Sannie Fox: "It has always been of importance to me to not be manipulated into something I am not"

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Rocker Sannie Fox has long been known as frontwoman of machineri, and has recently launched her first solo album, Serpente Masjien. She answers a few questions.

Good day, Sannie. How are things?

All good. 🙂

sannie1web
Photo by Karla da Silva

Congrats on the recent release of your first solo album, Serpente Masjien. How do you feel about the completed product, now that it's out there, and what's the reception been like? Seeing that it is the debut solo album, separate from machineri, did you feel – before putting the album together – that there's something specific that you'd like to construct with it, in terms of a golden thread in terms of music, theme or lyrics? Something that you couldn't necessarily do as part of Machineri, or something you've kept for the solo offering?

It has been very exciting to release the album. I’ve been working on the material for two years, some of it longer, and it was getting frustrating always explaining to people what the project was like – it is much easier to give someone a disc so they can hear it for themselves.

The solo project is an organic progression from machineri. I formed machineri in my early twenties with two strats – and wrote all the songs. When machineri’s time ended I continued to write new material, I added bass guitar to the project in a big way and began to play more lead guitar. It has been an extraordinary journey to get to this point.

The preparation for recording an album – and of course the execution of it – must be quite different when going solo from going through all those phases as part of a band. What did you find challenging in this regard, and what did you particularly enjoy? How does the responsibility differ for you, in terms of getting things right and being prepared to take the fall if things go wrong? What is "right" and what is "wrong" in this case anyway, in your experience, in terms of a completed album and everything it takes to get there?

My attitude to preparing an album has not changed much in my years of playing. The process of the solo album was the same process as the machineri album in the sense that I write about 20–30 songs and gig them hard for about a year or more. I see which ones I think grow over time and which ones I want to chuck out or perhaps relook at at a later stage. Then we go into studio and put it down. Although I work with session musicians in my solo project, I try to play with the same players – I appreciate the tightness which comes from knowing and playing with the same players over an extended period of time. This is not always possible but I try.

I tend to be quite stressed out when I record in studio because I would like everything to be perfect, which is never possible. I lock myself in my room two weeks before to fine-tune all the vocals and guitars so that when I am in studio I am extremely prepared. In hindsight I am happy and proud of the two albums I have released so far to my name – machineri’s self-titled album and the solo Serpente Masjien.

The reception has been great to this album. It was chosen to be featured on the UK and US new artist page on iTunes and I get many messages from fans who have bought it and love listening to it.

When one listens to the album tracks online, it's clear that the take-no-prisoners rock onslaught that was present in Machineri hasn't left (especially, but not exclusive to, tracks like "Killer" and "Freedom"). Yet there's also different directions taken and diverse elements implemented, from the hypnotic guitaring and vocals on "Wuthering Heights" to the gospel chant elements employed in "Call". How important is this kind of exploration to you, or does it come naturally? How have these explorations, on Serpente Masjien in particular, influenced your own evolution as a musician, and also your view of your music and what you believe music should be? Are there other genres or styles you're still working on perfecting or would like to employ in the future?

I think the “take-no-prisoners rock onslaught” has always come from my love for grinding, screaming blues like that of Screaming Jay Hawkins or Etta James, as well as ‘70s rock bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Because I was the song writer for machineri and also for all my solo material, that influence and sound will always be felt in the music and will continue, no doubt, into my second solo album.

The exploration into different genres is totally natural for me because I love so many different genres and pay tribute to them all in my songwriting. The gospel sound is another amalgamation of blues; hypnotic and lyrical sounds come from my childhood years listening to and loving traditional Portuguese folk music called Fado, or Bob Dylan and John Lee Hooker or Sam Cooke. I love the power of the vocalist as well, and the idea of the ballad in music – artists who inspire this love for the voice are James Brown, Kate Bush, Jacques Brel, Van Morrison, Jeff Buckley. I also love the guitaring of Ali Farka Toure and Fado. I will continue to explore all these genres for a long time to come, I am sure. I would like to start working with quartets in the future and adding piano at a later stage, different melodic instruments from guitar. I started first as a pianist, then moved to guitar in my early twenties. And I also would like to play some hip hop! 🙂

One of the most refreshing elements of the album (to me) is that there seems to be little regard for "successful", or rather recipe-driven, song structures – the flow seems to go where the flow wants to go between verse, chorus, interludes etc. How does your songwriting process work, from the first words and chords that go down on paper to the point where you can decide "right, this song is ready"? When do you know that a song is good? How much of it is adjusted when rehearsal or recording time comes, and how much remains from those first drafts?

Some songs I will work on, leave, go back to over and over again for a year, maybe two years. Some songs are written in a week, some in a day. The more songs I write, the more time I spend on them, as I feel one exhausts that engine of being able to just put down the first idea which comes into head and hands. I have written close to a hundred songs, probably. Sometimes I have a lot of inspiration and I can write a lot of songs, sometimes I don’t have anything to say so I just practise guitar and maybe save some riff ideas for a later stage. I record and store lots of ideas and lyrics to be used at later stages. I like to read the newspaper, read books or watch movies and write about the characters in the movies more and more. I get bored from writing from my own personal perspective/life – it’s more interesting to write about other people’s stories and perspectives, eg “Wuthering Heights” is based on the perspective of Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights. It is his story, not mine, though there are aspects of his status which I can relate to and all other human beings can relate to – lost love, death. Kate Bush also wrote a song inspired by this novel.

The album was released through the record company Just Music. To what degree could you just take the lead in studio and pull the strings, or how much collaborative discussions had to take place to yea or nay decisions around the music? With this in mind: What are the advantages and disadvantages for you when it comes to creating and releasing music through a record company? Have you been tempted to go independent?

I had a fantastic experience making this album with Just Music and specifically working with Matthew Fink as my producer on the album. He has a great talent for understanding where each individual artist is coming from, he has years of experience and a love for many, many kinds of genres and music. Because we were able to work creatively together, there was a great atmosphere in the studio and a flourishing of ideas. He brought out elements on the album in such a lovely way. I am signed to a label which gives me a lot of freedom and also support at the same time and this works for me.

On your website bio you're noted as "a rock and blues queen of South Africa", and on Just Music's site, Serpente Masjien is described as "one of the strongest female rock albums to come out of South Africa". In a recent interview with an all-female rock band they noted how South African audiences and/or reviewers still seem to have a lingering degree of condescension to female acts or female bands, in terms of sex appeal or "cuteness" being noted before the quality of the music is considered – an issue male rock bands seldom encounter. What has your experience of this element been in your career thus far? I'm sure you'd rather have an album labelled a "great rock album" instead of a "great female rock album"? Is there a solution to speak of, or do you think it's an issue that's mostly been left behind?

I have no issue with the album being called “one of the strongest female rock albums” – this makes me happy. I am female and it is a female album, so it is good that it is called that. I am proud to be a woman, I do not want to be treated like a man, as I am not a man.

I work mainly with men as the music industry is a male-dominated industry and I generally find there is a lot of professional respect for the work I do from other males.

It has always been of importance to me to not be manipulated into something I am not. I have always been a believer in doing things on my own terms. As long as the music is honoured and the love is in the music, that is all that really matters. Everything else is secondary.

chiano3web

You've done quite a bit of touring, all over South Africa and abroad as well, and recently launched the solo album at Oppikoppi. Any highlights that stand out in this regard when you look back? Any weird behind-the-scenes stories you won't easily forget? Any happenings you'd rather not experience again?

I have generally had a great adventure every time I have got on a plane to go and play elsewhere. It is always an exciting journey, because every show is different and you never know what to expect. Long may the adventures continue!

What does the near and far future hold for Sannie Fox?

The far future holds the second solo album, which I am already starting to conceptualise slowly in my mind. The near future holds music videos and performances which people can come to 🙂 – I will be at Rocking the Daisies on October 2, Main Stage at 4 pm, and at Café Roux on October 30 in Noordhoek. There are some more festivals I will be playing at this summer, but that is a secret for now, and to be announced very soon.

What is the meaning of life?

Art! And love.

chiano3web

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