Ion

The universal appeal of ion's sound is it's greatest feature.

Our music is born from our passion for life and all things life-related. As such, it's difficult to put a lid on the excitement it carries over to any audience. "Man, i't's not the kind of music I normally listen to, but the energy is fantastic. I Love it!", is something we often hear at gigs and the reaction is the same from age 16 to 60.

Stemming from the very different musical backgrounds of the members, what hits the ear is a unique blend of sound with a strong rhythmic foundation.

Elben (Lead vox,Keyboards) was born into music with his father - Ben Sr. - being a famous local jazz pianist, composer/arranger. Ben's influences are diverse.
From prog-rock outfits Dream Theatre and Toto to Jazz pianists Oscar Peterson and Chick Corea.

Cobus (Bass) counts among his influences Victor Wooten, Mark King(Level 42), Stefan Lessard(DMB), and many more.

Paul Gioia(Lead vox, guitar), soon to be a graduate in Classical guitar at the University of Pretoria, is influenced by anything he's ever heard but mostly loves listening to Iron Maiden, Messhugah, Rush, etc.

Francois Lessing (drums/percussion), a graduate in jazz at Tshwane University of Technology loves listening to Toto, Michel Camilo, Dire Straits, Vivaldi, Rachmaninov, Simon Phillips, Vinnie Collaiuta, Steve Smith, Steve Gadd, Carter Beauford to name a few.

Putting a name to what this 4 piece sounds like is about as easy as saying "lemongrass" backwards quickly. That made choosing a name even harder. After much deliberation it was decided that "It's OUR Name" and the rest is history.