Cabins in the Forest are a Cape Town based acoustic duo that began writing and gigging together in mid 2006. The song writing is eclectic, making use of 12-string guitars, didgeridoo, slide & bottleneck guitar. It is somewhat of a folk, jazz, bluegrass, rock fusion. The sound is curious at times, refusing to push the usual buttons. The performance, whilst playful, is powerful, introspective, soulful and raw.
Album release 2008:
The Cabins in the Forest debut full band album is entitled "Spells for Bribes" and will be released at the Armchair Theater in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday March 14th 2008. The album has been in production since September 2007 and features 8 intelligent new guest musicians from around the country.
Line Up:
Gary Thomas - Vocals, Acoustic Guitars.
Andy Jamieson - Vocals, Acoustic and Lap steel Guitars, Didgeridoo.
Kesivan Naidoo - Drums and Percussion.
Shane Cooper - Upright and Electric Bass.
Ronan Skillen - Tabla.
Guy Buttery - Sitar.
Dominic Adelbert - Saxophone.
Rayelle Goodman - Violin.
Hannah Botsis - Cello.
Inge Beckmann - Guest Vocals.
Spells for Bribes is a full length release featuring songs written both recently and in the past year and a half. Initial recording sessions were held at Dockyard Studios in Woodstock with Matt Alison in the spring. Later, the Cabins recorded the bulk in various secret locations around Johannesburg, Kalk Bay and St Francis.
The album launch at the Armchair will herald the release of Spells for Bribes to the country and the world. Extensive touring and promotion will take up the rest of the year for the band. Future lineups will now come in various sizes.Whilst Gary and Andy will still be performing their original duo show, Cabins in the Forest will perform shows as band of 3, 4, 5, 6 and more.
"The music is an eclectic mix of groundbreaking sound and is so packed with multiple genres that it cannot fall under one alone" - Lyra Appleton, Global Music Online (GMO).
Tour dates TBA.
Acoustic show reviews:
"The duo dovetailes nicely with Gary (a classical trained jazz musician) leading some intricate melodies on the guitar and Andy’s haunting voice adding the frills. Both members play guitar and add vocals so the usual limitations of an acoustic duo barely apply. The songs have well developed variety and the harmonization on vocals gives the music a depth that is very often lacking in bands of similar composition. This, more than anything else, firms up their position as the best exponent of acoustic rock in circulation."
www.themuso.co.za
Cabins in the Forest play a killer set of original and inspiring music. The whole performance is delightfully beyond expectations. The two virtuosos mov from thought provoking psychedelic harmonic play and finger tapping, into energized strumming and guitar smacking. Andy and Gary are understated and cool in their interactions with the audience, held captive by the idea of the next song... Two thumbs up for cabins in the forest, they outshine most of what Cape Town has to offer.
Scott Portasul
“Sinewy, introspective and downright beautiful. They talk of “driving without maps, cooking without recipesâ€. Its plain good music. It’s my kind of music.â€
Sam Reinders
Weekender, 3 Oct 2006
