Artist description "Atmospheric, ambient, haunting, stunning. Nick Cave meets Leonard Cohen inTom Waits' lounge. This is different and wonderful and well worth a listen."

Music Style electrofolk

Musical Influences Tindersticks, Travelpac, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits

Similar Artists Tindersticks, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits

Artist History Sharkbrother came to being in 1998 following the recording of 19 songs as a demo for Wildebeest records by Cobus Rossouw. The demo featured Cobus's songs which at that stage featured a folk-inspired production consisting of acoustic guitar and vocals only.Record company interest was good but a common critique of the demo was that it needed additional instrumentation to complement the song structure and increase the dynamics within the song. In order to do this Cobus approached Steve Savage in mid 1998 to bring his bass talents to the project.Desiring a cleaner, more open sound the band decided that for the time being this line-up would be sufficient to start approaching a live market and started gigging. Their most successful residency at the time was at Up The Creek, a folk venue in Gerhard Moerdyk street in Pretoria. Over a period of three months the band built up a sparse but dedicated following, while continuing the refinement of the original songs.After a brief hiatus the band regrouped in early '99. A couple of months was spent in the band room thrashing out ideas for the songs and workng on new material, including the 19 minute ambient trip-folk "Third Set" which features break beats alongside jazz-guitar, inspired bass grooves and adaptations of Balkan folk-songs.The band then enjoyed a residency at Tings 'n Times in Hatfield, Pretoria(every second Sunday, alternating with Aavaaz) and playing the occasional gig at the Abelarde Sanction, including the WinterFest and the notorious Birthday Parties.In November Sharkbrother were nominated in five categories at the Abelarde Awards, ultimately winning three (Best vocal, Best Bassist and Most Thought-provoking Band) and coming runner's up in two (Best Guitarist, Band of 1999).At this stage a third member (Sam Goosen) joined the established line-up bringing her violin and vocal skills as well as her arrangement expertise to the band. This new addition has come close to finalising the sound and with the development of keyboard skills (Sam and Steve) and the addition of harmonica (Steve) the groups sound has been refined to a more viable prospect.The band's mission is to provide a counterfoil to the proliferation of rock and jazz bands on the SA scene, providing an alternative that is beautiful and simplistic. This gels with the band's philosophy of a return to aesthetics in art and a move away from the shock tactics employed by the hardcore and the verbose technicality of the supergroup. Biography: Cobus RossouwCobus' musical biography starts with the band Sundogs which featured Cobus on guitar/bass, Con Loubser on guitar, Max Loubser on drums and Steve Savage (currently with Sharkbrother) on bass.This psuedo punk band, inspired by the sounds of Sugar/Bob Mould and the Neil Young double album Weld were notorious for their sonic attack and deliberate pursuit of a loose live structure. Their brief tenure at Wings Beat Bar produced a runners' up in a battle of the bands (behind Mind Astray) and a second place in a songwriting competition (behind Karma Swanepoel).With the disbanding of Sundogs Cobus went to England for two years where he worked for Polygram.Since his return in late 1997 he has devoted his musical efforts to the establishment of sharkbrother as a leading contender in music worldwide. Biography: Steve SavageAfter playing with numerous shortlived and musically diverse bands, playing either guitar or bass, Steve eventually settled for a while with Mind Astray which comprised Julian Sun on vocals, Keenan Sun on guitar, Craig Bennet on Drums and myself on bass. Mind Astray gigged extensively around Johannesburg. In 1994 and 1995, eventually recording an album produced by Willem Moller and coming second in the 1995 battle of the bands, being beaten only by a band fronted by Robin Walsh. At the same time as this Steve was also playing with Sundogs on bass (see above). Sundogs and Mind Astray both broke up at about the same time and Steve then left the music scene for a couple of years . The formation of sharkbrother with its open song arrangement and predominance of melody over rhythm gives a opportunity for Steve's melodic and expressive bass playing to complement the sharkbrother sound. Biography: Sam GoosenSam's musical career started as classical violinist; playing in various local chamber orchestras, the National Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Tukkies Symphony Orchestra. She played weddings and funerals until joining the Couch Cobras in 1997. The band enjoyed a six month residence at Fillings on Essellen street. With the closure of the venue Sam started playing regularly with Francois Pistorius and Frans Van Gruiselbergen ( also of Couch Cobras) at Tequila Sunrise in Pretoria. Sam departed for London in late 1998 where she played on "Chillum Nites" at the Junction Club in Brixton. She also gigged with Shetaan Collective at the Bug Bar at St Mathew's Rock Cathedral. She returned to South Africa in October 1999 and was invited to join Sharkbrother where her interest in classical harmony combines well with the contemporary but clear quality of sound.

Group Members Cobus RossouwSteve SavageSam Goosen

Instruments Guitar, bass, vocals, violin, samples, keyboard and inspiration

Albums Underdog, Taj Mahala

Press Reviews TAJ MAHALA - SHARKBROTHER Pop music is very dire at the moment in a general way of speaking - and sometimes in a specific way of speaking.In a sense the element of surprise and risk is masked out by producers, engineers, backers, friends and sometimes even the band themselves. The result of this is processed pap (or "pap", in South African-lingo). It's presented very slickly, very well played, and often even the voices are programmed to fix glitches. Now, to try to describe what Sharkbrother are up to is a little easier. Introspective, spacey and melodic (hooray!) they are obviously writing where the muse takes them, and not what they are told to do by some well meaning hack. The hippy dream of 'Nature's Child' 'Gonna smile at the Sun, Gonna talk to the Moon' kicks off the album and sets the tone. With sparse guitars (not too many overdubs) and looping bass and violin, it's folksy and pleasant. There's an air of introspection, almost melancholia which stays with much of the album, but translates into an ephemeral beauty rather than a downer. Soon things start to change and the album morphs into the mesmeric 'The Sea' which has a haunting almost Joy Division-like dream quality, but as quiet as Brian Eno's ambient stuff. '3rd Set' takes you by surprise again and we're out of the Seventies and into the new millenium. Or are we? Isn't this what Hawkwind and Tangerine Dream were doing? It's melodic and beautiful and the next few minutes take you away on layers of sound far removed from the folk-song beginnings of the album. But it all fits together so well... The '2000 leagues remix' could be a chilled outMorcheeba. Sharkbrother manage to do two things at once on the album and make it work. There are stuctured songs spun around experimental space rock tracks and they don't clash but flow into each other. The weird electronica of 'Americans' with its slow steam train pace leaves one checking on the CD player reading to see if it's really finished - haven't we only just started getting into this? Andy Harrod-------------And then other people said:I'll agree with this review. The new sharkbrother album is brilliant! one of the few bands who have self-produced an album and made it work. Clean, powerful, intelligent,experimental and catchy. A jewel.Now all the rest of you have to do is buy it.Mike GillSHARKBROTHER - TAJ MAHALAAtmospheric, ambient, haunting, stunning. Nick Cave meets Leonard Cohen inTom Waits' lounge. This CD is different and wonderful and well worth a listen. Title Underdog Type Demo Release 18/04/1999 Label Review Perhaps the freshest sound in years, this album is destined to be a collector's item

Location Johannesburg, Gauteng - South Africa

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