Once I Arrive

by Marley

Innibos every year it builds up like a summer storm in the Highveld. You see the clouds, you feel the electricity in the air the wind in your hair. You know it’s coming especially if it’s been a hot humid day. Just like a storm Innibos build up, changed the energy around town, it rained with arts, music, laughter, good red wine and then just disappeared. Poof. Just like that.

This is this blogger daily reporting

With Jack Parow

Hey Tonight - MK Stage @ Innibos

What can a Lowvelder tell you about Innibos? It is the biggest event on our calendar, but it’s also a crazy fever that hits the town, and everyone ends up spending days at work hung over after a night of mid week partying on the festival grounds and around town. Many months of preparation go into hosting one of the country’s biggest festivals and here it is on our doorstep.

For a music fan (a rocker of note) the only stage out of the 7 worth seeing is the MK Kliphard Stage. Here is an opportunity to watch bands that you might not normally see, unless, like me you attend music festivals like STRAB, Up The Creek or Oppikoppi, or if you regularly venture down to Jozi, Pretoria or the Western-Cape.

With so many good people in the Lowveld who are still scared of the Blue Moon road or intimidated by a little bit of good music, then let me tell you: don’t knock down the MK stage before you have at least experienced it. I understand that South African music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, (unlike us at STM)  but there are bands and solo artists performing at the MK Stage this year that might tempt you to go down to your local music store to buy their music.

Tot die son uikom

By Marley

Winters in the Lowveld are mild and warm, so much so that even the bums move in from the highveld. The evenings get a bit chilly and some nights are down-right freezing but nothing could have prepared us for the weather we experienced at Blue Moon on Saturday before and during the show.

Photo courtesy of Facebook

Die Ware Verhaal (The True Story)

By Marley

Just as we recovered from our hangovers from Die Heuwels Fantasties show that Blue Moon Nelspruit hosted, they didn’t let the grass grow beneath our feet before they announced the next show will be in less than a week and a bit; Van Coke Kartel and Bittereinder with local acts Voetstoots and Friday is Forgotten on 11 May 2013 at Blue Moon itself.

Van Coke Kartel

MK Awards 2013

MK Awards 2013

by Marley

Award ceremonies are a very important part in any industry. Receiving a nomination for an award let alone winning one shows you that your hard work really pays off. Most people I've spoken to in the last few weeks about the MK Awards didn't even know there was an MK award ceremony.

Here’s a little history for you:

• The MK Awards have been running for the last 7 years (since 2006)
• MK stands for Musiek Kanaal (music channel) which is dedicated to South African music
• MK is a channel on DStv (SA’s ‘cable tv’)
• MK has grown over the years as a house hold name among fans and bands across the country and has many involvements in festivals and music events
• The MK Awards have grown from strength to strength since their inception and have become an important role player in the South African Music Industry

Wie is bang?

I had to put the subject line as Van Coke Kartel latest album (which is selling like hot cakes I believe) "Wie's bang" is very appropriate to my craze gypsy life that was 2011.

As promised I said I’m going to try and blog a little more about the bands that I will be seeing live on Avontoer and I thought let me give you all the bands in one go, put a photo up and let you click on the hyperlinks. As you will page back into the blog you will read many stories of many lives shows I have seen especially this year, wow it’s been really craze. I’m really looking forward to spend some quality time with some of my good friends during Avontoer and of course seeing a lot of new bands (and few regulars) live for the first time is going to rock.