Dave Starke and Lizzie Gaisford, Dave Imrie & The Staniland Band

MiTH 8 November 2023

INFO: 082 331 7271

ENTRANCE: R50.00 – Cash or Zapper at the Door

VENUE: The Knoll Historic Guest Farm

9pm: Dave Starke and Lizzie Gaisford

Dave Starke and Lizzie Gaisford are singer-songwriters from Eshowe, Zululand. Their “day job” is as bandmates in classic rock tribute band, The Katembas, but they are greatly looking forward to sharing some of their original songs for a MiTH audience.

Throughout her teens, Lizzie was given an annual marathon guitar lesson by her aunt, instrumentalist Jane Gaisford. The rest of the time was spent filling in the gaps by herself, resulting in a unique playing style hinged largely on alternate tunings. Described as contemporary South Africana, her lyrics highlight the highly symbolic, often overlooked details within our environments and use them as tools to trigger memory and imagination.

Dave is known for his rich voice, mellow guitar playing and poignant writing style, sharing songs about finding small slivers of hope amidst life, love and loss. Committed to musical austerity, he is known for simple arrangements that allow the words to take centre stage. Texx and the City described his 2019 album Shifting Boundaries as “An incantatory time-stopper…a crucible of pain, sorrow, love, and small mercies melted together to produce a silvery, meaningful beauty.”

This will be their first outing as a duo and in addition to some old favourites, the performance will also feature recently completed work by both artists.

8pm: Dave Imrie

Dave Imrie is a solo live performer from Durban, South Africa, specializing in looping multiple instruments with a strong focus on the guitar. His music is uplifting, featuring a blend of acoustic, pop, and a touch of rock. He has the skill to blend these styles to suit and match most occasions.

He has performed at many venues across KZN, also reaching out as far as North of Maputo in Mozambique, to a stint in the Eastern Cape.

His adventure as a musician focused initially on blues and rock with inspiration from SRV and Eric Clapton. His love for older styles of music helped him form a solid grounding of the basics. With this foundation, he has created an ability to incorporate these roots into different genres, which has proved to be the key to his success.

7pm: The Staniland Band

Ron Gevers (Cajón, drums and vocals), Muzi Kubheka (Alto and Tenor Saxophone) and John Goodall (vocals, guitar, blues harp, banjo).

Formed in 2017, The Staniland Band (previously Jorongo) is a proudly amateur outfit with blues roots that plays original songs with a South African cadence, as well as new banjo music sounds, and folk-flavoured covers.

Ron Gevers, who features on cajón, drums, and vocals, has accompanied a number of musical outfits, such as The Hairy Legged Lentil Eaters at Splashy Fen. He still lends his musical talents to various bands to this day.

John Goodall, who brings some vocals, guitar, blues harp, and banjo to the mix, has composed a fair number of folk and blues songs. He had been a solo artist playing in music venues in Eshowe, Zululand, and Pietermaritzburg before being invited to join The Gloucester Blues Project (of Pietermaritzburg). The band played for over 10 years chiefly in KZN, including Splashy Fen, and Blues Train, and at Botswana gigs before disbanding.

Muzi Kubheka, who plays alto and tenor saxophone, joined the Staniland Band in 2022. His saxophone playing has filled out and brought a new depth and dimension to the Staniland repertoire.

The Staniland Band has played primarily in and around Pietermaritzburg – sometimes joined by other musicians. The band has played at Post Postino, MiTH, local coffee shops, and supper venues, and recently, at Music in the Mountains, in the Champagne Valley.

ABOUT MiTH: Arguably the KZN Midlands’ best-loved music venue, Music in The Hills (MiTH) is an opportunity for beginners, professionals, and passionate music fans to share the joy of music at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm. Visit www.mith.co.za for more details and directions. Musicians can contact mithbookings@gmail.com for slots.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: MiTH takes place every second Wednesday at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm, Knoll Drive, Hilton. Doors open at 6pm and the music will kick off at 7pm. Entrance is R50 at the door. Food and soft drinks are available for sale. A cash bar is available.

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH: Take the N3 to Hilton, take the Hilton turnoff and go South into the Village (away from Hilton College). Travel 5,2km along Hilton Avenue (past two sets of traffic lights and Crossways Pub) and keep going straight as Hilton Avenue turns into Dennis Shepstone Drive. At the 5,2km mark, Knoll Drive will be on your right – the entrance to MiTH is the *second* entrance on your left into The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.