JIM NEVERSINK DURBAN TOUR

Alternative-Country phenomenon returns to his home town from May 14-16 for three shows.

Alternative-Country phenomenon Jim Neversink returns to his home town of Durban from May 14 to16 for three shows that will give the city's music lovers their first glimpse of the man in action since his 1990s success with the band Famous Curtain Trick.

Born and bred in Durban, Jim Neversink first came to the attention of the city's music-watching public as Michael Whitehead, the lead guitarist and songwriter for Famous Curtain Trick, which built up a strong local and national following.

Following the demise of Famous Curtain Trick, after the release of two albums - Famous Curtain Trick and Land Of No Cadillacs, the latter of which was twice nominated for South African Music Awards (Samas) - Whitehead reinvented himself as Jim Neversink and moved to Johannesburg to pursue his musical career, pioneering his own Loserbilly sub-genre of rock 'n roll.

The two Jim Neversink albums released to date - Jim Neversink and Shakey Is Good - have been greeted by massive critical acclaim, with the latest being placed at Number 2 on the Sunday Times Top Albums of 2008. His third album, Skinny Girls Are Trouble, is currently in post-production and will be released later this year. Skinny Girls Are Trouble was produced by Richard Lloyd, who played guitar alongside Tom Verlaine for the seminal 1970s New York City punk/new wave band Television. Lloyd travelled to Johannesburg from New York City to record the album over a two-week period in March 2009.

Things have come full circle with Jim's return to Durban. Apart from the fact that these are his first shows in Durban since leaving for Johannesburg, founding Famous Curtain Trick drummer Kevin O'Grady has returned to the line-up, joined by Loandi Boersma, formerly of Rokkeloos, on bass guitar and backing vocals.

Jim’s band will be performing on the tour with the support of local alternative-country band Lilo. In a nutshell, Lilo are alt-country rock SA-style with the songs slanted & enchanted stories and poems of an occasionally X-rated nature telling of life, lust, love, death etc. in personal yet unsentimental fashion. The music of Lilo could vaguely be described as cyanide-centred, caramel-flavoured eroded rockdust anthems. There will be a guest appearance from Richard Haeslop.

The dates and venues for the shows in Durban and surrounds are:

May 14: Highfield House, 11 Kinmount Avenue, Hillary at 19h30. Tickets R60 booked through 083 787 5388 or email: enquiries@highfieldhouse.co.za or visit www.highfieldhouse.co.za

May 15: Society, Florida Road, Durban, at 19h00. Tickets R60 booked on 074 1192 999. Venue enquiries to: info@southislandsociety.com

May 16: Luna Lounge Kloof, 16 Dan Pienaar Road, Kloof, at 19h00. Tickets R60 booked on 074 1192 999

On May 17, Jim’s band will appear with Pocket Change & Meri Ke at 14h00 at the Giba Gorge mountain bike park, Mariannhill. Tickets R30 booked on 074 1192 999.

Pocket Change is a product of connected inventive minds; combined to conjure a formula of musical chemistry. They create a rare sound that is somewhat lacking in Durban's, if not South Africa's, music scene which they fervently call acoustic hip hop. The band is a composition of four young, vibrant vessels of musical expression. With a guitar at hand, the rest of the magic they compose is through instruments that are them. This four piece act is made up of a rapper, a singer guitarist, beat-boxer & female vocalist.

Poetic, rhythmical and passionate – alternative/folk music with a difference, Meri Ké’s style blends creative percussive guitar playing with powerful songwriting. She’s been writing songs on acoustic guitar for over eight years, and taught herself to play. Her music is passionate and expressive, reminiscent of her inspiration in the word arts. Strong melodies carry the, sometimes, raw emotion of her songs with confidence and ease, making the experience of Meri Ké’s performance as enjoyable as it is moving.