Selling The Drama
Cito - Photo by Shereen Hustler (Inner Eye)
This week the legendary Wonderboom frontman: Cito puts pen to paper in the Streetlamp newsletter. Check out "Cito Says…" Straight from the horse's mouth. And, if you're lucky, and if he has something to say, you might just hear from him again soon.
The first time I became aware of the existence of Cito, Wonderboom frontman, was in 2000 when Wonderboom supported American alternative rock band Live. (It seems I was a late bloomer as at that stage Wonderboom was already a national phenomenon.) This concert was the first live performance I had ever attended (not counting one-man wanna-be’s singing their version of Achy Breaky Heart in dodgy bars) and there are countless memories I took with me from this experience. I remember Live frontman Ed Kowalczyk quietly saying with his American twang: “The next song is not necessarily about dolphins” the crowd went ballistic – the hit single “Dolphin’s Cry” still fresh on charts and on their minds. I remember beer in plastic bottles and the spontaneous conversation that was inevitable in the endless queues at the loos.
And I remember Wonderboom.
The first few notes of “Never Ever” brought the Dome to a standstill and suddenly it was only me and the music. I was in awe of the beauty and emotion in Cito’s voice and mesmerized by every word coming out of his mouth. I could not move, dared not breathe, and at that moment I realized that music is so much more profound, meaningful than most of us realize. It can depict the joyous moment of childbirth; it can portray broken bodies in a war-torn country and can evoke feelings of fear, loathing, anger, excitement and love – all in just over 3 minutes.
Music is the language of the legends.
It’s the language of Cito.
If, like me (and 10 million others) you are a huge fan of Cito, you will be thrilled to hear that over the next couple of months we will see much new material. Expect Cito’s solo offering, as well as the Absinthè (his acoustic side project with brilliant ex-Sugardrive frontman Paul E Flynn) debut album: “A Rendezvous at Nirvana” out very soon. During February next year Wonderboom will release their eighth album – a very welcome release after what would be then a 4 year album absence.
For info on these releases as well as upcoming gigs check out the facebook pages of Wonderboom, Absinthè, as well as Cito’s Myspace page.
Over to you, Mr. Otto!
Cito Says…
The Career Musician – by Martin Cito Otto
After a week of performing at 3 different corporate shows, in 3 different capacities, I feel compelled to express my thoughts on being a career musician. Maybe there are aspiring artists out there who’d like to know what it’s like to be a full-time musician.
A professional muso can basically be defined into two types. The one is the overnight sensation who’s become successful for what they do (original or not), are able to sustain a living from it and have not looked back. And the other is like the rest of us who have put in the years and commitment regardless of success and have had our attempts at different forms of performance. Both types do it for a living and especially for the love of music.
The live music world today is so vast and diverse; yet it has the same single function-to entertain the audience. When I had my taste of musical theatre with Jesus Christ Superstar, I realized this. From Rock ‘n Roll to Cabaret, it’s the same gig. As an entertainer you are expected to perform in such a way that the audience leaves your show satisfied with what they’ve just experienced. They’re not there to support you but to be moved by you. So many times have I witnessed and even experienced the opposite. Not nice.
Obviously, the success of a show can vary depending on a combination of elements. If the production, performance and attendance live up to the expectation and are synchronized, then it’s pretty much a guarantee. But it’s not always like that.
I want to pay tribute to the many talented South African entertainers out there who pull it off in any situation. It can be quite a daunting responsibility if everything isn’t just right. As a career musician, I believe that when you find yourself in different environments and are forced to adapt and improvise, you become stronger and more in tune with that greater force called “Music”. On a performance level, there’s a certain magic that happens when you let go and accept being merely a vehicle for music. The more you experience this, the more powerful your performance becomes.
The reason why I chose to write about being a career musician is because I’ve developed an appreciation for doing the different things that I do. Theatre, collaborations, troubadour solo, electric rock, intimate acoustic and more recently, with a fifty-piece orchestra.
The latter blew my mind! As I grew up on classical, I only started to listen to pop/rock when I became a teenager. Singing with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra brought me back to my childhood days, when I’d put on one of my dad’s Mozart records and conduct to our lounge furniture with an unsharpened pencil.
The point is I love performing and the more different challenges I take on, the more I love performing. That’s the shit! For me anyway…
Another career musician I’ve had the privilege of working with for over fifteen years is Martin Schofield. For those who don’t know, Martin is probably the best rock guitarist in the country and he’s embraced the diversity of music in an amazing way. Lead guitar for WONDERboom, front man for Martin Rocka and the Sick Shop and now, hired gun for Flash Republic touring with them as guest guitarist, all over Europe. He didn’t just get stuck into being a rock musician. He’s become one of the greatest guitar heroes South Africa’s ever seen because of his versatility and experience. And now, I can just see him playing to a bunch of influenced dance-heads that, I’m sure, are blown away by his virtuosity in dance club environments. Not that it takes too much to blow influenced dance music-lovers away, but surely, there has to be some kind of musical and spiritual growth gained from that for him.
I think the message that is resonating for me here is to not restrict your experience, especially with music. Music takes on all forms and colors and is ever evolving. One of the big mistakes a pro musician can ever do is to limit his or her experience of music. Once we start to open up to the universe, opportunities arise beyond our expectations.
Being a career musician can be very rewarding. Because no matter what, you do what you love.
And it’s also nice to be paid to do what you love - every now and then.
Prime Circle Plays India
I don’t think it is necessary to convince you of the absolute brilliance of Prime Circle. Since the inception of the band in 2001 they have thrilled, delighted, entertained and rocked our socks off. Each of their 3 albums delivered hits of grandeur and together with bands such as Wonderboom, Parlotones, Sugardrive and a handful other bands they have defined South African rock and set the benchmark for every upcoming rock band.
The great thing about Prime Circle is that their early hits are still relevant and fresh today. We are bombarded with one-hit wonders and although a track might be a chart-topper today, it has often happened that it becomes the source of great irritation later. But not Prime Circle: I still put up the volume when I hear: “Hello Hello” on the radio. I still get goose bumps when I listen to “As Long As I Am Here”.
Their latest release: “All Or Nothing” is no exception from previous albums. This album contains the perfect combination of melodic rock and solid rock tunes and its no surprise that they are just a few sales away from platinum accreditation. The band is now taking this album to India, with 5 shows to introduce the country to their sound. They’ll kick off in Delhi, and from there move on to Mumbai, Bangalore and Prune before playing the Umang Festival (in Mumbai again).
Luckily for us the 5-strong Prime Circle won’t be gone for too long, they’ll be back for an August 15th gig in Grahamstown and more scheduled shows in Sandton, Vereeniging, Fourways and Vanderbijlpark. For more info check out their website or facebook page.
In the meantime, feast on “She Always Gets What She Wants” and “Out Of This Place”.
Legend & Hilson: Here We Come, SA!
In October this year, 6-time Grammy award winner John Legend will visit South Africa for 3 breathtaking shows and the best of all is that he is bringing new R&B / pop sensation Keri Hilson with him.
Legend was a favorite with the public since his debut release in 2004: “Get Lifted”. This album topped charts internationally and the hit single “Ordinary People” was widely credited as the reason this album reached platinum sales. Late 2006 his second release: “Once Again” provided another hit single in the form of: “Save Room”. This album was produced by Will.i.am, Raphael Saadiq, and Kanye West. The success of these two albums was enough to earn him a place in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame during 2007.
In October 2008, Legend released the “Evolver” album. Sales of this album skyrocketed and the singles “Green Light” (with Andre 3000) and “Everybody Knows” were warmly received by both critics and fans.
Part of Legend’s solo success might be credited to the fact that he wasn’t completely unknown in 2004 when he released his debut album. He gained momentum through a series of collaborations with established artists such as Lauren Hill (he played piano on “Everything is Everything”), Kanye West, Jay-Z, Fort Minor and Alicia Keys.
As with John Legend, special guest Keri Hilson also had exposure to the industry before the release of her debut album earlier this year. Hilson has been part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch for many years now, and have been writing songs for rappers and singers such as Britney Spears, Usher and Ludacris since 2000. During 2007 she performed on Timbaland’s “The Way I Are” and “Scream”. Her solo album: “In a Perfect World” was released in March this year and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Legend & Hilson – backed by a ten-piece band – will kick off their performance at the Grand Arena in Cape Town on the 15th October, then off to the International Convention Centre in Durban on the 17th and finally the Coca-Cola Dome in JHB on the 18th. Tickets range from R218 to R321. For more info and to purchase tickets visit www.computicket.com.
Snippets
- Cape Town-based radio station, Good hope FM has launched a DJ Academy to develop young talent in the Mother City. The beauty of this is that the radio station is offering DJ workshops during school holidays at no cost. Says the station’s PR and On-Air Promotions coordinator Karen Visagie: “We recognize the fact that life skills programs that develop and enrich the talent of our youth remain critical in our communities, especially in a province that is hugely affected by poverty, crime and widespread teenage drug abuse. In order to ensure development for those who hold the future in their hands; business, government, non government members of organizations and communities must come together, in order to work toward eradicating these frightful issues we face.” For more information about the academy, visit www.goodhopefm.co.za.
- 218 Years after the death of Salzburg-born classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 2 new works have been identified as authentic Mozart pieces – composed during the early stages of his life. Details of these works will be revealed at a press conference on the 2nd August. This is not the first time in recent years that Mozart works has surfaced: In 2008 a library in Nantes, France revealed that a musical score previously thought to be a copy, was in fact an original.
- When True Blood actress Kristin Bauer went for a vitamin shot, the last thing she expected was to fall in love with the voice of a South African singer playing over a strange lady’s laptop. But that is exactly what happened. Not the sit-back-kinda-girl, she enquired about the name of the band, got hold of their manager, namedropped shamelessly (…”this little show True Blood…Hollywood…”) etc, and soon she had a coffee date with The Lemmings frontman Abri van Straten. This was January. Now a couple of months later the couple is married and blissfully happy in California. Sweet. A bit scary. But sweet. Congratulations from Streetlamp!
- Chris Martin and the band never disappoint. Check out Coldplay’s new video for Strawberry Swing. Creative, weird, wonderful, freaky, Coldplay.
- In anticipation of Whitney Houston’s comeback album – her seventh studio release – the singer has made the title track: “I Look To You” available for download on her website. This album will follow a seven year hiatus and the track was written by R Kelly. If whiny-ass-slit-my-wrists-Mariah-type ballads are your thing you will love this.
You Said It!
“I would die if someone took the fame away...I wouldn’t be a person anymore.”
Lady Gaga just don’t get what it’s about.
”Marijuana is a gateway drug. It leads to sweatpants and Cheetos.”
Jared Followill (Kings of Leon bassist)
Sources
www.mio.co.za; www.facebook.com; www.wikipedia.org; www.news24.com; www.goodhopefm.co.za; www.reuters.com; www.youtube.com; www.coldplay.com; www.tonight.co.za; www.aol.com; www.bigconcerts.co.za; www.computicket.com; www.primecircle.co.za; www.whitneyhouston.com