2006-08-04Staff Report 2 "MUSICIANS George and Gustav were weaned on the sounds of Earth Wind and Fire, The Beatles, Elvis, Sir Cliff Richards, The Temptations to name but a few. The LPs they so enjoyed belonged to their father who had been part of a band in his youth. Gustav was the first to pick up the guitar and George his younger brother soon followed suit. They soon became a hit amongst their peers, a few years later performing at talent shows alike in their school days. It is then that the brothers realised they had something good going. George: ""In 1994 we started singing seriously as part of a group called Success, under the direction of, (the 1997 Winner of NBC Music Makers Competition), the late Zane Hudson. We enjoyed a wonderful four years together before the group decided to part."" Gustav: ""I always knew I wanted to study music, but my parents were determined that I study something else, so I enrolled at the Polytechnic of Namibia and for three years I studied Human Resource Management."" George: ""I enrolled at the College of the Arts for a Media Course, and during this time we continued to make music together."" In 2001 they were runners up at the NBC Music Makers Competition, where they won prizes for Best Namibian Composition and Best Own Composition, with the songs Hope in Namibia and True Friend, respectively. The cash prize was used to cut their first demo CD with producer David Terren. Soon after a local businessman then offered to sponsor the young brothers on a trip to London to further equip them and develop their talents, after listening to their demo CD. In London they received private guitar tutoring and later were fortunate enough to enrol at a guitar institute, where they did a course to enhance their gift. While in London they tried to get as much exposure as possible, by playing at various gigs and open mix sessions. In 2004 they also staged a very successful concert in Osterly (West London). ""The London experience was absolutely brilliant, especially having to learn how to deal with different kinds of people. The challenge for us was mostly that you don't always know what people feel, as they don't really express themselves,"" says George. ""Also learning to survive on very little was an experience and our bond strengthened even more. I really learned to make the most of my experiences with others and to treat people with respect,"" he continued (Gustav nodding wholeheartedly). Gustav: ""Our perspective on things has changed drastically, especially the way we perceive success. When I left I thought success was matched with signing the ""BIG recording deal"" and making loads of money. Now I realize that success is who you become. Character to me now comes first."" The first song they ever wrote was called Never Mind Changing, a love song inspired by Billy Joel. ""Music is the thing that comes most naturally to us, we love doing it and all our songs are about various aspects of daily experiences, living and loving. Currently most of our repertoires are based on our London experiences. Our rehearsals go for at least 4-5 hours a day,"" says Gustav. They both agree that music is about expression. ""We all go through different experiences in life and we want our music to bring a message of hope and also encourage people to think about things in life that really matter,"" they said passionately. ""Being away and exposed to so many different things helped us to reach certain conclusions about life and what really is important in life!"" George stated. ""The name G3 (God, George and Gustav) was chosen because we believe GOD is life and we want to acknowledge Him as the giver of our gifts ..."" You won't meet more gentle souls, or more melodious voices on such eclectic musical compositions. These talented brothers want to be remembered as the brothers who worked well together. Since their return to Namibia, G3 have performed at various up-market and popular venues throughout the city including El Cubano and are now a regular feature on the monthly Spoken Word sessions held in the capital." 2006-08-04Staff Report 2
