Red Light Stereo taking Durban to SA
Press on February 22, 2011 Red Light Stereo : Fun, Bizarre Daydreaming
Red Light Stereo
Photo : Justin DallasRyan Calder (for Pietermaritzburg’s The Witness) caught up with Durban pop-rock four-piece, Red Light Stereo, to chat about the release of their first ever music video.
Band members :
Dylan Rhodes (23 - Rythm Guitar and Vocals)
Lliam Scholtz (23 - Bass)
Gareth Purchase (23 - Lead Guitar and Vocals)
Don Blom (24 - Drums)
Who does Red Light Stereo target as its audience?
Dylan : We try to target an audience of all ages. I suppose our music is in the category of commercial pop rock. It’s not too hardcore or alternative so it doesn’t scare away the older generation and the younger teens. Our main focus is however on people from 14 - 30 years.
Gareth : Because our music kind of aims at a feel good style, it’s easy on the ears and therefore I would say targets people of any age. Based on feedback from our fans, it’s clear that all ages enjoy our music. I’ve even seen the odd granny jamming it up to our songs at gigs.
Where does the name for the band come from?
Lliam : One of the first songs we wrote was a song called Red Light (Track 1 on our EP), and the stereo part, well that just sounded cool and you can say indicated that we had something to do with sound. At the end of the day it was quite fitting and had a nice ring to it, so it stuck.
The new video is out and doing the rounds. Who produced the video and how did the concept for it come about?
Dylan : Matt Nefdt was the producer. The ideas and concept were all our own. The concept is simple… “Daydreaming”. We wanted something relevant and also light hearted. Each person decided upon their own scenes and what they wanted. We all helped to kind of shape them and Matt was the ultimate judge of what will work and what won’t.
Gareth : Matthew wanted the ideas to come from us as he believed because it was our first official music video, the audience should get to know the kind of guys that we are. The concept comes from the idea of the song but not necessarily the lyrics of song in that we all have our own daydreams, a place where we wonder off to when the place that we are at just becomes a bit much at times.
What feedback have you had on the video?
Lliam : The music video has been received really well, after releasing it we had over 800 views on YouTube in a week, how it spread I have no idea but like to take it as a compliment. When chatting to people they all say it is awesome and love how it is light hearted, fun and makes them laugh. That is something you don’t see too often in music videos now days.
Dylan : We have had such positive feedback! So many people have been commenting and sending messages out of the blue. We’re really proud of it! Somebody actually said I’m the next Johhny Mcenroe…
Gareth : It has been really amazing. The feedback has been outrageous and we are hearing the things that we hoped we would when making the video. All we wanted was a good quality music video that puts a smile on viewers’ faces and by the sounds of it, we have succeeded which is all we could have asked for. Big thanks to iKind Media for all their time and effort.
How did the band take to the transition of making music to making something visual?
Lliam : It was definitely an exciting and new adventure, unlike Gareth and Dylan who did some acting at school, Don and I were completely new to it so there was a little bit of learning to do, but with great direction and some fun props (which might I add we all made ourselves) we got it done. I am definitely looking forward to our future videos after realizing all the possibilities that can be achieved visually.
Dylan : I don’t know about the rest of the guys, but I loved it! We love having fun and that’s what it was like making a video! Our concept was cool and we had so many laughs during the making of the scenes!
Gareth : For me, it’s really important for fans to kind of know you or at least recognize you and to see a band live or in a music video gives you that extra connection that you can’t get over radio stations or simply listening to our album. As i said, we want to make people laugh, smile and dance and the music video was an excellent way to portray this. I’m hoping people will come to know our personalities as well as our music through our videos and live shows.
What were the biggest obstacles to making the video?
Lliam : As with everything, Red Light Stereo’s biggest difficulty is time. Since we all work full time, and the terrible weather Durban was getting at that stage, it was nearly impossible to find a free (clear) day to shoot.
You’re performing and promoting tunes from your EP out of Durban. How have local KZN audiences responded to you guys and your music?
Lliam : We have had great feedback from those who have listened to it and everyone seems to enjoy it, I think the fact that we’ve played at all kinds of events, from Durban Day (Rock) to Fun In the Sun (Dance) indicates that the KZNers enjoy us no matter their preferred genre. Also getting our single on East Coast Radio definitely gave us a sense of achievement.
Dylan : Yeah, I think there has been a great response. We played at Durban Day in September to over 4000 people with the likes of Just Jinjer and Prime Circle, and the crowd really connected with us! It was awesome to see so many Durbanites enjoying our performance and vibes! Our single, Daydreaming, was playlisted on East Coast Radio in November 2009 and it helped get us out there. We want to play feel good rock and I think people in KZN and SA can relate to that!
Gareth : I would say the local response has been terrific purely because we are all from Durban and love this place and thus our music has a very Durban feel which all local fans can relate to. As for the rest of the country, we will bring Durban to them.
Click here to watch Red Light Stereo’s music video, Daydreaming…
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