The author of Sex, Drums, and Rock 'n Roll... In Africa! Danny De Wet is full-time drama and one-time drummer for eVoid, Petit Cheval, Electric Petals, and Wonderboom. And he's the author of 'Sex, Drums and Rock 'n Roll... in Africa'. We caught up to chat all about his book, his career, and the one he holds most dear (spoiler alert, it's his son!) This episode is full of great stories of a life lived on the stage and on tour - with a touch of blunt honesty, dash of 'ex-sagittarriun', and a HUGE ...
Oct 03, 2024•42 min0
MusicEx is an experiential event designed to engage, excite, and captivate music lovers by giving them the opportunity to browse products, attend educational sessions, enjoy live performances from major South African artists, and share their passion for music with others. Leniese Van Der Merwe (Assistant Project Director - MusicEx / Marketing Manager - Gallagher Estate) popped into studio to share all about this exciting new Joburg music festival. MusicEx festival tickets on special for up to 40...
Jul 14, 2024•19 min0
From a family legacy to a Pulsations connection with the world. Thandeka Mfinyongo is a musician. She's a preserver of African indigenous instruments, and she's interested in archiving traditional instruments. She has her masters in music and is currently doing her PhD through Rhodes University. She's also the African Music lecturer at Northwestern University. In today's episode, we chat about how she came to make music, her family legacy of playing traditional instruments, and stories of the la...
Jun 19, 2024•29 min0
Become a PRODUCER of culture, rather than simply a consumer of it... Make Music Day (a community music initiative that was started in 1982 in France by the Ministry of Culture) is coming up on the 21st of June and it's a day filled with free (and accessible) musical events for EVERYBODY (musicians and non-musicians alike). Have a listen to my conversation with Prof Janelize Morelli and find out how YOU can get involved. Janelize is an Associate Professor of Community Music at Northwest Universit...
May 31, 2024•19 min0
A story about making your own dreams a reality. Stanley Sibande is a Zambian-born, Cape Town-based, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter. In this episode, we're chatting about making dreams a reality. Yourself. From booking a tour to Cape Town (from his home in Zambia, without ever having been to South Africa) to now doing the same (from his home in CPT) for his upcoming London tour. Feel like a little dose of inspiration? Listen to this conversation. Music outro: 'Clusters' by Stanley Siban...
Mar 20, 2024•23 min0
Ever wanted to work behind the scenes in the music industry? Keen to hear all of the good (and gritty) music industry insider stuff from someone who's touched every side of it? Vicky Jankiewicz has spent the last 15 years behind the scenes in the music industry. She's one half of the dance floor damaging damsel DJ duo, #SOZLOL, and we had a fabulous conversation on the floor of her apartment over lunch. We talk about her long and varied career in the industry, brand merch, MFM, Oppikoppi, Good L...
Feb 21, 2024•40 min0
Meel Vignetting are a five-piece South African alternative indie rock band from Gauteng. In today's episode, we talk about the music scene in Pretoria, tribute shows, and gender bias in the music industry. One in a series of conversations with some of the ladies... Outro music: 'Thermodynamics' by Meel Vignetting. Used with permission from rights holder. Follow Meel Vignetting on Instagram · website · Facebook · Twitter · insta · Spotify Playlist...
Feb 01, 2024•13 min0
Are you brave enough to busk? Maddie Behrens is a folk/indie/rock/pop singer currently based in Johannesburg. Hailing from a small town in KZN, she learnt the performing ropes from busking in Washington Square Park in NYC. In this episode, we chat all about that, as well as what it's like to be a woman in the music industry in South Africa, the folk music scene, and the late Syd Kitchen. Outro music used with permission from rights holder. Follow Maddy on Instagram · website · Facebook · Twitter...
Jan 24, 2024•25 min0
Sometimes you've got to Do It Yourself. Lindo M is a singer/songwriter from Johannesburg, South Africa. Unencumbered by the idea of genre, Lindo focuses on feeling and authenticity and is driven to create music that not only speaks for itself, but that can also speak for others... Get excited about this artist. Not only incredibly talented, but he's also working behind the scenes to reignite the Joburg music scene. And I can tell you, we need more like him. In today's episode, we talk about the ...
Jan 17, 2024•39 min0
"Because these days, there's not enough girls at music festivals!" Galpalooza. Women's Day Music Festival at Tweefontein Melkery. Featuring an all-female line-up. Listen to the interview with Jolene East (Jolling | The Honeymooners) Outro track "I Know I Love You" by Jolling. Music used with permission from rights holder. Rockford Media on Facebook · website · Facebook · Twitter · insta · Spotify Playlist...
Nov 13, 2023•23 min0
"I can honestly say it (music) saved my life at one point." Simone Govender is a pop singer-songwriter based in Johannesburg. She teaches music on the side. I heard her exquisite voice at a Saturday morning market, and I knew that I had to have a conversation... The thing is, when you make music for a living, more often than not you're building sets of songs that you think people want to hear. Reading people's minds is an art, and one that is hard to get right. Simone seems to hit the nail on th...
Aug 28, 2023•30 min0
"I haven't got millions of streams. I'm just doing what I'm doing." There is something wonderful about talking to someone with a lifetime of experience in their field. And this episode of the podcast is FILLED with delightful stories, lessons, coffee, and bits of GREAT advice. Martin 'Cito' Otto is a rock performer, songwriter, producer, music director, part-time actor, and newly-launched coffee mogul, best known as the lead singer of WONDERboom. When your third gig as a band is opening for Simp...
Aug 08, 2023•37 min0
Dave Starke is a folk singer-songwriter in the ancient British Isles troubadour tradition (the modern version, obvs). He speaks a language I deeply understand, that of grappling with how to be an artist. Sustainably. In this episode, we chat about 'cultural confidence', being comfortable with being uncomfortable, writing songs out of desperate overwhelm, and the ancient role of the singer-songwriter in our cultural heritage. "You can't become whatever you want, you can only become what you are. ...
Jul 01, 2023•47 min0
You're a creator. Use your talents and find a NICHE for yourself. Are you a songwriter (or a composer) debating whether to get a publisher or to try your hand at doing it yourself? As a creator, it's important to have a very open vision of your career and what you can and cannot do, so knowing both sides of the debate matters. Thando Makhunga is the Managing Director of Sheer Music Publishing, and she popped into the studio to chat a bit about the ins and outs of music publishing, what it means,...
Jun 10, 2023•49 min0
Why do you want to go to a label? They can't do anything for you. Benjy Mudie has been in the business of making music for over 40 years. In 1998, he founded the independent South African music label Fresh Music. He has been responsible for signing and developing some of the most successful artists in this country: Squeal, Mango Groove, Little Sister, Vicki Samson (to name just a few!) If you're a music lover, tune in to this episode for stories about eVoid, Mango Groove, Fallen Mirror (plus som...
Apr 20, 2023•48 min0
"There was a moment when I decided I wanted to prioritise music." The body is a mediator through which we experience but it’s also a conspirator, colouring experiences with feeling just in time for our arrival. Johannesburg-based songwriter, Senna-Marie is interested in the clumsiness of feeling, fight and body; documenting how it enters into conversation through her intimate songwriting and vulnerable voice. Music outro: 'Stonewall Soldier' by Senna-Marie. Music used with permission from rights...
Mar 24, 2023•22 min0
You can't make a film and not put any music in it. Jack&Jill Productions is a boutique company based in South Africa. Their latest film 'Table Manners' was an official selection at The Indie Film Fest (2019), Universal Film Fest (2019), Jelly Fest (2019), Durban International Film Festival (2018), and Silwerskerm Festival (2018). The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director on its International Festival Run. The people behind Jack&Jill are Leli Maki Esq. (Director) and ...
Mar 13, 2023•58 min0
"The music business is a war and the fist weapon of war is knowledge." Cindy Alter is an international award-winning chart-topping multi-million album-selling singer-songwriter from South Africa. She was lead singer of the 70s band Clout (best known for their hit single Substitute). In this week's episode, I'm chatting to Cindy remotely from Nashville about all things music. Tune in as she talks about leaving SA, co-writing, ageism, sexism, and doing music because you LOVE it and not because you...
Mar 02, 2023•30 min0
"It was a very quick realisation that if you have a band of five people with a publicist and a manager and a booking agent, and a sound engineer, it's impossible to survive. So we had to keep the day jobs." Alastair Thomas plays in a band. He has a production company, he directs and edits things, and he likes dogs. Legendary frontman of Shortstraw and Cockles, Alastair popped into the studio for a little chat about the best parts of making music (cue massive goosebumps), having a day job, tours ...
Feb 23, 2023•37 min0
You've got to APPLY if you want any chance at being funded! Are you a musician and not yet a member of SAMPRA? Are you confused about whether you should be? Today's interview will help you understand the importance of signing up. I'm chatting to Yvette Rammalo, (PR & Marketing Officer from SAMPRA) and she has a lot of GREAT advice for anyone looking to submit an application for the SAMPRA Development Fund. Yup, a couple of times a year SAMPRA distributes funds that can go towards music produ...
Feb 16, 2023•34 min0
Don't listen to the naysayers... Bruce Dennill is a writer, an art critic, and a musician based in Johannesburg. In this episode we talk about the creative faucet, how there's simply too MUCH music, understanding the value of art, having tracks picked up for TV shows and the importance of figuring out who your friends are. 'Dreamed you different' by Bruce Dennill. Music used with permission from the rights holder. Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn · Follow Bruce on Instagram · website · Facebook · ...
Feb 10, 2023•35 min0
"The majority of us will never get involved in the business side of music" "I want us all to be 60 / 70 (years old). Still playing, still jamming and going at it and probably still moaning we don't get paid enough." Steve East, aka Mayor of Benoni is a jack of all trades and a master of all of them! A musician, booking agent, designer, music video director, radio voice, vocalist from the old country band Crystal park, and founder of Rockford media. In this week's episode of the Shotgun Story pod...
Jan 31, 2023•32 min0
You're not doing anybody any favours trying to be somebody you're not. Lizzy Lou Gaisford is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in the band the Fishwives. She's also an ecologist with a particular passion for frogs. We sat down for a chat in a rainy room in Eshowe mid-COVID some years ago. I FINALLY got around to listening to it. And much like every episode so far, it's come at a time when I needed to hear this conversation. Maybe you do too? We talk about making music as a coping mec...
Jan 24, 2023•24 min0
'My hooks don't ba-dum-ching' "If your idea of success is being on the radio, then you want to be in the entertainment industry. If your idea of success is making a lot of money, then you want to be in the music business. But if you want to touch people's lives, and if you want to have a life of wonder, adventure, and magic, then music is what you're after..." Engaging, irreverent and subversive, Nicole Turon is a fearless singer, songwriter, poet and performer. She weaves delicate, intoxicating...
Dec 16, 2022•38 min0
So don't be afraid of being fearless in your songwriting. Ready to quit? Letting vanity metrics define your worth as an artist? Getting down on yourself because you don’t feel like you’re cracking a certain number of followers or likes on social media? Just STOP! Chock-full of advice and inspiration, Andrew Jed’s interview has some gems that will have you back in studio making music again. This is exactly what you need to hear today. Andrew Jed is a songwriter and musician in the most vintage se...
Dec 07, 2022•44 min0
A reminder to follow your own vision and trust yourself. You are important. If you're in the entertainment industry, chances are you took a real knock over the past two years! But Naledi Tlailane reckons that the thick skin that entertainers have had to develop from a career full of auditions (and subsequent rejections) helped prepare them for the ultimate "No" of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Naledi Tlailane is an actress, storyteller, presenter, voice artist, and aspiring documentary short filmmaker...
Sep 09, 2022•26 min0
If the artists think so, it must be true right? Artists, more often than not, head into the dimly lit spaces that most fear to tread. They take the unpalatable aspects of being alive and transmute them into beautiful morsels that make reality and 'adulting' feel less lonely. In this episode, Daniel Friedman takes the driver's seat and shines a spotlight on your host Shotgun Tori's new EP 'It's Gonna Be Fine!' Riding Shotgun, she takes the guest seat, unpacking the making of this EP, the funding ...
Aug 26, 2022•39 min0
"The business is as important as the product." Bart Janssen is a producer, composer, and guitarist from the Netherlands and working with companies like Universal, Disney, and Talpa, he has developed a strong portfolio. Bart is a well-known session guitar player and has performed with acts like the Backstreet Boys and Il Divo. Aside from producing several radio hits in the Netherlands, his music features on TV, radio, and internet ads. We met over a decade ago, and his pop sensibilities have shif...
Jun 12, 2022•28 min0
“I’m not asking a boy to come to band practice, I’m doing my own music now" Jolene East (Jolling / The Honeymooners) is a singer-songwriter and a ukulele player, who loves to write authentic songs that bring out the emotions in people. Alongside her husband Steve East (Crystal Park / The Honeymooners), she also runs the venue Tweefontein Melkery. In this charming (and delightfully hilarious) episode, Jolene talks about how karaoke brought her closer to the music, releasing her new EP, showing Va...
Apr 13, 2022•32 min0
"It's not just about the money, it about a sense of self-worth" Andre Le Roux is the Managing Director of IKS Cultural Consulting, head of the Concerts SA Project, on the board of the Market Theatre Foundation and the Audit and Risk Committee of Music in Africa, as well as the Southern African Focal Point for the African Culture Fund. He is considered a highly regarded African cultural activist, and this week on the podcast we're talking about funding opportunities for musicians! In this episode...
Apr 01, 2022•43 min0
