Hi Werner! So, firstly, what was your favourite part, musically, of 2018?
Werner Bekker: Ooo... I would say White Mountain festival was probably my favourite part of it all. It was like a really cool, sit down sort of setting, which was, for my vibe, perfect. What was cool was there was one stage, extreme, insane, cool lighting, and all the people who want to watch music are watching you at that point, so it gives you lots of people to work with.
Wax & Needle: It sounds like a very cool environment for your style of music especially.
WB: Solidly! Also, so beautiful, the setting was amazing, the people were amazing. After the shows ended at like twelve or eleven, people go sit around this bonfire, so the whole festival is at this massive bonfire and people just chill there for the rest of the night, which is something you don't regularly get at festivals.
How would you define your style of guitar playing?
WB: Well, I would say "percussive acoustic guitar", very melodic, so ja I try to not just do rhythm but melody at the same time, and a bit of drums and a bit of bass, so it's like trying to fit a whole band into one guitar. I detune the guitar quite a lot so the lower frequencies are very massive, and I like that, the warmth of it.
W&N: And how did you start playing like that?
WB: I watched a video by Ben Howard, Under the Same Sun is the song, and I learnt that song when I was in school. We had this talent competition and I learnt that song, so I picked it up there, and then I tried to write some similar songs, and it kind of evolved into its own thing.
How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it before?
WB: Uh... Alternative folk... pop? I would say... There's not really a lot of pop in it but there are catchy melodies which I think relate. So, it's easy listening but still, if you wanna listen to deeper lyrics, you can find that in my music. Bits of everything, I suppose. I think you draw from everyone you've ever listened to. I mean, you listen to the radio every now and then, you can't help but have those kinds of influences in your music.
Who is your biggest musical influence?
WB: Damien Rice. Yeah, and Ben Howard. For me, like I'm very picky with music, well, not very picky, I listen to lots, but I always relate it to a good book. For instance, Harry Potter for me, I've read four or five books in my life but Harry Potter I've read like eight times because I like it so much, I'll just fixate on it, which... I suppose can be a really bad thing haha, but I just love those two artists so much that I generally just listen to them! *laughter* And then mix some other things in. Also, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz - very big fan... A new one is Dan Mangan, I don't know if you know him, Canadian guy, and Matt Holubowski.
Tell me about your upcoming EP. What is it called, and where did you get your inspiration for the title from?
WB: The EP is called Parts of a Broken Man, and it's a line in one of the songs, actually the last song on the EP. The song is called Let it Go. The song is basically about an argument between friends, family, a loved one, significant other, whoever you want to relate it to, and it's just basically asking them to stop it, let's just stop it and continue as if nothing happened. In the song, the line goes, in the chorus, "and you'll see me for who I am, just parts of a broken man", and so I felt that all of these songs I've got together are just parts of me, broken little parts of me, all of these little musical parts that are in one thing. Most of the songs are quite broken, quite sad, which I feel relates to the brokenness.
What was the songwriting and recording process for the EP?
WB: So some of these songs are very old, like five or six years old, for instance, the song Let it Go took so many years to write. I got a cool riff for it but I never knew what to do over it, then one day the emotion just struck and I felt something and it just kind of blurted out. Loads of the songs I'll start with a riff, some of them were written lyrically first, it's kind of like a mish-mash, I don't really know where I start, it just kind of happens. The recording process was really cool. I met this guy, Deon Dee, well, we actually met when we were six years old, and his father owns a venue in Bronkhorstspruit. My parents were there watching a show, I went with and we met there. His band went on to win Rock Spider two years later, he was like 10, so he's really been in the industry for long. I asked to open a show for him and he said cool, and he heard my music and he said "okay, I've listened to your music online and I can hear it's home recorded, so let's do something that's a bit next level". He took me in, under his wing, him and his friend Ruan Graaf. They both play for Joe Black. They helped me produce the album, which was surreal for me because all of a sudden you've got full band sound and stunning quality. It's so awesome being there, it's what I've always imagined it to be.
Do you have a release tour planned?
WB: Yes, a small one. I'll be doing an EP launch in Johannesburg and in Cape Town, then probably after that I'll do a couple of gigs in Durban. Maybe, Eastern Cape, I love Eastern Cape. I've gigged in East London, Cintsa, PE...
What's your favourite venue you've played so far?
WB: Yoh, there's a lot. In Johannesburg, I feel like venues are kind of dying, which is sad for me, and like the venues that are left... the vibe doesn't really speak to me that much, but in Pretoria, I really love Railways Cafe. When I was in Cape Town last year, Sgt Pepper [Bar/Restaurant, Cape Town Central] was really cool, and then I did Obviouzly Armchair [Backpackers, Observatory]. I think that's my favourite venue at the moment. It's like a backpackers. You walk in and there's a bar and on the left-hand side, there's a theatre and that's where the performance was. If you go through, there are all these people who are sleeping over, all these like hippie folk, just chilling around. It was really fun. So, that place has got a special place in my heart. All my Cape Town friends came through as well, and it's in this like, little dingy place but that's what gives it this awesome atmosphere. So, ja, I would say that's my favourite venue at the moment.
What is your favourite part of performing live?
WB: Hmm... I would say getting lost in the music. I'm not someone who generally interacts with the audience a lot, I'm a bit shy on stage, which is weird 'cause I did drama in school and I was pretty good at it. I'm used to performing, but when I sing my own music I kind of retreat into my own little world and I don't think loads of people like it *laughter*. I think for most people they want someone who interacts and looks at them while they sing. I'm more of the guy who closes his eyes and I just let myself feel everything. I get lost in it.
Last but not least, if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
WB: Yoh... Shit, that's quite hard, because currently I'm listening to some new music and I do feel like I could listen to it for the rest of my life. I would say.... ja, Damien Rice O. It's stunning. What really inspires me about this album is that he recorded it himself. He took a little eight-track recorder and some mics, and he travelled around Europe and recorded in his friend's places. There's a story about him recording the one song's vocal out of a shoe, so he put the mic inside the shoe and recorded the vocals through that. So it's very experimental, there's lots of distortion. People don't like it because there's lots of natural distortion from the mics on his vocal and stuff like that... I don't know, to me, it just speaks to me, it's so raw. The flow of the album is incredible, for instance, over some songs, the last word of the one song is in the first note of the next song, so it just flows from song to song and it's kind of climactic around the last song. It just builds through the whole album.
Werner's latest single 'Open Spoken' is out 01 March
'Parts of a Broken Man' is out 22 March
Pre-order a copy by sending an email to wernerbekker.music@gmail.com for 10% discount at the launch (cell number must be included).
Hard copies available for collection at shows only.
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| Wax & Needle and Werner Bekker |
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| Werner Bekker EP Launch |
Responses slightly edited for clarity.
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