Deciding what or who to select for any week's week's Friday SA Music Spotlight is difficult as there is so many talented musicians in this country and so many different genre's in which individuals and collaborators excel. Having said that, this week I have decided to stick with the Afro-Jazz genre, because highlighting my chosen artist will hopefully assist her in gaining a few votes. More about that later.

Although Verity has long been the darling of the online world and was first featured in this feature six months ago, her story is currently been told all over South African mainstream media at the moment. A by-product of her success is the funding received by the Live Your Dreams Foundation from her Lucky Packet Project. 5.3% of every cd she sells goes to this project which in turn currently funds the foundation, providing financial assistance SA musicians realise their dreams. The first recipient of this assistance was Mimi Ntenjwa exactly a year ago.

Mimi's silky smooth voice (to use an old cliché) fits the jazz genre perfectly, taking you to a place where you are sitting in a cane chair with big comfortable cushions, cocktail in the hand and a white sandy beach just a few steps away.
Mimi is starting to become a star in her own right and I have noticed how many other musicians have mentioned playing with her on their online cv.s. Being recognised by your peers in this industry is something not many achieve in such a short period of time.

So how can you help her gain votes?

She has been nominated in no less than three categories in this years Metro FM music awards. These awards allow for public participation, so you can sms your vote to, hopefully, influence the outcome. Click the Myspace link below, and should the sound of 'Goodbye Loneliness' resonate with you follow these instructions (SA Only) before the 22nd October.

Categories : Best Female, Best Newcomer, Best Jazz
To Vote SMS: Category (eg Best Jazz), Mimi to 34764.

Links

• Take a listen here (Myspace)
  

Labels: friday music spotlight, jazz, live your dreams foundation, metro fm music awards, Mimi Ntenjwa, sa music, verity

Posted by eishman at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

On the 25th April this year on the Friday SA Music Spotlight I posted a piece on Verity. She is funding her cd release by involving those who pre-purchase her yet to be released album in the creation of it.
Since then she has reached the all-important 2000 pre-sales mark. This means she can fund the printing and posting of the album for those who have bought into the project.
As things have turned out, her concert this Sunday at the Silvertree Restaurant in Kirstenbosch will become a celebratory event.

With Nelson Malela on keyboards, Helder Gonzaga on bass and Frank Paco on drums she assures us it will be "high energy music filled evening" showcasing all the songs off the album!

If you would like to be there, please call 021 762 9585 asap to book a table. Tickets cost R100 & include a welcome drink & soup.

Labels: entertainment, future owners, kirstenbosch, music, sa music, silvertree restaurant, verity

Posted by roygbiv at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

As I began my travels through the web-o-sphere deciding on this week's SA Music artist, I browsed through Peak Performances' artist catalogue. (for the first time I'm ashamed to say) As the first notes of Verity's single 'Perfect' came through my pc's speakers I knew it would be an easy decision. The fact that she comes from my neck of the woods and claims to have been inspired to write her first song on the beach down the road helped make the decision even easier.

Doing my homework, I found that she is quietly pushing the music scene here in an interesting direction. Ideate.co.za did an interview with her earlier this month where she explained how she has gone about financing her upcoming album.
She is pre-selling her album online and has already managed to pre-sell over 1700 cd's (Eishman's copy is #1703). While this doesn't sound remarkable, it must be explained that the pre-selling is in fact financing the production of the cd. Those buying the album before release are called official "Future Owners" and given the power to help choose the songs that will appear on the album as well as assist with the choice design of the album art. Thus becoming intimately involved in the development of the product. Further to this 10.6% of every album sold will be given to two worthy organisations People Opposing Woman Abuse & Live Your Dreams Foundation.

She currently has 21 songs you can give a listen on her website. Here adult contemporary style is reminiscent of early Jewel with heavy us of piano and acoustic guitar. She also has a few overly poppy tunes on the current playlist, 'Don't look back' as an example of one such song, but on the whole her compositions are easy listening with meaningful lyrics. My personal favourites being 'Perfect' and 'Box of photographs', with '18 holes' sure to get overtake them with a wee bit of extra production. But hey, you be the judge, take a listen and you can help her create a masterpiece!

• Website : http://www.iamverity.com/


• Blog : http://www.iamverity.co.za/

(Feel free to submit any artists you would like featured in the Friday SA Music Spotlight. Click here)

Labels: friday music spotlight, music, sa music, verity

Posted by eishman at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments