Bio

The Metanoya Rockonfusion consists of three members: - Eben Kok (drums) - Morkel Erasmus (vocals & guitar) - Jaun “Wolfve” Hugo (guitar & vocals) The word METANOYA is derived from the Greek word “metanoia” which means the renewal of the mind, or to change the way you think. ROCKONFUSION is a term invented by the band to shorten “fused on the Rock”. And this is what the band is all about: non-conformity. The wide world of modern society is hammering young people so hard with all kinds of pressures about how to live and what to chase in life, that few ever actually get to a place where they chase their own destiny and purpose. Too many young people fall into pitfalls like drug abuse and suicide. Musicians aren’t helping this cause – they sing songs about anger and violence and hate, and forget that the main reason people listen to music is to feel good, for comfort and to be inspired. The Metanoya Rockonfusion wants to bring hope back into music, making music that inspires people to be more than what they’re told, and to find true LIFE by finding purpose in the life they’ve been given as a gift. The band was formed in the fall of 2001 when Jaun Hugo and their former bassist started jamming together. Morkel Erasmus joined them and after recruiting a keyboardist, percussionist and lastly Eben Kok on drums, their initial line-up was complete. They started doing small local gigs, which included anything from youth camps, benefit days for underprivileged children, birthday parties, and small battle-of-the-bands events. In time, the line-up changed to a four-piece, and after the bassist quit (and another bassist after that) the three core members decided to make due on their own. In the past four years, the Metanoya Rockonfusion has been steadily building an underground fan-base, while crafting their sound to a unique blend of melodic alternative-rock and building their own studio through which to produce their music. They feel that too many bands are forced to have a certain sound and play certain music by their record labels because this is “commercial”. Following suite to bands like Delirious, the band aims to have greater control over their creative output and the whole value-chain of their music. They prefer gigging in venues where the audience can appreciate the music and therefore they haven’t really been drawn into the pub-scene. Their music can be described as a fusion of melodic rock, alternative, grunge and nu-metal with a very strong focus on melody and harmony. Music has become so much about rhythm and people have lost the appreciation for good melody and soothing harmony. They are unique in their approach and arrangements. They’ve performed with the likes of The Narrow, Fevertree, One80, Jo Day, Kickstand, MIC, Jam on Tuesday, and many more. The bookings are flowing in from all around the country, and they even played Margate Main Beach on New Years Eve. The future looks bright. This year sees them invited to Godly Revolution for the third time – an event held in Gallagher Estate which is attended by more than 12,000 people every year. The band recorded and released a single in 2004 to give fans something to take home whilst the debut studio album was being crafted. Only 2,000 units of this single, entitled Radio Unfriendly have been made and mostly sold out. In 2005, Metanoya launched their selfproduced, self-recorded, self-mastered, self-everything (and faith-financed
) debut studio-album, containing 13 tracks ranging from hard-hitting rockers to make you mosh around in your room, to soothing ballads that’ll leave you in tears or on your knees acknowledging that life is about more than yourself. The album is titled THIS IS WHY and is mostly available at their live gigs, but also in some music stores (due to a very low marketing budget). Nearly 2000 copies of this album have been sold at their shows in less than a year. But it doesn’t end there. The growth they experienced since 2005 has led them to enter the studio once again in 2006. Within the space of 5 gruelling months, they recorded a sophomore album that is such a huge progression from the debut that it can actually stand alone as another debut, this time of a band that knows what they want to say, how they want to say it and where those songs are going to take them. ROCKSOLID has been hailed by critics as something totally fresh in the local music industry. Released in August 2006, it’s first single, ALL OVER ME, has already been playlisted on all major commercial, community and campus radio stations nationwide, and is starting to be frequently requested. It’s also stayed on the Sovereign Entertainment’s SA Mp3 chart’s Top 10 since August 2006. This album has the professional edge, quality and capacity to propel them into the utmost corners of South Africa and even the world. Produced by Jaun and the rest of the band, and mixed by the highly acclaimed Derick Louw, this album is generating a lot of momentum right now. With music videos in production and airplay being garnered on US College Radio, the road ahead promises to be one exciting ride…The latest single, OPEN MY EYES, has already been playlisted on 5fm and promises to become a favourite. They’ve also just completed the recording of a live DVD. Where do they see themselves in 5 years? This question gets asked a lot. But the real question is, where do they see themselves NOW? Right now they want to impact young people on a personal, intimate level. Right now they want to make a difference in the nation. And in 5 years, maybe MTV? Reaching a much wider audience… Rocking the planet… Bringing LIFE to a LIFELESS GENERATION… Homepage: www.metanoyarock.com MySpace: www.myspace.com/themetanoyarockonfusion Purevolume: www.purevolume.com/themetanoyarockonfusion