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Earlier this week we told you about the release of Shortstraw’s new album Good Morning, Sunshine. The afro-indie pop rock band has brought their own unique flavour to the South African Music scene which has earned them a huge amount of fans as well as a well deserved MK Award for the best Indie.
We interviewed the band to find out how they got started and what they’re about, what they had to say about their new album, their sound and their party tricks that they’re proud of:
For people that don’t know much about the band Shortstraw, tell us how you got started? When, where and why the name?
Ollie and Al played in a band called Wanton. When that band split up, they started jamming together with no real intention of ever doing anything serious. This was in Melville, Johannesburg at Al’s mom’s house. Eventually some songs evolved and they played their first gig. It went pretty well so they played a few more gigs. A year and a half later they decided to record an EP, and in the process took on a guitarist and a bassist. Two years later, that four-piece recorded an album, shortly before the guitarist and bassist left for jobs and travels. In came Tom, Gad and Russ and that’s the story up until now. The band was initially called That’s What Your Mother Said Last Night, but after we wrote our first ballad we figured it needed to change. There’s nothing significant about the name Shortstraw, it’s just another band name really. Al hates it.
Who’s who and who plays what is Shortstraw?
Al sings and plays rhythm guitar. Ollie plays the drums and sings backing vocals. Gad plays keys, synth and sing backing vocals. Tom plays lead guitar and Russ plays bass.
Do any of you guys have a party trick that you are known for and proud of?
Gad has really loose skin. It’s weird. He can do this freaky thing with his mouth. Tom can make a cigarette disappear and then reappear, you can see that trick in the video for Bikini Weather. Ollie knows a plethora of useless information and will argue with you all night to prove a point. Russ can do the Madiba dance like a pro. Al has nothing that he’s proud of.
It’s been a crazy month for Shortstraw, first an award at the MK Awards for Best Indie and now the release of your new album along with its launch tour. What has the past month been like for you and what part of it has been the most exciting?
Wow, it’s been pretty overwhelming and its felt like a lot longer than a month! It’s like everything we wanted for the band when we started is finally starting to come together, and it’s all happened in this month. We’re just so totally grateful that we’ve had these opportunities and wanna ride this out for as long as we possibly can. The best part was definitely opening for The Kooks and getting to play to 4000 people. It was ridiculous.
What was it like winning the MK Award for best Indie?
It was a total surprise! We were up against some really great and well known bands, so we didn’t think we had a shot. We spammed our fans hard to vote for us, and it all paid off, so we’re just really thankful to everyone who voted and MK for the super heavy award!
What was the after party like after winning the award?
It was pretty tame! It was a Sunday night and it was a cash bar and none of us had any cash! We mooched off of CrashCarBurn for a large portion of the night. Those guys are the best! Then we danced badly for a bit and went home. We celebrated properly at Splashy Fen the following weekend…
Your new album “Good Morning, Sunshine” is about to be released. What can fans expect from the new album?
It’s more of a party album. The songs are a lot more dancey than the previous album, with a more electric guitar indie sound as opposed to the acoustic folky vibe of the last one. We also found a little more afro and kwela within ourselves as South Africans, which was exciting to start playing around with. Listen for yourselves at shortstraw.bandcamp.com
How long did you spend recording the album?
The recording process itself lasted about 2 weeks, then we spent 2 weeks mixing. It was a super quick process, which didn’t allow us the opportunity to faff around with any of the songs. That’s often a band’s biggest detriment, because the more you listen to something with a critical ear, the more you can fuck a song up. Well, it can go both ways, but in our experience, it has never done good things to a song. If you still don’t dig it after 2 weeks, scrap it!
What songs do you think are going to the big hit songs?
Bikini Weather was our first single, and that did really well on campus stations, so hopefully the music video will continue to do well. The title track from the album is the next single and has been doing well based on Soundcloud plays! Then our other favourites are Couch Potato, Cold Shoulder and The Wedding Blues, which features Shane Durrant from Desmond and the Tutus.
Listen to Good Morning, Sunshine here:
Which song is the most important to you and was written to send out a message?
Bikini Weather has the message that skinny girls shouldn’t be such bitches and that it’s okay to not have a model’s body. Shortstraw condones comfort food and binge eating. It’s okay!
Couch potato is directed at the youth of today and how they should stop watching so much TV and need to prepare for the life in the real world.
But we don’t take ourselves too seriously, so there aren’t any real messages in our songs. We just want people to have a good time when they listen to our music.
How would you say the songs on the new album differ from your previous songs?
The previous album was predominantly written by two people, Al and Jason (ex-guitarist), then finished with everyone else. Just about every song on Good Morning, Sunshine was written by the whole band. It started in the practice room and was finished in the practice room. So there’s a much broader sound, considering everyone’s different influences came through in the writing process.
You are also about to embark on your album launch tour. What does the tour have in store for fans?
Well, we’ve just finished an album that we’re all really excited about, so getting to play the songs live is a jam for us, and it shows on stage. And generally, when we’re having fun on stage, the crowd joins in on the fun. So it should result in a loud, sweaty mess of a show with plenty of drink afterwards!
Which part of the tour are you most excited about and why?
All of it! We’re playing with our favorite bands in awesome venues around the country. If we had to choose one, it’d probably be the Brass Bell show in Kalk Bay. It’s supposedly their last live music show ever and we’re being joined by 3 of the best acts in the country: Matthew Mole, Al Bairre and Jakkals.
Which venue do you think is going to rock the hardest?
Grahamstown will always be the biggest party!
Any shout outs?
All the behind the scenes people… Jean-Michel Wickli, our manager, is just the best guy ever! He’s helped us so much over the past few years and we wouldn’t be where we are without him. And Rachelle Crous, our publicist, who always makes us look good and is sweet as hell!
Check out the official music video for Bikini Weather:
Catch Shortstraw on their nationwide Good Morning, Sunshine Album Launch Tour:
25 April 2013 – Bohemia, Stellenbosh
26 April 2013 – Mercury Live, Cape Town
28 April 2013 – The Brass Bell, Kalk Bay
30 April 2013 – Surf Cafe, Plettenberg Bay
2 May 2013 – Barmuda, Port Alfred
3 May 2013 – Champs, Grahamstown
4 May 2013 – Live The Venue, Durban
10 May 2013 – Arcade Empire, Pretoria
11 May 2013 – Mystic Boer, Bloemfontein
31 May 2013 – Town Hall, Johannesburg
Keep in contact with Shortstraw on Facebook – Twitter – BandCamp – SoundCloud
