Shortstraw – A look at being ‘Youthless’

Going to watch a live Shortstraw show is ranked highly on my list of favorite things to do. So much so that I’ve seen them perform more then any other band. Even as a connoisseur of all things Shortstraw, I was simply not prepared for the evening out at Bassline in Newtown, for Shortstraws’ album launch for Youthless, which dropped a little over two months ago. Sharing a bill with indie-folk newcomers, Gobarefoot, and Japanese intrumentalists, Sawagi, the lads of Shortstraw had surrounded themselves with incredible talent and set themselves a very high standard. A standard that they managed to crush, much as I assumed they would. Afterwards I sat down and chatted with the guys to discuss their musical journey, plans for the future, and we ran through our memories of that great night in Newtown.

Gobarefoot have, despite their relative lack of experience, made quite a noise for themselves. With a number of singles that have now become party essentials in anyone’s indie-rock playlist, they have proven themselves to be genuine, honest and driven musicians who have the talent to back it all up. They are clearly of a generation that grew up listening to the likes of Shortstraw and Desmond and the Tutu’s, among others. But what is refreshing is their ability to learn and draw from these kinds of artists, rather then reproduce their sound (a trend I’ve seen happen on a number of occasions). This made them a killer way to start the night. Shortstraws’ lead lad, Alastair Thomas, pointed out to me just how appreciative they were to play, which was indicative that they had made the right choice in Gobarefoot. “We were given plenty of opportunities when we were starting out, and we are finally in a position where we can really ‘give back’ to other bands.”

Then arrived the happiest surprise of the evening. Sawagi are an instrumental band hailing from Japan, and had played hosts to Shortstraw on the Japanese leg of their SakeDingo tour, which took place early last year. Musically, the band has some of the most creative and skilled artists I have had the pleasure of watching in quite some time. Admittedly, I find it incredibly difficult to classify their music into any one genre. A sentiment shared by Thomas Revington, Shortstraws talented lead guitarist, “The best I can muster is a little bit of Queen mixed with electro, that’s played by a proper rock band.” Shortstraw bassist, Russel Grant, was quick to add, “ You HAVE to see it live though. You need to experience their intensity coupled with their unrivaled depth to really grasp how good these dudes are.” Having now toured with Sawagi twice, I was interested to find out how the English-speaking South Africans could get along with Japanese musicians on the road. Russel acknowledged the language barrier that existed between them, but was quick to add, “We were able to forge a connection on some sort of unspoken musical level. There is also another level of intensity to that connection when you are going through a mindf*ck like we were in Japan, and, I like to believe, they were here. Ultimately It boiled down to an unbelievable amount of respect for each others craft, woven out of a shared mindf*ck of an experience.” Tom added that he “got the vibe that if they lived in Joburg, they would be our best friends… Sometimes when you are chatting, and you don’t get through to them, you are met with a ‘Yes’ or sometimes a ‘Very good’, but between cell phone translator aps and miming out a whole bunch of shit, they became the kind of dudes you will be friends with for life.”

After only hearing the first single, Heaps Keen, off the new album, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the lads on Youthless, but my expectations were high. I have always felt a progression from Shortstraw. They had managed to build on their sound and grow, without detracting too much from what made them so popular in the first place. I am happy to report that they managed to do just that, yet again. Everything about the nights performance rang true to that sentiment. The band looked more professional then ever before, kitted out with in-ear monitors and other high-end gear. They were backed by the full ensemble present in the recording of the album, which included Fuzigish brass machine, Big Willy, on the trumpet, as well as back up acoustic guitars, violins and a whole load more. When I ask Alastair if this was a more ‘grown-up’ version of Shortstraw, he replied with ,”Yeah, we’ve taken the whole thing in a more grown up, business direction. We became a CC (close Corporation) and pay our f*cking taxes now. The band itself has become a bit of a grown up. Some people are bleak that we didn’t reproduce the sound from Good Morning Sunshine, but we consciously did that. We didn’t want to make the same record again.” Gad De Combes, keyboardist for the band, supplemented with, “This album had a mix of different influences. We’ve grown as musicians and as people. But we retroactively looked back at all the music we had grown up on, and found ways to draw on all of it as a whole. We were re-listening to everything, from Blink-182 to Bon Iver. The result is both mature and cheeky.” That last bit really stuck with me. ‘Mature and cheeky’. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s what Shortstraw have been to me and many others who I’ve shared dance floors with over the years. While they are often remembered for laugh-out-loud classics like ‘Keanu Reeves’, they are also the same musicians who penned ‘Waterworks’, which called for all us to “Search around for something on the inside”

‘Youthless’ was drummer Jake Rubensteins first crack at writing music alongside his band mates, replacing Oliver Nathan after his departure preceding ‘Good Morning Sunshine’. “It was great to be a part of writing songs, rather then just performing them. It was a f*ckload of fun, and I’m proud to say I am now properly a part of this band. I was really intimidated going in, but that pushed me harder and ultimately made me a better drummer. I’m really proud of what I’ve done on the album. Alastair noted how “Jake brought another level of creativity to the writing process, which I noticed almost right away in the studio.” Not wanting to take anything away from Oliver, who for many years was my favorite drummer to watch, Jakes inclusion on Youthless gave it a more nuanced edge, which could be attributed to his ability to play, and understanding of, other instruments such as the piano.

Now that the album launch is done and dusted, the band is turning its attention back to gigging all around the country. With slots at Kirstenbosch Gardens, Sowing the Seeds, Splashy Fen, Freedom Festival and the MTN Bushfire Festival in Swaziland, all going down before the end of next month, Shortstraw are easily one of the hardest working bands in the country. And on top of this, the band is looking to keep their flagship no-cost show, Boosh, going. For those not in the know, Boosh is a free event hosted by Shortstraw that pairs them with a number of established and up-and-coming bands from all over the country. Alastair mentions how Boosh ,”became a rad platform for bands that weren’t really used to playing to big crowds, avoiding the pitfalls of having a commercial or overbranded event. Its just fun on a f*cking Sunday, and its f*cking awesome!”

Unfortunately the ever-growing schedule of the band in both their private and professional lives means that Boosh will happen less frequently this year, yet there is every intention of keeping Boosh alive and well.

Ultimately, ‘Youthless’ is a culmination of years of experimentation, expression and experience. Despite all their ‘growing up’, Shortstraw have managed to hang on to whatever mischievous undertones made them such an instantly recognizable sound.

Dune Rats – Rumours Interview

Almost a year after hitting South African shores for the first time, the Dune Rats returned to promote their upcoming new self-titled album, which has since dropped at the beginning of this month. I sat down with lead vocalist and guitarist Danny Beusa for a chat about their time spent in sunny South Africa, and their hopes for the new album.

Well, I say I sat down with Danny, but it was more like I tagged along for a beer downing, spliff smoking bonanza that seemed almost ‘Fear and loathing’–esque. I had met up with the Aussie lads at Rumours in Weltevreden Park. They were visibly drained when they arrived, obviously the insane hours they had racked up on planes darting around the planet for the past few months had started to have an effect on them. But once a beer was firmly lodged into their hands, and some spliff (that’s dagga, mom) was inhaled, they became the most entertaining people on the planet. And I’m not even talking about the show!

Don’t get me wrong, they lived up to every shred of hype they had built here since their last visit, but they seemed to dominate attention and praise off-stage as much as they did on it. “Being in a touring band is f***ing cool. We make new friends almost every night, and most of the time people are buying us beer.” Says Danny as he and I receive free beers from some rather attractive ladies at the bar. “Coming back to South Africa wasn’t even a question for us. After the last tour, which pretty much blew our f**king minds, we knew we’d jump at the chance to go back if it was ever on the table.” Said Danny. “The response we got last time was a complete surprise. And not because we thought there’d be f**king lions running around outside the venue. But because the people here felt just like home. You’d don’t travel halfway around the world and expect to get along with [the] people there as much as you do with your bong-buddy back home.”

Almost everywhere the Dunies went that night, they had a posse of fans following them around. Not the “sign my boobies’ kind of fans (although I’m pretty damn sure that did happen at some point), but rather the “lets hang out and be best friends forever” kind of fans. It almost seemed as if the Dune Rats were South African first, and Australian second.

Well I thought that for a while. Then I chatted to the bands’ drummer BC and bassist, Brett. Those dudes have the THICKEST Australian accent. And the constant beer chugging didn’t make it any easier. I probably said “Excuse me?” more times then they had said “c*nt” that night. If you know anything about the Dunies, then you know that’s pretty impressive. To them, the C word is a term of endearment, an exclamation, an insult, a compliment and a space-filler. “You f**king c**ts give me a boner in my soul!” said Brett to Gad de Combs and Thomas Revington of Shortstraw fame. Well, at least that’s what it sounded like.

Speaking of Shortstraw, The Dune Rats developed a tight bond with the indie-kwela hunks on their first trip to SA. The bands lead singer, Alistair Thomas, said to me as the night was drawing to an end, “Without them [The Dune Rats] our tour of Japan and Australia probably wouldn’t have happened. They were just so cool about helping us make the connections we needed to get the tour organized.” Shortstraws bassist, Russel Grant, was quick to jump in… ”It was actually quite crazy and incredible to come back from a tour in Australia and Japan and get to play with they guys who helped make it happen.”

Between them, Shorstraw and The Dune Rats ripped Rumours a new one. Sweat-droplets had started to form on the walls and the roof of the club, a true testament to how these bands force you to abandon your cool guy, bob-your-head sentimentalities for a more squeak-your-takkie and spill-your-drink kind of attitude. Danny mentions how, “We never really wanted to be as famous as possible, ya know? The only reason we do this is because our mates got sick of us being stingy with our music, so we started playing proper shows. Apparently a whole bunch of other c**ts thought the same thing, cause it wasn’t so long after that, they stuck us in a plane and flew us to Asia, Europe and f**king Africa!” He added later that “That’s kinda what our new album is about. We are just so f**king stoked that after what me and BC started all those moons ago, our lives are so different now. As long as people will listen, we will make noise. And smoke bong.”