deebee wrote:
Mika, there is PLENTY of good music in SA. Just switch the radio on if you want to hear utter garbage a great deal of the time. We can compete with anyone. It just takes the belief. If the SABC is forced to play LOCAL it can only benefit the entire industry. With a vibrant industry the standards will automatically be uplifted and everyone benefits. The old record companies did set the stage for the present malaise, BUT, why can it not be changed with a multitude of voices. We have had excellent original bands since the late 60's. Hawk, Freedoms Children and later on Rabbit. They should have ''made it'' here, not have to travel overseas to get anywhere.
I lived in SA for 8 years... I came across 1 or 2 great bands. But for the music I was around there was very little quality. In the way of Rock/ Alternative/ Indie/ Electro/ Stoner Rock/ Hard Rock..... There is very little happening in SA, maybe because the market is so small yet so saturated with bands all sounding the same.
I found a heavy reliance on overseas influences for bands in SA, and nowhere is that more evident than in a band like Seether! Who very simply jumped on the whole grunge train years after it hit. They sound like Nirvana on Radio Steriods, in a bad way.
I cant account for bands before my time in SA such as Rabbit, I can only assume that there was a better time for music. But for the time I saw it... it was not good.
Like I have said before, the township music is great!!! the african music is great, even the Afrikaanse music works for a very specific SA "white" market... maybe because they have a real soul behind them.
