Roberto Hemmero

Five reasons I would invite Roberto Hemmero to dinner

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Ryan in Blog

It’s always comforting to me when I meet someone besides Jesus who has a clue about this life, and besides… no one re-enacts a funny story like a bruin ou.

We often get asked at gigs (mostly by white people) where Roberto comes from. The answers are wide and varied.

Rob, Berto, brother, bass ou, bruin ou… whatever you want to call him, seems to have mystifying power over our audiences. (more…)

Cape Town shows

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Ryan in Blog

It’s that time of year again. Time to throw caution to the wind and bank balance slips out the window, and head off to the Mother City.

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. (more…)

Behind the Song: Hide Away

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Ryan in Behind The Song

The story and inspiration behind the song Hide Away.

It’s not often that I get to just sit and play guitar, but on this particular Saturday afternoon, I was strumming the chords that would become this song when Tam walked into the room and started singing spontaneously.

I remember we’d both been pretty busy and it was nice to just be at home, with no agenda for the day. Tam walked in, heard the chords and said, (more…)

Newsreader

Posted on June 28, 2010 by admin in Caption Competition

Caption competition #5

It’s a new week, and time for a new round of funnies.

If you don’t know how it works, it’s simple: look at the pic, think of something funny, post it in the comment box below.

(more…)

Royal Rock 2010

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Ryan in Blog

The rock concert at the Royal Show…

So there we were. Five against 5000. A freezing cold Friday night in Maritzburg. (more…)

Planning for the Hexagon Theatre

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Ryan in Blog

The ambitious new show begins rehearsals this week…

We had a meeting on Saturday. It was scheduled for 8am. Yes, yes, I know, that’s not very rock ‘n roll. I even baked muffins. Seriously. Burnt them a bit, but insisted that on principle the rest of the band eat them. They politely, if uncomfortably, consumed my first attempt at chocolate muffins.

By 8.40am, we’re ready to begin. In attendance are Rudi, Roberto, Rachel Grace and yours truly. Apologies from Tam, who has work commitments, while Jon, we assume, is still slumbering in CT. (more…)