Jim Neversink: Difference between revisions
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==2000 - 2009== |
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==2010 - present== |
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Revision as of 01:11, 19 December 2010
Jim Neversink |
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Jim Neversink (born Michael James Whitehead, 16 June 1969 in Durban) is a South African musician, singer and songwriter. His musical style spans over indie rock, country, americana and punk.
He is best known as a solo artist who performs with changing line-ups. As such, he has released three albums to critical acclaim; despite being released on independent labels, two of them were included in best-album lists in South African magazines as well as in Billboard Magazine. Most recently, three South African newspapers also listed Neversink albums among their albums of the decade.
Before he went solo, Neversink was the co-founder and lead guitarist of "Famous Curtain Trick", a country/pop/rock band which rose to mainstream popularity in South Africa in the 1990s and was nominated for a SAMA Award.
His most notable instrument is the guitar, including a home-built lap steel guitar.[1]
Childhood and early youth
Neversink was born in Durban on 16 June 1969.[2][3] Growing up in Durban, he would listen to jazz, blues and country at home;[2][4] he took up the guitar at the age of eighteen.[5][4]
During the eighties and nineties, Durban, where Neversink eventually began to perform, became renowned for its creatively powerful live scene for independent rock and pop,[6] earning it the label "the Seattle of South Africa"; despite a weak economical basis, Durban was seen to whip "the carpet out from under the economic heart land of Johannesburg" where the music industry was and is still based.[7]
1990's: Early career
Famous Curtain Trick
In the early nineties, Neversink and Nadine Raal founded the pop-rock-country band “Famous Curtain Trick”, which performed songs written mainly by Neversink and Raal. The band consisted of lead singer/guitarist Raal, Neversink on guitar, lap steel and backing vocals, Garth Johnstone, later Duncan Smith on bass, and in the early stages Kevin O’Grady, then Warren Peddie, later Craig Nash on drums.
They released Famous Curtain Trick (EMI, 1995; produced by Neill Solomon) and Land of no Cadillacs (Universal, 1996; produced by Dave Birch, front man of Squeal), nominated for a South African Music Award in the category "Best Pop Album".[8]
Live performances included the music festivals Splashy Fen (1995, 1997, 1999),[9] Wingerdstok (1997),[10] Oppikoppi (1997), Southern Cross Folk & Rock Festival (2000)[11] as well as opening for Roxette in Durban (1995) and touring South Africa with Bryan Adams (1999).[2][12] In 2000, the band split up.
Other collaborations
For a while, Neversink formed part of the alternative country/lo-fi rock band "Lilo". He appears on bass on the band's first album Light me up a Lucifer (2002). Other members were, at the time, Alexander Sudheim, Graeme Barnes and Dean Henning.[3][13]
He appears on lap steel on Calling off Syd Kitchen´s album Africa's not for sissies (2001).[14]
2000 - 2009
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In 2001, Neversink moved to Johannesburg and began using the artistic name Jim Neversink.[15][2]
Jim Neversink (Ent Entertainment 2005)
Neversink's self-titled solo debut album was produced by Matthew Fink.[16] Recorded partly under primitive circumstances in Neversink's bedroom,[2][5] it was nominated “Album of the Year” by The Star, pronouncing it "a masterpiece that will no doubt stand the test of time".[17] Beeld listed it among the "Top-Ten Albums" of the year,[18] and, at the turn of the decade, included it in a list of South African albums of the decade.[19] Channel24.co.za, which likewise referred to the album as a "South African masterpiece", awarded it five stars out of five, remarking that "Neversink and Matthew Fink have produced a benchmark album, seemingly out of nowhere."[20].
The CD has Jim Neversink on voice, guitar, lap steel, piano and harmonica, Matthew Fink on accordion and guitar and Katherine Hunt on bass, violin and backing vocals. Two tracks feature Paul "Roach" Cochrane on bass and Ashton Nyte on lead guitar.[21]
Shakey is Good (Radio Lava, 2008)
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A second album, with Fink, Hunt and now Warrick Poultney on drums, and produced by Fink, likewise earned critics' acclaim: it came in as no 2 on The Times’ international "Top 20 albums" of 2008;[22] Billboard Magazine's South African correspondent placed it as no 6 on her international list of "2008 Billboard Critics Top 10s";[23] Isolation.tv placed it as no 1 on their top-10 "South African albums of the year".[24] The Times and Mail & Guardian included it in their listings of "albums of the decade". [25] [26] Channel24.co.za awarded it five out of five stars.[27]
Live performances
Live appearances with the Fink/Hunt/Poultney line-up included performing at the London Forum as support act for Sixto Rodriguez (2005)[2] and at the Oppikoppi festival (2006),[28] the White Mountain Folk Festival (2006)[29] [30] and the Splashy Fen (2007).[9]
Other collaborations
Television actor and singer Emmanuel Castis performs one of Neversink's songs, Stay, on South of Nowhere (Next Music (Pty) Ltd, 2008). The song Monkey off Shakey Is Good is included in Beginner's Guide to South Africa (Nascente, 2010), a three-CD compilation of contemporary South African music. [31]
Neversink contributes backing vocal and slide guitar on the song Stranger by Laurie Levine (Unspoken: Beyond The Box Music, 2006) as well as backing vocal on her song Scrambling (Living Room: Beyond The Box Music, 2009).
He contributes slide-guitar on the song Son on Radio Kalahari Orkes's 2009 CD Heuningland.[32]
2010 - present
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Skinny Girls Are Trouble (One F, 2010)
2010 saw Neversink relocating to Copenhagen, Denmark and releasing his third album, Skinny Girls Are Trouble.
Shortly after the launch of Shakey is Good, he had begun to perform with Loandi Boersma (bass) and Kevin O´Grady (drums) and various guest performers.[5] This is also the line-up of the third album which has guest performances from Rian Malan, Lani Pieters and Timon Wapenaar.[5] [33]
The album was produced in Johannesburg and New York by Richard Lloyd, former member of the New wave/punk rock band Television, and engineered, mixed and mastered by Peter Pearlson. [34][35][36] [37] [38] [39] An internet blog was set up to document the pre-production and recording processes.[33]
Released in September 2010, Skinny Girls Are Trouble has so far only been reviewed by Mail & Guardian which called it "arguably Neversink's finest hour and easily one of the best South African albums released in 2010" [40]
Lyrics
Neversink's lyrics have been the subject of special acclaim; the Mail & Guardian, upon the release of Shakey is Good, pronounced him "one of the finest songwriters in South Africa".[41] The Star justified a no-1 placement on a best-albums list by referring to “the raw emotion, the intelligent songwriting which he has crafted beautifully”;[17] and The Times (South Africa) remarked: "No one comes close to Jim Neversink in making observations about the small details of living in South African towns sound so cinematic(...) Neversink’s off-kilter way of looking at society’s damaged things stands alone."[22] Channel24.co.za speaks of "moments of Sparklehorse brilliance, and(...) a Jim White feel to the strange tales of peri-urban paranoia and quixotic questing."[27]
Love, together with death and longing for life on the other side, are recurring themes on both albums;[2] the angle is often darkly romantic, occasionally humorous and defiant.[2][15] Some songs would appear to be personal and autobiographical; thus, Always dreaming about you and Angel (off Jim Neversink), the former dedicated to his late father, the latter to an ex-girlfriend.[2][15] Others, like Monkey (off Shakey Is Good) or Transfer to Harding (off Jim neversink), are narrative-driven ballads about life's outsiders. Similarly, Ride, Ride Ride (off Jim Neversink) was written with bank-robber Andre Stander in mind;[2] the title of Even Elizabeth Klarer (off Shakey Is Good) refers to a famous alien abductee, and the protagonist of Klackerty Kate is a statuette of a disabled girl, placed in supermarkets to collect funds for Polio research.[22]
Influences and musical style
Whereas some journalists have dubbed Neversink “a modern-day Johnny Cash”[22] and “SA’s answer to Johnny Cash”,[42] others place him in the vicinity of Chris Isaak, the Jayhawks, Wilco and Calexico[20] and detect influences from Leadbelly and Loretta Lynn.[20] He himself has labeled his music loserbilly.[2][27][41] He has expressed his admiration for such artists and bands as Lou Reed, The Beach Boys, The Band, Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris,[42] Harry Nilsson, The Beatles[4] Gram Parsons and Slim Whitman.[16] The song Always Dreaming of You (off Jim Neversink) contains a reference to Slim Whitman and quotes his hit Rose Marie. The word Shakey in the title of his second album is, partly, a reference to Neil Young's pseudonym, Bernard Shakey.[5]
References
- ^ "Jim Neversink - Loserbilly Rock Sensation and Illogical Genius". Vuvuzela.net. Retrieved 2010-28-05.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k de Vries, Fred (2008). The Fred de Vries Interviews - From Abdullah to Zille. Wits University Press. p. 325. ISBN 978-1-86814-469-3.
- ^ a b David Chislett (2007-01-29). "Don't sink, swim"". The Chiz. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ^ a b c Benjamin Moshatama (2009-02-22). "Things are looking up". The Times. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c d e "About Jim Neversink". jimneversink.com. Retrieved 2009-08-29. [dead link]
- ^ Arthur Goldstuck (1998-04-04). "Johannesburg: Jivin' in the Metropolis". Billboard - The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment. 110 (14): 33–34.
- ^ Alexander Sudheim (1997-04-05), "Durban Steals Spotlight in South Africa: Coastal Town Is Center of Burgeoning Music Scene", Billboard - The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment, 110: 1, 12
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "The 6th FNB SAMA (South African Music Awards)". powerzone.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ^ a b "Splashy Fen Artists & Performers - 1990 to 2008". rock.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ^ Chippie Waterman. "Wingerdstok '97, Groot Drakenstein Sports Club, Franschhoek, 21 and 22 February 1997 reviewed by Chippie Waterman". The Chippie Files. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ "Southern Cross Folk & Rock Festival – March 24 – 26, 2000". SA Rock Digest issue 48. 2000-03-03. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Power Pencil (1999-05-06). "Durban band Famous Curtain Trick will be the support act on Bryan Adams 2nd S.A. tour". powerzone.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
- ^ "3rd ear news". SA Rock Digest issue 144. 2002-02-24. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Biography. Album: Africa's Not For Sissies". sydkitchen.com. Retrieved 2009-08-29. [dead link]
- ^ a b c Robert Laing (2006-11-19). "The indomitable Jim Neversink". The Times. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Fink is a producer, sound engineer and musician also known from his work with The Sick-Leaves, the City Bowl Misers, Laurie Levine and Steve Hofmeyr among others: Lloyd Gedye (2006-06-27). "Quiet is the new loud: The Nu Folk Festival is set to thrust local alt-country stars into the limelight". isolation.tv. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ a b Therese Owen (2006-12-13, Edition 1). "The good, the bad, the sad, the sorry". The Star. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Danie Marais (2007-01-12). "Die rock-albums van die jaar". Beeld online. Retrieved 2010-13-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Albums_van_die_dekade". Beeld online. 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ a b c Anton Marshall. "Jim Neversink - Jim Neversink". channel24.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-29. [dead link]
- ^ "Jim Neversink" CD liner notes.
- ^ a b c d "Top 20 albums". The Times' Magazine. 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "2008 Billboard Critics Top 10s". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lloyd Gedye (2008-12-18). "South African Albums of the year". isolation.tv. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ Gedye, Lloyd (2009-23-12). "mzansis-groove". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Coetzee, Diane (2010-02-14). "Albums of the decade". Times Live. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
- ^ a b c Chris Roper (2008-12-21). "Jim Neversink - Shakey is good". channel24.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
- ^ "Download MP3s, get details and book". channel24.co.za. Retrieved 2009-08-28. [dead link]
- ^ "White Mountain Folk Festival Marquee 2006". www.whitemountain.co.za. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ Lloyd Gedye (2006-09-29). "White Mountain festival too white". Isolation.tv. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ^ For info, see Nascente - Demon Music Group.
- ^ Engelbrecht, Theunis (2009-11-28). "Die Souties wat 'n seties laat swing". Rapport (coml). Retrieved 2010-26-11.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Skinny Girls Pre-Production". 2009-03. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Pearlson is an award-winning engineer and producer linked to the Forest Studios, Downtown Studios, and SABC Studios: "Peter Pearlson". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
- ^ Diane Coetzer (04-11), "African Alternatives. South African Alt-Rock Acts Target Overseas Audiences", Billboard Magazine, 121 (14): 13
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ Fred de Vries (2009-03-23). "De Messias". De groene Amsterdammer. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lloyd Gedye. "Jim Neversink and Richard Lloyd". The Mail & Guardian online: The Guide. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Jon Monsoon (April/May). "Jim Neversink turns on TV". Muse Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Alex Sudheim. "Jim Neversink in Durban". The Mail & Guardian online: The Guide. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Gedye, Lloyd (2010-10-08). "African-American". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ a b Lloyd Gedye (2008-06-15). "A perfect accompaniment to wallowing. M&G reviewers listen to five new CD releases". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Caro Rayner (2009-05-03). "My timeless classic. Music & Me". The Times. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)