Zebra & Giraffe will be on the road from 18 to 29 June for their annual unplugged tour. Greg Carlin sheds some light on the matter.
Good day, Greg. How are things?
Hi! Things are good (despite it being cold and dry in Jozi!).
You guys are embarking on an unplugged tour soon. What led to this idea? How did the conceptualisation work?
We actually did our first "unplugged" tour last year, but called it the "Stripped Down" tour – so technically this is our second time. Winter is usually pretty quiet when it comes to shows in South Africa, so we decided the best way to keep playing and to offer fans something different would be to do unplugged shows. When we started contacting venues the response was great and we ended up with a 17-date tour in 2012. The tour went really well and we decided to do it again this year. The 2013 outing is a little shorter (10 dates) but we've also added a bit more to the production to make it extra special for fans.
What can a band present musically in an acoustic set that can’t be done in the usual setup?
Firstly we try to choose our venues very carefully. We pretty much stick to small and intimate cafés and restaurants. Sometimes in bigger cities we'll play a full-sized club, but we'll make sure there is seating and it's cosy. I think the whole point of the unplugged shows is for fans of the band to get up close and personal with the music and the band members. It feels very personal. When you're on a big stage with loud guitar amps and drums, it's harder to communicate with fans. This is a lot more exposed, which can sometimes be pretty difficult for us to play.
On your website, it’s stated that the band’s sound has moved from “straight-up, radio-hit rock” to “far darker and more daring …” Can you shed some light on how the process of this change worked?
I think we took a few more risks on this album than before. The lyrics were also darker, which inevitably led to a darker musical and production style. It's still Z&G, just slightly more mature and experimental.
How, if at all, did the massive early success of the band play a role in the decision to take a different route? The pressure after starting with a bang is always pretty big …
I think there was pressure on the second album more than the third. Recording The Inside was pretty tough and looking back on it we made a lot of mistakes but also learnt a lot. With the third album we managed to rectify a few of those mistakes, but it still wasn't “perfect”. We had a couple of member change-ups during the writing and recording process of The Wisest Ones, which took its toll. Once again we learnt a lot and we can't wait to get back into studio and put it all into practice!
The composition of the band has changed quite a bit over the years. How has this influenced the way songs are conceived and executed?
Despite all the line-up changes the songs still start with me. I'll always lay the basic structure and melody lines down first. The main change has been what happens after that, after I write the basic song and send it to the band. Over the years it's moved gradually from me sending it to no one (when it was just me) to now, where the band members add their own parts, we rewrite, rehearse, record demos, rewrite again, until the song is right! It's a better process now and we're much more prepared when we hit the studio. A lot of bands forget about the massive impact that pre-production has on the success of your recording. It dictates everything. And we've really learnt this only in the past year. That's why I can't wait to get back into studio, because I know that by the time we get there each member is going to nail it and we'll have something amazing!
You say that Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana and Marilyn Manson had a significant influence on the new album. These are, of course, bands that many groups try to emulate. How do you balance the creation of original material with following these examples?
The bands you mention are definitely influences, but a lot of the time this doesn't come across literally. I don't think many would say we “sound like” Manson or Deftones. They influence the mood for me. I like the way they communicate with their audience. That's what influences me. I think our sonic landscape will always be slightly different from theirs, but there are small bits and pieces which you can pick up that sound similar. To a certain degree, Zebra & Giraffe has carved out its own sound over the five years we've been together. It's not a totally new sound, but it's still us, and I'm still singing, which makes it ours.
Zebra & Giraffe has been around for a long time now. What are your views on the South African music industry and how it’s changed over the past five years?
I started in the music industry just as the internet and mobile technology were beginning to make a huge impact on our lives, so it's been interesting to watch everything change so drastically. With the collapse of the CD industry everything is still in flux; people are still figuring out ways to monetise music and its by-products. For South Africa it's been interesting because we weren't really an established market when the massive change hit, so in some ways it's been harder to adapt and in others it's helped, because it was easier to change, being so young. I still have a huge problem with venues in South Africa. I know it's a tough thing to get right, but there really are very few purpose-built live music venues. And that makes it hard for a band to tour and for a band to grow. There's no hierarchy. In the States you can start off playing small venues and work your way up to bigger clubs, then to 1 000-capacity theatres, then arenas, etc etc. And all of this depends on a band’s success and pull and how good they are live! In South Africa you battle just to plan a tour and find one decent venue in each town. Currently the best venue in South Africa is in Durban (LIVE the Venue). Now, I love Durbs, but shouldn't the biggest and best be in Jozi and Cape Town? Why has Johannesburg got no decent venues?
So that's the main thing I always battle with in South Africa. I realise it's tiny compared with the USA or European territories, but we can definitely do better.
The band’s done a whole lot of touring … Any anecdotes you’d like to share? Any places you won’t be visiting again?
Touring in South Africa can be challenging, but also a whole lot of fun. We know the circuit pretty well by now, but the best part for me is still the travelling. I love driving now. I used to hate it as a kid (didn't we all?). Now I love the journey, seeing the beautiful country we have, meeting with friends and fans in each city.
What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life? Well that changes quite regularly for me. At this stage in my life I'm glad still to be playing music and have made a career out of it ... so the meaning of life for me is to create. And I don't mean kids. Maybe later. But for now, it's creating things. Making music. Drawing, music videos. Live shows. Life loses its excitement for me very quickly when I'm not doing something new.
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