recount all-in-all, but herewith my brief take on the shows:

Sunday 4 April, House of Grace (near Paarl):

Swinging it with one of the kids.

The gig was organised by the good people at Citta, a small but vibrant community of people who are looking to impact Cape Town through music.

Our man Kenn Gibson and his wife Tracy met us and took us out to where some 20-odd children are looked after and cared for. We enjoyed some cricket and kicked a ball around, and had lunch with the kids, after which the RCB took the stage (verandah).

Our set was very well received, and for me it’s always great having children in the audience, their inhibition and joy create a vibe in the crowd which is different to other shows. They particularly enjoyed uncle Berto’s improvised bass and vox solo.

CD Sales: 5
Attendance: 40
Quote of the day: “Maritzburg!? Is that near Bloemfontein?” – one of the dudes at Citta.

Tuesday 6 April, Pinelands Presbyterian Church (Pinelands):
After Monday’s gig at the Barleycorn was cancelled by the organisers, it was good to get back into business. The venue is the new home of my folks, Rob and Pam, who are now ministering to a maturer congregation in the Cape. The hall at PPC was laid out in supper theatre format (just the way we like it) and the show was well attended by 60-odd people. In all honesty, we had to work some plans for this particular crowd, where the average age was… well, let’s just say they are not accustomed to drums. The show, however, was an absolute cracker, and had one of the noisiest renditions of Chin Up Young Heart (Stand Up) during the whole tour. Thanks to Andre who provided the sound rig… all we can say is we hope we play on that system again!

CD Sales: 7
Attendance: 60
Quote of the day: “I’m a classical musician, but I really, really enjoyed your music.” – a senior choir lady at Pinelands.

Wednesday 7 April, Alma Road Cafe (Rosebank):

In the corner.

Venue owner Richard Tait was kind enough to let us pull in and play at one of the best jols we had all week. Rich himself is an accomplished muso and has worked and performed for many years in the industry. Alma Road Cafe is a small little spot in Rosebank, which seats about 30 people (max) and operates mainly on Sunday nights.

Wednesday is the famous burger night, with the occasional live act. Tam opted out of this one, feeling the effects of travelling and 12 weeks of pregnancy, and also factoring in that the venue is small.

When I say small, the stage holds two people. So we innovated a bit, Rudi went down on the side next to the stage and Jon on the other end, with Berto and I doing our thing on the platform.

The opening act was Zimbabwean Immanuel and boeremusiek instrumentalist Heine, whose music was diverse and really entertaining. Our set went well, despite not having Tam with us, and the audience – about 25 or so – gave us an unbelievable reception at the end.

CD Sales: 1 (thanks Emma Cook!)
Attendance: 30
Quote of the day: “Lekker bru… the eternal optimist. You okes have changed my attitude today.” – Heine, post-show.

Thursday 8 April, Fogeys (Muizenberg):

Jon’s minions arrived en masse at the Railway Station restaurant in Muizenburg for one very memorable night. Fogeys has a wonderful retro vibe about it – it’s a genuinely older looking interior but has a warmth and special vibe all its own.

It was good to have Brad (the official RCB live sound engineer) with us and on board for the next few nights. He quickly got to grips with the in-house PA and we were set up on time.

We were now finding our groove and getting used to the set and towards the end we had to give the front row what they came for – a piano solo, followed by the Chuck Berry classic Johnny B. Goode.

The crowd loved it, and even we were slightly surprised at what Juffs produces when put under a bit of pressure. Will probably do that more often!

CD Sales: 3
Attendance: 40
Quote of the day: “Yeeesh bru, where on earth did that come from?” – Rudi, to Jon, after his solo.

Friday 9 April, New Gen Church (Somerset West):
By far the most organised gig of the tour. Minette at New Gen is an organisational guru and has a creative flair which really inspired us, and the venue was impeccably laid out and had a beautiful ambiance about it. Brad on sound again, and we were marvelling at the ability of the diminutive system in the venue… wow!

The day started with me taking a solo trip to the airport (while everyone else was still waking up back at the house) to fetch Adrian and Sharon, who arrived at CT International decked out in RCB T-shirts! It made my day. They also brought additional shirts, which made the band look very impressive that evening with all these groupies walking around branded.

The gig was a scorcher, and the band felt like we were at our best on this night. The audience was awesome, and didn’t miss a beat either! Was so good to see friends and family who we have missed for ages – a very special evening for us.

CD Sales: 6
Attendance: 50
Quote of the day: “Berto, turn down your bass amp 20 percent” – Brad to Roberto. “What’s 20 percent???” – Berto.

Saturday 10 April, The Assembly (Harrington Street) with Plush
Arrived at 5.15pm for sound check with the boys from Plush. Was good to see them again, and we spent a few hours chatting and catching up on news, life and stuff in general while the technical guys got everything set up. I’m always more excited for sound checks and am generally disappointed. The business is mundane and fiddly. Our opening slot was 30 minutes, which went by in a complete blur but was nonetheless worthwhile – we were able to perform to people who normally we would not have.