‘Ashtray Electric, Cape Town band and winners of MK`s Best Newcomer Award 2009, have been taking a break after the recent release of their second album ‘Measured in Falls’, but will begin touring again this month. I caught up with Andre Pienaar – front-man and vocalist of Ashtray Electric – at his own home in Sea Point. He drank Oros and smoked cigarettes as we talked. His olive green shirt matched his eyes, and his long greasy locks and laid-back drawl one was all that one would expect of someone in a famous Indie-Rock band.
How did Ashtray Electric come to be?
‘I was busy getting a degree to please my parents when Rudi came up to me drunk one night and said ‘Can you sing?’ So I went to my first practise with them and sat in a corner formulating songs in my head. Ashtray Electric officially formed in 2007 and the name was inspired by some of the songs we were listening to at the time – I thought ‘Ashtray Electric’ sounded slightly arb and left-of-field. But hey, band names are just band names.’
Do you think you are going be the next big SA band, or are you just another Bellville rock export?
‘Every musician wants to travel and headline huge festivals, it’s always the ultimate goal. Ja, so some people are saying we can be the next big thing, but that kind of success is always based on a lot of hard work. I think if Ashtray Electric get a break to perform internationally, we’d do really well. We try to steer clear of the fraternity gimmick that is a lot of Bellville rock bands, ‘cos then audience’s draw up stigma’s before they’ve even heard you play.’
What is Ashtray Electric’s sound?
‘Everyone brings their own kinda flavour, so there are lots of influences floating around that create the entity that is Ashtray Electric– and I’m not even sure what that is. (laughs) When we create new songs, I doubt we (the band members) even hear the same thing. I don’t consider our music commercial, we just write songs that we like. Never underestimate your audience – they pick up on if you are fake.’
I hear you write all of Ashtray Electric’s songs. From where do you draw inspiration?
‘I need to be creative to stay sane. The lyrics I write are very personal – I see songs as my diary almost. I just write about everyday stuff, but within that I think there are lessons to be learnt. I try to write in a style that can be interpreted in any way you want.’
How do you get on as a band?
‘Now after 4 years we know each other and work well as a team. It’s nice where we’ve gotten to as a band – we are self-managed, so we delegate responsibilities to make the best of each of our strong points.
Is the musician’s lifestyle as glamorous as people think?
‘No. It’s very sporadic, kind of like a ‘hurry up and wait’ mentality. When you’re busy, you’re busy and then suddenly you’re not busy at all.’
How happy are you with your new album, ‘Measured in Falls’?
‘We’re all very proud of this album. When we made our first EP, called The Dare Sessions, we had no fucking clue what we were doing. Bonjour, our first album, was a bit rushed but now for this, our 3rd release, we knew what we were doing and what we wanted. We worked on it for 2 years … this album was a lot more thought-out and we’re happy for that. It’s nice to look back now and see we gave this one time enough that it needed.’
Tell us about your up and coming tour?
‘We’ve been taking a month off but this month we will start touring again. First we’ll be playing at Stellenbosch and Kirstenbosch, then we’re going up country to the Arcade Empire in Pretoria, Culture Clash in Jo’burg and then finally ‘Oop Aarde’.
‘Ashtray Electric have all the rebellious quirk deserved in title to those who are Indie and rock out, and if they have received as much attention for their music as the rumours say, they certainly haven’t let it go to their head. One thing’s for sure though: this isnt a band that is selling out anytime soon, but will rather continue ‘simply doing their thing’ and most probably be loved for it. Catch them at the Culture Clash Festival at Truth 24 September 2011.
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