Check out an interview and a performance of the new single “It All Comes Down To This” by Ramblin’ Bones over at MNET’s Studio 1. Don’t forget to catch him on tour in August with the UK’s Gemma Ray, it’s not to be missed! Check it out HERE.

Hoodies at only R200! Tshirts at only R100 – buy 2 for R150! It’s ridiculous! Tons of shoes and samples at blowout prices. Get down there before it’s gone!

A huge sale has just started at Revolution Cresta, Menlyn Mall and Festival Mall! Hoodies from brands such as DVS, KFD, Lakai, Killer, Verb etc for only R295! Or get two for only R500! Only while stocks last so get down there before it’s too late.

Tomorrow night, Saturday 24 July, the Skate For Change Launch Party is going down at HotBox Studios in Pretoria from 7pm with Isochronous, Cortina Whiplash, Black Pimpin’ Jesus, Dead Alphabet and DJ’s Moejoe & Sassquatch. Loads of good things going down, check out the Facebook event HERE.

Mr Bones is a living legend and a real nice guy who sure knows how to write them songs. He’ll be touring South Africa with UK artist Gemma Ray in August and it’s going to be a riot. We caught up with him to see what’s been up, to talk about Gemma Ray and the future of Ramblin’ Bones. Check out the tour details HERE and read the interview below…

After all your years of playing in bands, you’re still writing new music, doing new things and bringing awesome musicians to South Africa. What do you have to say for yourself Mr Bones?
I guess I really really really like live music. Also I need to do some new stuff and get creative and Ramblin’ Bones is really opening up those doors. Writing music is just who I am. Playing music makes me happy and feeds my soul.

What made you decide to bring out Gemma Ray and what are you psyched about for this tour?
Well I met her manager Andy Zammit in Canada, waiting for a delyaed plane to SxSw festival in Austin. We had a few beers and I liked the musicians he worked with and the passion he showed for his artists. A week later he invited me to see Gemma Ray and she was great and awesome and mysterious.

We hanged out, ate 3am pancakes at this really american diner, spoke about Seasick Steve and quoted Tarantino movies. When I returned to SA I told Bill (who manages my business stuff and whom I have a record label with) and when he heard her album and watched some videos, he hooked up the tour. He has really been the driving force behind this tour.

I am psyhced to see Gemma perform again, and to see peoples reaction to her.

Are Ramblin Bones tours and shows as rowdy as Fuzigish shows and tours or do you prefer to take it easier?
Fuzigish shows were like graveyards for the first 4 years, and then something changed. Ramblin’ Bones shows have been pretty chilled events until this year, and now things are gettin’ rowdy. We are taking it to the acousticore-skankabilly level for the next album. I want to keep it flexible, and can take it up or down, depending on the gig. So it is very versatile. It really is whatever I feel like doing.

Any new songs or musicians coming along with you on these dates?
For the Gemma Ray Tour I have Baron Von Danger on the drums playing all the dates, and then Eric Wright on bass for the Gauteng dates. Oppikoppi will also feature Kevin S Flee. He has jammed conga’s, glock & tummy drums with me for the past year or so, but is sadly leaving SA. So it is a kinda farewell gig for him. Angie will also make some guest appearances…

What’s coming up after this tour for Rambin Bones?
More music. I am in the process of getting a new album recorded and working on demos. In the meantime I will release a CD that will only be available at shows for this tour called “Live With Rusty from The Wendy House”. It is a collection of some dodgy demos & drunken sessions, recorded from the wendy house at the back of my house, and now and again you will hear my dog Rasta, scampering, sniffing and narking. I cannot gaurentee protools anal precision & pitch perfect harmonies, but I can gaurantee maximum acousticore and love. Home cooking!

FOLLOW ON TWITTER

http://twitter.com/RamblinJayBones

FACEBOOK GROUP

http://www.facebook.com/ramblingbones

BONES’ MUSIC AVAILABLE ONLINE:

http://rhythmmusicstore.com/music/6049/Rambling-Bones/

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ramblingbones

SITES TO CHECK OUT
www.ramblingbones.com
www.cocktailrecords.co.za
www.fuzigish.com

Zebra & Giraffe are currently at Openroom Studios recording a new album. There are loads of super rad new projects on the horizon for these guys. Check out some behind the scenes studios taken by Ravi Panchia over HERE.

Crossingpoint are playing their final show on Saturday 24 July. After 12 years of playing they are producing a limited edition poster designed by Wesley van Eeden. This print is being sold on pre-order and will never be printed again. There will be a limited edition shirt coming out soon as well. The print is A1 and selling for only R60! Anyone interested needs to contact Brandon at brandon@crossingpoint.co.za as soon as possible, before the 23 July or soon after.

Check out the brand new video “Mercenary” by Cape Town band The Lottery Tickets…

Vera Cruz hail from Paris, France and play a lethal mix or face-melting, melodic, high-energy, fun yet ballsy hardcore. They’ve just finished a 20-date tour of USA and will be touring with Terror and Everyime I Die on the next European Hell on Earth tour. These guys have big dreams and it looks like nothings gonna stop them from taking Vera Cruz to the ends of the earth. We spoke to guitarist Florian about the bands beginnings and their hopes for the future…

Have the members of Vera Cruz been in any other bands before?
Yes we have. Flavien (the singer) and I (Florian, guitarist) come from two different bands that have followed a similar path. It was something like 10 years ago. Greg (bass) and Deedoo (drums) were actually in the same band when they were asked to join forces in Vera Cruz. We won’t mention the names of the bands on purpose ‘cos we feel like what really matters now is Vera Cruz, but we do realise that it might be important for people that don’t know us to get an idea of where we come from so let’s say that we come from various horizons that cover music styles from punk rock to metalcore.

What bands are you guys into?
Well, like I said before, we have heterogeneous tastes so if you were to take a road trip with us, you could hear our stereo blast stuff like Every Time I Die, Norma Jean, Cancer Bats, Lamb Of God, Terror, Hatebreed, Mastodon, The Chariot, Underoath, Deftones and when everyone is asleep, I would sneak in some MXPX and some Guttermouth or even better, some Hank Williams III, haha.

What inspired you to start Vera Cruz?
Everything that happened in our former bands, whether it was good or very bad, made us stronger but didn’t fulfill our craving for action and we felt like we wanted more. More concerts, more sweat, more traveling, more back pains from sleeping in trucks, more broken voices, more calluses and more people to touch. Thus, we decided to take it up a notch and form Vera Cruz, a band that would only contain über-motivated members, ready to give everything they have for the sake of good music. We also didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, and wanted to explore paths we’ve never taken before.

What is it like being a hardcore punk band in Paris? What’s the “scene” like there at the moment?
Paris is a big city so the scene is pretty good in any kind of genre! Speaking for the hardcore scene it’s very lively and the bands are damn good and really serious. It’s also very competitive so it can be a little tough sometimes but the message we want to spread is that we really wish our peers the best and we mean it! More and more very talented bands are bringing the spotlight to France so it’s getting easier to get noticed, it’s just too bad that our beloved country is just the worst to be a hardcore musician in and that’s why we have to leave it every time we need to tour.

How long has Vera Cruz been a band and how is it going so far? You’ve got some seriously awesome tours lined up so you must be pretty excited?
Vera Cruz has been Vera Cruz for something like not even two years and I know it seems like a very short time considering the incredible tours we are bound to attend but we have worked our butts off for this and sometimes that pays off. We still have everything to prove and we want to show that we’re worthy of what’s happening to us, we will never take it for granted and on behalf of all the talented bands that could have been in our shoes, we will give everything we have and we’ll rock our hearts out proving we deserve to be where we are. Tour wise, we have the US Tour on one hand and on the other we have the Hell On Earth Tour: 24 gigs with our favorite bands Terror and Every Time I Die all across Europe! Seven bands on the bill and yours truly as the opening act, it’s gonna be legen… wait for it: dary! We still can’t believe it. When our management told us that we would do this tour, we almost cried and we asked to see the emails to get some written proof that all of this was true then a couple of days later we saw our logo was already on the poster of the tour so there was no turning back, haha!

Check out Vera Cruz and their first EP “Surviving Farrah Fawcett“ over here:

http://www.myspace.com/veracruztheband

If you’re going shopping this weekend, be sure to check out the Revolution winter clearout sale. Selected RVCA and Volcom gear less 50%, Hurley less 25%, hoods from R350 and loads more specials at Revolution Festival Mall, Pavilion, Menlyn and Cresta!