At this year’s Retrofest, Shotgun Tori will play Janis Joplin’s Piece of My Heart and Glen Campbell’s King of the Road. Joplin because her voice has that range and Campbell because “it’s one of my favourite songs from childhood”.
Retrofest#2, in association with Mini, takes place on Saturday at Nirox Sculpture Park which is nestled in the Cradle of Humankind – a world heritage site. It will feature the best contemporary acoustic musicians performing songs straight from the 1960s and ’70s.
The line-up includes Kahn Morbee, Albert Frost, Michael Lowman, Frankie Beagle, Tidal Waves, Coelacanth as well as Ms Shotgun.
The organisers say that the compositions come from artists like Bob Dylan, Rodriguez, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Jimi Hendrix, among others. What is odd is that the list does not contain any South African artists. Four Jacks and a Jill? Joy? Stimela? Rabbitt? Ladysmith Black Mambazo? The list is endless.
Shotgun Tori, however, says she may look at doing a South African cover. She is very excited about performing at the unique festival. “No cover bands have been booked and all the artists normally perform their own music. Each artist on this list is a respected songwriter,” she said. “What is cool about this festival is that there are so many collaborations.”
Shotgun Tori says she started playing the guitar at age 12 because of a crush she had on a boy. At 17 she went to the UK armed with her guitar. One day she went into a street booth and recorded Eternal Flame.
“I sent it out and slowly got rejected.” She gave up on her dream and went into broadcasting. However, on her return home she realised that broadcasting wasn’t for her.
“I realised that I had to record and tour the world to find peace.”
And she hasn’t stopped since.
“My music is real, raw, lyrical and there is a heavy focus on words and it’s pretty and it feels pretty to sing it.”
Indeed, her album Be Brave, which features a drawing of a bear biting a female head, is an adventurous trip into acoustic music. Sometimes it is all acoustic with just her clear, sardonic voice leading the way. At other times she sounds vulnerable, yet brave. Hipsters will love this album, but it’s not nearly as pretentious as their bland culture. “It’s time for something new, though. I have so much new material,” says Shotgun Tori. For that, though, fans will have to wait until after Retro-fest#2. But it looks like it’s going to be a fun event. It has the potential for growth: the concept is cool and the surroundings are amazing.
• Gates open at 10am. There will be food markets.