I met Rudi at Oppikoppi this year while he was funneling loads of Tequila down people's throats on the Jose Cuervo Deck. We got to chatting and he agreed to pop in for a braai the next time they were playing in Pretoria.

About Ashtray Electric:
Winner of MK`s Best Newcomer Award 2009 and voted to have the potential to be SA`s next musical export, Ashtray Electric have been leaving their gutsy footprints at venues and festivals nationwide. Their music is laced with engaging melodies and packed with galloping riffs and attitude. Add to that their signature sleazy-slow motion sexiness and you`ll find this unique package of four musicians that have skillfully made their mark.
Ashtray Electric first unapologetically gallivanted onto the SA Music Scene three years ago. Their debut album “Bonjour” received rave reviews from fans and media alike. Music journalist Atiyyah Khan commented: “Ashtray Electric is in fashion. They most certainly ignite something electric on stage.”

The plan was for us to hook up at about 14h00, but in true rock star fashion they pitched up a couple hours late. I treated the guys to a little Fillet starter, which went down a treat. Next up was Rudi - He did some traditional chops & wors and received good reviews all around.

Silly Buggers	Multitasking

After a couple of Jagermeisters, the tongues really started wagging, but I couldn't get them to divulge any of their dirty little secrets on camera... one of these days I'll get a band to share their sordid tour stories with us.

Check out some of the things we chatted about. Please note that a lot of this was shot after the shots and beers had been flowing for a while... so, there's a bit of swearing here and there - My apologies to the sensitive viewers.

Also check out their colab with Gazelle:

If you haven't been to one of their shows yet, do yourself a favour and go check out these 'bunch of knobs trying to make music' *their own words*. You can catch them on twitter (@AshtrayElectric), Facebook and YouTube

I'd especially like to thank Dames & Here for helping with the production and editing of the video, and a ShoutOut to Arcade Empire for hosting us... You guys Rock!

A couple of weeks back, I had the pleasure of meeting up with one of South Africa's hottest new bands, Newtown Knife Gang, for a braai. They're a Joburg band and yes, the "Newtown" in their name is a reference to Newtown in JHB city centre where the band does a lot of their practising. The rest of the name comes from a mashup (and misunderstanding) of suggestions from their friends.

BraaiBoy with Newtown Knife Gang

Kicking it off with some shots: Thanks Lovoka

Despite their seemingly violent band name and previously playing in bands like 16-Stich and We Shall Embrace, and Nick even spent some time with Seether, the guys from NKG are quite chilled and very easy to talk to.

They entertained with tales of their various gigs and exploits as well as future plans, where it became very apparent that these guys are in it for the long haul and for the love of the music. If NKG where in high school, Nick would definitely be the 'headboy' and Warren the 'rebel'.

Based on their first two singles, NKG's sound might not be as dark as what fans of their past work might be used to, but what they're putting together now promises to be pure magic. Their second single recently hit the radio and will be launching their debut album on 4 November at Arcade Empire in Pretoria.

Have a look at some of the snippets from my chat with the guys:

And what about the braaing? Well, Nick is apparently the band's dedicated braaimaster, and I must say, he did a good job. When we took a vote rating the braai, everyone (except Warren) gave the braai either a 7 or 8 out of 10... So good going there Nick. I'm not sure yet if Warren was taking the piss or being genuine, but at least he still gave it a pass-mark.

Check out the music video for their first single: Listen

You can also catch them on Twitter (@NKG_band) and FaceBook or on their website NewtownKnifeGang.com.