mikanic

Eating chocolate croissants in a tiny French café in the West Village of New York City, I meet up with Michael Rennie and Nick Turner, otherwise known as the band Mikanic ("Mike-and-Nick" get it?), and also otherwise known as the founding members of Sons of Trout. (It didn't disband, it's just resting?for now). I rediscovered them in NYC, running into them randomly at what is really the most likely of all places: The only South African Restaurant in the city.

The restaurant's in Brooklyn, it's called Madiba's and it's fully stocked with all that is worth being proudly South African -biltong, Freshpak and endless Mandela memorabilia. The food is Bunny Chow, potjie, pap, wors - you name your nostalgia, they have it. But the biggest treat is the fact that entertainment is integral to the dining experience (there aren't many places in NY where you can listen to great music while eating dinner and not feel corny or ironic).

I hadn't been to Madiba's in two years, and going there was like a virtual trip home - eating pap, washing it down with a Castle and listening to music that is clearly South African. Up on stage the faces looked familiar but I wasn't sure how I knew them. Oddly enough, I found myself knowing words to the songs. I loved the violin, the jazz. Then it dawns on me: two years ago I was at a Mikanic concert at The Jam in Cape Town and a friend of mine introduced me to Nick because we were both moving to New York Freaking City at the same time. We did the typical Cape Town thing, 'I'll call you, we'll be in touch yada yada'. It never happened. When I told the restaurant manager this he insisted on introducing us, and that is how I come to ask them to meet me in the west village at 10 am on Maandag morning to do a bit for JHBlive.

What brings a SA band to New York?

Apart from a woman?(the most successful inspiration in song writing to date) Mikanic is stacking experience that can only be invaluable to their already expert and unique sound and skill; Being special guests at a Bobby McFerrin workshop, invited to play at two 9/11 memorials at Ground Zero, creating soundtracks for films and children's educational websites and playing gigs at some of the most famous spots in NY -CBGB's and The Knitting Factory to name a few. They're infecting the NY scene with their honest sound, and steadily and surely racking up a fan base. They made the pilgrimage and have come to the Mecca of the music world. Being a Capetownian myself, I am inspired by their bold move because New York is like a boot camp -it can break you down, but can build you up like no other place on earth. And these boys are going places - literally. In 2005 they played to sold out audiences in Japan, and when you're big in Japan?

Their second album

"Every time a train leaves the station there's always someone late for it but on time to still make it some day."

Swimming with the Women established their distinct Mikanic sound while Subway Tracks, their second album, develops from that foundation and is a reflection and a reaction to their experience in New York; there's a kind of freedom in it, just as you often discover freedom and parts of yourself you didn't know existed when you leave the nest. There's also an exploration of a very distinct African sound in both their first and second album that we didn't hear in Sons of Trout.
They're not afraid of being tongue in cheek with their lyrics and to be influenced by the sounds they hear in NY - from an almost invisible hint of Broadway show tunes (my interpretation), to Hip Hop, Reggae, Rock, Jazz and R 'n B. The distinct Jazz sound on some of the tracks on this album is what I personally love the most, and the instrumental breaks are sensational. That's what makes this album so great -it's not tied up in a pretty pink bow.

Sweet Radio

It's all about keeping it real with these guys. It's all about honesty, and questioning what is happening in the world around them. Their new single, Sweet Radio, purposefully sounds like 'that band from U.K'. Nick explains to me that this song was inspired by the idea of a constant recycling of sounds - 'we hear a song on the radio, a band copies the sound because it's a hit, that song gets played on the radio, it becomes a hit.' In other words: a vicious cycle. Go onto their website and listen to Sweet Radio and try list all the bands it sounds similar - it will sound like Coldplay, U2, RadioHead. But it works. That's what's so refreshing about talking to this pair in the midst of hustle and bustle of NYC - where some artists are blindly fighting 'bitter sweet mediocrity' - they have something genuine to say.

What you need to know

Their sincerity is infectious and so is their sound -which is not afraid to be uniquely South African. Reading between the lines I get the sense from them that they're here in NY so they can explore their own potential and bring what they discover back to SA. And that is a good thi - JHB Live

THE must-see gig of the week takes place on Saturday, when the internationally renowned Mikanic will be performing live as part of a very special night of funky world music at The Koola in Newquay.

Two South Africans. Michael Rennie (violin/vocals) and Nick Turner (acoustic guitar/vocals), form the core of Mikanic, pictured right

Both musicians have risen to the top of the South African music scene, playing for a variety of different bands and artists over the last seven years.

Forming part of Sons of Trout, one of the country's best live rock acts. Ihey have headlined every major music festival South Africa has io offer and toured extensively, releasing four albums along the way. In 2003 they formed Mikanic and in 2004 released the album Swimming with the Women to great critical acclaim and popular success.

Now based in New York City. Mike and Nick have found a new voice and completely original sound with Mikanic.

They have been joined at their Madiba Cafe residency by Tony Cedras. Vusi Mahlasela arm have played many of the great NYC venues including CBGS's, The Knitting Factory and Cornelia St Cafe.

The band's second album is now complete and it looks like the Newquay gig is going to serve as the unofficial release party.

Titled The Subway Tracks, it's a collection of NYC influenced songs from the last 10 months that sit in the groove of discovering the city and all that it has to offer.
The music could be compared to an African Jack Johnson or a world beat Ben Harper, with traditional African sounds and melodies blended with groove, jazz and R 'n' B.

Lyrically powerful, relevant and humorous, this is hip world music at its best.
Mikanic's international flavour is complemented by the rest of the band.
As Mike explained: "We have a lot of musical variety in the line-up.
"Nick and myself come from an Afro-Pop background. Our bass player, Shirzad Khusrokhan. is Indian and has diverse musical influences across the spectrum.
"On the Banto guitar is Yasuhilo Sasaki. We call it Banto guitar because he melts in his distinctive Japanese eccentricity with an exceptional jazz ability that very few guitarists can match."

French drummer Thierry Arpino settles Ihe record with his vast experience.
"He has been playing for years in NYC as a session drummer with a multitude of fantastic artists and we were privileged to get him to play." Backing vocals come courtesy of the Bobby McFerin-trained Tomo Ito, who rounds off the sound with beautiful harmonies and mystical improvisations.

Also joining this incredible group of musicians in Newquay will be percussionist Jonathon Bellard. Mikanic will share their urbana-Africa groove with the world this year, following their Newquay date with tours of South Africa, Canada and Japan.

Support at The Koola comes from The Hitchcock Rules, a funk rock band with a seriously good vibe from the Perranporth and Falmouth area.

Also on the bill are the local Essential Vibrations collective, who'll be pushing the good stuff - deep, funky and jazzed up urban soul beats throughout the night.

The event is sponsored by tht Emoceanl surf shop in Newquay. which will be supplying goodies to give away on the night.

This funky musical extravaganza takes place at The Koola in Newquay on Saturday. Doors open 9pm-2am. Tickets are available in advance from The Chy Bar Beach Road, at £5 or £6 on the door.

MUSIC REVIEWS by Christian Murison

March 10, 2005
- Newquay Cornish Guardian

Eating chocolate croissants in a tiny French café in the West Village of New York City, I meet up with Michael Rennie and Nick Turner, otherwise known as the band Mikanic ("Mike-and-Nick" get it?), and also otherwise known as the founding members of Sons of Trout. (It didn't disband, it's just resting?for now). I rediscovered them in NYC, running into them randomly at what is really the most likely of all places: The only South African Restaurant in the city.

The restaurant's in Brooklyn, it's called Madiba's and it's fully stocked with all that is worth being proudly South African -biltong, Freshpak and endless Mandela memorabilia. The food is Bunny Chow, potjie, pap, wors - you name your nostalgia, they have it. But the biggest treat is the fact that entertainment is integral to the dining experience (there aren't many places in NY where you can listen to great music while eating dinner and not feel corny or ironic).

I hadn't been to Madiba's in two years, and going there was like a virtual trip home - eating pap, washing it down with a Castle and listening to music that is clearly South African. Up on stage the faces looked familiar but I wasn't sure how I knew them. Oddly enough, I found myself knowing words to the songs. I loved the violin, the jazz. Then it dawns on me: two years ago I was at a Mikanic concert at The Jam in Cape Town and a friend of mine introduced me to Nick because we were both moving to New York Freaking City at the same time. We did the typical Cape Town thing, 'I'll call you, we'll be in touch yada yada'. It never happened. When I told the restaurant manager this he insisted on introducing us, and that is how I come to ask them to meet me in the west village at 10 am on Maandag morning to do a bit for JHBlive.

What brings a SA band to New York?

Apart from a woman?(the most successful inspiration in song writing to date) Mikanic is stacking experience that can only be invaluable to their already expert and unique sound and skill; Being special guests at a Bobby McFerrin workshop, invited to play at two 9/11 memorials at Ground Zero, creating soundtracks for films and children's educational websites and playing gigs at some of the most famous spots in NY -CBGB's and The Knitting Factory to name a few. They're infecting the NY scene with their honest sound, and steadily and surely racking up a fan base. They made the pilgrimage and have come to the Mecca of the music world. Being a Capetownian myself, I am inspired by their bold move because New York is like a boot camp -it can break you down, but can build you up like no other place on earth. And these boys are going places - literally. In 2005 they played to sold out audiences in Japan, and when you're big in Japan?

Their second album

"Every time a train leaves the station there's always someone late for it but on time to still make it some day."

Swimming with the Women established their distinct Mikanic sound while Subway Tracks, their second album, develops from that foundation and is a reflection and a reaction to their experience in New York; there's a kind of freedom in it, just as you often discover freedom and parts of yourself you didn't know existed when you leave the nest. There's also an exploration of a very distinct African sound in both their first and second album that we didn't hear in Sons of Trout.
They're not afraid of being tongue in cheek with their lyrics and to be influenced by the sounds they hear in NY - from an almost invisible hint of Broadway show tunes (my interpretation), to Hip Hop, Reggae, Rock, Jazz and R 'n B. The distinct Jazz sound on some of the tracks on this album is what I personally love the most, and the instrumental breaks are sensational. That's what makes this album so great -it's not tied up in a pretty pink bow.

Sweet Radio

It's all about keeping it real with these guys. It's all about honesty, and questioning what is happening in the world around them. Their new single, Sweet Radio, purposefully sounds like 'that band from U.K'. Nick explains to me that this song was inspired by the idea of a constant recycling of sounds - 'we hear a song on the radio, a band copies the sound because it's a hit, that song gets played on the radio, it becomes a hit.' In other words: a vicious cycle. Go onto their website and listen to Sweet Radio and try list all the bands it sounds similar - it will sound like Coldplay, U2, RadioHead. But it works. That's what's so refreshing about talking to this pair in the midst of hustle and bustle of NYC - where some artists are blindly fighting 'bitter sweet mediocrity' - they have something genuine to say.

What you need to know

Their sincerity is infectious and so is their sound -which is not afraid to be uniquely South African. Reading between the lines I get the sense from them that they're here in NY so they can explore their own potential and bring what they discover back to SA. And that is a good thi - JHB Live

Mikanic's Michael Rennie and Nick Turner have been adopted New Yorkers for more than a year, perfecting their craft and trying to break into the music scene there.

Now the key members of this South African group (both are singers and Rennie is a violinist and Turner a guitarist) are back in Cape Town for a series of gigs at venues throughout the city.

"What we've enjoyed is to bring a new product here," says Turner.

"We still have our core fanbase here," adds Rennie, "and it's actually expanding, which was surprising to us when we came back here last year. 500 people came to see us perform, which was amazingly terrifying."

The two were members of now-defunct alternative South African group Sons Of Trout, but they have been working together on numerous projects for groups since the Sons Of Trout split up.

They formed Mikanic in 2003 and decided to make New York their base of operations. "What's amazing about New York is that one street there has more clubs than the whole of Cape Town," says Turner.

"Having been in Cape Town, you notice that not much changes here, and that in itself is comforting to us, especially to come back to, but it makes more sense to work mostly in New York."

For these two Capetonians, who are often mistaken for Durban boys, the frenetic pace of the Big Apple was a complete turnaround from the more relaxed setting of Cape Town.

"When I got there two years ago, it took me about two months just to get used to the place," says Turner.

Adds Rennie: "In terms of music, it's just such a Mecca. We have managed to build a small but solid fan base and we're starting to get booked for festivals, so it's going pretty good."

After the duo has concluded their tour of South Africa and put the finishing touches on their third album, they will move on to Canada, Japan and the UK where they will try and expose their unique sound, already described by this newspaper in 2003 as that of "an African Simon & Garfunkel", to an even larger and more international constituency.

All this frenetic activity does take its toll, and even for touring musicians it is important to have a base.

"It's a very difficult lifestyle to uphold, but it helps a lot to have supportive families and friends," says Rennie.

"Yeah, because financial pressures are still a major issue for musicians today," Turner chips in.

"Depending on the genre, you are playing to a fairly limited audience," he adds.

When pushed to describe their sound and genre, Rennie and Turner are reluctant to comply for fear of boxing themselves and not doing justice to their complex sound.

"You've heard us, you tell us," they say.

"One word that links everything for us is definitely groove," Rennie finally gives in.

That is definitely in evidence on their first album, Swimming With The Women, which was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and popular success.

"What is special about our sound is that it is quite unique. We're not shy of emotion, but at the same time we also have a great sense of humour that people have become used to and expect from us," Rennie adds.

Turner and Rennie are the core songwriters and the only constant in Mikanic, as they alternate between members as the need arises.

The most recent addition to the group has been gifted Japanese guitarist Yasuhito Sasaki. The group also features an Indian bass player, Shirzad Khusrokhan, and a French drummer, Thierry Arpino.

This diversity has always been one of the driving forces behind Mikanic.

"It's the two of us," says Rennie, "but it's a continuing rotation of musicians. When the time comes we will probably have a more permanent lineup, but right now it suits our purpose to have other people coming in when we need them or when we are excited about them. For us it's very important to have a very representative sound, especially of South Africa."

With all their ambitious plans lined up for the future, for now the two are very happy to be in Cape Town and are interested in spreading the joy to their legion of South African fans.

"It is nice to know that we are going back to New York and that we're just in South Africa as visitors, because it means whenever we come back here, we'll have a whole lot of new stuff to share with the people," says Turner.

Mikanic will be in action at Habaneros tonight (April 15), and at Ecclipse on Saturday April 16. After that, they can be seen at the Kirstenbosch Restaurant as part of the Winter Warmer series of concerts on April 17 and 24.

Other venues include Baraza on Wednesday April 20, (Trout) Mercury on April 22, Constantia Nek on May 1 and Rafikis on Friday May 13. Visit their website at www.mikanic.com.

By Peter Tromp April 15, 2005
- Cape Times

Mikanic has achieved fame in their home country of South Africa and the band has made a big splash at New York City venues like the Knitting Factory and CBGB. Despite their Big Apple success, Mikanic takes a humble approach to their marketing techniques with a roster of in-the-trenches shows, such as their Saturday, Oct. 15, gig at The Redhouse, 201 S. West St., as a way to extend their influence in America.

"This is going to sound ridiculous," says violinist-vocalist Michael Rennie "We've played some of the bigger venues in New York {City}, and it is our home. But if you take New York as the epicenter we really want to start slowly radiating out from here, so we need to focus on college towns that have a listening population."

Mikanic is formed by two core members, Rennie and guitarist/vocalist Nick Turner, whose alliance can be seen as well as heard under the group's clever moniker, mik-a-nic. The pair are Capetown natives, most notably touring together in Sons of Tiout, a popular party band that performed at South Africa's major music festivals. But Rennie and Turner eventually felt they wanted to explore music in a different way.

"As touring musicians we were playing very much in the rock'n'roll scene, which is a primarily white-based audience," Rennie says. "But because the white population in South Africa is less than 10 percent of the country's population, you're immediately kind of shooting yourself in the foot in terms of record sales and getting out and crossing over and playing to a more integrated audience. So we were listening a lot more and getting influenced by black musicians, and we try to see ourselves as a true reflection of South Africa."

Since moving to New York City the duo has employed a trio of multiethnic, Big Apple-based musicians—Shirzad Khusrokhan on bass, Tomo Ito on vocals and guitarist Yasuhito Sasaki—who bring the flavors of India and Japan to Rennie and Turner's musical galaxy. The result is a swirling combination of mellow and playful world music teeming with African grooves and melodies, multi-linguistic lyrics and universal appeal.

"Nick and I have always been extremely open to other channels or other musicians playing our music," says Rennie. "You can have someone from every country in the world playing together, but if they're closed to their own music they'll never really be able to fuse it together. It's a matter of finding people from different cultures, but also people who are open enough and talented enough to try to understand how to fuse that music."

Mikanic will reunite with Latin-tinged locals Grupo Pagan at Saturday's Redhouse show The two bands met last winter at the Kettle Lakes Bistro, 5785 Route 80, Tully, when Mikanic was looking for some shining stars to help out. Edgar Pagan, Grupo Pagan's leader and namesake, jumped at the chance to jam with the South African boys, and Pagan brought along his percussionist Josh DeKaney. "It was a pure joy," says Pagan. "Their musicianship is world class."

The two bands recently collaborated on a Pagan-penned original song, "Amor," which will appear on Grupo Pagan's first release, due out in spring 2006. Both groups plan on sharing more studio time this week in Syracuse, and Pagan hinted that other band members may intermix during the show. "You never know what can happen," says Pagan. "We're known here and people have been so wonderful. People have been asking for original music so I think it's time to deliver that."

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For more information, call 425-0405 or visit www.theredhouse.org.

by Julie Pinsonneault October 12, 2005
- Syracuse New Times

Mikanic's Michael Rennie and Nick Turner have been adopted New Yorkers for more than a year, perfecting their craft and trying to break into the music scene there.

Now the key members of this South African group (both are singers and Rennie is a violinist and Turner a guitarist) are back in Cape Town for a series of gigs at venues throughout the city.

"What we've enjoyed is to bring a new product here," says Turner.

"We still have our core fanbase here," adds Rennie, "and it's actually expanding, which was surprising to us when we came back here last year. 500 people came to see us perform, which was amazingly terrifying."

The two were members of now-defunct alternative South African group Sons Of Trout, but they have been working together on numerous projects for groups since the Sons Of Trout split up.

They formed Mikanic in 2003 and decided to make New York their base of operations. "What's amazing about New York is that one street there has more clubs than the whole of Cape Town," says Turner.

"Having been in Cape Town, you notice that not much changes here, and that in itself is comforting to us, especially to come back to, but it makes more sense to work mostly in New York."

For these two Capetonians, who are often mistaken for Durban boys, the frenetic pace of the Big Apple was a complete turnaround from the more relaxed setting of Cape Town.

"When I got there two years ago, it took me about two months just to get used to the place," says Turner.

Adds Rennie: "In terms of music, it's just such a Mecca. We have managed to build a small but solid fan base and we're starting to get booked for festivals, so it's going pretty good."

After the duo has concluded their tour of South Africa and put the finishing touches on their third album, they will move on to Canada, Japan and the UK where they will try and expose their unique sound, already described by this newspaper in 2003 as that of "an African Simon & Garfunkel", to an even larger and more international constituency.

All this frenetic activity does take its toll, and even for touring musicians it is important to have a base.

"It's a very difficult lifestyle to uphold, but it helps a lot to have supportive families and friends," says Rennie.

"Yeah, because financial pressures are still a major issue for musicians today," Turner chips in.

"Depending on the genre, you are playing to a fairly limited audience," he adds.

When pushed to describe their sound and genre, Rennie and Turner are reluctant to comply for fear of boxing themselves and not doing justice to their complex sound.

"You've heard us, you tell us," they say.

"One word that links everything for us is definitely groove," Rennie finally gives in.

That is definitely in evidence on their first album, Swimming With The Women, which was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and popular success.

"What is special about our sound is that it is quite unique. We're not shy of emotion, but at the same time we also have a great sense of humour that people have become used to and expect from us," Rennie adds.

Turner and Rennie are the core songwriters and the only constant in Mikanic, as they alternate between members as the need arises.

The most recent addition to the group has been gifted Japanese guitarist Yasuhito Sasaki. The group also features an Indian bass player, Shirzad Khusrokhan, and a French drummer, Thierry Arpino.

This diversity has always been one of the driving forces behind Mikanic.

"It's the two of us," says Rennie, "but it's a continuing rotation of musicians. When the time comes we will probably have a more permanent lineup, but right now it suits our purpose to have other people coming in when we need them or when we are excited about them. For us it's very important to have a very representative sound, especially of South Africa."

With all their ambitious plans lined up for the future, for now the two are very happy to be in Cape Town and are interested in spreading the joy to their legion of South African fans.

"It is nice to know that we are going back to New York and that we're just in South Africa as visitors, because it means whenever we come back here, we'll have a whole lot of new stuff to share with the people," says Turner.

Mikanic will be in action at Habaneros tonight (April 15), and at Ecclipse on Saturday April 16. After that, they can be seen at the Kirstenbosch Restaurant as part of the Winter Warmer series of concerts on April 17 and 24.

Other venues include Baraza on Wednesday April 20, (Trout) Mercury on April 22, Constantia Nek on May 1 and Rafikis on Friday May 13. Visit their website at www.mikanic.com.

By Peter Tromp April 15, 2005
- Cape Times