Clint & Co – What a band!

In an interview exclusive to ShowMe on Saturday the 19th of May, with Clint Cunningham, the face of Clint & Co, we met the man behind the band at the Barnyard Theatre in Vereeniging.

The band Clint & Co was formed nine years ago, when Clint decided to wave one-man shows good-bye, in search of artistic fulfillment. The core band members are Clint Cunningham on vocals, Larry “The Legend” Rose on drums, Peter “The Hammer” Hanmer on guitar and Dawid “Dangerous Dawie the Glass Blaster” Visser on bass. In support of this talented and award winning crew, is their sound engineer, Maree Basson.

An Award winning crew – each member an accomplished artist in own right!

During various performances, Clint & Co is supported by different artists, who bring distinctive dimensions to the show at different times. For the show, we could attend, courtesy of IFM 102.2, the supporting artist was Axene, dubbed the South African Princess of Pop. Axene bagged a SAMA award in 2010 for her music and became the youngest artist ever to win a SAMA! She provided a visually softer side to the show, but did not stand back one bit for the strong vocals required in the AC/DC hard-rock number she performed, or any of the other numbers, for that matter.

Clint describes himself as a Southern African, who happens to be born in an English-speaking country, him being a native of Zimbabwe. He pulls this through into his art, with two brilliant translations of well-loved Afrikaans songs – Koos Kombuis’ “Lisa se Klavier” and Steve Hofmeyer’s “Pampoen,” translated into the heartfelt “Rescue Me.” He also sings a very funny and slightly naughty Afrikaans song, “Engelsman,” that had the predominant Afrikaans audience in stitches.

There is a deeply philosophical side to this artist, which he brings to the stage. As part of his (self-acknowledged) mid-life crisis, he has decided to get out and find himself again. This he does by literally exploring the roads less traveled on his BMW motorcycle, finding solace and inspiration in the silence and expanse of nature. In an effort to merge his soul as an entertainer with his passion for nature on the scenic routes he has taken, he embarked on a quest to film his travels and compile it in the format of a TV-series, called “The Wandering Minstrel.”

Clint coined the phrase “Makawampas” – a swift kick in the backside,

or to put it in more cultured terms, an epiphany. This he experienced in the words of a writer: “Your greatest wealth lies in that which you have hidden.” This simple phrase has become his motto during the past few years, and he has decided to stop hiding behind other artists. Clint & Co has recently recorded an album with nearly all the songs written by Clint, called “The Clint & Co Collection.” In addition, Clint has also published a book called Sothafa, a medieval fantasy novel, embodying the struggle between good and evil in the fight between twins. The book has been hailed as “a cross between Wilbur Smith and Lord of the Rings, just better” by various critics, but mostly by a mischievous Clint himself.

We are looking forward to see and hear many more works from this talented artist and his band, as we hear that he has a Rock Opera and another book up his sleeve, in addition to all the songs he plans to share with us.

– Listen to Clint’s original Cry Baby –

Good luck to Clint & Co – What a band!

By Louis Eksteen