LW Mag LW Magazine
Band: The Inside Job
Members: Melony Phoenixx, Shawn Adams, Lionel John Maharajah
Genre: Rock
Hometown: Paarl
Year Formed: 2009
Where are some the places you regularly perform (so our readers can come check you out)?
Nameless Pub(Somerset West), The Hidden Cellar(Stellenbosch), Zula Bar (CPT), Zu’Bar(Wellington), ROAR(CPT).
What is the “Inside Job”?
What it means to us is not necessarily what it will mean to someone else, we’d like people to give their own meaning to it.
Describe your sound.
We’d love to think of ourselves as versatile musicians, but our core sound is rock.
How did the Inside Job form?
At McDonald’s…
What are your guys nicknames and what do they mean/stand for?
Lionel – LJ (initials)
Melony – Mel (shortened version)
Shawn – Ampie (nickname since childhood)
An international artist you’d like to share the stage with?
U2.
Some local bands you’ve shared the stage with and enjoyed doing so?
Joint State, Fox Comet, aKing, Die Seisoen na Somer.
Who is making some of the most unique sounds on the local scene these days?
Fox Comet.
What do you guys have that other bands don’t have to be the Next Big Thing?
Versatility and a unique sound. People usually try to place us in a certain genre or try and figure out which other band we sound like, but until this day no one actually gave us the same name twice.
How do you get rid of nerves before performing?
LJ: by yawning.
What’s been your longest session in a recording studio?
9am-6pm (with only a one hour break!).
What’s the best way to describe South African culture to a foreigner?
If you are in Cape Town then, “chillin’” is the perfect word.
Is there a certain process you have to making music? Tell us about it?
Words usually come first, but once in a while a nice riff pops up. All three of us have such different music backgrounds and likes in genres that we can’t really say what it’ll sound like in the end, which always keeps us excited to hear the outcome. Even mistakes are kept in some of our songs because of the character it creates.
Are fame and success one and the same thing?
Nope, not at all. Fame is just a hitchhiker on the road to success.
How will you know when you guys have “made it” – what will it take for you to feel that?
Grammy.
What’s the most important message in your music?
Lessons learnt. All our struggles and accomplishments are pretty universal, so we share familiar grounds.
Describe a typical night out for the Inside Job.
Last practise session early afternoon and packing the gear for the show. Picking up friends along the way. When arriving at the venue, we usually first chat to the engineer and set up the gear while having a few drinks. Let’s just say it’s very chilled.
Do you have any upcoming gigs/festivals you’d like to tell us about?
[On the] 4th of June we will be jamming at the Soundwaves Festival in Robertson.Photo by: Aperture Photography Danie Saaiman
