Marinated in beer, friendship and Nam flavour Penilane partners with Grammy winning sound engineer,

When faced with the prospect of entertaining Grammy award-winning sound engineer, Alan Sanderson, Penilane didn’t leave a spleen on deposit to dine at the Hilton, risk salmonella by attempting to cook a home-made dinner or secure a crowd-pleasing bucket of KFC, instead being Namibians, and entirely of sound mind, they handed him a Windhoek Lager and had a braai.

Having spent the last month and a half in Windhoek recording Penilane’s debut album after a series of fortunate events which, like all great things, began in a bar and meandered towards a dubious Penilane believing they were a victim of a practical joke, Sanderson is nothing less than ecstatic about ‘the vibe’ and the organic way in which this album came about.“In terms of the end product, I’d say it was and it wasn’t planned,” said Sanderson. “For example, it was a total accident that a choir ended up on the record. That happened because your National Arts Council (NAC) organised for two interns to shadow me and the one suggested we go and see this choir in a small bedroom studio in Katutura. We did and we were so impressed we ended up using them.”’The Mighty Vocals’, were the Katutura choir in question and after electrifying the band with vocals befitting their name, they joined a complement of other local musicians who Penilane drummer Anesh Morar describes as crucial to the creative mix that makes this album so exciting. “There were so many people involved in this album who either helped by lending us equipment, making us dinner or featuring on the album,” says Morar. “I definitely think that fans and new audiences will be excited by the album which incorporates everything from African percussion, a choir and also features the well known talents of EES, Steffen List, Tania Ott, Moses and Daniel Eiseb.”Seemingly a robust riot of rock and random collaborations, Morar is quick to point out that, despite some surprising synthesis, Penilane is still in the business of their patent ‘progressive sweaty nuts rock’, their fans know and love. “We didn’t bring Alan here to fundamentally change what we’re about and that’s not what he wanted to do either,” says Morar. “What he brought to Penilane was his expertise and his ability to mesh everything together in a refined way so I can safely say that our sound hasn’t changed; it’s simply matured.”As with cheese and wine, a little maturity went a long way and while Sanderson was initially intrigued at the thought of a desert rock band in a country whose existence seemed doubtful until he looked it up on a map, he maintains that, despite some challenges, his instincts were correct and audiences can look forward to a great album.“I’ll admit that we’ve hit a lot of walls trying to make it work here but something I learnt from Keith Richards is to improvise, adapt and overcome and that’s been our philosophy the whole way through,” says Sanderson candidly. “Look, we’re not in LA, we’re in Africa but if Dave Grohl can make an award-winning Foo Fighters’ album in his garage then there’s no reason we can’t do the same in a garage in Namibia.”Indeed, LA is certainly not Windhoek and on a continent notorious for its consumers’ inability to legally purchase local music, it is understandable that many question Penilane’s decision to put time and money into an album when everyone knows African musicians make the bulk of their living from live shows. “The money is definitely in live shows but Penilane is in the position where we have played with all the big SA acts but breaking into other markets is about who you know and having a quality recorded product to present when people don’t know who you are,” says Morar. “I can tell a booking agent that we are good but if we have a world class product produced by a Grammy award winning sound engineer then we really have people’s attention. The possibilities from there are endless.”As for the unnamed album which is currently at the mastering stage, Morar believes that thematically it’s about everyday life, love, forgiveness and some uniquely Namibian experiences. “Roy-Lee is an incredible songwriter and he writes all the songs and lyrics,” says Morar. “One track I think that will resonate particularly with local audiences is a song called ‘Hate Campaign’. It features EES and is about the racism we still experience from the old school and the message is basically that our generation needs to move forward and leave the past in the past.”Incorporating songs with a social conscience while proving garages are entirely suitable studios, Penilane and its motley crew of collaborators certainly seem ready to rock; and it is with more than a little anticipation that local audiences await this much hyped album. “This is the kind of band you won’t hear anywhere else in Africa,” says Sanderson. “This is Nam flavour. The braais, the sundowners, the support, it’s all in the album and if there is one thing my experience in Namibia has shown me it’s how important friends and family are in making records… and for everything in this life.”Marinated in beer, friendship and an inimitable Nam flavour, Penilane’s is bound to be a delicious album spiced with providence, garnished with great collaborations and poised to simmer on the hot coals of rock and roll. For more information contact penilane@penilane.com and join their Facebook page for updates on the album’s release www.facebook.com/penilaneband

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