My Crazy Music

Dancing to a Brand New Style

2007-06-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

This article originally appeared in Edition 6, 2007 of VARSITY Newspaper.

They aren’t signed to a record label, yet they are already one of South Africa’s hottest musical exports. CODA have managed to make a name for themselves in the city and across the country with their unique electric sound. They have recently returned from touring Dubai, adding to their list of impressive performances, which also includes a recent show at Victoria Falls.

Featuring the extremely talented Yolanda Yawa on vocals, accomplished electric cellist Carol Thorns, the gifted Rayelle Goodman on violin and one of South Africa’s hottest DJs, Nick Matthews, it’s unsurprising that CODA is achieving so much success. Unlike many new bands, all the members of this band have been in the business for years, sharing stages with some of the greatest local and international musicians.

Many make the mistake of comparing their eclectic mix of sounds and genres to that of Freshlyground, but they adamantly defend the fact that they are not a replica of the group. ‘It’s an honour to be compared at this stage, but we don’t want to be accused of copying them,’ says Thorn. ‘Our music is very different, our sound is very different,’ adds Yawa. And they are totally different, combining Afro-pop and jazz with strings and house, their sound is groundbreaking as far as collaborations are concerned.

Initiated by Thorn in late 2005, the band has gone from one success to another. They were nominated for a Top Billing Lifestyle Award for band of the year, after only a few months together. Their debut album Believe was released in November last year and has been very well received. The band also has a broad fan base that seems to transcend all boundaries of race, class and gender.

With a PR background, Thorn also acts as the band’s manager: ‘I love promoting CODA, because I am a part of it. I love marketing us. Everyone has skills outside of the group that make us successful.’ Ensuring that the band always looks good, Yawa runs her own design company, Yawa Creations. Matthews has an extensive background in writing, producing and recording music and Goodman has an amazing social network, which they confess to utilising.

The band started out performing at corporate events, before crossing over to the public market. With lots of international demand, Matthews considers their success a privilege. ‘To be able to do your passion, and for people to actually take you seriously enough that they want to do that with you, is an honour.’

Their name comes from a musical term, which signifies the end of a piece of music, when all the significant themes come together. The meaning of CODA, for the band has grown and evolved over time to encapsulate their personality. The name of their album was suggested by former Minister of Education, Kadar Asmal, who met them after they performed for diplomats and celebrities at Desmond Tutu’s 75^th birthday party.

Often referred to as South Africa’s best new live act, listening to their promising album fails to capture the lively energy they possess onstage. They are thrilling live. The band is constantly bombarded with requests to perform their covers of musical icon, Brenda Fassie’s hits. ‘It’s a very overwhelming feeling. When I was younger I grew up singing Brenda Fassie. To get the privilege of singing her songs and continuing her legacy is something I am very proud of,’ says Yawa.

All the band members contribute to composing and writing the tracks. ‘It’s a process…’ laughs Matthews. ‘It doesn’t have a certain method – it just happens,’ adds Yawa. In addition to calling in some of South Africa’s best artists to work alongside them on Believe, they feature a couple of brilliant covers – including Fassie’s ‘No No No Senor’. They are currently in the early stages of conceptualising their second album.

CODA will be performing a free show at Relish in town on Friday at 6:30pm. Their debut album, Believe, featuring their hit single ‘Yiyizela/ Brand New Style’ is in Look and Listen stores now.

Loving the Joneses

2007-04-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

We may just be looking at the prototype for the South African super group of the next generation
Durban-based band Love Jones skyrocketed onto the national music scene late last year with their quality blend of pop rock that is resonating with audiences of all races and backgrounds. Skyrocketing is definitely the only way to describe it as lead singer Esjay reiterates, ‘It’s been really cool because it happened very quickly. Like, bands usually take a good five to ten years to get to where we’re at now. If you think about it in this country – it’s amazing.’

Faced with increased piracy, declining record sales and technological advances that are making access to multimedia free and easily accessible, being a musician is not as profitable as it used to be. Many South African artists are struggling to make a living in the industry, which is more competitive and fickle than it has ever been. Seemingly, striking the perfect combination of a decent amount of talent, good looks and that vital business savvy is the only way to make it and one band daring to figure out that combination are these relatively new kids on the block.

The brainchild of lead-singer Esjay and Peter Jones, Love Jones has been together for just over two years, having formed the in January 2005. Within a short time, they managed to independently record their debut album and release it on their own label WE LOVE JONES FORESHORE. Esjay was heavily involved in the business side of the label, acting as label manager she secured a bank loan to record the album and personally delivered singles to radio stations. ‘Trying to sell yourself to people and be like “this is the product we have, we need your help, come alongside us” – it’s a very hard thing, says Esjay.’

Although the label and record achieved some success independently, it was only when they were signed to indie label Sheer Music in early 2006 that they managed to achieve major success. Sheer Music re-released their self-titled debut album, after which sales picked up and radio airplay increased. For many bands who are all about maintaining creative control and being about the music, signing to a large, albeit independent, label is selling out, but Esjay argues that it is a necessary sacrifice, ‘It costs a lot of money to make a band happen in a professional capacity and you actually can’t do it without some sort of sponsor.’

Being signed to a major label helps build a national fan base as lead guitarist Jason Jones explains, ‘It’s a problem if you have to distribute the album on your own, as an independent artist, but if you can get some kind of assistance, whether it’s a label or a company it becomes easier. Otherwise, it’s pretty much that if you’re based in Joburg it’ll be in Joburg, if you’re based in Cape Town it will be in Cape Town.’

Within months, their first single ‘Kicks’ was at No. 2 on the 5FM’s Hi 5@5 chart and their video was the most played on MK89 – Africa’s biggest music channel. The song eventually took the number one position on various radio stations around the country.

Getting your song played on the radio is not enough to make it, playing live and interacting with your existing fans and gaining new ones is just as important. Love Jones has definitely not shied away from touring and are one of the hardest touring acts in the country. They recently completed a national tour with successful local artist Karma. ‘It was a good time. We played to a whole bunch of people we have never played to before. I think we won over a lot of new “fans” – if that’s the right word. It was our first serious, like “on the road” tour. It was hard, long, lots of driving, lots of sleepless nights. Seeing what it’s really like on the road – it’s not all glamorous, says Esjay.’

Growing their fan base has been something on the top of their list of priorities. Oddly enough Love Jones has huge crossover appeal. South Africa music is still, undoubtedly, generally divided along racial lines and Love Jones has a traditionally white appeal. However, strangely Black audiences seem to get drawn into the spirit of the band and they have developed a quite huge black following. A somewhat perplexed Esjay says, ‘I’m not too sure what the crossover appeal is – it’s luck?’

But leaving this little bit of luck unexploited is something that Love Jones is not willing to do. ‘We have just done a single with Mzambiya. It’s amazing, I mean I’m freaking out about it,’ says an enthusiastic Esjay who wrote the track with urban appeal and collaboration in mind. While crossover acts are beginning to collaborate more often, this is still a rather unusual combination. They were introduced through their record label and when the multi-platinum Kwaito superstar heard it he was happy to hop on. ‘I wrote the song – it’s amazing,’ says Esjay. ‘It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

Mzambiya is very down to earth according to Esjay, ‘He’s sold like a zillion records, he’s 18 years old or 19 – and he’s driving a convertible Merc and we’re like, “I don’t even own a car man!” This guy’s doing something right. He’s super-humble, he was so excited about collaborating with us.’ The song titled ‘Limozeen’ seemingly fits both acts perfectly. ‘It’s got a very urban appeal lyrically. The whole kinda like bling bling, I wanna ride in your limousine, like Snoop Dogg and his bitches,’ she laughs.

And the collaborations don’t end there. ‘I am actually chatting with a big RnB artist called Jae. I met with her last week and we’re gonna look at doing something as well. It’s just getting out into everybody else’s fanbase and you can’t ever do enough of that. And she’s massive, she really is,’ says Esjay about Durban’s diva Jae, who was the first local RnB artist to achieve a platinum-selling album in the country.

Describing their sound as skanky chic, Esjay admits that it was difficult to capture the essence of who they are as a band on an album. ‘I think, in terms of song writing we’re a rock band. It’s rocky, we’re very pop influenced,’ she says. But the challenge of developing a signature sound in this generic genre was a bigger challenge, ‘Love Jones is an extremely fun, energetic band - like onstage. It’s very hard to capture that on such a kind of clinical format like a CD. But, I think we did okay – it’s got a good glimpse of what Love Jones is.’

A visionary, Esjay, has studied business and applied this to the marketing of the band. ‘Obviously with your album your aim is to sell as many records as possible, so it needs to be radio friendly, it needs to be poppy – and I think we got that,’ she says. Appealing to the masses can often prove critically disastrous, but so far it seems as though they have managed to save themselves from falling into that trap.

A number of line-up changes have meant that Esjay, who uses the stage name Miss Jones, and Steve Jones are the only original remaining members of the four-piece. Peter Jones left the band towards the end of 2006 and was replaced by Jason Jones. The most recent addition is that of Isaac Jones on drums. Too add to their novelty, members have ditched their original surnames in favour of Jones. Judging by their interaction, one would assume that these guys have been together for ages.

Being led by the only female is part of the band’s appeal and this is something that Miss Jones has been more than eager to embrace. ‘It’s great. I love it. I don’t put myself aside, saying that I can’t do this because I’m a girl. The guys really respect me and I really respect them and we know when to give each other space. It’s nice and everyone’s got that great sense of humour. So we have a good time,’ she says.

The band’s crossover appeal is not limited to local audiences. Next on there agenda is cracking the American market, which they plan to tour in the next few months. They were invited to perform, but couldn’t due to time constraints, at the famed celebrity-hangout The Viper Room in LA, so the interest is definitely there. They are also planning to tour the UK, Australia and Japan next year.

In addition to embracing the Internet, the band has made it their goal to explore every avenue they can. Exploiting every tool available is what makes Love Jones the prototype for the South African super group of the next generation. Esjay’s business savvy is definitely placing them on the path to achieving their ultimate goal of international multi-platinum status. ‘All of us want to make a living out of it and we want to be able to retire with it one day,’ she says authoritatively.

Love Jones Interview Transcript

2007-04-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

I recently got to interview the band LOVE JONES, here is the full transcript from that interview:

Twanji Kalula: You’ve been around for nearly two years, but achieved most of your success very recently – in the last few months - and very quickly. What has that been like?

Miss Jones: It’s been really cool because it happened very quickly. Like, bands usually take a good five to ten years to get to where we’re at now. If you think about it in this country – it’s amazing. People are really clinging onto it and being so supporting. It’s very overwhelming, because I sit at home and then I go to a mall, with friends and people are like ‘oh you are the girl who like plays in that band’ – and my friends are like [pulls face].

Jason Jones: They do that to me too – they say “you’re that girl who plays in the band”! [Laughs]

Miss Jones: It was so crazy. I was walking through Game the other day doing some house shopping, getting cupboards and lights and stuff for my new place and this little black girl, she was probably about 8 years old, ran up to me and was like “it’s miss jones, it’s miss jones” and it was the weirdest thing I have ever seen in my life and she goes “mom, mom, mom” [Laughs]. I didn’t know what to do… put my dark glasses on…

TK: Your stuff is all over radio, what was it like hearing your song for the first time?

MJ: I can’t actually remember when the first time I ever heard, like, the Love Jones stuff on the radio. I think it might have been a Sunday night with the 5fm new music thing, when you know the songs coming out for the first time and you’ve got all your friends sitting around they radio. It’s cool, even now when I hear the son on the radio I’me like “were on the radio” and I turn it up. It’s really cool. Exciting. I don’t think it’s a feeling that will ever go away.

TK: and walking into a shop and seeing your CD for the first time – is that a moment as well?

MJ: Yeah, it’s cool. Yeah, it’s weird. Because you’re walking in to check if your album is actually in stock, “so do you have the Love Jones album?”, like undercover. [Laughs]

TK: You mentioned that distribution is a problem for local artists, what other challenges are you facing?

JJ: It’s a problem if you have to distribute the album on your own, as an independent artist, but if you can get some kind of assistance, whether it’s a label or a company it becomes easier. Otherwise, it’s pretty much that if you’re based in JHB it’ll be in JHB, if you’re based in Cape Town it will be in Cape Town.

MJ: I think the biggest problem that most artists face, besides distribution and albums and stuff is actually finances. It costs a lot of money to make a band happen in a professional capacity and you actually can’t do it without some sort of sponsor. Trying to sell yourself to people and be like “this is the product we have, we need your help, come alongside us” – it’s a very hard thing.

TK: You have been very active in promoting yourselves and you have toured so much recently, what was the KARMA/ Love Jones tour like?

MJ: It was a good time. I mean we played to a whole bunch of people we have never played to before. I think we won over a lot of new “fans” – if that’s the right word. It was a good tour. It was our first serious, like “on the road” tour. It was hard, long, lots of driving, lots of sleepless nights. Seeing what it’s really like on the road – it’s not all glamorous.

TK: You spent a while recording your album, what were the influences you drew on locally and internationally?

MJ: I think, in terms of song writing we’re a rock band. It’s rocky, we’re very pop influenced. I think the overall sound of the album… [pause] Love Jones is an extremely fun, energetic band - like onstage. It’s very hard to capture that on such a kind of clinical format like a CD. But, I think we did okay – it’s got a good glimpse of what Love Jones is. But obviously with your album your aim is to sell as many records as possible, so it needs to be radio friendly, it needs to be poppy – and I think we got that,

TK: You have this huge black fanbase that just keeps growing and growing, what do you think is your crossover appeal?

MJ: Um

Sam Alberts – manager: It definitely has become bigger

MJ: I’m not too sure what the crossover appeal is – it’s luck? We have just done a single with Mzambiya. It’s amazing, I mean I’m freaking out about it. I wrote the song – it’s amazing.

TK: What was that like – a collaboration like this is practically unheard of – I mean people are still getting over the Danny K and Mandoza thing.

MJ: It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Mzambiya is such a humble guy. He’s sold like a zillion records, he’s 18 years old or 19 – whatever and he’s driving a convertible Merc and we’re like [pulls face] – I don’t even own a car man! This guy’s doing something right. So yeah, it was amazing, he’s super-humble, he was so exicted about collaborating with us. He just kept going… like he was so fascinated with the guitar and was like I’ve gotta learn how to play the guitar. He was just like I love you guys – this is amazing.

TK: How did the collaboration come about by the way?

[Pause for interaction with an approaching friend/fan]

[MJ asks for sip of SA’s blueberry milkshake from across the table]

MJ: I had it in mind with the song, the whole time, to do a collaboration. It’s got a very urban appeal lyrically. The whole kinda like bling bling, I wanna ride in your limousine, like Snoop Dogg and his bitches. [Laughs]

JJ: We did say his “posse”

MJ: You said posse! [Laughs] Um yeah, so Mzambiya is on the same record label as we are, so that is kind of the introduction and he heard the song and he loved it and he was just like game game game…

TK: You’re re-releasing the album on the 30^th

MJ: That is correct

TK: What can we expect that’s different, why should we buy this album again?

MJ: Because, this time round, Love Jones has gone from Love Jone to this is Love Jones now. The four people who are in it, these are the people who are gonna stick out with Love Jones till the day that we’re really old and I can’t get out of my wheelchair anymore. The packaging of it is amazing as well. We have a new icon where it’s a heart, but it’s lips. So it’s very rock and roll, yet very bling. I think that’s where we click. There’s the whole masculine element of the Love Jones’s boys and then there’s the feminine element, so it’s trying to kinda brig it both in – I think we’ve done a good job.

TK: What’s it like being the only lady among these guys?

MJ: It’s great. I love it. It’s um, yeah – I don’t put myself aside, saying that I can’t do this because I’m a girl… You know, we have – the guys really respect me and I really respect them and we know when to give each other space. It’s nice and everyone’s got that great sense of humour. So we have a good time.

TK: I just have to ask about the Viper Room. The Viper room is one of those venues that we only hear about on E! Entertainment and The Fabulous Life of… what was it like being asked to play their relatively early in your career?

MJ: We’ve just been… I don’t think any South African band has ever been invited to play at the viper room. So, it’s like and honour, beyond honours, beyond honours. We’ve just been completely blown away.

SA: It was extremely overwhelming. It was like when we got the email, cause we asked for a possible performance with the artists that are playing for August – we’re going on tour to the States and they came back to us and it’s like, “do you wanna play? Yeah, we know it’s like three months earlier, but we don’t plan as far as August. Do you think you could play at the 30^th? And I was like mmmm. It was actually quite frantic – it was like two and a half weeks before the show and stuff like that. We went through all this craziness, making arrangements. The heartbreaking thing and the complete let down is that the US consulate only told us last week Friday that the band on that side needs to put in a petition to ask for permission to invite us to go over and that whole process takes three weeks and it wouldn’t get done in time. I mean the show is next week Friday and we got the news on Friday. Right now I think where we’re at, it’s just like we were invited and we can say that ‘we were invited to play at the Viper Room. It’s a complete let down and umm, I didn’t know how to say it, when I had to call everyone and go guys, it ain’t gonna happen. It’s a stack of paper this thick [shows with hand] and all of it bombed out. They all went back to Durban and I was sitting in my house going, ‘life sucks’. Bout, to get the invite – like she said, it was an absolute honour. We are going back. We’ll get there. We’ll eventually play it.

TK: I heard that you [MJ] had a potential record deal in the US that you had to turn down, what are the challenges, do you think, for local artist who are trying to break the international market?

SA: Get a Visa! [Laughs]

MJ: Well obviously. You have to be objective to yourself and say, ‘well am I on a level where I can compete with these international acts?’ It’s a completely different level of playing. But at the same point you get to that and you believe that “yes, I actually have what it takes.” And then you can’t go anywhere without the higher authority’s permission. Unfortunately if they say nay then you’re stuffed.

SA: But in the last two weeks there’s been a lot of bands who tried to go to the states and had their visa declined. I do think that… I don’t think that the problem necessarily lies with the individual – in the sense that SJ doesn’t have this and this and this. They don’t give you the outline of what you need to do. Cause once you’ve done that and got enough money. There’s talks of a band who just went up there and paid 60 000 for a visa, do you know what I mean… and it’s a performing visa, which is what we need for this tour we’re doing. But no one really gives you the information and says if you wanna go over for this it’s this much. You get your general list of things. But I think that with there being so much attention on this Visa thing at the moment it’ll become a little bit easier, because everyone is aware of it. They know that certain things need to happen.

[Interview pauses for thumb war between MJ and JJ.MJ beats JJ]

JJ: You better erase that [points to Dictaphone and laughs]

TK: You’ve been lined-up for the ‘My Coke Fest’ and you get to share a stage with Guns and Roses and Evanescence, surely that makes up for the Viper room?

MJ: Yeah, we can’t actually believe it. When Sam phoned us Sam was actually crying. And was like ‘Oh my gosh, we’re playing at coke fest’ – and I was like ‘no ways, you’re kidding. I can’t believe it. The size of the stage is from here to the other side of the street – I’m gonna be skipping. I’ll have a skipping rope on stage and be like woo hoo!

TK: You’re coming back for Oppikoppi…

MJ: Yeah, we’re playing with Springbok Nude Girls on that set

TK: That’s what’s so interesting about you guys, like you’ve got all these international opportunities and opportunities to do things that are so much bigger than the local circuit, yet we still find you booked out for the rest of the year at smaller venues. How important is that to you and keeping in touch with your local fanbase?

MJ: It’s important for us as well. Playing on a big stage is different to playing in a club. The big stage almost covers up a lot of what being in a small club exposes you too, so it’s kind of… I find playing on a big stage so easy, we’re all at home and we’ve got big personalities. In a club it’s kinda like ‘my word, people are right there, it fits on all sides.”

TK: And future plans?

MJ: Well we’ve got our tour to the states. We plan on going to the UK as well. Australia early next year. Hopefully Japan early next year as well.

TK: You’ve just finished working wit Mzambiya, is there anyone else you would like to share a studio with?

MJ: I am actually chatting with a big RnB artist called Jae. I met with her last week and we’re gonna look at doing something as well. It’s just, it’s getting out into everybody else’s fanbase and you can’t ever do enough of that. And she’s massive, she really is.

TK: How will we see you evolve musically. How would you describe your current sound and where would your sound?

MJ: We sound like Love Jones. We’ve got a signature sound that’s very much us. It’s skanky chic

JJ: It’s an old school sound with a new… uh

MJ: Skanky chic

TK: You have used the internet as well as a promotional tool. How important are things like MySpace to your music?

MJ: In terms of media, internet is really the way to go, like YouTube all that stuff. Someone actually told me stats the other day of kids literally don’t watch TV anymore – it’s the internet. And if they’re on the TV it’s playing playstation. So it’s literally the internet. Kids aren’t listening to the radio anymore, they’re listening to streaming audio, or it’s the internet. So internet is where you… If I could spend all day on Myspace I would. It’s addictive. I love it!

TK: I believe that success is something that every individual defines for themselves, what will it take for you to consider Love Jones a huge success?

MJ: Yes. I think Love Jones is definitely fun and about music, but I think primarily it’s a business. All of us want to make a living out of it and we want to be able to retire with it one day. I think the point where we become multi-platinum selling artists. It’s an honour to win awards, but it’s like ‘I sold two million albums’. That’s an amazing thing.

JJ: I think it’s also being able to tour the world and know that you have got a home to come to and you can take as long a break as you want to take and not worry about where’s my next rent money coming from.

MJ: I think it’s to be financially stable. To be perfectly honest it would all be great for us to go, we all have places that we can call home. We can tour the country and finances aren’t the problem.

TK: You have mentioned that you feel pretty solid as a band. Do you feel like any of you have solo ambitions and if so how will you deal with that?

JJ: I’ve always had a policy. We’re all creative people, so at some point or another there’s going to be some branching out. Not necessarily just music, it could be anything. I think that just as long as your focus remains with Love Jones. If that is what your focus is you can’t jeopardise it, everything else will work around it. Because, in a way, you can say that Love Jones is a job and everything else is my hobby. So yes, probably we will be branching out, but not to the extent where we’re splitting up. Personally I’ll never allow that. No one’s leaving.

MJ: If they did I would have to put them over my knee and spank them.

JJ: Okay

MJ: No mommy, no mommy.

TK: As you are becoming more and more popular, people will want to know more about you personally and your personal lives. And several magazines are definitely pushing this local celebrity paparazzi thing. Do you see yourself as celebrities and how do you see yourselves handling it?

JJ: I’m not. [laughs]. I’m not a celebrity.

MJ: I think celebrity unfortunately comes, well not unfortunately, but it comes as part of what we do. And whether you like it or not, if you’re on a pedestal in people’s eyes you have a responsibility that you have to love up to and it’s just one of those things that come with being part of what you do. It’s fun. It’s a lot of pressure as well, because effects relationships badly, because you kind of have two different lives. When you’re out in public you always watch who’s around and if you see a camera, you’re like [pulls face]. And the person you’re with is like, ‘babe, you’re with me just chill’ and it’s not like that. It’s very hard to differentiate a life. I understand why Britney’s where she’s at!

TK: You mentioned that an 8 year old girl approached you, do you see yourself as a role model in anyway. Do you feel a responsibility towards these kids who are raised by their TV sets?

JJ: Good question!

MJ: It’s a massive responsibility. And you know, to a certain... I do accept the responsibility, I’m not gonna ever promote negative lifestyles. I am really not. I believe that in order to be driven and ambitious you need to have your head space in there, but yeah. It’s a very tough question. I would take it on fully, but there are things that I do, that are part of my lifestyle that a lot of parents would probably not agree with. Role model is a very difficult word, there are a lot of categories it falls under.

TK: There are a lot of band, who are just starting out and they see you guys and think ‘I wanna do that’. If you could do it over what are some of the changes you would have made?

MJ: Finish your degree. Stay home and put down your instruments.

Isaac Jones: I think that lots of new bands think they’re gonna make a big success by having a couple of good songs and just messing around and getting drunk or taking drugs or whatever in their garage, and it doesn’t work like that. It’s about dedicating most of your time to your goal and putting in all the work. It’s like working a job – having dedication and stuff like that. You have a dream, but whatever it is you have to work hard at doing it

TK: One final question, you guys are all from Durban, what’s it like being away from home so much now that you are touring and promoting the record?

MJ: It’s amazing. Being in the band allows us to see a lot of the country, a lot of the world. It’s difficult when it comes to having a relationship. Obviously you miss your friends, relationships is incredibly difficult. You love what you do, your career comes first, but at the same time you love the person that you’re in love with. It’s very hard to balance the two. That’s probably the biggest. Relationships are the pits.

Welcome to my new BLOG

2007-04-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have set up this BLOG because I am doing a university course at the moment which focuses on Music Journalism and there is a strong focus on online journalism. As a course requirement, and just because I think we're doing some pretty interesting stuff, I will be posting the various assignments and exercises that we do for your viewing pleasure.

I will be starting off with an interview and feature I did on the popular South African pop/rock band Love Jones, who are doing really well at the moment. I met them for coffee at Mr Pickwick's Deli on Long Street a few weeks ago and they were really great. I usually have an aversion to non-alcoholic beverages, but Mr Pickwicks has amazing milkshakes. I loved the interview - they are very serious about their position in the music industry and I love that - so check them out.

Remember to visit my primary BLOG - My Crazy Life

Keep Well,

Twanji