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Interview with South African band REBURN

We met up with Reburn after their sound check at Assembly, Cape Town’s premier live music and entertainment night club that showcases the best local national and international bands and DJs . Reburn was set to perform live later that evening.

We were spotted by Frontman, Scottie who assured us that they would soon be ready for our interview after a photo shoot. We were following up with the band after a well received live acoustic performance at VIVA Cafe in Green Point, Cape Town.

For those of you that do not know,  Reburn is a South African Indie Rock Band based in Cape Town who have achieved success following a release of their first single, No Other Place. The single has been played in heavy rotations on radio stations nationally that include 5FM,MFM, PUK FM, UCT Radio, Two Oceans Vibe, Zone Radio and Voice of Wits.

They have performed at major events and festivals such as  Rocking the Daisies 2010, St Georges Park stadium at the Cricket 20/20 final and recently at the RAMfest 2013 sharing the main stage with International bands, Rise Against (USA) and Bring Me The Horizon(UK).

The band consists of five members namely, Alex McFarlane (guitar/vocals), Scottie Moore (Frontman), Craig Hermanus(guitar/vocals), Wade Brown(drums) and  Quinton van Rooyen(bass) .

Despite their prior engagements with full- time jobs, the band is passionate about music and will make up time to prepare, perform and rehearse good quality, mesmeric music that is something special for their audience.

So what inspired you to make music together?

Scottie: I think all of us have different reasons, It is just our passion. To be a musician in South Africa is not easy unless you one of the bigger bands and you can do it. We all work full time, so what has inspired us is our passion for music, wanting to be on stage to make music.

How did you start the band?

Quinton: Alex started the band, Craig joined in shortly after and one day [Alex] just rocked up with Scottie and said this was going to be our new vocalist. This was about 5 years ago and Wade joined about 3 years ago, just before Rocking the Daisies 2010. I joined in February 2012.

Where are you originally from?

Quinton: We quite the international band as far as it goes, with Craig and Wade being the only real South Africans. Scottie and Alex are originally Scottish and I am originally from Namibia.

Craig: I actually have French heritage. My great, great  grandfather moved down to Hermanus and loved Hermanus so much that he changed our surname.

What are your most popular tracks?

Scottie:  Out of My Mind, Anti- Louise and then  I would say our most popular song of the day now is No Other Place.

Would you say your latest singles are different from  your previous other tracks. By latest tracks, I am referring to, No Other Place and Won’t let Go? Why?

Quinton: Yes , it’s is starting to show how we as a unit now have progressed.

Alex: I think you can see and hear the evolution. From the early stuff right up until now, we have evolved quite a lot as a band and as we get new members, we seem to kind of Morph into something new every time

Scottie: We just trying to make music now that we enjoy playing and want to listen to.

 

Who are your major influences?

Reburn: Our Influences are so broad and so diverse but the real influence is how we feed off each other once we start working in studio.

What are fans/ people saying about you?

Quinton: I think our fans genuinely say good things about us, You could ask them tonight  yourselves … (everyone  laughs).

Do you have a record label?

Reburn: No, we have a Manager , Maruis, he is a legend…. but no record label yet hint, hint.

Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list?

Quinton: Not a set playlist

Scottie: The most popular songs we play in bigger shows and at acoustic shows we do covers as well.  

Quinton:  When we do acoustic shows at small club setting like for instance VIVA café,  people appreciate that we do covers once in a while because it is such a relaxed vibe. We also get an even better response when we do our own stuff.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?

Reburn: Scottie does most of the lyrics.

Scottie: I had gone through a breakup with the first album so most of the lyrics were cheeky lyrics and now that I fallen in love again  most of the new songs are about love. 

Reburn: We have to get him a new hobby, like surfing or playing soccer….(everyone laughs)

Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

Craig: Most of the time, Alex or myself would come up with a riff. Then everyone starts adding their own piece to it. Everyone tries different things, some work, some don’ t and sometimes the new ideas are so much better, that the original idea doesn't even get used. Every song is different, and evolve in their own way. To box oneself to a set of rules of how to write a song, would be ignorant and not very creative at all. We make music that we enjoy playing. Music with feeling and emotion, and to see other people enjoy it too, just makes it that much more worth it!

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

Scottie:  We all work full time so rehearsals is sort of like a release for us; a place where you can go scream, shout and have fun. [Our rehearsals] are Monday& Tuesday: 7 pm to about 10 pm.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Scottie: Finance. It has been a big challenge for us but we haven't let it hold us back or stop us from doing anything we set out to do. If you want something enough you will always make a plan. We have overcome this challenge by all of us understanding what our goal is and refusing to take NO for an answer.

What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

Reburn: To be full time musicians and not have to do the rat race, [to] play music and last more than 15 minutes. [we want to] be recognised locally and internationally.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Reburn:Persistence beats resistance, you have to keep on going. It’s got to be a passion and  you should  believe in yourself.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

Reburn: Facebook, Twitter, Sound club and  Drop Box.

Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

Quinton: John Moore and Antonio Manuel as well as every single person who rocks up for our gigs. Also, the venues that allow us to play in the first place

One more thing before we get to the conclusion,…  Wade is often spotted seated on somewhat of a beat or sound box? What do you call that and what is the story behind it?

Wade: O.K, the story with the cajon. It is a percussive instrument used by drummers or percussionists.  I usually use it when we do acoustic shows. It sounds like a drum solo in a box and is a dream to move from venue to venue. I call it the speak box,  people are always amazed when they see and hear it for the first time and i be like "yeah better recognize "

What people can expect from Reburn in the future?

Quinton: We are busy writing new material that is more in keeping with where we are as a band right now. We might release another single in the coming months as we have done with Won't Let Go and No Other Place and then finalise the songs for our upcoming album. There is no set date for it yet, but we're hoping for an end of year release.

Other than that, we're trying to play at every club and festival in the country before hopefully taking things overseas for a visit.

Click here to Watch "No Other Place"