Wolfgang Marrow chats about the Blues Cruise

Batten down the hatches, because in March 2019, for the first time, South African Blues legends will be taking to the sea for an unforgettable cruise experience on board the MSC Musica Cruise Ship.

Blues legends such as Albert Frost, Black Cat Bones, Shadowclub, Gerald Clark, Crimson House, Wolgang Marrow, Gunshot Blue and Coelacanth will be performing on the Mojo Rising Blues Cruise for 4 days, setting sail on a carefree voyage exploring the most beautiful places on earth.

Setting sail from Durban, the cruise ship will embark on an excursion to the Portugese Islands and all the luxury resort leisure facilities on board are included free of charge!

This cruise is selling out fast, so you better book now!

I caught up with Wolfgang Marrow, one of the bands on the lineup, to talk about the cruise:

First of all, you describe yourself as “a strange band from the Free State, rumoured to have an unhealthy obsession with eating glitter…” So, who are the wonderful people behind the strange band, and what does glitter bring to your music?

We are just four losers from small towns. I think the glitter was an easy metaphor or replacement for the art side of the band. Sandy Little is a visual artist and drawing lecturer and tries to incorporate as much of her art into the music and the personality of the band. Our merry little family consists of Ben van Wyk on the Bass, Ben actually taught Louwki Cronje, our guitarist and vocalist, how to play the guitar as a kid. Bernard “tiekie” Britz is our Drummer and on-board psychiatrist (much needed) and, as previously mentioned, Sandy is the vocalist and lyricist of the band.

Louwki is a geologist, so we use a lot of earth and metals in our lyrics and Ben is an engineer, so we are all busy little rats in the race now days. More of a reason to find solace and sanctuary in the comforts of the Blues.

Awesome! So, what have you been busy with this year? Any highlights or interesting happenings?

We just finished our second album “Small Town Ghosts” so we are in the middle of shooting videos and lining up pop up exhibitions and tour dates… it’s been the most cathartic experience ever because it’s an album full of our own ghost stories and the struggle of transitioning form small towns to the big city. We hope to release a bunch of artistic video art music videos alongside the album.

Looking forward! So, you’ve mentioned the new album. But what are you currently busy with?

I might have pre-emptively mentioned the album but yes it’s something we have been grafting for a while now and we hope people can follow the concept. We also teamed up with Marnus Strydom who books shows for us but is also a great up and coming photographer, we will be showcasing some of his photography alongside Sandy Little’s drawings in one chaotic dystopian hurricane of an album. Marnus and Sandy both grew up in Aliwal North and so the two artists have a visual conversation about leaving the small town and also staying behind… which in the greater essence is the golden thread and nuance running throughout the album.

So, tell me about the Blues Cruise. When is it, and what is it all about?

The Blues Cruise is happening next year March setting sail from Durban. The cruise ship will embark on an excursion to the Portuguese Islands 22 – 25 March 2019, it’s the first of its kind round these parts, something totally new but celebrating the oldest form of Rock n roll aka the Blues! I think it’s something fairy tales are made from and we still have to pinch ourselves to make sure it’s all real! I know a lot of our mates and family will be on the cruise so it’s definitely selling out fast!

I can only imagine all the memories that will be made on this cruise! Have you ever been on such a cruise? And what can people expect from this experience and what are you most looking forward to?

We country bumpkins have never ever been on anything of the sort, we will have to work on our table manners and our sea legs (nothing a rum or two can’t fix). I don’t think it’s a gamble to assume that it’s going to be an incredible joyful time, the world is a small place and the blues and rock community of musicians and music lovers is smaller yet, I think it’s going to be a festival of family, friends and fans, as we all escape the world for a few days to live it up as pirates, mermaids and rum filled sailors. Folks can expect heaps of entertainment and a brilliant new setting for bands to woo their loved ones aka the fans against the back drop of the open oceans, ever salty, ever dreamy!

What song should people listen to on repeat before the Blues Cruise? Please share a link!

Well hopefully we will have a new album by that time but we actually have a song about the ocean called “throw me a line” a song about ocean metaphors; Moby dick, Noah and the whale and losing one’s self to the sea.

Awesome tune! Any other artists on the ship you recommend we see?

How could we possibly single one out, it’s a gang of all our favourites! We are very close to The Black Cat Bones , they helped and inspired us from the very beginning so I think as a loyal adoring bunch of fans we are probably the most excited about seeing them rock the boat both literally and figuratively!

Where can we see you perform live next to warm up for the cruise?

PARK ACOUSTICS Sunday 29 July 2018 in PRETORIA , we’ll be glittering it up there all wigged up and ready to make a noise!

So, what’s next for you? Any big plans?

Besides trying to figure out how to become proper adults, we are focusing all our time energy money and soul on the release of our new album! From there on we follow the way of the crooked and slightly drunk blues gods that whisper all manner of dreams into our ears!

The Mojo Rising Blues Cruise Details

Come and live life on the water, singing the Blues under enchanting clear skies on the Mojo Rising Blues Cruise. Kids under 18 sail for free and tickets start at R4 545,00 – visit here for bookings. Make sure to select the BLUES CRUISE option when making your booking!

Pay-off Plan

Pay Deposit of R3000 only!
Final payment is required no later that 60 days before departure.
Visit: MSC

Make sure to select the BLUES CRUISE option when making your booking!

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