Archive for June, 2013



11
Jun
13

Taxi Violence’s New Single Lands, Melts Faces

BrainmashIt’s no secret that I think Taxi Violence is one of SA’s most talented and badass bands currently playing, just read my review of their last album here and my write up of their Synergy 2011 performance here.

There’s just something about this band that connects with my deep, dark, whisky-drinking soul y’know? The desert / southern rock / blues influence definitely has something to do with it, that shit really speaks to me.

So I was pretty stoked to find out that they’re about to drop a new album in July called Soul Shake which you can bet your ass I’ll be reviewing here on the site soon as I can get my filthy mitts on it.

In the meantime though, here’s their first single “Brainmash” which I can almost guarantee you’ll be humming for the rest of today.

My pleasure Winking smile

 

 

Pretty flippin’ sick ne?

Fok ja.

-ST

10
Jun
13

Escape Monday: GIGANTIC BUGS!

macro-bugs-1-600x528Ok class, hands up who knows what “Focus-Stacking” is? Any photographers here today? No? Well, focus stacking is a technique where photographers combine several images taken at different depths of field.

This results in close-up images that are incredibly detailed and are in super-sharp focus. Combine that technique with a natural curiosity about bugs and you get the resulting images taken by Nicolas Reusens.

Fair warning though, if you have a pathological fear of bugs you’d probably do well to avoid looking at these images AT ALL COSTS. If not, then read on for some of the radassest buggy close-ups you’ve ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to see more of Nicolas Reusens’ work, you can check out his official page here. It’s well worth it except for the fact that his name is water-marked on every pic (unless you buy them) which kinda spoiled them for me.

Anyway, good luck with the rest of Monday. I think we’re all gonna need it…

-ST

07
Jun
13

Friday LOLZ – Winter Edition

tumblr_mniz93jkrH1r0wqrdo1_1280I have no idea why I called this “Winter Edition” other than the obvious fact that, well, it’s winter. None of the LOLZ below contain any references to winter, except for my friend on the left there.

These LOLZ have been hand-picked by your Tiger pal because they are fucking weird and I find fucking weird things funny (quite possibly because I am fucking weird).

So ram these delicious LOLZ into your face and thank me later. If they make your day go any faster then my work here is done.

Let’s start with a trailer for a movie none of us are ever going to see shall we?

 

 

From there, we’re going to change things up a bit with a few screen grabs from an early 90s piece of software called Dr Sbaitso which, from what I can tell, was supposed to be some kind of digital psychologist.

 

 

 

 

 

Then there’s this gem. Look what the internet has done to people visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the best one of the lot (courtesy of my man P-to-the-E):

 

 

Have a killer weekend party people, stay warm and don’t forget to always check under your pillow before you go to sleep.

-ST

06
Jun
13

Okes Who Like To Klap It #22: TOOTHSTA YO YO YO!

9368_492347934167522_1313669089_nOkes, lemme tell you that I flippin flippin flippin LOVE the interwebs. Just when you think you’ve seen every kind of MASSIVE AND RIPPED charna, the interwebs shows you another MASSIVER AND MORE RIPPED CHARNA!

The oke I’m about to interduce you to is KLAPPING IT on a level that I never knowed possible. I think you know already the ou I’m talking about, none other than the flippin SHREDDED MACHINE, TOOTHSTA!

I learned of this flippin BOYCHAY through a ou who twittered me a link to the Toothsta Vleisbook page and I was like, “Schweet. Whatever. A buff charna. Whatever. I make shits bigger than this ou.”

But then I took a deeper look and what I saw were an oke who inbodied the guide what I wrote about KLAPPING GYM in every flippin way!

You ous remember that one hey? Remember the point about your charnas and how you are NOTHING in a gym situation, or even a life situation, without your charnas? Flip oke, you don’t need to tell Toothsta kak like that, check out him and his mates:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another thing from the guide that this ou knows all about is how to klap so much protein and supplerments that his protein baffs can literally kill a ou from 20 paces.

You want to tell this charna about nutritional foods to klap for breakfast? Are you flippin joking?!

Check out this ou’s breakfast – OFF. THE. CHAIN.

 

 

So ja, I saw that and were lank impressed, but then I saw the ou’s flippin LUNCH and I nearly BAILED off my flippin’ CHAIR!

 

 

I knowed there were something missing from my flippin gym diet of 3 whey protein shake, Jack 3D, crehatine, 6 tins of tuna a day, 10 egg whites, two bags of biltong (500g), 10 chicken breasts, 2 steakes for supper and dangerous ANABOLIC STEROIDS IN MY ARSE for desert – it was actual flippin’ ROCKS!

I’ve just inboxed Toothsta to find out what kind of rocks those are, I’ll post a follow up to let you ous know and find out if you have to buy them from a shop or if you can just steal them off a mountain or some kak like that.

The other thing about this ou that I seriously admire are his indepth knowlege about BELTERS and how flippin USELESS AND LAZY they are.

 

 

I mean if that isn’t KLAPPING THE NAIL ON THE HEAD then I dunno what flippin is! Fucking hippos, I mean honestly boet…

So anyway, if you’re seriously into KLAPPING IT, LOOKING TIT and becoming a SHREDDED MACHINE then here are a link to this ou’s Facebook page, click it, like this ou and thank me later.

Oh and also, by the way, did you know this ou are going to be in the SA version of Jersey Shores?

Check THIS shit out, yo yo yo!

 

 

I rest my case. If you not KLAPPING IT, you ‘MIRIN BOET!

Toothsta, you my flippin HERO you LEGEND! Please don’t forget to inbox me back and let me know about those rocks, ok boet?

Schweet.

-ST

05
Jun
13

The Converse #GetDirty Competition Winner Is…

a-trophySorry I didn’t get around to posting this earlier boys and girls, it’s been a manic day but the good news is I’ve had a read through all the entries for the Converse #GetDirty competition and chosen a winner!

It’s never an easy task doing this (another reason why this post is so late) and with this comp in particular, there are some flippin awesome entries – someone call a vet, there some seriously sick puppies out there.

So anyway, the task was to post about the dirtiest you’ve ever gotten in a pair of sneakers. You guys posted some other level sheeit, but the big winner today iiiiiiiissssssss…

Ardian “Funky” Phipps! Congrats my man! Your story about getting so hammered you crawled UNDER your tent and passed out definitely qualifies you to handle anything Saturday’s party might throw your way.

The Converse kids will be in touch shortly with all the details you’ll need for the train ride and Saturday’s party, hell’s yeah!

Adrian has won a basically all-expenses paid trip to the Converse #GetDirty party happening in Jozi this weekend where he’ll be checking out a whole bunch of bands, including these badasses:

 

 

Party on Wayne Winking smile

-ST

05
Jun
13

Album Review: Son

522131_451431511600690_380813415_nThe Down Lizzo:

I got a hold of the Pretoria-based band Son’s self titled debut album a few weeks back through my main man Guitar Jon who happens to be the bassist for the band and I must say, personal affiliations aside, the guys have put together an impressive debut by anyone’s standards.

While their sound is undoubtedly rooted in the 90s, there’s enough breadth to their songwriting and raw musical talent in frontman, guitarist and vocalist Heinrich Van Heerden, bassist and backing vocalist Jon Pentreath and drummer Keegan Oxley-Oxland to keep things interesting.

There’s also a healthy dose of blues, slide guitars and southern rock in their material which also helps define their unique sound.

Sick Tracks:

As far as album openers go, “Kitchen Tiles” rates right up there with a track like Live’s “Rattlesnake” in terms of grabbing your attention and setting the scene from the get-go.

Slow, brooding and moody, the haunting slide guitar and husky vocals from Hein induce an almost trance-like state that snaps shut like a bear-trap as the drums and bass guitar kick in.

“I don’t want to hold your hand” has some of the most epic drumming this side of Soundgarden’s “Spoon Man” (Keegan is no slouch behind the kit, his beats and fills are tight as a nun’s… moral code) not to mention some truly face-melting moments when Hein shreds the hell out of his guitar.

 

 

“Reflection” is also a winner. The verse riff is pure hook – lean, mean and oozing sex, the track builds to another fret-shredding climax only to simmer down and come apart in a squall of bass and scattered drum beats.

The best track on the album by a country mile is “Think It’s Time”. From the first few slow opening notes it’s immediately apparent that we’re dealing with a different beast altogether here.

And what a beast it is. Hein coaxes these tortured, distorted wails from his axe like a demon lover. He takes his sweet time while Jon shadows him on bass, laying down slow and steady basslines like a canvas for Hein to splash paint over with reckless abandon. It truly is a thing of beauty.

 

 

The album takes a far more introspective turn after that point. The band give the songs some room to breathe and the results are immediately noticeable. What starts off as an album crackling with frantic, wild energy simmers down with the epic slow-burners “Deep River” and “Let Me Be Your Man”.

The closer “Interesting Times” is brutal in its honesty and poignant in its simplicity. Hein flips his vocal tone switch from “Jack White” where it’s set for most of the album to “Leonard Cohen” for this last track, a perfect end to an intriguing debut.

Should You Give A Shit?

Considering the calibre of a lot of other South African bands that are enjoying a shitload more popularity than Son is at the moment, the answer to that question is dead simple – yes, you should give a shit.

 

 

Though tracks like “When I Need You” and “My Body” are literally bursting with energy and will no doubt get the crowd jumping when Son throw down live, I found the slower tracks more interesting and a lot more indicative of what this band has to offer.

If this band has the stones to keep fighting the good fight, I’d bet my bottom dollar that the follow-up to this debut is going to be a massive game-changer in every way.

That’s not to say that their self-titled debut is anything to shrug off, it’s a solid album that you can listen to in its entirety on the band’s Soundcloud page, but my gut feeling is that this is just a taste of what this band can do.

Here’s “Reflection” to give you guys a taste of what Son are capable of:

 

 

Their official album launch is on the 29th June, for all the details, check out Son’s Facebook page here.

Final Verdict: 7/10

-ST

04
Jun
13

A Post About Creative Limitation

STRAIGHT_JACKET_BOTHOn Saturday night I got into a discussion with a group of aspiring writers I met through the Get Smarter Creative Writing course about the idea of creative limitation.

They asked me to write up some of my views on the topic on the FB page we’ve started, but instead I thought I’d go one better and bang it out here for other aspiring writers to possibly benefit from.

Before I get started though, it’s only fair that I issue the following disclaimer: I don’t have all the answers. I’m only posting this because I’ve found this information useful in terms of my writing so yeah, eat the fish, spit the bones.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered in writing fiction is losing direction, momentum and the will to finish what I start. What started out as a great premise for a novel unwinds into this sprawling mess of characters doing whatever the hell they want while the original story I had in mind forks so many times I end up getting forked.

After reading a lot of books and websites about writing I soon learned that the problem I was having was due to the fact that I was writing without structure.

 

 

The first time someone pointed this out to me, I balked at the idea. I’m not an architect, I’m a writer goddamnit! What the hell do I need structure for? 

As a creative person, I saw structure as a kind of death knell for my creativity because it stood to reason that the minute I took this brilliant idea I had for a novel / comic book / TV series / movie and tried to impose structure on it, surely I would end up severely limiting the idea?

The short answer here is yes. That’s exactly what structure does and lemme tell you something, reigning in that crazy basterd of an idea you have boiling in your mind is possibly the best thing you can do for it.

This is what I mean when I refer to the term creative limitation. It seems totally counter-intuitive to any creatively-minded person that you would actively try to limit your idea, cut it down to size, force it into a workable structure, but the act of doing so is one of the most valuable things you can do for your burgeoning story.

 

 

For starters, here’s a fun exercise to infuriate the shit out of you – explain your entire novel in one sentence, two at the most. Do it now. Take a pen write it down.

Impossible, right? Anyone who can successfully do that must be writing the most boring, over-simplified piece of fiction in the history of literature.

And yet every single novel ever written can be summed up in a sentence or two. What’s even more interesting to note is how many of those sentences are loaded to the gills with irony.

Take The Great Gatsby for example: A mysterious millionaire and hopeless romantic dedicates his life to winning the love of a shallow and self-absorbed woman.

We immediately know from reading that description that this is a story that will not end well. It also piques our curiosity as to how this could play out.

 

 

See, irony has this uncanny way of taking what would otherwise be a very straightforward plot and adding that crucial twist that all of a sudden makes people sit up and listen.

Say you do this exercise and come out with something like: “A young woman turns her back on her urban lifestyle when she marries a quiet woodsman and moves into the wilderness to live with him.”

It’s a good start. I’d be mildly interested to find out how these two polar opposites get along, but in all likelihood I’d probably shrug it off and carry on with my life.

BUT if you subtly tweaked the line to read, “A young ex-drug addict turns her back on her hedonistic urban lifestyle when she marries a quiet woodsman only to discover that his cabin is a front for the biggest crystal meth lab south of the border” THEN you’d have a compelling story.

 

 

I stole this technique from scriptwriting. In the movie industry they call this shortened description of your story a “logline” and it’s the single most important part of any screenplay.

The reason why is simple. If you’re pitching a screenplay, you have to be able to describe it in a sentence or two because movie producers receive a boatload of scripts from unknown writers every day and unless yours stands out from the rest and can be communicated succinctly, you are dead in the water.

In this way, movie producers are much the same as publishers. You need to make sure the idea you have for a novel is so awesome that just by explaining it with one sentence, you already have your reader / listener’s rapt attention.

So, for brevity’s sake, I’m going to stop this post there, at the logline. Focus on getting that crucial aspect of your story right and next week we can move onto the basic principles of structure according to archetypal story-telling which has remained pretty much unchanged since Homer first picked up pen (quill?) and paper.

Until then Winking smile

-ST

03
Jun
13

Escape Monday: Beaches Of Every Imaginable Colour

Pfeiffer-State-Beach-purple-sand-on-Big-SurIf you live in Cape Town, congratulations for braving the rainiest weekend we’ve had this year. How insane was that shit?! At one stage we were even getting pelted by hail, it was nuts.

Weird how quickly you forget that it was ever summer. The thought of going to the beach is the furthest thing from my mind right now, so I thought I’d spread a little cheer by posting these pics.

Turns out beach sand doesn’t just come in stock-standard yellow. What you’re about to see are pics of white, pink, black and even green beaches to help you kill those winter blues and escape the hell out of Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel any warmer?

Me neither. Back to work ya lazy bum Winking smile

-ST