Rocking riffs through the night [Pics]
Music at a grassroots level - that is what was on show during the end-of-the-month open mic at Warnadoone Ski Boat Club.
THE LOVE OF music was on full display as both experienced and up-and-coming bands and solo acts strummed, sang and rocked out on stage for an open mic hosted by Warnadoone Ski Boat Club on August 28.
Among the acts were The Golden Super Hawks, You First and the winners of the recent Rock the School show at Amanzimtoti High School, Kismet.
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Everything from rock to metal, 60s classics to Midwestern folk had its fair share of air time.
Jon-Claude Stirling said that his first gig was at an open mic when he was just starting out.
“Growing up in Amanzimtoti, there was always a folk club or an open mic happening somewhere. It hadn’t happened for a couple of years and Shane (Strachan) and I realised there was a need for it,” said Stirling.
He said after getting the green light from Warnadoone Ski Boat Club, they have been hosting it at the end of every month for over a year.
“It’s amazing to see some of the new acts come through. You never know what you’re going to get, who’s going to come and perform and what they’re going to play. It’s also remarkable to see regular acts get better and I hope by doing these open mics, we encourage up-and-coming artists and the music scene in Amanzimtoti. If it wasn’t for open mics and events like it, I think there are a lot of professional musicians who would not have a platform to even start on,” said Stirling.
Cayden Porter, of the band You First, said that he can attribute a lot of the band’s growth to the open mic, the connections they have made through it, as well as other Durban-based musical shows.
“We look forward to it each month. It’s always fun to connect with other artists and keep building our community of musicians up. A lot of the gigs we end up playing tend to be around Durban, especially because of the style of music we play, but we are working on trying to bring more bands together to play events around Amanzimtoti. There is a ton of potential for alternative music here, so we relish every chance we get to play locally to show venues we do have a crowd behind us itching for more alternative shows,” said Porter.
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