Terri Dunbar-Curran
EACH song on Gerald Clark’s latest album, AfroBoer & the GoldenGoose, communicates something he feels strongly about.
A lot of time and thought went into the tracks, and that’s what makes this album stand out for him. “I believe in the album,” he says. “For me, the songs don’t sound like I just ‘put it together’. Each song had a lot of space to develop before I recorded it.”
He says that this offering has more of a blues base than his previous missives, which was more contemporary. “But I still wouldn’t call it a blues album. There are some songs in the blues format, but it’s more of a rock album.”
Another aspect that makes this collection of tracks special is the fact that he favoured older equipment when it came to recording, like using a 1957 Gibson amp. “You can’t replicate the sound of old-school equipment, it’s authentic sounding,” he says, explaining that he was inspired by the kinds of things Jack White did with production.
And he also used the same mixing consol as the Queens of the Stone Age, lending the whole album a “live” sound. “That’s what makes it exciting – the equipment. And we recorded in an old house, on a farm. It has a ‘lekker’ live feel.”
AfroBoer & the GoldenGoose features 14 tracks, with a little something for blues lovers and rock fans alike. He hopes his fans get “a whole lot of shaking and absolute pleasure” out of it.
“I hope they accept it and see that I’m growing as a musician. I’ve made four solo albums and none of them have been the same: Afrikaans acoustic, heavy blues, contemporary and now rock.”
He jokes that not only does he hope fans love it, but also that they’ll each buy 10 copies. That might not be such a stretch, though, as he’s toying with the idea of designing an alternate cover, “for the more conservative person”, who may not be comfortable with the naked “golden goose” it features.
The cover and album name were inspired by his girlfriend who he met at Oppikoppi last year. “What blues music does to people is it makes them shine. When she dances, she seems so into it that she becomes golden,” he says, explaining that she became his golden goose.
In the lead up to recording, Clark was gigging a lot with The Deadmen and he realised he had a lot of great material, “the band was cooking” and it had been a while since he had released a new album.
The time seemed right, so he teamed up with Schalk van der Merwe on bass, Tim Rankin on drums, Simon Orange on keys and Guy Collins on slide guitar.
He’s pleased with how the album turned out. “There’s big variety on it. It starts off rocky, but then it goes down into a more drawn out vibe. It’s definitely by far my most mature album. ‘Dis nie ’n wors masjien’, it’s the artistic product of my experience,” he says.
Indeed, some of the songs took him longer than others to write, especially those which interrogate how far we have become removed from our conscience.
“You see women walking out of boutiques past women in rags. We just accept the fate of society and that’s a hectic thing to see.
It took a long time to write, because I didn’t want to judge anyone. It’s just my perception though, it’s not the only way to think about it,” he says, inviting listeners to reach their own conclusions.
While it’s fulfilling getting a new album out, Clark’s sights are set on travelling and performing live for the next while. “My profession is a performer of my own music. It’s fun to write songs and compose, but it’ll take a year or so before I write an album again.”
Next on the agenda for him is hitting the road with his bicycle in tow to explore small towns across South Africa, the kinds you miss if you stick to the big roads, performing as he goes. It’s so easy to get caught up in routines, so he’s excited to take time to experience life.
But before he heads out, fans can catch up with him at the official launch of AfroBoer & the GoldenGoose at Blaauwklippen Vineyards in Stellenbosch on Saturday at 7.30pm, where he’ll be joined by The Deadmen who feature on the album.
Also Catch him at Die Boer in Durbanville on Tuesday.
l 082 777 8818, or www.gerald clark.co.za