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Captain Stu

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Captain Stu

Band members:

James Klopper – Leadsinger and Guitar
Ryan McArthur – Bass
Ryk Otto – Drums
Jon Shaban – Saxophone and Guitar
Matt Willis – Keyboard and Trombone

Runner-up of the Road To V-Fest Competition 2008 as the best unsigned band in SA, Captain Stu, brings you an urban twist with a tightly executed, energetic and eclectic blend of ska, funk, rock and reggae while skillfully incorporating as many of their varying influences as possible.

With two albums to their name (The Untold Tales released in 2005 and The Adventures of Captain Stu released in 2009), after several national tours, playing at several of South Africa’s major music festivals, attracting various would-be corporate sponsors and appearing on South African radio and TV on several occasions, three music videos, a sizeable amount of member changes and a few hundred rocking live shows in between all of that, Captain Stu now stand as a five piece group of dedicated and professional musicians with a large and loyal fan base which stretches throughout the country.

More about the band:
In 2008, Captain Stu entered the Virgin Mobile “Road To V” competition, which saw them doing valuable workshops with many of the industry’s top professionals and performing at various shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg, culminating in a performance at the Coca Cola Dome where they shared the stage with Maroon 5 and One Republic, amongst others.

In February 2009, they released their much anticipated second album, The Adventures of Captain Stu. It represents a new and fresh yet established and well honed sound, which has been earning much praise from new and old fans, and receiving much attention from would be business relations throughout the local scene.

Their first single of the second album, The Journey, reached nr. 2 on the TUKSfm SA Top 10, as well as nr. 4 on the MK University Charts. The second single of the album, More Than Friends, was released in June 2009 to radio stations nationwide and reached nr. 1 on the TUKSfm SA Top 10. The music video was released single in July and reaced nr. 5 on the MK Top 10 Music Video Chart. In July, Captain Stu invaded the north of SA for the third time and toured to JHB and PTA with appearances on Studio 1, UJFM and TUKSfm. The third single of their second album, Shake, was released in August 2009 and reached nr. 2 on the PUKSfm SA Top 10.

Captain Stu appeared on MK Celeb in October 2009 and MK Unplugged in January 2010. In February this year, Captain Stu opened for the likes of Johnny Clegg and Watershed at Wynberg Boys High School as part of their Sunshine Saturday Performances. They also recorded a brand new single, called Something’s Up, at the Redbull Studios in Cape Town which will be released in the near future. A new music video, an EP and extensive SA tours as well as a tour to Europe are planned for 2010.

Media:

“Captain Stu deliver a melodious ska sound. But this doesn’t really convey the depth of variety that the band is capable of. Their make-up has shifted and changed as members came and went, with only bassist Ryan McArthur remaining of the original four who started Captain Stu and the Llamas in 2002.

Their style represents this, and listening to their latest album end-to-end you’ll find a range from mellow ska to new-school jazzy rock. Their live performances are electric, and very few bands inspire new listeners to dance around with the hardened fans.” The Daily Discharge

“In keeping up with the ridiculous nature of the film (Dude, Where’s My Car?), Captain Stu reflects the carefree, easy-going attitude of the main characters. It really comes through in their music, which can be summed up in one word as fun.” Virgin Music News.

“Captain Stu rock uplifting, light-hearted, brass-enriched ska-tunage that’s easier on the ear and, for lack of a more impactful adjective, just lots and lots of fun!” FHM 4 Star Review

“Its charm is that its restlessness does have moments of quiet compliments of that sexy saxophone, but it’s never long before the ballsy vocals and dirty drums jump in and get you dancing.” Cosmopolitan Online

Newspapers and Magazines: Reviews and articles appeared in Sawubona, Rock Out Radio, Virgin Music News, JIP – Die Burger, JIP – Volksblad, JHBlive, Ctlive, One Small Seed Magazine, Cosmopolitan Online, Overtone, BLUNT mag, FHM online, Seventeen, CLEO magazine, Kampus Burger, Die Matie, WAPAD, ACTIVATE, Entertainment Africa, Sunday Times, SA Tunes magazine, The Citizen, SL, MUSE, NUX, SAROCK, Jozi Life, etc.

Radio Airplay: 5FM, UCT, MFM, Heart FM KFM, Bush Radio, OFM, UJFM, PUKfm, RMR, ECR, UKZN and Tuks FM.

TV Play: MK, MTV Bass and SABC3.

Festivals and tours:

Obs Fest /Cape Town/ 2005
Gif Appel /Stellenbosch/ 2005
Knifefight /Cape Town/ 2006
Insanity Festival /Cape Town/ 2006
Long Street Festival /Cape Town/ 2006
Uprisings /Durban/ 2007
Rocking The Daisies /Darling/ 2007
Obs Fest /Cape Town/ 2007
The North / JHB & Durban/ 2007
MK Avontoer /2007
New Years Vortex /Cape Town/ 2007-2008
Splashy Fen /Underberg/ 2008
Uprisings /Durban/ 2008
Obs Fest /Cape Town/ 2008
The North/ JHB & PTA/ 2008
MK Avontoer /2008
Oppikoppi Easter Festival /Northam/ 2009
Grahamstown Festival /Grahamstown/ 2009
The North/ Pretoria & Johannesburg/ 2009
East Coast/ Durban/ September 2009
Rocking The Daisies /Darling/ 2009
The North /PTA, JHB, Bloem/ 2009
Synergy Festival / Franschoek / 2009
Coastal Tour /Mosselbay, Knysna, PE, Jeffreysbay, Plett, Hermanus/ 2009
New Year’s Eve / Cape Town/ 2009/10
Splashy Fen / Durban / 2010
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