Allow me to be honest: it was one of those weeks. The RCB worked, and man… did we work. It’s an emotional experience collaborating in music and putting yourself out there. All of us in the RCB feel it. The highs of the music business are exceptionally high, and the lows are laden with the smell of sulphur.
However, I am constantly amazed at who comes to watch us perform.
KZN is historically avoided by bigger bands (unless a show is organised by a promoter) because audience numbers aren’t great and so it’s just not financially viable. Last week we experienced some of that as we put together these shows on our own. Our team has grown and now consists of a five-piece band, a sound technician and a multimedia technician, so covering costs is not like promoting your average solo act. But we did, just.
I can tell you it’s always worth putting on an RCB show. We’ve seen a lot of people in this province from different walks of life – different ages, different races – at so many of our shows over the past year, and the joy for us is in seeing people walk out of a show feeling recharged about life.
Tuesday 24 August – Maritzburg Musicians’ Club
Maritzburg’s best-kept secret is hosted at the Red Door, and the most surprising element for me is always the generation who attends – people in their 40s and 50s who love live music.
They’ll venture into the city from their cosy suburban homes on a chilly winter night to support local musicians and bands. Epic.
For us the Red Door has been a familiar haunt, and by now it’s a quick set up, as Jamie’s got everything at his fingertips when it comes to sound – from cables to mics to monitors… it’s a dream.
Our show went well and I’m glad we managed to cheer up Chris Palframan with our CD giveaway. 🙂
Wednesday 25 August – Rockafellas
Rockafellas is a stellar venue in PMB, hosted on the west-side of the Golden Horse Casino overlooking the race track. The owners have been looking to incorporate more live music into the line-up of events, but have found a niche in a dance club night.
We were fortunate enough to be given the venue and had to run everything ourselves – from managing entrance at the door, to putting up sound and screens and lighting. The old adage of “if it doesn’t kill you it’ll make you stronger” rings true.
The thing with the RCB is that it’s not like most KZN solo acts where you just pitch up, plug in and play. It’s a five-piece band, a sound engineer and a multimedia technician at the very least. It’s not an average operation as far as independent musicians go, so set up times and general organisation takes more energy and more time.
The crowd, though smaller than expected, was a young crowd – vibrant and joyous, and the evening went off superbly.
Thursday 26 August – St Clements
Durban is fairly untested waters for us, and this was our first time at St Clements. The venue is an outdoor garden setup and is idyllic in its ambiance and décor.
The multimedia aspect of our show worked quite nicely outdoors which was the first time we’d tried it in an open air setting. It’s a dream of mine to perform the show at a venue like the Botanical Gardens, multimedia and all… and first prize would be an evening concert under starry skies. But I digress.
Our audience, while small, was very attentive and appreciative, made up of mostly over 35s. It’s always very rewarding for me whenever people come up to any of us in the band afterwards and offer specific feedback of what they liked, and the show at St Clements was a case in point. It’s nice to win over an audience who owes you nothing and is obviously discerning musically.
Saturday 28 August – Farmer’s Market
The idea of a 6am gig is fairly ludicrous for most bands, but we thought that, for one gig this week, we’d go to where the people are, rather than getting the people come to where we are.
And seeing as our vibe is family friendly and we enjoy the outdoors, the farmer’s market seemed like an idyllic spot as we enter into spring 2010.
So Rudi and I set up camp, real old school – completely unplugged (no electricity) – and busked our way through songs old and new. Interest in our music ranged from an intrigued Asian fellow, some grannies stocking up on the fresh produce and even the town crier Peter Southwood. Yup, Maritzburg still has a town crier.
The year has been an epic one so far for the RCB, with the launch of our new album On The Edge, and it’s not over yet.
[rps]
Thanks for the post! 'Twas possible that the "grannies" you refer to were the very same ones I used to look after at M.Villa!!! Wonder what they thought of the music?! Well done to the band for making a difference. You have an ardent fan or two down here in the Fair Cape (well, sometimes fair)
Nice one guys, keep it up – it's always worth it in the end!
We think you are all LEGENDS – well done RCB!