You may have seen this Roachy character somewhere before. He’s that long haired guy who has run up and down stages all over South Africa, armed with a wireless guitar, a sweaty bandana, and a passion for entertaining crowds. It’s true that Roachy has been a part of the Durban live music scene since 2004, and now with 9 years of experience in the industry, after performing in bands such as Mr. Smug and Sheep Down, he has set off to intrigue audiences with his own unique brand of songwriting. On his own now, he is fully in charge of his own destiny and musical direction.

He now sports an acoustic guitar, and he’s still got that ever maturing set of vocal chords. Each song tells a story, and whether it be sad or happy, you will listen with intent to hear how it ends. Basing songs on real experiences, Roachy taps into human emotion in an ernest way. You can’t help but relate to his lyrics, because we have all “been there”. He has stripped away the complexities of writing and performing in a full band, and has centered his music on the message and the delivery, which is heartfelt and oh-so-tight. To keep you listening, each song is different, with the intent of getting you thinking, and of course having some good fun. Banter on stage is a given, even while performing solo, and he has an electric connection with audiences – one that only comes with years spent on the stage. He is not content to sit on a chair and croon, but instead gives a lively performance, always leaving it all up there on the stage.

Duncan took some time out to chat to him about his upcoming EP launch:

Duncan: So Roach, tell us a bit about the History of Roachy and the Rock Coaches?

Roach: Well when Sheep Down ended, I wanted to write an perform my own songs. Bands tend to work as a collective unit, so I started to write my own jams. It’s been tough jamming on my own, but it has been a creative journey.

Duncan: So bru, where are the Rock Coaches?

Roach: We are quadruplets, just playing. I just thought it was an epic name. I always want to play in bands, I’m a punk rocker through to the bone and I miss playing on the big stages, don’t get me wrong though, the acoustic has been epic.

Duncan: Are you planning on forming a full band?

Roach: It’s on the cards. It’s hard to find people that shred and gel well together. I have been asking around, so yea, it should happen early next year. I’m amped to get back on stage as I said earlier, just need the right crew.

Duncan: Tell us about the EP?

Roach: It’s 6 tracks, all acoustic with friends doing backing vocals. It’s all my old stuff through to new stuff spanning a decade of songwriting. The EP has various styles in it, but mostly uplifting and amping themes for those tough days.

Duncan: What influences you musically?

Roach: Trying to write  more modern take on old school punk, bands like Bad Religion through to bands like The Flatliners.

Duncan: Tell us about the launch?

Roach: We have an entertaining line up, The Hours are playing (New guys on the scene as well). We also have a touring acoustic punk band from Jozi called The Sloppy Folk jamming with us. There may also be one or two sneaky collaborations on the night.

WIN WIN WIN!!!

Roach has Kindly given us 5 EP’s and 5 Free entries for his show tonight, the 20th of December at The Winston.

Simply drop us a comment below and we’ll announce the winners shortly after midday today!

Doors open at 8pm.