| Band Description |
Joint State is a three-piece band from Cape Town, South Africa making their mark on the South African and International Rock scene- the band has a big repertoire of original songs brought to life through great live shows, with hordes of energy. The members of Joint State are Chris Munro (lead guitars & vocals), Martin Munro (drums & percussion), Stephan Lenhoff (bass guitar). The band began officially in late 1999.
The current line-up evolved from a number of other SA bands including Mills Park and Solemn, that had recorded a few demos and EP’s, but never had any real commercial success. The Munro Brothers, Chris and Martin, decided to form a new band, together with their friend and guitarist, Stephan Lenhoff.
A few local gigs followed, before the band recorded a few demos at the City Varsity campus studios in Gardens, Cape Town while Chris studied sound engineering. The band then began building a strong following locally and played many gigs around Strand, Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Cape Town.
The band decided to focus on writing new material for an album and started planning a recording.
Recording began in November 2003 at the Tin Pan Alley Recording Studios in Cape Town. The album was engineered by Richard Harriman, and produced by Richard Harriman and Chris Munro. After extensive production and mixing sessions, generously financed by Chris and Martin’s father, the 'Nothing Works like Water' album was completed by the end of 2003. The album contained twelve tracks.
The band started marketing the album by gigging extensively and sending press kits to the industry, radio stations, journalists… locally and internationally. They also started selling the album privately, at their gigs and through Sugar Music and Mabu Vinyl in Cape Town.
The band got considerable airplay from Campus radio stations, especially Matie FM, UCT Radio, and Rhodes Campus Radio. They also featured on Five FM, particularly Barney Simon’s Sunday Sessions. Overseas promotion also started happening with listing on numerous US download sites with significant interest on Download.com with mp3 downloads in excess of 1000. A local MP3 chart, SAMP3, has also seen the band’s debut single chart at No.8.
In 2006 Joint State signed a Distribution Contract with Orchard Music in America, and their music is now sold through I-Tunes, Napster, E-Music etc. internationally.
Joint State’s style of music is essentially a fusion between 70’s Classic Rock, alternative rock and the late Seattle grunge period and its predecessors, as well as many different influences spanning the ‘60’s through to the ‘90’s. The band describes their sound as: “a new sound, which is a combination of all the great bands and artists of our time, which have influenced our lives”.
The band’s large set list has grown over the years and varies depending on the type of venues they play. The band’s usual two hour set includes selections from and archive of songs written by Chris Munro since 1997, with the surprise cover here and there, depending on the audience.
Joint State took a break in 2008 but reformed in early 2009. Recording of the bands’ new album started in May 2009; it is scheduled for completion July 2009. The album is their first recording in 5 years and contains all new material and will be available independently and (hopefully) commercially. The band will do many shows coinciding with the album launch across the country and internationally.
Joint State have set themselves high goals and are making a name for themselves in South Africa, the US, Britain and eventually the world.
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| Influences |
Their influences span more than three decades. – the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Who, Cream, The Police, U2, Queen, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sublime, The Verve, Radiohead, The Manic Street Preachers have all been great influence on their lives. The greatest sounds which changed the world, and which has accompanied the times of change, comes through in Joint State’s music. |