Courtesy of Tom-X

See, I’m not really a Woodstock kind of girl. I find that Woodstock has become increasingly commercial over the years, and that it’s more about getting wasted than the music. Mothefudd is Metal.
The event I’ve been waiting for, the event that’s all about the music.
Every year a select few that are purely devoted to the scene flock to Motherfudd to partake in some serious head banging, drink copious amounts of beer and enjoy the very best heavy metal that S.A. stages have seen. Motherfudd is all the festival and fun in the sun you can handle, without the bitter after taste of commercial noise and pretentious individuals looming around. With two stages, 30 bands and the perfect camping spot – I felt like a little kid let loose in a candy factory. About ¾ of an hour’s drive out of Jozi was the venue where all hell was about to be let lose…
The site was well suited, although I must admit that I preferred last year’s spot. The main stage was magnificent and very professional! Well fucking done! The event was all together very well organized; with plenty of food and merch stalls to keep the metal heads happy. They even had one of those mini donut stalls which for some odd reason prove to make the perfect munchies!
Underbelly played an exhilarating set on Friday night and I always find myself spellbound and intrigued by their technical means to work the music. After Underbelly, I don’t recall much besides being harassed by a lost drunkard stranger, and then deciding to join the cause. Needless to say I woke up on Saturday morning with a pounding headache and felt very impressed with myself for bringing headache tablets along. Nothing a swim in the mother fudding big pool couldn’t fix. At this point the weekend took an interesting turn when a gang of wild killer geese and a couple of identity challenged peacock invaded our campsite and chowed our niknaks! Kind of scary when you’re still in the process of recovering…
From our campsite I could hear Ancient Influence performing, and I must be honest, it wasn’t quite to my liking. Then again I’ve never been one for ‘glam’, and their high pitched screams and happy sounds just weren’t kosher for my physical and mental state at the time. This sort of epic metal is indeed an acquired taste so respect to the guys none the less for keeping the flame burning.
I thoroughly enjoyed Unlisted’s set on the main stage at noon; they fully got me into the mood for the raw sounds that were to fill the air all day – sweet sweet Metal. The bassist has so much energy! One of my all-time faves, the Rhutz, took to the stage next. They played a lot of their new stuff which was ok, but all together a slightly disappointing set. In their defense however, the sound did get up to shit while they were jamming. I’ve never had anything bad to say about these guys because I love their music and have witnessed them develop into an extremely powerful band, but alas, I must be honest. I didn’t manage to catch Choking Hazard, but gathered from all the people proudly parading around in Choking Hazard t-shirts after their set that they must’ve rocked hard. Erebus was by far one of the favorites at Motherfudd. Their set was angry and intense, and got a lot of lazy peeps off their asses and into the mosh pit. Thanks to the sun beating down full stream, and my hangover deciding to show face again, I faded out to my tent for a powernap after Erebus, and what a good powernap it was.
I got up in a dazed and confused state just in time to watch Deity’s muse, who were pretty damn good as per usual. Agro, one of S.A’s most respected Metal bands played their hearts out, and did their solid reputation justice. The legendary rock Queen Jo Day did her last gig at Motherfudd before retiring from the performing business. Although I have a huge amount of respect for her, I’m not really a Jo Day fan, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Chromium was pretty good, but personally I think their tunes have become a tad cliché and I think it’s time for them to start working on some new material.
After Chromium I was absolutely blown away by Sacrifist’s flawless set. After having been quiet for a while the lords of metal delivered one of those shows that you tell all your friends that weren’t there they missed out on. If this performance was anything to go by, their album launch at Zeps is going to leave me paralyzed.
After all the energy and enthusiasm, I retired to the campsite to get acquainted with the neighbours and build a big bonfire in true festival camp-out fashion! From what I could hear in the distance, AOA’s set was off the hook and I feel quite sorry to have missed them. Always a next time… Everyone packed up and left quite early on Sunday morning, apart from a few lost ‘dronkies’ wondering around in an utmost state of brokenness and demolishment... A big up to the organizers and all the beautiful people that made this event happen.
*Note to self, don’t taunt the dronkies, they throw beer bottles!

Below is a scan of an article featured in "Die Son". Click on image to view larger image.

Alan became diabetic in his late twenties but passed away in his chair at home with his daughter Cindy & Me (Yvonne). Alan passed away from heart failure.

Alan leaves his son Shane & daughter Cindy & Granddaughter Madison Alan got his nickname Pop Pops from his Granddaughter.
His immediate family always came first.

I think a memory from the kids will be:
Shane – Alan helped him so much with his gigs, always on stage helping him set up his equipment. They were a music team.
Cindy – she found out about 2 months ago she is also diabetic like Alan and they used to sit together & test their sugar levels together. They were a diabetic team.

Alan has also left me his wife Yvonne, we were extremely close we had the same interest which is Music & we worked together as a team under Evolution Music which was Alan’s private Company.

The band members of Agro are Cliff, Grant, Rob & Nick and he treated them all as his sons & they regarded him as their father. Shane his real son is also in the band.

Alan also managed his son’s (Shane) band called Agro. The band was a huge factor in Alans life and he was well respected with all of the younger Heavy Metal generation. He became known as the Grandfather of Heavy Metal in South Africa.

Alan was in the Computer industry & worked at MetroCash for many years & only recently changed jobs he was with Atos Origin for 3 months.
He leaves so many friends behind.

Alan was a friendly man with a fantastic since of humor & always came up with these funny sayings where he got them from I really don’t know. .

I was married to Alan for 36 years. Besides being my husband he was my friend & partner as well.

THE FLAME STILL BURNS.

...AND CHAOS
A.O.A.
AGRO
ALL FORLORN
ANCIENT INFLUENCE
AUTUMN SUN
CHOKING HAZARD
CHOKEHOLD
CHROMIUM
CONTRAST THE WATER
DEITY'S MUSE
EGREGORE
EREBUS
FAR BEYOND DRIVEN
GUERNICA
DEBRIS
JO DAY
L A COBRA
NEVAME
PSORDID
SACRIFIST
THE DEAD WILL TELL
TONY DANZA
TORMENT
UNDERBELLY
UNDERTONE
UNLISTED
WARTHANE
WHITE CHAPPEL
Winner of RBF: VANILITY
Winner of Witchfest: RHUTZ

Stand By Bands:
ELEGY
UNFORSAKEN TRUTH

To all the bands that applied I thank you so much, the hardest part of Motherfudd is not to have all of the bands play. Even though some of you never made it you still have my respect. There are so many good bands but not enough slots. Love you all & sorry if you not on the bill.
Yvonne

We all know that Festivals are fun but they can be physically and mentally stressful.
Here are a few points to make it more pleasant for you.

• Get you tickets early, this will set your mind at ease that you can get in.
  
• Bring things that will make your life more comfortable:
  Example: Blowup Mattress, Pillows, Blankets, Camp Chairs, Some kind of Shading (Umbrella).
  
• Bring variety of clothing; weather could change from Hot to Cold.
  
• Bring water in a container; it helps to have water in your camp site.
  
• Bring your essentials: Sun block, Hat/Cap, Headache pills, wet wipes, Dustbin bags, Tampons, Condoms, Cigarettes for those who smoke, And once again WATER.
  
• Don’t bring expensive things which could get lost, I won’t mention stolen but you can’t be too careful.
  
• Download the band play list from the web this will help you not to miss your favorite band (or get one from the gate).
  
• Keep your eye on the motherfudd web page incase of changes and news.
  
• You are welcome to bring things to entertain you. (Ball, drinking game etc).
  
• If you are not staying for the full period of the gathering, park where you can get out.
  
• If you are incapacitated in any way or need to keep your medicines cool advised us and MotherFudd will make arrangements for you.
  
• The MotherFudd Gathering is a great place to make new friends and meet the bands. Remember the person next to you is your Brother in Steel; treat him/her with respect. Enjoy the music and the company.
  
• If you see a brother in trouble help if you can if not go to the gate and asks for help. We do have Security available.
  
• Some Brothers can be affected by booze and can get attitude, ignore them or you can try and talk calmly to them. If it is a problem then once again come to the gate, we will get Security to sort it out in a nice way.
  
• Our Security will treat people with respect and calm the situation.

We don’t normally tell people what to do BUT please do not bring the following:

Have fun enjoy the music; support the bands who are the GODS of MotherFudd.
Without them we would be sitting at The Gathering listening to a radio!!
Not a good thought!!!!!!!
Lastly the MOST IMPORTANT thing to bring is a GOOD ATTITUDE.

Thanks again to all, hope you come and rock your socks off.

MOTHERFUDD
(THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE)

People in the music industry prefer to do business with nice guys. A manager must be able to nurture and maintain numerous relationships, while at the same time standing firm, being sensible, and demonstrating a strong knowledge of the business. (It's a fine balance between ticking people off and not being a push-over.) If a manager walks into the record label and starts pounding desks, insisting that things get done his way, HE'S BOUND TO GET ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE!

So what are the most important qualities to look for in a manager? In addition to being powerful, well-connected, a good negotiator, enthusiastic, committed, and accessible, a good manager should be one who overall inspires your TRUST AND RESPECT.

Trustworthiness is an incredibly important attribute to look for in a manager. Think about it, you've worked for so many years learning how to play your instrument and write your songs, and your band has been rehearsing and promoting its shows for years;AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO TURN OVER A GREAT DEAL OF RESPONSIBILITY TO SOMEONE YOU BARELY KNOW! Sounds scary doesn't it? Trust must be earned over time, but if a manager doesn't at least show an initial caring, enthusiasm, and commitment for your dreams and passions, you may not have the right guy. So many bands are promised that there's a big tour or record contract right around the corner and that the labels are ready to ink the deal. One or two years later, the band is still playing the same dive clubs and are unsigned. A manager isn't a magician. But he also can't mislead his artists as some ploy to keep them under control, feel powerful, or to perhaps manipulate into a romantic relationship.

A manager must also be someone who you can respect. We're not just talking about the number of successful bands this individual has managed or how many gold and platinum records he has on the wall, we're talking about morality and ethics. Does he show a genuine loyalty to other business partners and associates? Does he show an interest in win-win relationships in other business ventures? Or is your manager all about making money and flash-big houses, expensive cars, and arm-piece girl friends at any expense? Surely, it's not like you're an angel looking for a saint, but overall a manager must maintain a level of authority and respect and perhaps even be somewhat of a father-figure to you. Someone who's going to take them under their wing and keep everything under control a super hero who can do no wrong, and someone who knows how to be down to earth and admit that they don't have an answer to a particular situation. Of course you may initially be impressed with someone who makes a lot of noise, blows a lot of smoke, wines and dines you, and flexes a lot of muscle but are you really going to trust your whole career to guy like this? A manager must be secure, grounded, firm, confident, educated, and well-respected far above all the bells and whistles and shallow surface stuff. Without these positive and respectful attributes, you're only building a relationship in a personal manager that is doomed to eventually fail! There are managers in this business and there are damagers. Stay away from the damagers.