Cape Town ska band, Captain Stu, released their much-anticipated EP Free Music earlier this month. The EP was produced by SAMA Award-winning producer Neal Snyman and the band is very excited about its latest offering.
While the songs still maintain elements of their signature bouncy, energetic vibes, the new stuff reflects a more mature sound, which the band members believe to be the best of their entire musical career.
There are some obvious progressions from their last album, The Adventures of Captain Stu. New additions to the band include Matt Willis on keyboard and trombone as well as Ryk Otto on drums, but the most glaring difference is the lead singer. James Klopper now fronts the well-known local ska band, and he has bravely sung it through some scepticism from the local music scene.
Band member Jon Shaban shares his view on the band’s development: “Fans can expect a sound that incorporates a lot of something new and exciting but also something that stays faithful to the Captain Stu vibe. We’re beginning to look at what we do and who we are as a band in a new light and this EP is just the beginning of where we want to take things with the band.”
They’re not only looking at their music in new ways, they’ve also picked up on the drastic changes the music industry has seen and have decided to release their EP for free. This is not the first time a local band has resorted to guerrilla marketing tactics to ensure the success of their music. Indie-rock band, The Plastics, also gave out their first two EPs for free, as did Mersey State. These bands are part of a new music generation which experience the music industry in an entirely different way to previous generations. With music downloads and pirating, musicians have to really think outside the box in order to market themselves properly and get their music out there.
Captain Stu’s new EP was recorded at HeyPapaLegendStudios earlier this year in Cape Town. Snyman, who has worked with bands such as Springbok Nude Girls, The Parlotones, Van Coke Kartel and Freshly Ground, says he really enjoyed working with the band and they feel the same. James Klopper said “It has been seriously inspiring working with a producer of Neal’s calibre…he really made the recording process comfortable for us. He is also a perfectionist, which meant that every single take had to be to his standards”.
The band also released a new music video at the beginning of November. It was directed by Richard Bolland, and produced by Richard Bolland and Ryan McArthur, and shows the band missioning around Cape Town. The video is for their new single The Day, watch out for it on internet platforms such as Facebook, onesmallseed.tv, the Captain Stu website and Mahala. You can check out more about the band on their website or join their page on Facebook.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
