Blues from the plots of the Tein
It looks like Randfontein is taking over Oppikoppi's line-up.
Randfontein bands have proven to be a force to be reckoned with as at least two of them appear on the Oppikoppi music festival’s line-up.
The two bands are Scarlotte Will, and Sheldon Payne and the Blue Veins. The Blue Veins, new to the pages of the Herald, are a four-piece blues band who do it themselves in every stage of the music process.
Sheldon Payne appears on vocals and guitar, Sias Olckers plays lead guitar, Matthew Kennedy walks the bass, and Chris Kennedy brings the noise on the drums. They write their own lyrics and music, do their own recording and production. Fortunately for the band, the two Kennedys have a recording studio in Pelzvale.
Besides recording their own music, they have also recorded, mixed and mastered the latest album from New Zealand-based band, Permission to Speak. This band’s lead singer used to be in a band with a member of the Blue Veins.
This opinionated band’s members have only been together for two years but have years and years of music experience between them. They are greatly influenced by The White Stripes (specifically Jack White), The Black Keys, The Raconteurs and Royal Blood.
The Blue Veins say they’re also influenced by the people they surround themselves with, who are mostly other South African musicians such as The Ts & Cs, and Hellcats.
If you get into my car, Scarlotte Will will be playing, along with Pollinator. We listen to each other and that’s the nice part,” Sheldon said.
“I don’t think we’re really influenced by bands more than we are individual musicians. A band is a good influence, not for sound but more for the back bone – the way they and later you put music together.”
The band’s name comes from a Raconteurs song titled Blue Veins. Sheldon said, “Most times, organisers think I’m the artist and the rest of the band are just my backing band, but we’re a unit.”
The band is looking at releasing an Extended Play (EP) in a month’s time.
“Our music is not serious at all. We have one serious song, called Unicorn Dreams.
People always listen to our music and try to find the greater meaning and they come up with the most random things and we’re like, ‘No, that’s not what we meant in the song.
“It doesn’t mean anything’. We usually sing about some fictional girl. She’s always fictional,” Sheldon said.
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