Author: Vanessa Massyn

The first time I met Steve and Jolene East, I was blown away by what an amazing couple they are. Never a dull moment in their company, these two love birds have teamed up and created The Honeymooners. If you were lucky enough to attend STRAB this year, you may have seen them do their thing on the deck. This dynamic duo has managed to bring together soothing vocals, folk instruments and a beautiful stage personality that keep the crowds highly entertained. I had a chat with Steve and Jolene about The Honeymooners and their future gigs and were delighted…

Andi Cappo is one of those guys who can make stuff happen. With 8 albums in the bag, Caution Boy is hitting the local music scene hard and fast! Here is a quick interview with the man behind the music. His band released their new album, Spastic Plastic, on the 4th of May 2018. How long has Caution Boy been on the music scene? Tell us about the origins of Caution Boy and how it came into being. Well, Caution Boy started in 2006 as a solo recording project, but was called AK-47 and then two years later, Hazard Man.…

I recently had a chat to Peter Blackbeard from SDO (Satanic Dagga Orgy). The band’s name is something that battled to go down well in a post-apartheid, very-much-still-Calvinistic South Africa a couple of years back, but the band’s relentless efforts to keep on going in spite of judgment, name-calling and being branded as cat-sacrificing, devil-worshipping, pot-smoking sex addicts, has paid off. South Africans have grown to love and adore this band for their witty yet soulful lyrics and folk music. The bearded boys are far from shy and have performed in speedos at venues such as Park Acoustics. Their on-stage…

Manic Street Preachers have had a mighty music career thus far. Their latest album, Resistance is Futile, was released on the 13th of April 2018. This Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986, has released 13 studio albums to date. I have always loved the Manics (they are often colloquially referred to by that name). They’ve released enough albums over the years for me to have my cake and eat it too, however albums such as  “This is my truth, tell me yours”, “Gold against the soul” and “Everything must go” are the ones who stood out for me. They…

Hellcats are one of the acts who will be performing at Dirty Rotten Tequila Festival at Carfax in Johannesburg next weekend. These Hades Felines (what they would be called if their fanbase were into Greek mythology) have been tearing things up in the SA Music Scene over the last few years and have never really bored rock fans with their energetic live performances. They are part of an amazing line-up (which includes Fuzigish, Raygun Royale, The Tazers, Shadowclub and a few other bands) and their set promises to be one of the highlights of Dirty Rotten Tequila Festival. I recently had a…

I fell in love with Jack White only about 8 years ago when I first surrendered my ears to the Elephant album. Its lyrical content, sleazy guitars and an absolutely beautiful noise stole my heart. Shortly after this, I got word that the White Stripes were no more and I got into Jack White, the person behind the brother / sister duo and who was – no doubt – busy recording solo albums. Boarding House Reach, White’s 3rd number one solo album, was released on the 23rd March 2018. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to give it a proper…

Beware we get into some Michael Bolton facts: Not everyone’s a douche. This is a summary of how a mullet-wearing pop star changed the lives of many, including Pedro Barbosa). So, we have a RWR contributor’s WhatsApp group, recently established by the headmaster, Henno Kruger. Now, try to imagine the minds of a bunch of creative people all together on a WhatsApp group. You HAVE to mute the notifications, because they do not stop (in spite of Henno spreading lies and filth in the intro: “This group shouldn’t be too busy.”) I could write a small, Karoo library full of…