Deepsix is a rock band from Goodlands, Mauritius formed in 1997.

Overview

Deepsix is a rock band based in Mauritius, having previously been based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

History

In 1997, Steven Pitcher answered an ad by Johan Thom for a singer to work with a songwriter in Pretoria. Johan Thom, then an art student, collaborated with Pitcher and created a 3 track demo CD recorded digitally using Voyetra's Digital Orchestrator Pro.

On the basis of these three tracks, Pitcher and Thom were invited to perform at a rock festival in Johannesburg. Without a band, they then recruited the rhythm section - on a temporary basis - of Aldridge, Smith and Barenbrug from another band in the area called Strange Vanadium. After a two week rehearsal, the band, under the name of "Blackberry" played an 8 song set with an enthusiastic response from the audience present.

Rob, Ryan and Cameron decided to stay with the band, and the name was changed to Deepsix, at Smith's suggestion, in 1997. Deepsix with this lineup enjoyed moderate success, and recorded a single in 1998 containing the songs 'Velvet' and 'Clouds On My Mind'. Velvet received extensive airplay and the band became known as a result of this song.

In 1999, Barenbrug left Deepsix, and was replaced, temporarily by Brian Fraser, a military drummer in the South African Air Force. In late 1999, Deepsix stopped performing due to external commitments and poor management.

Reformation

In 2006, Pitcher returned to Mauritius, where he had spent time as a teen, and started performing again, joining the Mauritian Progressive Rock band, Feedback. In December 2007, Pitcher and Aldridge got together in Mauritius while Ryan was visiting on holiday, and after a 3 day rehearsal with Greg Mitchell on Drums, played a less-than-spectacular show in Grand Baie on 01 December 2007, playing some Deepsix songs as well as newer material. Response from local audiences was, however, good and so Ryan, Steven and Greg decided to play again in April 2007.

With a little more preparation, but no venue, it was decided to perform for invited guests only at Pitcher's house in Goodlands, an event that became known as "Live On The Porch" which was recorded and distributed on CD free of charge. The response to "Live On The Porch" was immensely positive, and on suggestion from Mitchell, a bigger event was planned for 31 May 2008. The event was also to be held at Pitcher's home, but would include a larger stage, lighting and sound rig.

At this point, Cameron Smith was contacted and asked to play, and the name Deepsix was used to promote the band. After mentioning the show to Feedback, word spread throughout Mauritius, and the event became known as 'Backyard Festival'.

Backyard Festival saw an incredible response to Deepsix, and the band immediately began recording new material. Most noticably, the old Deepsix classic, "Velvet" was rewritten to modernise the sound. A second Deepsix classic, "Falling" was re-recorded and as of July 2008, another single, "Hard Times" has also been released. Aldridge and Smith agreed to move from South Africa to Mauritius in order to promote Deepsix fully.

Thibault De Robillard, one of Mauritius' most well-known and accomplished guitarists, was invited to join Deepsix in June 2008, and the new lineup was made official on 30 June 2008.

Episode II

On June 03, 2008, Deepsix announced the simultaneous release of 2 full-length albums and a live DVD from Backyard Festival. The full length albums are "Tales From A Red Bag - a tribute to influence", a collection of 'remakes' of the songs the band consider their main influences, and "Episode II" - a full-length collection of 15 new original songs. The release is set for October 2008, to co-incide with Backyard Festival 3 on 04 October 2008.

Members

Steven Pitcher: Vocals
Cameron Smith: Guitar
Thibault De Robillard: Guitar
Ryan Aldridge: Bass
Greg Mitchell: Drums

Former Members

Johan Thom: Guitar

Rob Barenbrug: Drums

Brian Fraser: Drums

Discography

Twist (EP) : 1997

Velvet" (Single) : 1998

"Live On The Porch" : 2008

Velvet 08 : 2008

Tales From A Red Bag : 2008

"Episode II" : 2008

External links

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deepsix/28873457448?ref=nf