My new guitar

Ain’t she sweet…

As many of you will already know, I have been hard at work planning my wedding, which takes place in June (God willing). Unfortunately my beautiful fiance had to go back to the UK in February (she is British) due to visa restrictions and will only return a few weeks before the ceremony (we’ve been apart for over 3 months which hasn’t been easy).

I’m really looking forward to getting married. I haven’t been this excited about anything for a VERY long time. It’s like I’m 6 again and my birthday is round the corner.

The ceremony is going to be quite unorthodox, which will probably be a bit of a shock for the average person but we just feel that it will more accurately reflect the heart of our faith. The reception will be informal with the focus being on having a good time with family and friends. No standing on ceremony.

Aside from the wedding plans I’ve been working on songs for my next album. I’m finding it difficult to complete the songs though. I mean, I’ve never found songwriting to be easy and I usually take ages to complete a song but this is different. It’s like I start the song and then run out of inspiration for lyrics and melodies. I’m hoping that my new band will help provide some inspiration. 

I really love the blues and along with a good friend, Paul Gibbings (double bass), we decided to start a streetpop/rootsy blues band called “Ageing Superheroes”. I got the name from a song by Newton Faulkner and it just makes us chuckle to think of ourselves in that light.

The idea was to have an outlet for the musical side that doesn’t take itself seriously and just wants to have fun. It’s about having a good time with voice and instrument without needing to put a “message” across. We play a lot of music by “The Wood Brothers” and a few tunes by John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Johnson with a healthy dose of Clapton. Although we are usually resistant to playing covers the hope is that the more we play the more we’ll immerse ourselves in that style and thus be able to write our own material. I do battle with the feeling that I am an imposter and have no right to be playing this music but fortunately I love it too much to let that stop me. 

We are working on concepts for a logo and website etc so if you have any ideas then feel free to send then my way.

A band I’m really digging at the moment is “The Alice Band“. They were like the UK version of Dixie Chicks. Pity they split up. Check out “The Love Junk Storm” album.

Peace,

Q.

My favourite part of selling CDs in this manner is meeting and chatting to the people. It’s more rewarding to me than the actual sale  and it reminds me time and again as to the real reason I make music. It’s about communication – reaching people. When I’m up on stage singing, it’s often difficult to know if what I’m trying to communicate with the listener is being received and I find myself relying on applause as an indicator of this. However, this isn’t always accurate because there have been times where I’ve had minimal applause (read: none) and yet people have come up to me afterward and expressed just how much they’d been touched by my songs. So I guess the moral of the story is to just perform from the heart  and let the notes fall where they may because you never know where they’ll strike a chord.

Big thanks to Ameigh, Sarah, Kay and the others that bought my album. I really appreciate the support

The following is a review written by a close friend of mine. (I didn’t even have to pay her). Thanks Tammy

Cuan Korsten and the Elliott Paterson Band @ Mugg & Bean Music Night - by Tamara Smith

I have known Cuan Korsten for going on 12 years now. To say music is his passion is an understatement. He is a very talented singer/songwriter/guitarist who has put in the time and you can definitley hear his progress. Having heard Cuan perform numerous times before, I am still struck by the sincerity and honesty with which he sings. One can hear the the feeling permeating through his music. Joining him on vocals and guitar are Malianna Madden and Elliott Paterson, both singer/songwriters from the UK. Mali will keep you transfixed with her spellbinding contradiction of sweet, yet moody songs, delivered with her soulful voice.

What a privilege I feel it is to see Elliott perform. A musician who I hope will continue to amaze us for a long time to come with his range of very catchy melodies about love, life and everything in-between. When a shy 2 year old girl went up to the stage, on her own accord to give Elliott a hug between songs, it showed how clearly the audience had been captivated by his music.

A young and impressive David Vermeulen joined in on electric guitar with the exceptionally talented Paul Gibbings on electric bass/double bass and Jonno Sweetman on drums (Paul and Jonno being from the “Offshore” jazz trio).

This is definitely the finest quality original music I have heard for some time.

I feel the Mugg & Bean Music Night is a fantastic initiative and offers immense encouragement for the local music scene. Please support this event. With the big cities stealing the limelight, it is amazing to see how much talent we have right here on our doorstep.

Tamara Smith

photo taken by Tamara Smith

After a successful two-year tour of the UK, I arrived back in Knysna in March ’08. I had been impressed with the music scene there, where finding venues to play original material to captive audiences was easy and I was determined to do something about recreating those opportunities here.

There are so many talented musicians who are resigned to playing other people’s songs night-in-night-out and it can be quite soul-destroying to anyone who considers music to be more than just a hobby. My idea is to give these musicians the chance to play their own songs to people who will listen.

Ricky Rocha – manager of the Mugg & Bean restaurant in Woodmill Lane – was keen to get involved, and the Mugg & Bean was decided as a suitable venue. Mugg & Bean has a long-standing reputation for excellent customer service and fantastic food and Ricky’s “Mugg” is no exception.

New Music Night kicked off on the 29th of August with UK singer-songwriter Elliott Paterson and what a show that was. I was fortunate enough to play guitar in his band, which consisted of local drummer, Jonno Sweetman, bassist, Paul Gibbings and the gorgeous voice of Malianna Madden on backing vocals. (Malianna also performed the opening slot, treating the audience to her delicate brand of folk-tinged acoustic rock.) Sound reinforcement was taken care of by Theo van Niekerk who did an admirable job. All in all it was an incredible experience to be so enthusiastically supported by a home crowd.

The next Mugg & Bean New Music Night will be held on Friday – October 3rd and it will feature an AMAZING artist, the likes of which the world has never seen before (hahahaha). Can you guess who this artist is? LOL! But seriously, it’s me. I’ll be performing with a band (which is a first since “going solo”) and I promise to perform my hardest. So please come along and join us in celebrating original music and scrumptious food.

Hope to see you there!

Peace,

Q

Elliott Paterson Band (photo by Tamara Smith)

Oh yeah…keep meaning to tell you that I’ve finally got my music available for download on

This may not seem like a big deal to some but it’s a really big accomplishment for me I can tell you.

Now I’ve just gotta figure out a way to get people to download it…

…contrary to what seems like popular belief! The only difference is that I don’t get paid very much for making music (yet, lol).

I’m busy writing songs for the next album (for those of you who haven’t heard of me…and that’s mostly the whole world…I have released a debut album called “Your Today”).

Your Today Cover Art (original photo by Brian Tseng)

The band that recorded that album all but fell apart so I’m busy performing solo at the moment. The next album is going to be aimed more at the acoustic-band sound with vocals, acoustic guitar and acoustic piano at its core. I’m taking the “less is more” approach with this next project though things are bound to develop as the recording gains a momentum of its own. My plan is to get as many of my talented, and even not-so-musical, friends involved with the recording. Anyway, I’m still working out how to afford the new recording equipment I have to get so…till next time…

Peace

Q