FANS of alternative rock band Zebra and Giraffe (pictured) can expect to be knocked off their socks as the guys make their way to Durban on Friday for the launch of their latest album, Knuckles.
This forms part of their nationwide tour which includes Jozi, Pretoria, Cape Town, PE and Bloemfontein. With numerous accolades to their name, Z&G has certainly earned their stripes among the best South African bands out there.
Tonight caught up with vocalist and guitarist Greg Carlin, to learn more about their latest offering.
“It’s just an album; a representation or symbolisation of where I was at the time. I just moved to Cape Town and that inspired the creation of the album. It was like I was in a better place,” he shares.
Commenting on their sound as a band and how it’s progressed over the years, Carlin says it’s still the Zebra & Giraffe we all know and love. “We’re a four-piece band and there’s still lots of keyboards.
“We’re more about simplifying the sound now, whereas before we had lots of layers of keyboard and guitars. This time, it’s more of a stripped down approach, but still electronic rock.”
Having been together for seven years as a band and still going strong, I ask Carlin the secret to their success? “It’s just the fact that we love playing music. It’s the joy of creating it.
“The business is really tough and you have to keep at your passion and remember why you do it. There’s obviously ups and downs as you go along, and you need to remind yourself why you do it.
“We love creating music and playing our music to people. When they know the lyrics to the songs and just have a good time – it’s about those different emotions and we enjoy it. Music is my life, I guess.
“It’s everything I do. It’s like an escape. It’s a way of changing your emotional state, it puts you in a better mood. Or when you’re feeling sad, it helps you through the sadness and makes you feel better.
“We use music as an escape and an emotional place, that’s what it does for me.”
So what do these phenomenal rockers have in plan for their fans? According to the vocalist, they’re in the process of releasing Knuckles and promoting it on tour.
“We’ll be releasing the CD version of this album in a couple of months, which will have six unplugged tracks. People have been asking us for that.
“And at end of the year, there’s a summer tour along the coast.”
• Catch Zebra & Giraffe tonight at Die Mystic Boer in Bloemfontein at 9pm. On Friday, they perform at Live the Venue in Durban.
On October 18, catch the guys at Arcade Empire in Pretoria, followed by Hard Rock Café in Joburg on October 23 and Arcade Empire in Potchefstroom on October 24. For more info on the band, visit www.zebraandgiraffe.com