Ard Matthews – Saturday July 16, 2011
Great artist, great music, great party, great hangover! See photos on our Facebook Page: Ard Matthews July 16, 2011
Ard Matthews is known as one of South Africa`s most prolific singer/songwriters and his charismatic stage performances and catchy, heartfelt lyrics have led the way to the phenomenal success of Just Jinjer, who are to date the best selling, most successful rock band in South Africa.
After being abroad for the past ten years in the USA and London, and with an international recording contract in place, Just Jinjer has now returned to SA. With ten years worth of this life experience behind him, Ard Matthews looks little changed from when he and his band first played sold-out shows at The Three Arts Theatre in Cape Town or Standard Band Arena in downtown Johannesburg close on 10 years ago. Still with his distinctive dreadlocks in place, he continues to write music that the world can relate to in growing numbers.
Ard lives with his fiancée, model Landi Swanepoel, in Cape Town and is currently working on material for the new full length Just Jinjer album that is due for release later this year. Ard is always looking for fresh opportunities to let the world hear the melodies he is so well known for and will be launching his Solo Project in 2010. He will be performing acoustic solo sets at various Festivals and venues and the Solo Project will be an experimental venture in which Ard will explore new renditions of older songs, as well as introduce new material. The cozy, acoustic presentation will allow fans a more intimate look into the core of Ard`s being and motivations.
Ard also recently acquired a Yachtmaster Coastal Skippers license and hopes to be spending more time on the water which is his home away from home. Other interests include kite surfing, as well as being a prolific global ambassador for South Africa’s MyLife Foundation.
Background: Matthews grew up in a strict religious household with little popular music, but what he did hear — Nat “King” Cole, Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley — elicited an innate musicality that won a talent contest as a singer that he entered at the age of 12. In his late high school years, he sat down at a friend’s drum kit and immediately found a natural proficiency hitting the skins. He studied drums at the South African affiliate of Los Angeles’s famed Musicians Institute, also picking up the guitar partway through his courses.
Stepping onstage to sing and play guitar one night at the restaurant where he worked as a waiter, he was immediately offered a regular gig and was soon making a good living on the Johannesburg circuit as a solo performer. He also honed his skills and appeal to listeners of all stripes while busking on the streets of London and Paris. When he was befriended and heard by Brent Harris, the drummer asked him to join his band Tri Funk Era, one of Johannesburg’s most popular bands. With the voice and songs of Matthews in place, the group soon transformed into Just Jinjer who promptly signed with Sony BMG, and became the biggest thing to ever hit South African rock, all but forging the country’s modern rock scene in the process. “We had to create the live band club scene and a circuit,” Matthews recalls. “I didn’t know we were creating anything new. It was just what we needed to do to appear in front of people and get the music out there.”
After the tremendous success of their debut album, All Comes Around, Just Jinjer focused their efforts on touring extensively within their home country and abroad. Just Jinjer is now signed to Curb Records in the USA and their first international release hit the airwaves and shelves globally in June, 2010. Despite having an international record deal in place, Ard Matthews believes his roots remain firmly planted in South Africa.
