My memories of working with Misha and Gareth span three distinct phases of my working life so far….
In the 1990’s when I was at SAfm we decided to get involved in live music. Michelle Constant suggested I speak to the guys from Oppikoppi. Introductions were made, I met Carel and Misha and the wheel started turning. We began a series of collaboration concerts in Johannesburg at Kippies and the old Bassline in Melville, expanding later to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. Their contacts, my budget, our ideas. Great combination. First it was called ‘Late Night Live’, then became ‘Old Mutual Encounters’ – mind-altering collaborations that we dreamed up over a few drinks and proceeded to bring to life.
Including a show in Midrand with a massive choir collaborating with a parade of artists – Robin Auld, Glora Bosman, Louis Mhlanga, with Wendy Oldfield as the musical director. But the Taphuis is where it was at. We didn’t really care what it was called, as long as we could book shows and throw parties. Which we did – about a decade of shows each Festival, well
over a hundred, maybe two hundred of them. Some more blurry than others. Mostly fun. Some artist hissy fits and meltdowns. A few missed flights and lost luggages. But a plan was always made. Not by me, the engelsman, but by the boere. Because that’s what they do, I’m told.
The Taphuis team was fluid over the years but there were a few constants. Evert in the truck outside, recording the bootlegs we sold after the show. Johan doing front of house sound, making even the most under-prepared artist sound pretty fucking decent. On stage, a rotation of regulars – Barry van Zyl, Schalk Joubert, Peter Cohen, Louis Mhlanga – and a
whole bunch of collaborations that shouldn’t have worked, but mostly did. From the musically weird (Max Normal and Syd Kitchen) to the ones that shouldn’t have worked on paper, but did on stage. When we started out no-one came, so we had to employ Mark the smiling bouncer to throw people in. They got the hint and, after a year or two, they were the hottest tickets in town. Then we needed Mark to smile at people in a sinister fashion to keep them under control. No-one wanted to go home, so we kept open until 6am some days. DJ Bob and Albert Frost, fueled by fuck knows what. We didn’t need a smoke machine,
but sometimes the bar would run out of beer, or my tab would get too long to see, so Mike the owner would roll up his sleeves and decide who would drink what and when. We’d wake up at lunchtime and do it all again, just with colder beer.
Then we grew up and did the big shows. But the smaller ones are the ones I remember most. Shows just for us. As it should be. I’m grateful for having been inspired by Carel who helped me dream big and had more schemes than a medical aid. And Misha who looks uncannily like Jesus and sometimes pulls off the same level of miracle. And more recently Gareth who books bands like a band would. A muso’s muso. As it should be. Onward to the music….
- Robin Auld – Queen of Pain
I have to start with Robin. I booked him so much my friends started to refer to my one-time employer as ‘Auld Mutual’. I don’t care – I’ve seen him live hundreds of times and haven’t heard him hit a wrong note. Ever. Hugely underrated songwriter and some of the best roadtripping music you’ll find. I still have the sleeve notes for his Greatest Hits Volume 3 all written up somewhere, now he just has to release it. - BLK Sonshine – Soul Smile
Neo Muyanga is sheer musical innovation genius (and one of the world’s nicest guys). The night they did this song in the Taphuis burns deep. - Landscape Prayers – Dunn Angus
I had no idea who they were when I booked them, but Misha said it would be ok. So I did, and it was. - Wendy Oldfield – On a Pale Blue Dot
I booked Wendy a lot because she always sounded fresh, even when playing her older tunes, always up for it, and her newer songs always deserved more of a platform than she got. - Freshlyground – Nomvula
I bumped into Pete Cohen at a Vida e in Gardens and he told me he was playing with some “youngsters who were doing cool things and I should check them out”. He was right. Booked them for a private gig at the Bluesroom at Village Walk. The audience didn’t know they were watching the beginning of something huge. - Chris Chameleon – Nothing
Paired Chris up with Neo for a few Taphuis gigs. There’s something about the way their voices collided that was remarkable. - Neo Muyanga (feat Barry van Zyl and Schalk Joubert) – Ke Lefa
Have to include this because, apart from Neo, it features two musos who became Taphuis staples. Barry would basically get behind the kit on day one of Festival and stay there until the end, playing with whoever happened to come along. - Angelique Kidjo – Agolo
Spier Ampitheatre – possible an Easter weekend? After trudging through the marshlands with Carel we decided it would be a good spot for a few tunes. So we booked them and Angelique freaked us all out by dragging the audience on stage with her. But not as much asshe did that night in Joburg when she pulled Alicia Keys on stage to play. - Hothouse Flowers – Forever More
Same Spier gig. One of my all time favourite bands. - Arno Carstens – Another Universe
When we did the Choral Encounters show this had just come out. Arno had to write the lyrics on his hand to remember them. And still got them wrong. - Lemonheads – Outdoor Type
So we booked Evan Dando of the Lemonheads to come play Grahamstown, and bizarrely he said yes. Even more bizarrely he flamed out after the first show, and it was all downhill from there. Until he left the stage two songs in to his collab with Ray Phiri, leaving him stranded. Fortunately Concord Nkabinde was in the audience, had his bass nearby (obviously) and he and Ray killed the night with a better set than Evan could ever have mustered. Before the meltdown, though, watching Evan sing this a few metres away was all of university and adulthood all rolled into one. - Concord Nkabinde – Emzansi (Time to Sing Our Song) (with Tamara Dey)
Apart from saving the day, Concord’s collab with Tamara produced an incredible cover of Cindi Laper’s Time After Time that I can’t find online….but this is the two of them anyway. - Louis Mhlanga – Zvinoshamisa (off the Song for Nomsa album)
I think I annoyed the hell out of Louis by requesting this every time he played. But he was a nice guy and usually did it with a smile. The Castle Milk Stouts probably helped. - Karen Zoid & Francois van Coke – Toe vind ek jou
Karen is one of SA’s finest collaborators and one of the most professional artists I’ve worked with. The run she did with Selaelo Selota was pretty memorable. I had nothing to do with this particular song but wish I had. - Suzanne Vega – Gypsy (from the Solitude Standing Live 2012 album)
The most recent international booking I did with BNAS. And possibly their best. Such a beautiful gig, and person. - Valiant Swart – Mystic Boer
Valiant is an amazing storyteller through his music. Even if he sometimes makes it up as he goes along. - Eagle Eye Cherry – Never let you down
Eagle Eye was the biggest show we put on at the Taphuis. Sold out months in advance,people huddled around fires on the pavement outside to try and hear a few notes. He didthis song in the show and lied, saying he’d never put it on an album. Maybe he’d forgotten. I have a photo of him bumming a cigarette off me late one night as the audience was dwindling and the whisky bottle emptying. - Albert Frost – Outside
Albert probably clocked more Taphuis hours than anyone (except maybe Barry). The nights where he and Louis Mhlanga would jam for hours from midnight were rare and special. Until the next night when they did it all again. - Lloyd Cole – Butterfly
So we booked Lloyd Cole once. He signed the poster “Double the fee and I’ll do it again in a heartbeat”. Sure, Lloyd. Double the audience and we will. He did a series of interesting covers in the show- including this song of his mashed into Leonard Cohen’s Famous Blue Raincoat. OK, maybe I would double the fee. It wasn’t much to start with…. - Koos Kombuis – Lisa se Klavier
Koos and Robin Auld was one of our more inspired collabs. Both contrarians in their own way, deeply original but artistically generous. It just worked. And this tune is just one of South Africa’s most legendary. - Matthew van der Want – Turn on You
I’ve always enjoyed Matthew’s lyrics and obstinate originality. We reunited him with Chris Letcher one year at the Taphuis, Robin always covered One Time….so it seems like he was always there. Then I hired him as the Festival’s lawyer and he sort of had to be. The times he was on stage, though, were the best hours I spent with him. And the cheapest. - Eagle Eye Cherry – Falling In Love Again (Live at the Taphuis)
Evert recorded this gig for us and Eagle Eye asked for a copy to maybe release a live album. He didn’t, but should have. It’s a great recording and there was much love going around. - BONUS BONUS TRACK
Those who can make music, do. Those who book bands, do. I’ll always be in the second category, but I’m comforted by the fact that my son is more in the first. So while I haven’t (yet) booked his band, I can still give them a punt.
Tony Lankaster is one of our biggest, bestest friends and clients. We have done some crazy stuff with him over the past 15 odd years.
He is a true music fan and we’ve always had tons of fun booking for him and drinking with him. He is now in London where is bound to make some big waves as soon as the world is able to operate again.
Having a whiskey with you tonight Mr Tony, thanks for the tunes.🤘
Misha & Gareth
Barocca Roll: The Taphuis Year Playlist > https://cutt.ly/cykkYT9
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