The Table Mountain Blues Summit returns to Hillcrest Quarry on
December 6 and 7.Twenty of the
most respected bluesmen and
woman in the country will entertain,
backed by 30 000 watts of power.
Festival organiser RICHARD PRYOR
expands on the line-up.
WHAT makes the blues special?
It’s a great melting pot of music. It
really is the glue that brings all the
genres together. Blues has it’s historical
roots and has a particular
style that dictates how classic blues
should be played. But just like anything
with such strong roots it
grows into something much bigger
and intertwines itself like a creeper
into all forms of music.
It is a place where jazz, rock,
folk and many other styles can
come together in conversation. It
is a potjie of different musical
styles all speaking the same language.
It’s ironic because blues is
about pain, misery and loss, but
the music actually transcends this
message and uplifts the listener
on all levels. So if you got the
blues and you’re feeling real
down, don’t go to the doctor, get
yourself down to the Summit and
rock your blues away!
What’s different about this year?
Well for the very first time we
are having the festival on a Saturday
and Sunday. History has
shown that Sunday is a great day
for the blues and we have heeded
that call.
Women also feature on the bill?
Adding very special flavour is
The Natasha Meister Band. She
will be belting out the soul blues.
Ann Jangle deserves special mention
and she flows with a gypsy
spirit. She has a very natural
soulful style and she adds dark
undertones of folk blues with a
theatrical groove. This is storytelling
at it’s best. Black South
Easter’s singer Nhoza Sitsholwana
will also guest with Boulevard
Blues. Man does she have some
vocal pipes on her and when she
sings the blues it stays sung for a
long time after the show has
ended. Charlie King will also be
down from Johannesburg – you
can look forward to her tones
singing praise to influences such
as Etta James and Janis Joplin.
What does each act bring?
A lot of talent comes together
at the summit like a large extended
family does once a year. Some
of the artists make up the meat
and potatoes of the Summit since
it began. Right at the top of the
heap at the
moment must be
Dan Patlansky
who has just
returned from a
great European
tour. An explosive
guitarist he
always wows the
crowd with a
menagerie of
world class
guitar playing,
general guitar
abuse and killer
rocking tunes.
The Blues Broers are the
longest running blues band in
South Africa and one of the most
influential. They bring years of
experience. They put blues on the
map with national hits, most
notably Lifes a Melodrama.
Boulevard Blues are my
extended family and have provided
me with a great home to
explore. I joined them 15 years ago
and today we’re still playing with
even more passion.
Gerald Clark can really work
that low down acoustic blues and
strut his stuff with magnificent
vocals to boot. He is king of the
acoustic blues. With the electric
band he often takes his music into
more complex territory and adds
an air of sophistication, sometimes
even borrowing elements of
jazz.
Harmonica player Dave
Ferguson is a complete show all
on his own. He brings alive some
of the early components and sucks
you in as his harp, voice and loop
pedals unfold to tell an exciting
story of old meets new. Expect to
see him in full electric action with
Mean Black Mamba, who’ll
provide a swampy backdrop to the
alligator harp cries of Ferguson.
Guy Collins on guitar has some
great mojo.
The Albert Frost Trio is my
favourite incantation of all
Mr Frost’s ensembles. Here he
really gets to shine even brighter.
There’s a real freedom as the
songs blow hard and soft gripping
you and dragging you into a
dramatic blues thriller. Expect
some great band interplay with
Schalk Joubert and Kevin Gibson.
On the younger side we find
Crimson House Blues who have a
great energy on stage and a highly
entertaining show. This is a 5
piece band rooted in the blues,
coated in gypsy undertones,
blended with modern rock and
then triple fuelled by roaring
guitars, shredding banjos and soul
sweeping harmonica’s. Not for the
faint hearted.
Also offering a different spin
are The Parlor Vinyls, a garage
band mixing rhythmic drum
grooves with raw, dirty, pulsating
guitar tones with honky vocals.
Taking inspiration from acoustic
blues greats such as Blind Willie
McTell up to modern bands such
as The Black Keys and the White
Stripes they create old sounds
with a twist of something new to
give a signature sound that
attracts a wide variety of audiences
from young to old
Story-teller Piet Botha teams
up with Akkedis and together they
weave their own personal
accounts, bring bilingual coming
together in English and
Afrikaans.
The Wayne Pauli Trio delivers
a great set of standard and original
blues. Wayne offers nods to the
greats in the style of SRV and
Hendrix. Sven Blumer will open
the show with hints of Robben
Ford.
What else is in store besides the
mainstay bands?
Well, presenting the Rockier
side of the blues is my original
band Pebbleman. We have two
albums out now and have even
been signed to New York Record
Label Grooveyard Records.
With over two hours of original
blues rock on our menu we’re
hoping to get even the most jaded
blues lover off of their seat and
rocking the wag back into their
tail.
Jesse Jordan on vocals is a
pocket rocket on stage and he’s
gonna get the juice flowing. I
I’m really enjoying getting my
original music out there and these
guys are delivering it exactly like I
hear it in my head.
You can expect a rocking good
set of classic 70’s inspired rock
with a good dose of blues sauce to
boot. Either way it’s gonna hit you
hard in the sonic plexus.
Also adding to the rocking side
of the menu are is Basson
Laubscher & the Violent Free
Piece, Patrick Canovi’s Kiss the
Sky and The Fake Leather Blues
band from Pretoria. These guys
are well and truly polished.
Kiss the Sky are expected to
feature a full seven piece classic
blues rock ensemble that is bound
to close down the Summit good
and solid. Expect these acts to
land hard.
What about camping?
Camping will again be an
option. We have more camping
space with ablutions and hot
showers. It’s an extra R150.
. Tickets: R200 to R340, 0861
9158000, www.computicket.com