Band Night Saturdays At AJ’s Pub- Featuring Eleazar Strachan, Jackson Colt, Hotbox Me And Butch & The Lonewolf, Equals BIG PARTY
Reviewed by Duzzy Clayton
Ozzie Strachan
Saturday Night was a night for rocking out, and one venue, namely Aj’s Pub was just the place for that. Together with Fanbase Music Magazine, Aj’s Pub was hosting 4 awesome bands at The Sound Of Groovy Rock event.
Eleazar Strachan, Jackson Colt, Hotbox Me, And Butch & The Lonewolf are some of the band’s finest Johannesburg has to offer, and trust me each band delivered, and then some!
AJ’s Pub Situated in Weltevredenpark is a cozy little pub that is fast becoming a regular spot that hosts bands and events. If you are a first-timer at the venue you will come across friendly locals that soon become friends and that will make you feel you are part of the family.
Welcomed by friendly staff and run by venue owner Andrew, you will soon feel at home at Aj’s Pub, not only known for hosting bands, if you come on the right day you can also take part in karaoke and quiz events, but Saturday nights is for band nights, and last Saturday was an Epic show
Starting the evening is a musician I am fast becoming a fan of, Eleazar Strachan otherwise known as Ozzie in the music community is a cool singer/song/writer/guitarist, I have had the pleasure of watching him play a few times and each time I am amazed at how good he is. Having gotten to know Ozzie a bit better now, I think that he is one of the hardest-working musicians out there, hardly ever turning down a chance to play at a gig or venue, Eleazar Strachan is a name to take notice of, because he is fast becoming a big name in the community. One thing I enjoy that Eleazar Strachan does is, when he covers a track, he is going to put his spin on the cover, paying tribute to the track but also making the song his own and often puts two well-known tracks together, it’s amazing what you can do in mash-ups when two songs have a similar chord sequence and Eleazer Strachan does that to perfection.
Joining Eleazar Strachan for one song was an awesome talented musician who goes by the name of Monica Wieser, a little birdy told me that Monica might be joining the Eleazar Strachan clang as well as a few other band members from well-known South African bands, but you will just have to wait for more announcements about that, but what I can say seeing Monica Weiser and Ozzie on stage together just seemed to work and they have some great chemistry so I am excited to see what the future holds for Eleazar Strachan.
After a good start from Eleazar Strachan, next up was the awesome hard rock classic rock band Jackson Colt. Now I just said classic rock which may suggest this is an old band from the ’80s, even though they influenced by and honor ’80s music in a big way, you couldn’t be more wrong from the truth pigeonholing them as an 80s-only band, Jackson Colt is an awesome new band that almost pays tribute to the rock ’80s era but with a modern flair. Armed with a great stage presence, loud guitars, bass, drums, and a lead singer to make any female and even some dudes weak in the knees, this band seems to have it all. A great look, great sound, and great songs. As I said earlier paying tribute to 80’s era they do play a few ’80s covers that seem to get any crowd going but cover band this band is NOT, they also throw in a lot of originals and one of my favorite tracks from the band is their new one called Fallen Angel, which you can my review of the track HERE
After such a great band like Jackson Colt I was wondering what the next band would be like, I also wondered how it would be putting a two-piece band after a loud four-piece such as Jackson Colt. I have not yet heard of Hotbox Me although I knew one half of the band Chris Morte who was previously on a Rocking For The Paws show I put on, so I somehow had a feeling his new band HotBox Me can pull it off, and pull it off they did, (and then some). before I go into detail about how good the band was, I just have to say Hotbox Me is a brilliant band name, and it made me chuckle. For a two-piece band, this band has got a big sound. Perhaps because Chris Morte is such a huge personality on and off the stage, it just went very well for one of the band’s first gigs together and, with the other half of Hotbox Me Dillon Beylefeld, they know how to rock a crowd, and have great chemistry. Playing some old cover favorites to some new stuff, this fresh new band is something to look out for and I will want them to be on the lineup for one of our future Fanbase shows.
Lastly and headlining the evening was the awesome Krugersdorp band Butch & The Lonewolf, this band is made of brothers Damon and Jason along with guitarist Cameron who might as well be a brother from another mother because he seems to fit in so well with the two brothers chemistry. Butch & The Lonewolf in my opinion is the ultimate party band, I always get excited to see them play live because I know they are going to rock the venue. Playing familiar covers as well as songs of their own, this band seems to have it all. Their music seems to be very catchy and they have amazing stage presence, they will easily be able to get the crowd going, with guitarist Cameron even getting off the stage and into the crowd and proceeding to play his guitar among the crowd which makes this fun party band a must-see live.
One thing I must mention before I end this review, everyone always talks and raves about the bands, which trust me is a good thing, bands should be celebrated because they are so talented and provide entertainment but often the sound engineers don’t get a mention, Ajs Pub’s one secret weapon on making a successful event is Stephen Greenwood who does the sound at the venue, And Steve just happens to be one of the best in the business, he is not only one of the nicest guy you will ever meet but also one of the best sound guys in the game. A band has to be talented, have stage presence, and be able to play and sing well, but they are nothing without a good sound guy so big ups to Steve, and his phenomenal skills behind the desk, you are amazing
So well done to the bands, well done to the venue and its staff, Saturday Night band nights at Aj’s Pub are the place to be and I cannot wait for the next one