Flat Stanley, Just Jinjer, aKing share the spotlight

According to Andy, it's gonna be awesome. So what can we expect from the show?

Andy: The show itself is happening...at the Grand Arena at Grand West, which is at the moment, without doubt the best indoor arena in Cape Town and you can basically expect three SA bands with an international production, so it will be the same as any international show that you've come to watch - same stage, sound, lighting, production...but basically completely local content from beginning to end which is long overdue.

Obviously we've had these big festivals and these big shows from time to time but we're trying to push the envelope and make sure that South African audiences can come to watch three South African bands on that kind of stage, like you would in the States or Europe or anywhere else. So it's gonna be great. Doors open at 7:00pm, the show starts at 8:00pm and it's gonna be a lot of fun.

And I, for one, don't doubt that for a second! Just Jinjer is legendary in South Africa with a number of awesome records to their name. Flat Stanley is no different. I saw them way back in 2006 at the Cell C Sound of the City gig in Cape Town and Andy's voice blew my socks off. aKing have slowly been making their presence felt on the rock scene with two great albums, and I believe we can expect great things from them as well.

BizLounge: Is this the first time that you guys are performing together?

Ard: Ooh no, I've played with him (Andy) many times, but onstage, it's the third...(cue laughter). aKing, i've never had the pleasure.

Andy: We've performed on festival bills where aKing have been there as well, but that's not the same; it's like 14 bands in one day, so this is the first time that we're doing a show like this, but I've admired them or a long time. And in terms of the Flat Stanley and Just Jinjer history, we've performed together several times over the course of the last couple of years. We've always found that the mix worked quite nicely because the music was different enough but worked in a genre that appealed to both fan bases. And Ard's just about the only person who can keep up with me drinking after a show...(cue laughter). So it's a match made in heaven really.

Just Jinjer fans, you're in for a treat, because they're here to stay for a while.

BL: Ard, how long are you and Just Jinjer down in SA for?

Ard: We've actually relocated back here for an indefinite period. But we got to the point in America where we're in business enough to now decide where we want to be based. And I never ever thought that LA would be my home. It was a means to an end...Home is where the heart is, so we're back for a while now.

BL: How was it in LA; were you finding success?

Ard: Yeah, it was great. We also went through quite a struggle in the beginning. It's a very hard market to crack; there's a lot of bands, like so many hundreds of thousands of registered bands just in Los Angeles, nevermind the rest of America.

Andy: Yeah, I heard, when I was there a year and a half ago, there was something like 335,000 bands just in LA that they knew about for a fact.

Ard: Yeah, so it's really hard. South Africa is not even a blip on America's radar. Not a lot of Americans know where South Africa is, nevermind South African music. So it's all good - you've got everything in America - a lot of them haven't got passports, they haven't travelled a lot. We just wanted to go and appeal to this big market and it was fun, it was hard, but we actually ended up with a really positive outcome and a good result. We've got a fantastic record company there, Curb Records and their radio partners are Warner Bros., and our single's just now being released on the 24th of August. "What he means" is gonna go out to radio nationwide, so that's gonna be very exciting.

BL: Do you have that exotic factor with the overseas market?

Ard: They're still very intriuged by the accent, and when I'm skinnering about them in Afrikaans, they don't know what the heck I'm saying, but they think it's cool, meanwhile most of their family are taking a big hit. *I didn't say that*

BL: Do you still consider yourself a local South African band?

Ard: The reference to local and international to me is so blurred, and so silly - it's kind of the problem that South Africans have. It's not only local is lekker; to me music knows no borders, its an international language. To have to pigeon hole it enough to being local is silly. I consider myself local and international, but I consider any band that has ever been together an international band.

Andy: Quite right.

BL: How would you compare the markets and the industries from an international and a local perspective?

Ard: The first thing that comes to mind is the sheer volume and size. There are so may millions of people in America and America is a very rock-driven country...and urhh country music...but still, it's just huge - there's just so much to tap into and it's been going on for so much longer than South Africa. South Africa has a bit of catch up to do as far as professionalism is concerned and attitude. I've noticed the attitude thing is the biggest problem. People are very scared of sharing information in South Africa, whereas what they don't realise is that the more you share, the more you grow as an industry and as a nation in general. The Americans are very open when it comes to that; you'll never see the lead guitarist hiding what floorboards they're using, whereas here, it's like you've struck gold - if I found a good sound I don't want anyone else to find it. In America they all post it on their websites; they share it - it's like I found this pedal worked great here, this sound helps me, this amp sounds awesome here. And all they do is just work their industry and take it higher and higher and up the standards which we need to do and in many ways we are, so it's encouraging to see.

Andy: We spent quite a bit of time in Europe this year because we signed a deal in Germany at the end of last year, so we've toured twice this year and the attention to detail, the technical setup, from the smallest club to the local radio station, the engineers are just world class - they really are. And I think what Ard said is right - we are progressing in leaps and bounds but there's still some way to go and that's why shows like these are important because it sets the bar higher and higher. It's not just your local club show and a couple of moving lights, it's putting real performances together and a helluva lot of work has gone into the songwriting and into the creation of the music and needs to be presented in the best possible live format and that's what this show on the 5th is about.

Some bands find success, and others just crash and burn before even taking off. So what's the diference? Ard, attributes his bands success to luck - some people get that lucky break while others don't - you just have to be in the right place at the right time. Andy on the other hand believes that songwriting is a big influence on how far your band will go, and if you have no skill within the band in that department, it's not going to happen for you.

They've both performed with some big names in the international arena including U2, Counting Crows, Live, Collective Soul, Metallica and others. Both agree that it's pretty awesome, but these rockstar bands who have been in the industry for such a long time are pretty down to Earth people and are not pretentious about who they are.

BL: Ard, the lyrics in Just Jinjer's songs have a very positive, upbeat message and sound. Is this something you consciously strive for or is it more a reflection of the bands and your personality?

From the interview, we definitely gathered that both these musos are definitely upbeat guys with a positive outlook on life. They agreed that lyrics should have a strong message because it is heard by many.

Rumour on the Flat Stanley front is that they'll soon be calling themselves Mac Stanley - which Andy believes will be a smooth process to go through. It is necessary if they are to enter the international market due to copyright issues. They are already known in the German market as Mac Stanley and will eventually be known worldwide as the same.

Be sure to catch these awesome bands along with the rock anthems to be dished out by aKing who've this year launched their second album. It's bound to be magical.

What: Just Jinjer, Flat Stanley and aKING live in concert
When: 5 September 2009, doors open at 7:00pm and the show starts at 8:00pm.
Where: Grand Arena, Grand West, Cape Town
How much: Tickets are available from Computicket at R120.