Introducing... Rivieras

After some extensive research, I have recently discovered that there exist quite a large number of styles of rock. And a colossal number of bands. Everyone's friend's friend is in one! Most are good, some are questionable, while yet others are unmentionable. It is very rare that you come across a band that posseses that most alluring quality. It.

It does happen though. I not only believe that Rivieras have "It". They are "It". Now that is a pretty strong conviction, I know. It will make more sense when I tell you the whole story:

Let's back track a little to September 2009. I'm sitting in the Sports Hall at Thomas Tallis School waiting for my registration number to be called. I notice a large group of boys sitting in front of me because I really can't help it. They throw some kind of paper device at me, okay fine, in my direction. A boy whose name I later learn is Robert apologises. I give him a fake but convincing grin.

They are the rowdiest bunch of boys I've seen and believe me, I've seen rowdy. Later on, I discovered some of those boys included Felix North, le lead singer and rhythm guitar, Matt Coomb, le bassist, and Sean Grey, le lead guitar. All I think is, Silly British children, no discipline! Shameful! Dylan, le drummer, wasn't there because he decided to go to Brit School, so he is spared my judgement.

Fast forward to February 2010. I am in registration and Sean saunters in. Mr O'Brien, our tutor, asks him why he wasn't at enrichment the day before. "I had band practise sir," Sean calmly replies. The class giggles and I stifle an amused smile in spite of myself. I have now come to quite like these British children who are not so much rowdy as expressive, free, true.

Mr O'brien gives him the grown up are-you-serious look and just as calmly states, "That's a pretty lame excuse, even for you Sean." The nonchalant response, "I know."

Fast forward again to a few weeks ago. "Our group" which I like to believe I am a part of, is sitting in the cafe in Dover. I've been hearing about this band that Sean, Felix, Matt and Dylan are apparently a part of. Haven't we all heard that one before? My interest is strangely piqued, regardless.

I love discovering fresh musical talent. The idea of it being right under my nose and missing the opportunity to have been there at the start is simply too much for me to bear. I impulsively blurt, "I could PR for you guys if you want," and I instantly regret it. What if they are not good? What if they aren't even questionable but surely unmentionable? I will have to tell them the truth and have to face them at school everyday for the next year and a half!

I should never have fretted.

Their first gig, Friday April 9, 2010. It's at Dirty South, also known as the-coolest-bar-in-the-whole-world, and Rivieras are doing their sound check. The god-like voice in the booth behind me says, "Give us a little tune." I'm sitting in a corner with Ellz, Vicky, Felix's girlfriend and Dylan's girlfriend. Rivieras begin to play. It's only sound check, but they get into it straight away. Felix's smooth vocals intertwine with the complex melodies he and Sean weave while Dylan keeps the tempo going on drums. Matt can't make it because he is away. The show must go on.

All I can think is wow. Wow. I go to school with these guys and see them goof off every day. This is what they can come up with in their free time to perform for a sound check. This was a classic aha! moment also known as an epiphany.

It is needless to say that they soon had the kids jumping around wildly, mosh pit style to their fast paced song, swaying rhythmically to their slow song and caught in between with their slow then fast song. Felix's parents and Sean's parents sit in the back and I can only imagine how proud the coolest parents in the world feel about their sons being in the coolest band I know. I try my best to capture the magic on Ellie's camera, even though I know it is an inadequate tool for such a purpose. The best camera is one's own eyes.

Poetic language is all well and good, Chenai, but what about the bottom line, huh? For my retort, I shall quote Felix, as best as my memory serves, "We're not doing this for the money. Not yet anyway, the money will come later. Right now, it's just about the music."

So it is now time for me to finally give my honest opinion and honestly, I was right. The Rivieras aren't good at all. Let me finish. They are not questionable, neither are they unmentionable. In fact, far from it. They are indescribable.

What you know What you know about Tinashe?*

Tinashe is a Zimbabwean born artist, who moved to England at a young age, and now hails from Hackney. He has appeared on Uncle Melvin Odoom's Intros show on Channel 4 (yes "...delicious like a pot of jollof rice...") and was one of the artists featured at HMV's Next Big Thing concert. 

His music has been compared to that of British pop star, Frank Musik, but in my own words, I think it's more like a jam session between Daft Punk, James Morrison and Oliver Mtukudzi; explosive, intricate and with all the makings of becoming legendary… And also the new soundtrack to my life! I caught up with the T man and we talked about music, his trip to South Africa and Transport for London!

It was dejavu all over again as this was yet another phoner, like with JJC. I could let this one go, seeing as he was getting ready to go on tour with the Noisettes:

C: So how does it feel to be going on tour with the Noisettes?

T: It's really exciting! It one of the few good things that have happened in a while and I'm really happy to be doing it.

C: How old were you when you moved to England?

T: Twelve. It's great though to have experienced living in both countries. I can still speak Shona, but with a slight English accent now!

C: Was it a big change for you?

T: No, not really. My mom had been living here for about four or five years before I came so she was settled, she was working three jobs, and as you know, here you've got to really work hard to get where you want to get.

C: Your Myspace page says you were meant to become a doctor and "wire money back home" but you got sidetracked by Michael Jackson! What made you want to pursue music?

T: Well, music was a lot more accessible as a career this side and at school I had a really good music teacher, so that got me really passionate about it. Once I started playing the guitar, I was hooked!

C: How did your parents take it?

T: (laughs) Well as you know, they expected me to become something 'respectable'  like a doctor or a lawyer, so you can imagine how that turned out. My mother wasn't too happy about it to begin with because I was supposed to be sending money back home and she didn't think I would be able to do that if I pursued music. She is really proud of me now though.

C: Your sound has been compared to Frank Musik, but I think you sound more like a mix of Daft Punk and Oliver Mtukudzi. What do you think?

T: (laughs…a lot) Well Oliver is a real legend, and I get that comparison because we both play guitar, and mbira. I'd describe my music as more of pop, or indie pop.

C: Who are your musical icons?

T: Wow, there are so many…[long list of names]…Donny Hathaway, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson…There are just so many of them. 

C: You write your own music? What inspires you?

T: I listen to a wide range of music, pop, obviously, alternative, hip-hop, RnB, soul, and thats where I get a lot of inspiration from. I would love to start doing some collaborating and so forth but at the moment I'm trying to establish my own style and myself as an artist.

C: You were in South Africa recently, what was it like? Did you perform there?

T: Yeah it was really good, and we actually performed at the airport for first class tickets. It was kind of weird actually because we were asked to perform and we'd be given business class tickets in return, but we got them so that was cool. South Africa was really great though, it had been a long time since I was back in Africa so it was really inspiring to be there. I did want to go to Zimbabwe but there were restrictions on filming at the time so it was difficult to go. 

C: On your trip to S.A, did you find any artists that you think are really making moves there?

T: There were a few artists that I saw, I can't remember their names, but what I can say is that the music in South Africa is really upstage and there's a lot to look out for there.

C: Where do you think that African music is going, as a whole?

T: Its going! There are a lot of African artists that are making it big such as Tinchy Stryder, Dizzee Rascal, Akon though they are not necessarily making traditional African music, they are paving the way and I think soon there will be some real African artists that will begin to appear on the charts.

C: You've gone through a lot to get where you are today, what advice would you give to a young person who, like you, is aspiring to make music as a career?

T: I would, tell them to make music their number one goal, their number one dream and to work hard, because that's the only way to get anywhere. If you do that then eventually you will get noticed and you will get where you want to go. 

C: I did my research (like the good journalist I am) and found out that you used to work at Transport for London! 

T: (laughs very hard) Yeah I did, for a very long time actually! It was my period of hard work and sending money back home. My mother was like, "Is this what you do?" 

C: Did you ever get abused by a member of the public?

T: All the time! Usually it was some drunk person who'd just start yelling at me. It was a really stressful job.

Well I for one am glad that Tinashe has moved on from his TFL days, and that he is now making not only his Mom but all his fellow Zimbos (myself included) proud. One thing he said to me that I think is something that is really important for all Zimbabweans living here to think about is this, 


"There are a lot of bad things that Zimbabwe is known for, and people forget about all the things we can be proud of. That's why we need to keep working hard and be proud of where we come from so that in the future, we can make a real difference."

http://www.myspace.com/tinashemusic 

*Quite a bit now, thanks! ;-D

AVATAR

Wow. That is all I have to say. Well not really, I'm about to type exactly four hundred and fourteen more words.

Is it cruelty that would drive a man to create a world, a beautiful world, a perfect world; make you feel like you are a part of that world to the point that your sense of reality is thrown out the window and it would be futile for you to attempt to retrieve it; if you even cared. Then, for you to wake up and have to walk out of that cinema into the cold night mist, onto the vile planet Earth when your heart was left on Pandora. I say only the genius of one I call, starting from now, the CREATIVE MASTER, James Cameron, could perform such a feat.

Of course you all know I'm talking about Avatar right? I'm ashamed I should have to repeat it, seeing as the title of this review is that most sacred name. I will not spoil this movie, movie said I? This sorcery, this magically spun web of a narrative with an elaborate retelling of what happens. Anything I say would be inadequate. If that is what you are after you are wasting your time. Fool. Go onto the internet, book your ticket and see it for yourself!

I have never, in all the times I have gone to the cinema, a total of five times, have I ever seen an audience  so captivated, so entranced. I only witnessed this as I had to take my little cousin to go pee-pee, because otherwise I would not have even cared to look at whoever was unfortunate/fortunate enough to be sitting next to me. I have never in all my years, sixteen if you don't already know, been so drawn in to a story, I do not even believe this world is real anymore. I don't want to believe because if this is it, then the story of my world is a sad tale indeed. The real Tragedy, however is that such a world as I and the other hundred or so people in the audience were blessed to roam in, even for that brief time, is not real.

Pay no heed to any of the nonsensical dribbel I have fed you for the past sixty seconds, only if you are a fast reader like me, but pay heed to this. If you do not watch this movie (at your nearest IMAX theatre, in 3-D, this-is-compulsory-because-I-said-so) even if it is simply to tell your great grandchildren, "I was there," (as I most certainly will) you are skxawng n.

http://www.learnnavi.org/