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Artist description
Hard Rock alternative 4 piece, with a raw edge. Music is catchy with melodic parts. Kick Ass Live band. |
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Music Style
Altenative Hard Rock |
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Musical Influences
Old school Punk, Hard Rock and Contemporary Alternative |
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Similar Artists
Elvis.............. :-) (on a chemical coctail) |
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Artist History
Started Feb 1996 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Recorded couple of demos and one full album titled "Back Stabbers& Money Grabbers" in 1998. 1999 recorder 3 song "Raw" demo titled " Are we Having Fun Yet?" which is not for sale but will serve as guidelines of what can be expected for future album. |
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Group Members
Francois Bredenkamp (Vocals), Dries Bredenkamp (Guitar), Lizelle Malherbe (Bass), Mike Fletcher (Drums) |
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Instruments
Vocals, Guitar, Drums & Bass |
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Albums
Life in a White Room (Demo) 1996, "Back Stabbers & Money Grabbers" 1998, Are we having fun yet? 1999. |
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Press Reviews
ReviewOpening track, Heavens Gate, is a Strawbs-like, short acoustic intro before the restrained, gruff power of their popular Ballade Of Timothy Leary sets this album on its course. With their influences sticking their heads out all over this album, Black Eyed Susan still sound original and confident. Besides their stirring Leary tribute, theres the Elvis is God reference in the emotional kitchen-sink drama of Graceland, a Ginger Baker drums reference (but nothing else remotely similar to Cream) on White Room and their awesome (and very timeous) heavy rock version of Hate Street Dialogue off Rodriguez Cold Fact. Lost Love is loud and sensitive (really!) and Generation X has nothing, thankfully, to do with Billy Idol. Instead it is Francois Bredenkamp adding his expressive vocals to a cool rock song with lyrics that speak of the concerns of this so-described 90s confused peer group. Where did it go wrong, the day that the winds of change blew my generation into no mans land. This hard-working and wonderfully-focused band has the ability to be both retro and currently aware, and this bodes well for its future as one of South Africas most exciting rock bands. The only black eye on this album is on poor old Susan! * Black Eyed Susan a garden flower or a variety of pea. Reviewed by Indie Music Explosion www.indie.co.za/cdpage.asp?cdid=95-----------------------------------------------------------"At first glance, the CD cover gives you the impression that Black Eyed Susan is garage band, the artwork is an amusing comic illustration of the band on stage, drum raise, single-cabinet Marshalls, beer tins littering the floor, some weird characters in the front row of the audience and and even two weirder okies either side of the stage (a bouncer-type club owner? and a sleazy manager?) -gesturing to each other that they've just conned someone and all's going as planned.'Back Stabbers and Money Grabbers' is a bril album, very rock, very alternative rock, cool acoustic guitar in places and an unlisted 10th track, that is really unique. My favourite is track 9, 'Beggar's Day', which smacks of an American Southern States kind of guitar sound that sends me back to the days when I thought that Ted Nugent was heavy metal.Black Eyed Susan are talented, there's no doubts about that, they cover at least 3 definitive rock styles on this offering, executing the compositions with power and a rugged style, the production is a bit slight, but overall, a nice full sound with clear vocal lines and melodic leads that cut through the overall mix nicely (The leads are particularly well execuated and slot right in with the band's dirty rythm section). If you're into alternative rock, with a hard rock, and a 'different' feel, this album will satisfy your rebelliousness down to a tee. The vocal tracks are of a "hard-whiskey-drinking type, they suit the sound, and although the back-up vocals are perfect and carry the lead, I believe there could've been a softer side to some of the quieter songs, after all, if Lemmy can get shmoozy, Black Eyed Susan can hold back on their rocker-style, and oblige a track or two. Speaking of Lemmy, this band reminds me of Motorhead, without the old rock sound, and including a South African touch (if that makes sense...).A good album, well packaged and cool image for a band who execute their studio endevours as they live their lives in terms of living the life they believe in. I believe this is their first CD, if it is, Black Eyed Susan are well on their way to being a truly unique outfit, that doesn't really fit in to the stayed rock scene we're trying to get out of at the moment. A 'Black Eyed Susan' -a flower?, a contradiction in terms when you see the band's logo incorporating a rough-neck chick with a black eye, a fitting logo to a band that can't be pigeon-holed, can beviewed from various angles and in the end still reach their objectives.-Mike GillPowerzone |
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Location
Johannesburg, Gauteng - South Africa |
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