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We had a quickie with Mark Haze and Jesse Jordan ahead of their performance this weekend


Cape Town – We recently had a quickie with SA musicians Mark Haze and Jesse Jordan ahead of their collaboration for the Cape Town Folk & Acoustic Music Festival this weekend.

Mark is no newbie on the music scene. After being the runner up on Idols season 7 in 2011, he landed a recording contract from Universal Records and his band 12th Avenue changed its name to Mark Haze.

Jesse is known for playing across South Africa with his band, The Jesse Jordan Band. The band has released four albums, of which the latest one, titled Ready For The World, was released in 2012.

We asked them a few questions ahead of their performance on Saturday at the Baxter, which by the way is completely sold out!

Channel24:
Have you played the Folk ‘n Acoustic music festival before? Are you looking forward to playing this year and why?

Mark:
This is my first appearance at the festival and I'm very honoured to be part of such an elite line-up. I'm excited to be doing my music in this style - it's a new path for me, since I'm used to the big stages and going full electric with my band.  A lot of people will get to see me do stripped down versions of my songs.

Jesse:
This this the first time I’ve been invited to play the Acoustic music festival. The reason I’m looking forward to it is because I’m part of such an amazing line-up and its truly and honour to share the stage with so many amazing musicians.

Channel24:
The theme for the Folk Fest this year is ‘Collaborations’. Tell us a bit more about your collaboration and what people can expect to hear.

Mark:
My collaboration partner during the festival is Jesse Jordan. We go way back, him and I.  We've been touring the SA scene for years and have become friends over the years. He's a great singer and performer with a great husk to his voice which compliments mine really nicely.  
Fans can expect fireworks and sincerity when we get together on the stage.  

Jesse:
I'm collaborating with the one and only Mark Haze. I’ve always wanted to sing with him because I’ve always been interested in what we would come up with. Let’s just say it’s gonna be vibey and powerful.



Channel24:
If you could collaborate with any international artist in the world, who would it be?

Mark:
Wow, there are so many that come to mind... Dave Grohl, Slash, Steven Tyler, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Brian May to name a few.  There is one particular artist that stands out, and that would be Eric Clapton - he's the reason I started playing guitar.  

Jesse:
Sting.

Channel24:
What’s the one thing no one knows about you?

Mark:
Haha! I'm not that easy. It's gonna take a good few whiskeys to get that out of me!

Jesse:
I can’t tell you because then you would know.

Channel24:


What’s next for you?

Mark:
I'm working on my new album at the moment, called Signs of Life, which is due for release in October 2014. I have 3 more tours planned for the rest of this year, namely to Joburg, Bloemfontein and up the East Coast/Garden Route. My new single Lonely is doing great things on radio, so the next few weeks will be spent running promo on that.
 
I'm really enjoying my time in studio, but I'm excited to get back on the road. For me, the performance aspect of my job has always been my favourite.  

Jesse:
I’m busy working on my solo album at the moment. I’m hoping to release it beginning of next year. It’s very different to my usual style so I'm very excited to see what the response will be.
 

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