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164 suffers from acute venue problems. 19 Johannesburg An important independent record company which came into being in Johannesburg during the mid-1980s was Shifty Studios, owned by Lloyd Ross. The original premises used by Ross was a fully equipped mobile caravan which enabled him to move around the country and record. Shifty Records, which is still a popular choice for local artists, has been instrumental in supporting local rock musicians from all over South Africa. 20 Although independents offered more to local artists in the way of moral support and encouragement, they did not have the distribution networks that the major companies had access to, nor the support of record outlets: There are so many areas where we come up against a dead end. A major hassle is the distribution of our music -- record shops are not willing to take independently recorded albums, and several refuse point blank to sell singles. 21 An independent music promotions syndicate, named Urban Noizz was also set up in Johannesburg in April 1984. The person behind the project which organised a national tour of university campuses by four Johannesburg bands n was Cas Rasch. The reason for the organisation of such a tour relates directly to poor support of local music by record companies, and the equally poor support given local bands by audiences because of the perception that 19 D. Credit, 'If You Want To Be Stunned', The Natal Witness, 7 April, 1984, p. 11. 20 Some artists recorded on the Shifty label include the Kalahari Surfers (Cape Town rock band), the Lesotho band, Sakomota, The Banned, the Happy Ships and the Softies (all of Springs), Cape Town's Roger Lucey, and even Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips). Shifty Records' latest recording is of Durban's Urban Creep, their compact disc, Sea Level. 21 Quoted from an interview conducted by Craig Tyson with Lloyd Ross and his partner, Fair Lady, April 18, 1984. n The four bands were ska-influenced Dynamics, reggae-based Dread Warriors, Cas Rasch's own band, No Exit, and punk-influenced Dog Detachment.
165 local rock was inferior. According to Tyson, a journalist with Fair Lady: National tours may be one way of getting around the apathetic attitude to local music. In Johannesburg, as in other centres, the non-commercial or 'alternative' bands have had to play to the same old faithful audiences week after week. Record companies and radio stations won't touch them, so much of South Africa's best music hardly gets heard ... On the subject of the local music industry, Cas is enthusiastically critical. Voicing the feeling of many fellow musicians, he says: 'Their attitude stinks'. There follows a string of examples about studio bosses losing recording contracts, engineers making badly mixed recordings, and hollow promises of fame and fortune. 'They make their money from the bands and the public, but won't put anything back.' With a history of such actions, individuals and groups throughout the country have started setting up their own studios, to bypass the forces of control. 'If we don't get around the situation, things will be stuck for years. It's no use looking to the industry - we have to do things ourselves... ,23 South African Personalities and Local Rock. Various rock personalities have also become important in furthering the cause of local music in South Africa. Johannesburg resident, Chris Prior is probably the most famous of these. An interview held with Prior in June 1984 revealed some of the problems experienced by South African rock musicians in relation to the South African recording industry and support structures (such as club owners, managers and audiences) at the time: There are no parameters in South African music ...It's up to the clubs and the public to come up with the goods, and there are good local bands. But the venues don't give their fair share; managers say bands should be thankful for the exposure and not ask for money. It's such a rip-off. Bands are negative and depressed. It isn't at all encouraging when the clubs prefer bands to play the Top Twenty and stay clear of 23Quoted from an interview conducted by Craig Tyson and published by Fair Lady, on April 4, 1984, p. 131.
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Lindy van der Meulen FROM ROCK 'N '
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ABSTRACT This thesis introduces the
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INTRODUCTION Reasons for Research T
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Thus, my twenty year period spans a
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Theoretical Perspectives Broad Theo
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13 rock musicians. Although I never
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18 a culture not different from my
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Chapter 5 20 Chapter Five addresses
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22 The line-up of the band went thr
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24 Africa. Although South Africa (o
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28 venues opened up in Durban which
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31 'sessions', and therefore were i
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33 bills. The separation of populat
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36 a 'golden decade' of opportuniti
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38 would give to South African pop
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49 have caused Durban rock bands to
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52 During this period, the scope fo
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43 57 If you make a jigsaw puzzle,
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62 members. This did not seem to af
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71 Durban Rag concert in early 1984
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75 Usuals played mainly reggae and
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78 The streetrockers played a comme
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80 greatest gift to song - the orga
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Figure 3. 83 The Mods From left to
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Figure 5. 85 Young Fan in a Paper F
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Figure 8 (please turn over). 88 Cro
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Figure 10. 90 Wild Youth and Fans i
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Figure 13. 93 Powerage From left to
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95 CHAPTER 3 ROCK MUSIC IN DURBAN I
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99 government and big business were
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101 Britain, Durban youngsters stro
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106 changing. We were lucky. We cam
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110 Nothing really changed I'm glad
Page 123: 11 5 The Workers' resistance moveme
Page 127 and 128: 11 9 a final attempt to regain cont
Page 129: 121 Another song entitled 'System'
Page 133 and 134: 125 use of a maskanda-like guitar r
Page 138 and 139: 130 CHAPTER 4 WOMEN AND ROCK IN DUR
Page 140 and 141: 132 relationship of women to the ge
Page 142: 134 in the workplace [or band] .dO
Page 145: 137 family and band life. In practi
Page 153 and 154: 145 music and bitterly resented the
Page 156 and 157: 148 participate more actively in ro
Page 159 and 160: ..' 151 played by men (bass, electr
Page 161 and 162: Conclusion 153 This chapter has exp
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Page 167 and 168: 159 South Africa). Durban record co
Page 169 and 170: 161 of Warner Brothers) and EMI. Th
Page 171: 163 Independent Record Companies an
Page 178: 170 strike one as particularly ente
Page 181: CONCLUSION 173 CHAPTER 6 This thesi
Page 185 and 186: 2 Cullen, J. 'Bruce Springstein's A
Page 187 and 188: 4 Martin, D. (tiansl V. Morrison),
Page 189 and 190: Newspapers and Magazines The Daily
Page 191: 8 ________• 'Love You A Little Mo
Page 194 and 195: Interviews 11 Baney, Brian, A Stiff
Page 196 and 197: 13 11. Leopard, 'Underestimator', f
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