So when I let Paternoster; filled with optimism and the random goodwill of others, I was a bit disappointed when the sky went from a crisp pool-blue to a kind of disappointed feather-grey. Worst of all, once I had circumvented the bay, climbed up a mountain in dress pants to get a good picture, and headed up the mountain pass away from Elands Bay, the clouds decided to take a momentary leave of absence. I would just like to say thank you nature for being a bit of prick. I mean I understand hurricanes, tsunami's, earth quakes and volcanoes. They have great special effects, wonderful marketing and powerful titles. However, people underestimate the life-destroying consequences of A Little Bit of Unfortunately-Timed Overcast Sky, now do they. Do you see how devastating it is, I can't even complain about it without sounding like a prat.
Oh well, back the story, let me tell you all about Elands Bay whilst trying to be a little bit funny, and entertaining enough to make you think I know what I am doing. This town feels untouched the raving need to build hotels and guest houses on any piece of beach that connects to major road. Which is weird because that is what the place is mostly; a very long strip of very pretty beach. It is 200 km out of Cape Town, which I found hard to believe. I know it did not take me that long to drive there, but I did put a few days into it. It was astonishing to me how much variety and natural splendour can be packed into such a small area. Perhaps the Garden Route really has been that long ago for me.
Once you arrive there are many things the website says you can do there, such as rowing, sailing, surfing, rock climbing, mountain-biking, bird watching, whale watching and fishing. Sadly I am rather adverse to getting wet, I don't really fish (oh I gave it a try but I just hate touching the things), so I took photographs instead.
Weirdly I found some of my favourite graffiti there. Not for the amazingly complex artistic talent it showcases, but for the reason I use for any kind of art, because I like it. To be fair, making me laugh did count in its favour.
The higher and higher I got up the coast, the more the grandeur of commerce felt like it was slipping away into a surrender to the grandeur of nature; where beaches are not beautiful from hotel windows, nor the mountains in need of illumination throughout the night. I am sure every one knows about the place, and of course there are very nice places you can stay and enjoy a high level of comfort; but it still surprised me. It almost made me feel like I had been living in the Soap Opera South Africa up until then, with its cosmopolitan expectations. If your not making thirty grand a year you're nobody. BMW is the only acceptable car to drive. To which country are you going to escape this terrible winter. Of course I am secretly shallow; if the woman does not look good on my arm then how can I expect to be respected, let alone be happy. These are the gross kinds of inaccuracies that get peddled blindly amongst the few who can afford to entertain them. Alas they would be trite and pathetic in almost all of South Africa, were the very few think they are the real face of the many.
Caveat
Yes I do like my metal, but it's kind of a bumpy relationship. More than a few times I get put off by repetition and jarring screams that drown out any semblance of melody. It has made me more and more apprehensive about going to metal gigs. I do the headbanging thing for a while, but then I wonder to myself .. am I actually enjoying the music? That's why when I went to Zula in Cape Town for Frontline I was blown away by Wildernessking's performance. They had the screaming vocals, but unlike many other bands that would get lumped into the same genre with them, it did not overpower the sound. Instead it was an accompaniment to a powerful melody. So let me tell you a bit about the guys, and the band I was lucky enough to sit down with for a few hours and chat to.
The Sound
They call themselves a Black Metal band. They definitely have a metal grounding. It has the kind of sound that hits the body, yet maintains a thoughtful melody. The vocals add a raw power to the songs that doesn't hammer the listener, but takes them on a journey instead. They are the kind of anthems you expect to hear behind an ancient army coming out of a snow-clad and black-barked forest, their breath hanging in the air. It is a mature metal that brings to the fold many different ways the genre can sound, without losing their own.
They have one full album, The Writing of Gods in the Sand, and an EP, ...And the Night Swept Us Away.
Give them a listen at Last.FM.
The Guys
Not only is their music good, but they are genuinely nice people. After I saw them perform at Zula I approached Keenan about meeting up, and I am glad that they took me up on it. I met them at the house of one of the band members, and the atmosphere was very chilled. I really enjoyed their company and the passion they had for the music, and the band itself. Some of the band members have jobs on the side and others are still studying, but they still put in the effort to make the band a success and the music sound good. I can't help but want these guys to be famous.They have a great attitude and I look forward to their future fame.
The members of the band are as follows:
Keenan Nathan Oakes - Bass, Vocals
Jesse Navarre Vos- Guitars
Dylan Viljoen - Guitars
Jason Jardim - Drums
The Beginning
Keenan and Dylan had a band called "Heathens" but when Jason and Jesse joined in 2011, they changed the name to Wildernessking. What really impressed me was how they jumped straight into writing an album with Antithec Records. Very often I see bands that play for about six months, get a bit of a following, but subject the crowd to the same set over and over, once in a while bring out a new song, and then only do they sit down and record an album. Now I know there are a lot of logistical reasons for this, but I take my hat off to Wildernessking for getting it done. It gave them a strong footing to start from, with a wide range of songs they can bring to the stage, as well as a chance to explore the sound of the band and solidify the group. From the get-go they took what they were doing seriously and were able to produce marketable product, aside from their live performances.
Writing
Now I have no musical talent, and all the writing I do involves me sitting down and deciding what words to put down before my editor tries to clean up the mess. So I was very interested to hear these guys write their songs.
They told me that they write their music together. There is no one person that goes off into quiet corner with a notepad and plans the next song. They work together, taking a simple riff or drum line and build on it. This collaborative approach works for them because of their relationship. There are no hard feelings if some one says "Hey I don't think that works," and they welcome the input from other band members. In fact they are exited to see what the other person is going to do with it, or where they are going to take it. They see songs as fluid, and can be approached in many different ways. They also like to experiment with different sounds and styles. This gives their songs more variety and depth.
They are exited for what will come from their new album. The album they wrote was the first chapter in their music, reflecting them at the time of writing it. The new one will be them now. Also, the way they are approaching the new album is a bit different. They are spending much more time rehearsing the songs, thus giving them more leeway with what they want to get out of the songs.
The EP was their way of trying something different, staying active and seeing what else works for them. One of the results from their feedback is that they are working on an acoustic set. This not only opens them up to many different venues and gigs, but also showcases their diversity.
The Scene
Coming from Port Elizabeth it as strange to hear them refer to Cape Town as small, but I see their point. With most scenes that have a niche appeal the crowd becomes rather recycled. Its not as though all of a sudden three hundred people are about to suddenly start going to metal gigs, unless they have a marketing genius at the venue. I have to admit, I have fallen into that trap myself: Oh look a gig. Do I know any one in that band? Should I go out and see what local music sounds like these days? Nah, I'll just stay at home, watch My Little Pony and drink wine.
No more, no more I say. Often we complain about the state of local music, or only talk about the bands we see on MK. If this does not apply to you, then wicked; but if it does, brush the Doritos crumbs off your chest, log out of Guild Wars 2, and go see a band.
The Future
I personally cannot wait to see what happens with these guys. They are planning to start touring next year. So if you want to see these guys in your town jump on their Facebook and let them know. If you do see that they are coming to your town don't miss it.
They are also busy with their second album and a collaboration/split album with The Great Ones.
In Closing Wildernessking is a great band, with a fresh and creative approach to the metal genre. They are a friendly bunch, and worthy of our support. Please check out the music video below, and a list of all the places on the web you can go and enjoy their music or share you comments.
Also the vinyl edition for their first album is available, mastered specifically for that medium. Apparently that gives it a warmer sound, but either way vinyls are cool, so get one.
I am told that from this point on the towns are no longer tourist destinations first and fishing villages second, but rather fishing villages that happen to cater to tourists. Here there are still a fine selection of restaurants and fine dining on the beach. It is even advertised as a modern town. I guess if you are right by the West Coast National Park, where the wild life dance for dollars, then it pays to stock up on the finer things. It makes sense that they call it the "Jewel of the West Coast." Besides, when you are hour's drive from Cape Town, you remain quite accessible. So if the weather is good, why not drive down for a day on a different beach.
Youngsters have the lagoon to enjoy kite surfing, wind surfing, kayaking and other water sports. If our knees are giving you issues and the bank keeps offering you more credit, maybe taking your yacht for a spin would be more your cup of tea. The wind is strong, the beaches beautiful, and the water wet. If you are a water sport enthusiast then I am certain there is nothing about Langebaan in that aspect.
I decided to save some money and not go to Club Mykonos, even though I could not drive two minutes without seeing a sign telling me where it is and how I should be going there.
If you are in Cape Town then this is an easy little escape; and if you are heading up the West Coast, it is definitely a place to stop by -- even stay the night. They have great camp sites, so you can do it on a budget.
So I head out of Cape Town on the beautiful R27 that runs along the coast up to Velddrif. As I was coming up to Melkbosstand I felt the car swerving to the right. After a few kilometers this became more and more pronounced. Now I did not want to appear drunk and embarrass myself in front of my fellow drivers (and something could be seriously wrong), so I pulled into The Caltex just before the Melkbosstrand Road (M19). My rear left tyre had deflated quite a bit. The culprit was a huge nail I must have picked up on the way. It was easy enough to fix. This time, unlike all the other times I had my puncture fixed, the attendant told me I could buy the kit for R65.00. If you are on a journey and the probability of flat or punctures are quite high, then one of these kits are essential; as well as a pair of pliers to remove the offending object.
The procedure is quite simple. Just pull out the object -- in my case, the nail -- take the first tool, stick it in the hole to make it bigger (no really just follow me with this), the take a piece of sticky rubber that looks like Freddy Kruger's pet worms, put it through the eye of a massive needle, stick it in the hole, then pull it out. Ta-da, your puncture is fixed. If you have something to inflate your tyres with you then you are a self-sufficient fixing machine. You can even start hunting down people who have punctures and offering to rescue them at a price. Also, the little rubber ooze-worms are available at most hardware stores, so it shouldn't be too hard to turn a profit on the venture (if you exclude the fact that petrol costs more than gold plated condoms).
So it looks like Halloween started off with a trick for me.
*note: due to the awesomeness of these photos and the degree of attention to detail the persons herein put into their costumes, I shall break blog etiquette and allow images to appear in something close to their full resolution despite the havoc it wreaks with the blog layout*
Since 2010, every year around Halloween, brings hordes of young people dressed as zombies to walk down Cape Town, to go to a bar and drink. All in the name of charity. It is the Zombie Walk.
Zombies have been an active part of our imagination and fiction for a very long time. However they do not have the same aesthetic appeal as their undead counterpart, the vampire; nor the power and prestige of the mummy. They do not have a venerable mythos like the werewolves, nor the tragedy of Frankenstein's monster. They are either the result of some misguided experiment that has gone terribly wrong or under the control of a necromancer. So then it would make sense that if you want to get a large group of people to move together, and still get to dress up, zombies is the perfect choice (aside from maybe the army or a riot).
But while I was walking I could not help feeling a bit guilty about all the fun I was having. You see, I am deeply cynical. So half way through the walk I looked around and thought to myself, hey, we are a group of similar-looking people all walking in the same direction because we were told to. I hate using the word 'conform' and I avoid the phrase 'non-conformism' like a leper avoids roller-coasters. This time however, I am forced to bend my accustomed vocabulary. Having a group of people dress up like zombies and walk up and down a stretched of beautiful coastline in the heart of Cape Town might just well be the epitome of conformism. It is the mimicry of mindless followers pandering to a popular cultural image. It may even be the very thing that individuals and creative people should avoid at the cost of losing their souls.
It's not though. It is a testament to the irrepressible creative energy of the individual. The great variety in the costumes; such as the homage's to pirates, illustrates how in the throngs of a possibly marginalizing environment we find a means to be ourselves. Well, that and dressing up like the undead, screaming "Brains!" is just hella fun.
I had seen the photographs of this event before and looked upon them with waves of great jealousy. I was very exited to get to go myself this time around. It did not disappoint. As we walked past a group of kids playing on a slide they ran up and started to scream with fear. Seeing as we are all kind, loving people doing our bit for charity, we harassed the kids and made them cry. Ah, there a few things as satisfying as scaring a child in an amusing manner. Then again it was not us, we were in the character of the Zombie; we were using the Method. There were pirate zombies, charters from Left For Dead, nurse zombies, sexy zombies, slave zombies, goth zombies. The best thing about the zombie the theme is that you can do pretty much anything as long as you make it look dead and decaying. Plus it kinda (but not completely) goes against the overtly sexy -- unless you are into that kind of thing.
Thank you to my friends at Wanderlust Games for inviting me, and all the friends I went with whom I had not seen in over two years. It was great to see you all again. I am sorry it has taken me so long to come and visit. Farewell until next year. Though I don't think I will dress up like a Zombie Life Insurance Salesman again.
Zombie Walk Contact Info
Phone074 112 1960
Emailzombiewalk.capetown@gmail.com
I almost feel like I apologize for not posting more than I post. This time the time of silence comes with very justifiable reasons. So let me give you a basic overview of the last few days before I leap into the articles explaining each step in graphic (maybe even sexy) detail:
On Tuesday my father and I hunted down a place that had a front bumper for me.
Wednesday we took his bike to Grabouw, and got the parts I needed for my car.
Thursday was spent packing up my stuff, stripping the front of my car, installing the front bumper and saying goodbye to my aunt and uncle.
Friday I said goodbye to the Hermanus family and headed off to Cape Town were I spent quality time with friends I had not seen in two years. It was epic.
Saturday I went on the Zombie Walk. Oh the pictures I took. If I said "Hot girl with fake blood", and you felt nothing; then you, sir, are dead inside. Dead; I tell you. Though not undead, because that would be cool.
Sunday, well, I have tied myself to the computer with snacks and Grapster (a mix of Grape Soda and Monster). Besides my friends are busy working on their game, and getting grey hairs over the Cry Engine. More on that later.
I hope you guys enjoy the slaving I intend to do today. I have so much to tell you and as always, I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much I did living them.
I spent Wednesday camping at Tube 'n Axe. It rained for most of the day, which made the grass wet, and the soil beneath it muddy. The first few hours I spent on a couch reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The lady working at the front desk, Rebbecca, was from Germany. She came down to volunteer at a nearby school, and was leaving the following week after being in South Africa for many months. There were also people from France, specifically a town near the border of Germany ( which I could not pronounce), as well as other Germans.
I also met a man from Cape Town who came down to see his brother, who lives in Tsitsikamma, for his birthday. A few of his friends accompanied him. One of them helped start up a new restaurant in Rondebosch called Bongos. If you are in the area please check it out and tell me what it's like, it sounds interesting. I also met one of the guys who work at Tsitsikamma Backpackers ( +27 (0)42 281 1868) called Mitchel. he told me there are a few places he can show me that tourists never get to see. Sadly I could not get hold of him the next day but when I come past I will take him up on his offer. If you are in the area I suggest you do the same.
The warmth of the fire, the vigor of the conversation and the interesting mix of music (which ranged from Marcy Playground to 2pac to Tenacious D) made the idea of braving the cold night to a wet tent very unappealing. Plus Freddy bought me a beer. Eventually I called it a night and woke up to a clear sky.
