Local boys make beautiful music together
A band that competed in a battle of the bands four years ago has become one of the most well-known local bands. They say the sky is the limit for them.
What do you get when you combine a deep love for music with a few friends and a battle of the bands?
Well, Dagdroom, of course.
Dagdroom is a local band, consisting of young local artists who have been entertaining audiences with their lively music since 2015.
JJ Schoeman, Adriaan Schoembie and Heyden Genner all played in bands from an early age. Adriaan and Heyden started playing in the same church band together, while JJ met Adriaan through skateboarding.
The boys then collaborated to take part in a battle of the bands at a local high school, and the rest is history.
In the beginning there were five members in the band, and after competing in battle of the bands they had just a month to prepare for their first show. Part of these preparations included having a name. They wanted to go with Draadloos but that was already taken.
“One of our members once said, ‘At work, I just sit and daydream of making music’, and that is how the name Dagdroom came to be,” explained Adriaan.
They describe themselves as a multi-genre band that plays radio-friendly music for the whole family to enjoy. They started off by doing covers and eventually started writing their own music as well.
They released their first album, a compilation of cover songs and a few of their original songs, in 2015. They have considered doing only cover songs for their second album, followed by a third consisting of their own originals, but haven’t quite made up their minds yet.
They graced the KKNK stage in 2016 and 2017, performed at every Randfontein Show since 2015, and at this year’s show, they played right after Francois van Coke.
Photos: Natasha Pretorius.
The band’s music tastes are as different as their personalities – JJ said that he likes blues music, while Adriaan is more of a Punk Rocker, and Heyden has a love for all folk music.
“When you cross the voice of an angel with Theuns Jordaan’s voice, then you get JJ’s voice,” Adriaan said.
JJ is however not the only one with a unique talent, as Adriaan can play the drums and the trumpet at the same time, and Heyden plays the Irish tin flute and the banjo.
When they are not making music, or daydreaming about music, JJ watches football and helps raise his five-month-old twins.
Heyden prefers a much more relaxed life and said that he is an online chess grandmaster who likes hiking in his spare time. He also plays in other bands and said music is his full-time job.
Adriaan enjoys playing Playstation and said that he makes his own whiskey and spirits. He opened his own recording studio, Jim Records, in 2013 after having to decide between being a chef and studying music. Choosing the latter was the best choice.
Dagdroom is a very busy band and plays all over the country almost every weekend.
You can follow them on their Facebook page to see where they will be performing next. And if you want to book them for your event, you can phone Adriaan at Machine Entertainment on 082 558 6779.
