ON TOUR IN SA DURING FEB 2008 WITH PIERS FACCINI...
ABOUT NIBS van der SPUY:
It would be modest to say that Nibs van der Spuy is an unsung hero, and an acoustic guitar legend of Southern Africa. Nibs's spellbinding acoustic guitar style was first taken notice of, with his band, Landscape Prayers, performing live and on their four highly acclaimed Acoustic/Instrumental albums, between 1993 - 2003. His diversity as a songwriter, singer and finger stylist, reached a broader audience with the release of his solo albums; 'Lines on my face'(1999) and 'Flower in the rain'(2002). Both these acoustic gems were nominated in the best instrumental category at the South African Music Awards in their respective years of release. Nibs's versatility to cross pollinate various musical styles, from, African, Classical, Celtic, World, Maskanda, Indian and folk can be traced back to his formative years growing up in the old mining town of Benoni, 20 miles east of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Born on 20 February 1966 to parents of a 2nd World War decorated fighter pilot and a classically trained pianist mother, the diverse musical seeds were sown at an early age. Sharing a room with an older brother, Nibs went to sleep with the songs from, 'Beatles for sale' and the Rolling Stones, 'Aftermath'. These alongside his mother's classical piano repertoire and his dad's 30's and 40's Big Band records had a profound impact on his musical development. Nibs first picked up the guitar at age 14 and learnt chord shapes and progressions from a Lennon/McCartney songbook. His early signs as a songwriter and composer were broadened with the influence of such bands as the Allman Brothers Band and the Dixie Dregs.In the late 80's, after completing two years national service, Nibs moved to Durban, Kwa-Zulu, Natal, where he studied and lectured music at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Whilst a student he formed his first two bands, 'Little Nomads' and 'Plagal Cadence', then in 1994 signed to the SHEER label with his newly formed band, Landscape Prayers.
In 2006, Nibs signed to the 2FEET label with the release of his 3rd solo album, ‘Beautiful Feet'. This has seen him been released in the UK, Australia, Japan, USA, France and Germany. Since its release, it has received rave reviews in every country, from the London Guardian to the Sydney Herald, and in May 2007, was album of the month in 4 major German publications. This has been accompanied by intensive touring across the globe with a highlight being the prestigious East Coast Blues & Roots festival in Byron Bay, Australia. Here Nibs shared the stage with such luminaries as Ben Harper, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Bela Fleck and Piers Faccini. Besides his own solo career, Nibs got to record a beautiful duo album, 'Sweet-Thorn'(2004) with Mozambican, Gito Baloi and 'Hadeda'(2004) with drummer extraordinaire, Barry van Zyl, from Johnny Clegg's band. He has also got to perform and record with folk Legend, Shawn Phillips and Italian band, the Modena City Ramblers. Mostly touring as a soloist, Nibs also plays across the globe with his young virtuoso guitarist/multi instrumentalist friend Guy Buttery and the incredible violist, Brendan Jury.
VIDEO FOR BEAUTIFUL FEET:
BEAUTIFUL FEET REVIEWS:
“this is a terrific recording that no fan of music at its most unaffected should miss out on" - Billboard / Entertainment Africa
"a real charmer" ****, Dominion Post, New Zealand
"remarkably beautiful" - Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
“an album of disarming beauty†- Fly.co.uk
"search out this album" - Birmingham Post, UK
“one of the most unexpected releases of the year" - The Guardian, UK
“Beautiful Feet†is an irresistibly gentle ballad in which the mundane seems pleasant.†Mediasearch, Australia
“Do yourself a favour, buy this album. It really is special.†SL Magazine, South Africa
“Forget every prejudice or stereotype that you may have of African music... It really is that special." - www.latinvibe.co.uk
"the album as a whole is really brilliant...delivered in a masterful way by a truly gifted musician" 5/5 - www.mio.co.za
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