Relax, enjoy skills of variety of crafts
Festival of delights from beer to music
CRAFTFEST not only brings you the best in craft beers, spirits and cocktails, but adding to the atmosphere are some of the province’s best musicians.
Take the opportunity to chill with family and friends in a fun and safe environment, relishing sounds from rock to pop to reggae and even electro.
Vibes to look forward to at CraftFest, brought to you by The Independent on Saturday and the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market, include InDeep, a young band with a fresh, vibrant sound focusing on a wide genre of music ranging from pop to folk, R&B and even reggae.
They are known for punchy drum rhythms, melodic harmonies and jazzy bass rundowns. Their original songs showcase brilliant vocal dynamics while the band adds their own flavour to the songs they cover.
Lead singer Tristan Boltman is a matric pupil and deputy head boy at St Henry’s in Glenwood and comes from a musical family. “My grandfather bought me my first guitar 12 years ago and I’ve been a part-time musician ever since,” he says.
The band was formed three years ago with a group of friends and church members. They won ECR’s Be The Band competition last year. They have also opened at the Botanic Gardens for Ladysmith Black Mambazo and are regular performers at the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market.
“We’re very versatile, performing R&B to pop to folk to reggae,” Boltman says. “We write a lot of our own songs and we’re hoping to release a single this year.” And the future? “After school I intend to do an LLB,” he says. “But I want to carry on with my music and, hopefully, make it a full-time job. I aim to make it far on the SA music scene.”
The headline act at CraftFest is Nonhlanhla Majozi, the Durban-based musician who describes his music as indie-folk with subtle influences of electro. His first EP, Marvelous Light, made it to No 1 in the South African iTunes chart singer/songwriter category.
Majozi taught himself guitar at the age of 13 and went on to study jazz and popular music at the University of KwaZuluNatal. His faith is one of his inspirations. In 2013, he released his Marvelous Light and following the online success and popularity of the EP. His hit songs like Darling and Fire were play-listed on the country’s top radio stations. Since then, Majozi has opened for acts like Matthew Mole, Gangs of Ballet, Zebra and Giraffe, Mango Groove and international artist Yoav.
On his musical journey, he told Gas magazine: “It’s been amazing. I’ve played some awesome shows around the country and opened for the best local bands and international bands. Plus I’ve worked with some of the best producers and writers in the country.”
The man who loves movies and going out to eat, also keeps your tracks fresh by constantly experimenting and listening to different music. His influences include Johnny Cash, Shakey Graves, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Jesus.
Regarding his faith, Majozi says. “I’ve grown up in a certain way and I have always written from where my faith places me. The way I choose to do my art enhances my freedom.
“What I want to do with my music is to be encouraging, to tell people that they’re good enough. I believe we should be looking at taking care of each other and not only looking out for ourselves. This perspective has shaped how I write.”
Another band to look forward to at CraftFest is The Kickstands – a collaboration between Gary Nixon, vocalist and guitar player, and Rudi Greyvenstein, guitar player and producer. These Scottburgh school boys were flung onto the Durban music scene in front of 16 000 people at The World Cup opening ceremony and have been a feature of the Durban scene ever since.
They performed with Albert Frost and Arno Carstens in the Seychelles and shared the stage with Milky Chance. They have released a couple of EPs and are working on something great for 2018.
Also part of the line-up of talent are Black Whiskey, the charismatic Vryheid outfit fronted by Phillip Taylor. Taylor is known for his charismatic stage presence, while the band puts its own twist on some all-time favourite songs and mixes them up with original tracks to deliver a hugely entertaining live set.
Save the date: CraftFest is on April 29 at the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market from 10am to 4pm. Tickets: R100 adults if pre-booked and R50 for children 12-17, under12s attend free. Book through Quicket at www.quicket.co.za. Tickets R120 at the gate.
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