How long have you been playing Francois?

I first picked up a classic guitar in 2000 and bought my bass in July 2002. That makes me a bassist for only three years. So I’m relatively inexperienced.

How did you get started?

I enjoyed Blues and Grunge a lot during the 90’s. That had me strumming Koos Kombuis and Nirvana tunes when I should’ve been studying for my matric finals. When I got to University, a friend introduced me to a weird buddy of his (Christo) who I reminded him of. Chirsto was starting a band and they needed a bassist. I had cash saved up for an electric guitar and changed my mind right there. Very soon I was walking instead of picking and slapping instead of strumming. I found that genuine, old fashioned classic guitar techniques improve bass playing a lot.

Do you come from a musical family?

Very much, yes. My two sisters both played piano. My younger sister, Via, is quite the punk and she aims to become a professional drummer and sound engineer. As you can imagine, we jam together a lot. My mother played piano. Her brother plays the concertina in a boereorkes. His son has 7 guitars, one for every day of the week. And a cousin of mine is in a Windhoek rock band.

What’s your favourite band / solo artist?

Wow! Where do I begin?! The Pixies have always been my favourite band because of their eclectic simplicity. So Kim Deal didn’t solo, but she sure played the right thing at the right time and her bass tones are spot on.

Tool and A Perfect Circle made the biggest impression on my style of playing during 2004. Our very own Marlowe also had me counting in 5’s and 7’s rather than 4’s and 8’s.
Mudvayne always inspired me to ignore the blisters and play on. Ryan Martinie is my hero.
Recently Radiohead has changed my outlook on music and I’m now quite into loungy abstract stuff.

But since I’m a professional, I have to play what my band requires and right now that is Indie. So when I’m not moshing on Mudvayne or tripping on Radiohead, I’m listening to high pitched Indie tunes to the likes of Bloc Party, Kings of Leon and The Hives.

What are the amps and instruments you currently use?

I’m using an Ibanez Soundgear 4-string bass. And it’s red. It has to be red.
My amp sucks! It’s an XB100. But it was cheap!
Now we come to the cool stuff. My effects unit. It’s a KORG tone works AX10B. With it I can get the perfect tone for every song, compress and quality distort.

What instruments would you like to have if money were no object?

A red Maranello Z. Sheer beauty and a semi acoustic.
I’ve gigged with Fokkofpolisikar’s Ashdown amp (I think it’s an Ashdown) and it was a memorable experience.
I don’t want to sound dependent on effects to make bass sound good, but I know for sure that I’ll be twice the bassist I’m trying to be with a proper, multi channel BOSS or KORG bass-effects unit, the biggest one they’ve got, on the floor for me to kick around.

Do you think you’ll ever go fretless or multi-stringed (or both)?

Of multi-stringed, I’m not so sure, I’m a bit too inexperienced to make a proper statement, but fretless is certainly an option. I aim to pick up a double bass violin next year and have some grey oldie teach me proper music. I am eternally looking for unique tones and the shorter, muffled sound you get from a fretless adds an interesting dimension. And you have so many more possibilities for emotive techniques such as sliding. I’d also love to get to know my fret board by touch.

What have you been doing for the last five years or so?

Leading a double life as an actuarial mathematician by day and a bassist by night. So I’ve been band hopping, rubbing shoulders with respected metalheads in Bloem, gigging around Bloem, Kimberley, PMB and Durban; but at the same time I had to study, wash my hair on Mondays and talk around inevitable questions such as: “What did you do this weekend?”

Have you visited www.bassplayers.co.za yet?

Jip, and I am convinced that it is a useful connection for any bassist. You won’t hear of a home-made electric upright bass anywhere else in South Africa. I’d love to participate in clinics and events once I’m done being a student. Music is a lifelong commitment and these are committed.

What recordings that you’ve played on would you recommend for listening?

In 2004 I gigged and recorded with Fireal. A numetal act heavily influenced by Tool and Chevelle. We recorded a 3-track demo that I am particularly proud of. Very technical stuff.

Next I recorded with The Vulcan Nerve Pinch in a pretty cool studio. It’s a very honest, likeable, 4 track demo we recorded. My best so far.

We’ll be re-recording stuff on the Nerve Pinch demo soon, and you’ll be hearing it on TUKSFM for sure. I’m looking forward to that.

As you probably know, Jake sent me a copy of the disc which is packaged very professionally and sounds great!!! Can you give us a bit of info on the recording process?

We recorded at this ragged old Victorian house (complete with the lazy dog and the tiny, dry garden) that was transformed into a recording studio. It had soul. And the single cans of beer we had in the cold sun during mixing, outside the shabby liquor store a block away … it had soul too.

We recorded drum and bass simultaneously with Jake strumming guitars behind perspex cracking jokes over the headphones. We basically played every song a zillion times until everyone was happy. Next came guitars, and we had the privilege of listening to the same jokes a zillion times as we recorded and re-recorded guitar tracks. The jokes were finally deleted as Jake laid down the vocal tracks. By the time we got to the hand claps we were already in disbelief over what we were able to achieve. From there on it was pizza, six packs and the mixing desk.

Can you tell us a bit about the band?

Sure, we could all do with fewer obligations. Jake and I could do with less demanding day jobs. And it would help a lot if Jaco had not spent 8 hours ‘agter die potte’ before every practice. We could do with better equipment, a PA and an Ashbourn bass amp. We could get an extra guitarist to broaden the sound and double the ideas. We could easily loose our girlfriends and become rogue musicians out for a party and get smashed with the crowd after every gig. We should probably spend less of our precious time jazzing around in the band room and switching instruments. And some perfectionist could say we should harness every riff we jam and focus on completing songs quicker.

Yeah, we could change all that. But without the pressure, band prac wouldn’t be such a relief and we wouldn’t have the biggest band room in Bloem thanks to Jaco’s job at the Musicon. We wouldn’t be so inspired to wreck our brains for truly unique ideas with our limited equipment. A property that has gotten us very far. We wouldn’t be a three piece with room in the car for a fan and we’d spend even more time on completing songs. Band braais wouldn’t be such a party if it weren’t for our fourth (Dirk, Jaco’s brother) and fifth (Illana, Jaco’s girlfriend) ‘members’. And senseless jamming around is what being musos is all about.

Jake sparks crazy new songs, Jaco adds the most unexpected drum beat and I try to glue everything together.

What’s been the low point in your career so far?

Returning from my December 2004 holiday and finding out in an SMS that Fireal has a new bassist. Someone more willing and devoted than me. But there are no hard feelings. I chose to lead a double life.

Ironically I replaced that same bassist in his old band, The Vulcan Nerve Pinch. And if I can’t keep my spot in The Vulcan Nerve Pinch, something I’m prepared to prevent at all costs, he’ll replace me again. So we made a toast one night in Die Mystic Boer to being each other’s understudy.

And what has been the high point?

The day I realised that picking up a bass was not a mistake was when Fireal opened for The Narrow on 23 November 2004 in Die Mystic Boer and The Narrow was all compliments afterwards. It was my first gig in Mystic and a very special occasion. Recently I had the privilege of seeing the Vulcans experience the same thrill when we had Mystic jumping to Stop+Listen.

What do you get up to when you’re taking a well-deserved rest from your double life?

Well, recently I had the privilege of becoming ‘well acquainted’ with a friend of Illana and Dirk’s, Liezel. She teaches me art. We kill a lot of time together. I’m an ambitious skater and a fitness freak and I have lots to say about movies and books. Over holidays I jam with Via back home and we’re fast becoming regulars at big music festivals.

What are your goals currently?

Winning the RP studios battle in JHB on the 16th of October. Winning the billion mucks in PE 9-12 December, getting a record deal and recording the first internationally successful South African album.

Sadly(?) I landed a killer of a job in Cape Town. Everybody knows. So I’ve discussed with my band providing lodgings for road trips to Cape Town, paying frequent visits to Bloem and scheduling leave for all the big festivals. But the main goal will be to write enough material for a year right now, learn it by heart, and play it to whomever, wherever as often as we can next year.