The Sick-Leaves
Encyclopedia
The Sick-Leaves is an alternative rock
artist originating from South Africa
. The Sick-Leaves is the solo project of Eksteen Jacobsz who is the songwriter
, guitarist
, vocalist and bassist
.
, South Africa
had an interest in music from very early on in hs life. It was not until much later that he actually started to find an interest in an instrument as such. His childhood memories are filled with the sounds of ABBA
, Neil Diamond
, Elvis Presley
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
, etc. Jacobsz started taking piano lessons when he was 11. However, his interest in piano did not last long and he stopped after a year.
Jacobsz started playing guitar at the age of 17 while attending boarding school, inspired by The Beatles Anthology
movie. Fortunate enough he had a room mate who had a guitar and he asked him whether he would teach him a few chords. The thought that the strings could be swapped around did not even occur to him back then, and today Jacobsz plays guitar right-handed although he is left-handed. The first songs he could play were standard pop
and rock numbers of the day. Jacobsz prefers string based instruments and guitar is his primary instrument.
, Jacobsz left for the centre of the music scene, London. He met fellow band members – who ranged from a butcher to a member of the mafia - through music ads on Denmark Street
, and together they formed the infamous rock band, The Infidels. The Infidels did not have a vocalist, so it is hard to believe that Jacobsz became one quite by accident. Jacobsz admits that it took him quite a long time to convince himself that he could actually sing. For the next two years, The Infidels roamed the clubs of London
- there were good gigs and there were holocausts, all part of the trade - leaving Jacobsz with fond memories of “stage thrashing, audience abuse, outside club in-fighting, an unreliable van that had a habit of breaking down when it mattered most to be on time at a venue, late night rehearsals after work and the camaraderie of being in a rock'n'roll band after a good show.”
When his visa ran out after two years, Jacobsz came to the conclusion that he needed to become a better guitar player - he decided to come back to South Africa
and start his own project where he had a bit more control over the songwriting.
Jacobsz formed The Sick-Leaves in 2005 after his return from the UK and to date has remained the face and mind behind The Sick-Leaves.
, was recorded in 2005 and produced by South African producer
Matthew Fink and was released by Sheer Music
and in 2007 his SA Music Award
-nominated (for “Best Alternative Album” 2007) debut album – Tunnel Vision
.
Jacobsz clearly showed that he was a force to be reckoned with when two singles on Tunnel Vision were play listed on 5FM
: "All these foolish things (I’ve said)" and "Such a Waster", which went to number 11 on 5FM
Top 40. Four singles were submitted to campus radio and all four reached the SA Top 10 chart on Tuks FM
and all four reached the UJFM Top 20. "All These Foolish Things (I've said)", as well as "Such a Waster", became no. 1 on the TUKS FM
SA Top 10.
Tunnel Vision further went on to be nominated for “Best Album” for the South African skate boarding magazine Blunt 2006 Awards.
Tunnel Vision track listing:
1. Coffee Break
2. Kiss and Tell
3. Tunnel Vision
4. All these foolish things (I’ve said)
5. Across the line
6. Short Skirts
7. Such a Waster
8. The Usual Favours
9. To Below and Above
10. Tell you all
11. Par Avion
12. Overkill
13. Do
14. Articles from the Archives
, Stone the Crow
. Whereas Jacobsz showed South African rock that he is a force to be reckoned with after the release Tunnel Vision, he now showed that he is here to stay. With his high pitched vocals and layered instrument approach, Jacobsz created a whole different dimension to rock‘n’roll in SA – making him not only the inventor of this game, but master of it as well.
Stone the Crow clearly sets Jacobsz aside in a league of his own, making it nearly impossible for any other SA artist to produce a masterpiece even remotely similar or with the same magnitude.
Stone the Crow was released in July 2008, with singles off the album achieving top 10 and even several number one positions on the campus charts.
A music video for "The Black Disciples" was released and is available for viewing on the YouTube
profile.
Stone the Crow track listing:
1. I’ll Follow You
2. Valley Of The Dolls
3. Kaizen
4. Phantom Pain
5. Foggy
6. The Familiar Departed
7. The Black Disciples
8. Coppice Fire
9. Lock ‘n Load
10. Scotoma (Seein’ Ain’t Believin’)
11. Hustle Honey
12. Uncovered
13. Torpedoed Lifeboat
Last Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy consists of eleven original songs with all instrumentation except for drums tracked by Eksteen Jacobsz. The album was released on 8 March 2010.
The Sick-Leaves performed on 5FM
's hour long live performance show (Live)5 on 30 January with a successful media launch of the album in association with Jose Cuervo
on Wednesday 24 November at a venue called Narina Trogon in Johannesburg
which included interviews for MK
, youth TV channel Vuzu
, ETV's Showbiz Report amongst other radio & print media.
Tracklisting of Last Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:
1. All you want
2. What are you waiting for
3. Coz you like it
4. Run away
5. Move faster than this
6. Heartland
7. K2
8. Tell it like it is
9. The Geisha Puppets
10. Come & Go
11. From where you came
to expand their coverage on national radio. The Sick-Leaves filmed a black and white music video for the rendition of "Missing", which was released in December 2008, with it being on rotation on MK
, MTV BASE
, SABC 1 & 2 with this being the first released music video
from The Sick-Leaves.
The single reached the number one position on regional radio stations Highveld & KFM's local top ten chart, 'The Homebrew top ten' which is voted solely by the listeners.
The music video "All These Foolish Things (I've said)" was nominated in 2010 for a MK Award in the category of Best Animated Music video SFX.
Blunt magazine nominated The Sick-Leaves for a Blunt Award for Best Rock Album in 2007.
and The Manic Street Preachers
, is forging a unique sound. People he looks up to for inspiration and who were also influential in their time and genre are Jimi Hendrix
, John Lennon
, Jimmy Page
, Pete Townshend
, Johnny Marr
, Noel Gallagher
, Eric Clapton
, Jack White
, Roy Orbison
and Bruce Springsteen
.
Jacobsz has a distinctive guitar style which is heard on all three released albums with The Sick-Leaves sound being described as classic guitar driven rock & roll with high pitched vocals and a strong bass line"
The Sick-Leaves’ lyrics are mostly social commentary, ambiguous and full of hope in the face of adversity.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
artist originating from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The Sick-Leaves is the solo project of Eksteen Jacobsz who is the songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, vocalist and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
.
Early years
Jacobsz, who grew up in Ermelo, MpumalangaErmelo, Mpumalanga
Ermelo is the educational, industrial and commercial centre of the 7,750 km² Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga province, Republic of South Africa. Mixed farming and anthracite, coal and torbanite mining take place here...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
had an interest in music from very early on in hs life. It was not until much later that he actually started to find an interest in an instrument as such. His childhood memories are filled with the sounds of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
, etc. Jacobsz started taking piano lessons when he was 11. However, his interest in piano did not last long and he stopped after a year.
Jacobsz started playing guitar at the age of 17 while attending boarding school, inspired by The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a set of three double albums and a book focusing on the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in the making and approval of the works, which are sometimes referred to collectively as the...
movie. Fortunate enough he had a room mate who had a guitar and he asked him whether he would teach him a few chords. The thought that the strings could be swapped around did not even occur to him back then, and today Jacobsz plays guitar right-handed although he is left-handed. The first songs he could play were standard pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock numbers of the day. Jacobsz prefers string based instruments and guitar is his primary instrument.
Initial band inceptions & songwriting
In 2002, after receiving a degree in Investment BankingInvestment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
, Jacobsz left for the centre of the music scene, London. He met fellow band members – who ranged from a butcher to a member of the mafia - through music ads on Denmark Street
Denmark Street
Denmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley. The road connects Charing Cross Road at its western end with St Giles High Street at its eastern end. Denmark Street is in the London Borough...
, and together they formed the infamous rock band, The Infidels. The Infidels did not have a vocalist, so it is hard to believe that Jacobsz became one quite by accident. Jacobsz admits that it took him quite a long time to convince himself that he could actually sing. For the next two years, The Infidels roamed the clubs of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- there were good gigs and there were holocausts, all part of the trade - leaving Jacobsz with fond memories of “stage thrashing, audience abuse, outside club in-fighting, an unreliable van that had a habit of breaking down when it mattered most to be on time at a venue, late night rehearsals after work and the camaraderie of being in a rock'n'roll band after a good show.”
When his visa ran out after two years, Jacobsz came to the conclusion that he needed to become a better guitar player - he decided to come back to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and start his own project where he had a bit more control over the songwriting.
Jacobsz formed The Sick-Leaves in 2005 after his return from the UK and to date has remained the face and mind behind The Sick-Leaves.
Tunnel Vision: 2006
The debut album, Tunnel VisionTunnel vision
Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.- Medical / biological causes :Tunnel vision can be caused by:...
, was recorded in 2005 and produced by South African producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Matthew Fink and was released by Sheer Music
Sheer Music
Sheer Music is a South African record label that focuses primarily on club, dance and trance tracks, and is one of the biggest distributors of dance music in South Africa. Sheer Music represents local and aspiring DJs and artists, often through collaboration with local radio stations such as 5FM....
and in 2007 his SA Music Award
South African Music Awards
The South African Music Awards are an annual award ceremony, run by the Recording Industry of South Africa , where accolades are presented to members of South Africa's music industry. Winners receive a statuette is called a SAMA. The event was established in 1995...
-nominated (for “Best Alternative Album” 2007) debut album – Tunnel Vision
Tunnel vision
Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.- Medical / biological causes :Tunnel vision can be caused by:...
.
Jacobsz clearly showed that he was a force to be reckoned with when two singles on Tunnel Vision were play listed on 5FM
5FM
5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation , South Africa's public broadcaster...
: "All these foolish things (I’ve said)" and "Such a Waster", which went to number 11 on 5FM
5FM
5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation , South Africa's public broadcaster...
Top 40. Four singles were submitted to campus radio and all four reached the SA Top 10 chart on Tuks FM
Tuks FM
Tuks FM is the radio station of the University of Pretoria and one of South Africa's most respected community broadcasters. In addition to its deeply impressive output of media professionals, many of whom have become household names in the world of radio and TV, it was also one of the first...
and all four reached the UJFM Top 20. "All These Foolish Things (I've said)", as well as "Such a Waster", became no. 1 on the TUKS FM
Tuks FM
Tuks FM is the radio station of the University of Pretoria and one of South Africa's most respected community broadcasters. In addition to its deeply impressive output of media professionals, many of whom have become household names in the world of radio and TV, it was also one of the first...
SA Top 10.
Tunnel Vision further went on to be nominated for “Best Album” for the South African skate boarding magazine Blunt 2006 Awards.
Tunnel Vision track listing:
1. Coffee Break
2. Kiss and Tell
3. Tunnel Vision
4. All these foolish things (I’ve said)
5. Across the line
6. Short Skirts
7. Such a Waster
8. The Usual Favours
9. To Below and Above
10. Tell you all
11. Par Avion
12. Overkill
13. Do
14. Articles from the Archives
Stone the Crow: 2008
In June 2008, Jacobsz did not disappoint anticipating fans when he took his own game to the next level and independently released the much awaited second Sick-Leaves albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Stone the Crow
Stone the Crow
"Stone the Crow" is the debut single by heavy metal band Down off their 1995 debut album, NOLA. It peaked at #40 on the US Mainstream Rock Charts. A video was also produced for the song.-Structure:...
. Whereas Jacobsz showed South African rock that he is a force to be reckoned with after the release Tunnel Vision, he now showed that he is here to stay. With his high pitched vocals and layered instrument approach, Jacobsz created a whole different dimension to rock‘n’roll in SA – making him not only the inventor of this game, but master of it as well.
Stone the Crow clearly sets Jacobsz aside in a league of his own, making it nearly impossible for any other SA artist to produce a masterpiece even remotely similar or with the same magnitude.
Stone the Crow was released in July 2008, with singles off the album achieving top 10 and even several number one positions on the campus charts.
A music video for "The Black Disciples" was released and is available for viewing on the YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
profile.
Stone the Crow track listing:
1. I’ll Follow You
2. Valley Of The Dolls
3. Kaizen
4. Phantom Pain
5. Foggy
6. The Familiar Departed
7. The Black Disciples
8. Coppice Fire
9. Lock ‘n Load
10. Scotoma (Seein’ Ain’t Believin’)
11. Hustle Honey
12. Uncovered
13. Torpedoed Lifeboat
Last Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy: 2010
In November 2009, The Sick-Leaves commenced recording of the third album, The Last Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy, at SABC RDF M5 with producer Darryl Torr.Last Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy consists of eleven original songs with all instrumentation except for drums tracked by Eksteen Jacobsz. The album was released on 8 March 2010.
The Sick-Leaves performed on 5FM
5FM
5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation , South Africa's public broadcaster...
's hour long live performance show (Live)5 on 30 January with a successful media launch of the album in association with Jose Cuervo
Jose Cuervo
José Cuervo is a brand of tequila produced by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña. The José Cuervo Especial brand has the highest sales of any tequila brand in theworld.- History :...
on Wednesday 24 November at a venue called Narina Trogon in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
which included interviews for MK
Mk
mk is the build tool replacing make in Version 10 Unix, Plan 9 from Bell Labs, and Inferno. It improves upon its predecessor by introducing a completely new syntax that is both easier to read and more powerful...
, youth TV channel Vuzu
Vuzu
Vuzu is a South African youth-oriented television channel produced by M-Net for sister pay television platform DStv.-History:The channel launched in mid 2009, replacing the popular M-Net channel, Go. This occurred during the second phase of the network's reshuffle of its youth channel offering...
, ETV's Showbiz Report amongst other radio & print media.
Tracklisting of Last Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:
1. All you want
2. What are you waiting for
3. Coz you like it
4. Run away
5. Move faster than this
6. Heartland
7. K2
8. Tell it like it is
9. The Geisha Puppets
10. Come & Go
11. From where you came
Missing by Everything but the Girl
In September 2008, The Sick-Leaves recorded a cover for “Missing” by Everything but the GirlEverything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
to expand their coverage on national radio. The Sick-Leaves filmed a black and white music video for the rendition of "Missing", which was released in December 2008, with it being on rotation on MK
Mk
mk is the build tool replacing make in Version 10 Unix, Plan 9 from Bell Labs, and Inferno. It improves upon its predecessor by introducing a completely new syntax that is both easier to read and more powerful...
, MTV BASE
MTV Base
MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV Networks International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hiphop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on July 1, 1999,...
, SABC 1 & 2 with this being the first released music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
from The Sick-Leaves.
The single reached the number one position on regional radio stations Highveld & KFM's local top ten chart, 'The Homebrew top ten' which is voted solely by the listeners.
Awards and recognition
Both albums were nominated for SA Music Awards in the category of Best Alternative Album: English, in the years 2007 & 2009 respectively.The music video "All These Foolish Things (I've said)" was nominated in 2010 for a MK Award in the category of Best Animated Music video SFX.
Blunt magazine nominated The Sick-Leaves for a Blunt Award for Best Rock Album in 2007.
Influences
Jacobsz, who has been musically compared to the likes of Suede, Kula ShakerKula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
and The Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, is forging a unique sound. People he looks up to for inspiration and who were also influential in their time and genre are Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
.
Jacobsz has a distinctive guitar style which is heard on all three released albums with The Sick-Leaves sound being described as classic guitar driven rock & roll with high pitched vocals and a strong bass line"
The Sick-Leaves’ lyrics are mostly social commentary, ambiguous and full of hope in the face of adversity.
External links
- http://www.thesickleaves.com
- The band's Myspace page
- The band's ReverbNation page
- The Sick-Leaves on Twitter
- The Sick-Leaves facebook fan page