Even though having been fortunate enough to have seen some of the world's top acts perform live, the Diamond Dogs still rank highly as one of my favourite live acts of all times. Fronted by dynamic Nick Pasikafis in all his gravelly-voiced greatness, this band provided far and away the  greatest proportion of live-on-stage rock joys during my student- and subsequent years. "How Do You Sleep At Night" showcases what made them great.

How Do You Sleep Tonight

Misery Loves company is the third track off Wake To Wonder's 2010 album, Salubrious. 

Misery Loves Company

Consisting of two sets of siblings, Roots of Youth generated a large and loyal following in South Africa. The band members were all in their teens when their eponymous debut album was released. "Farewell Song" was the last track off that album, and one could scarcely think of a better song with which to end off  a memorable show. 

Roots of Youth - Farewell Song

David's Confession drew together the talents of some of South Africa's foremost musicians. The brainchild of prolific composer Mel Botes, it tells the story of a man's inner turmoil and the battle between good and evil. Mel collaborated with the band then known a Georgia, consisting of brothers Philip - (Ghapi, Andries and Konrad Botha.

The resultant rock opera makes for spectacular theatre. Drawing heavily on religious imagery the shows quickly generated a following that continues to this day, and not a year goes by that David's Confession is not on the planks at least a few times. The album is chock-full of great songs, and "The Horseman" certainly counts as one of my favourite songs. 

David's Confession - The Horseman

Jesse Adams was one of the partcipants in the Jumergence international youth collaboration project. The young man was only 17 at the time, and despite not having much performing experience and no studio experience at all, he breezed into the studio like a seasoned professional. 

Jesse brought three of his own compositions to the project, and Shots O'Sherri is one of them. 

Jesse Adams - Shots O'Sherri

Dino Jelusic from Croatia won the inaugural Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the ripe old age of 11. He's  stuck to his art, and has developed into a fine rocker with a memorable, powerful voice and a tremendous vocal range. 

His cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" demonstrates his vocal prowess to the max. 

Whole Lotta Love

A lovely cover of the Elvis Presely classic by versatile South African performer Yvette Barnard

In the ghetto

My friend Yvette Barnard is a wonderfully versatile singer, and she can pound out power rock tracks as easily as wrap her soulful voice around a tender ballad. Here she does a scorching rendition of "Mustang Sally."

Mustang Sally - Yvette Barnard

I've followed the career of Dani Fernandez since he was a participant in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest some years ago. He always has had great musical ability, and as his voice broke, matured  into a great adult musician. He is now a member of the very successful Spanish boy band, Auryn. His solo effort wiht "Por Debajo De La Mesa" (Underneatht he table) shows off his solo skills to great effect. 

Por debajo de la mesa - Dani Fernandez

This is one of the unheralded tracks off Wake to Wonder's début album, Salubrious. A lovely track with a haunting melody and a clear message, this one booked a firm corner in my "timeless favourite" room.

BRACE THE BROKEN
Doors left open, fallacies are fading
With time, my innocence will break, and
I'll burn the pages
Which lead to pain and heartache
To let it show
To let it go
And you will know
With broken wings my soul still flies
Underneath these faceless skies
Read between these lines, my soul is aching
To let it go,
To let it show
And you will know
These cracks leak through my emotion
But each crack shows the path I've taken
For what is living without the pain and heartache?
An empty life, a hollow soul
It's time to show ...

Wake to Wonder - Brace the broken

A few years ago I attended a battle of the bands in Vereeniging, South Africa, and I was astounded by what I heard when Scarlet Street went on stage. The Malan brothers produced a polished performance which would not have been out of place anywhere in the world. A song that particularly drew my attention was "Electric"

Tinus Nel 1

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