This Saturday The Brothers Streep will be playing with K, Ray and the Bird at the On The Avenue Summer Concert at Theatre@Elkanah in Tableview.  I thought it would be a good idea to do a little interview with them, so what follows is just that...



Now Raé, you seem to play all sorts of instruments in the band.  Constantly swapping between keyboard, guitar, clarinet and sax - never quite sticking with one - are you this indecisive when you put on your clothes in the morning?

Raé Swart: Only in the mating season.

Let's talk about your band name.  I assume it's K for Karyn, Ray for Rae and The Bird for... well no, why is Gareth The Bird?  There doesn't seem to be an obvious connection between the name 'Gareth Asch' and 'The Bird'.  Is this because Gareth looks a bit like a penguin with a goatee, or is it because he secretly has the ability to fly?  I need answers!

Gareth Asch: Probably because I look like a penguin with a goatee.  Actually that is an offensive suggestion.  Luckily we penguins are thick skinned though.  Literally.  On a more serious tone: A great philosopher once said: “I’m like a bird/ I'll only fly away / I don't know where my soul is / I don't know where my home is / (And baby all I need for you to know is.)  But that also has nothing to do with the meaning.  On a more honest tone: In primary school they used to call me aschbird.  I don’t actually know why, but I think it was because I played soccer at break time with such agility and speed.

Your song 'A role to play' sounds a lot like it could be the theme song for a 1970s sitcom.  If it was, what would the sitcom be about?

Gareth Asch: It would be about school teachers and music therapists trying to survive in the concrete jungle of Cape Town.  And trying to find their ROLE whilst PLAYING a bit of music on the side.  We are all big fans of sitcom theme tunes.  The best being the theme tunes of CHEERS, WHOSE THE BOSS, FAMILY TIES, GROWING PAINS and even THE FRESH PRINCE OF BELHAR, the SA version - Rae actually has all the episodes on DVD.

Your music is described as 'eclectic folk', but as I don't know what the word 'eclectic' means, could you perhaps equate your music to a home cooked meal?  So for example, does it have more in common with a nice lasagne, or does it transcend into bangers and mash at times?

Gareth Asch: No. Our music cannot be equated with food at all. We were, however, recently told by a parent at the school (as myself and Rae are teachers) that he puts our CD on when he wants his 16 year old son to study.  He then said we should market our CD to people who struggle with short concentration spans.  Although this suggestion could be seen as a compliment, I prefer to not see our music that way.

I recently read a review of your album which rather ironically criticised your song, 'Listen to the criticism'.  Are you going to listen to the criticism of 'Listen to the criticism'?

Gareth Asch: No

I personally think your music is amazing - you're easily the most original band I've heard in the Cape Town music scene for a long time.  Is it at all possible that I could buy the rights for your songs, and use them as my own?

Gareth Asch: That would not be possible at this point.  But I guess everyone has their price.  If the price is right, we could consider starting a negotiating process.  On the other hand, we would feel honoured to have the Brothers Streep sing one of our songs.  But it would of course be one of our discards.  That is the price you’ll have to pay.

Now, I'm doing this interview because of our show together this Saturday, where we're playing with another band called Tailor.  On the Myspace page, Tailor is described as 'a sound with the texture of flowing milk, cut and trimmed to perfection'.  Do any of you know what exactly that means?

Raé Swart: Don’t know – can one cut flowing milk without getting it splashed all over your face?

Thanks for your time K, Ray and the Bird.  Any thing else you'd like to say?

Raé Swart: No virus found in this incoming message.

I have a feeling that the answer to the last question has something to do with the fact that this was over e-mail, and they probably didn't catch the last line.  Either that, or K, Ray and the Bird are not only a band, but they also double up as a rather effective anti-virus.

Be sure to catch The Brothers Streep, Tailor and K, Ray and the Bird at the On The Avenue Summer Concert, 7th November at the Theatre@Elkanah, Tableview.  Click here for more information about the show, and visit www.krayandthebird.com to learn more about the band.