Words by Rock ‘n Roller
“I don’t want to waste the precious moments I have, and I’ve felt that way since I was 17. I have to take risks because why else would you be alive? Put your pirate patch on and go on an adventure because you only have one life to live”.-Kathleen Hannah (Bikini Kill)
I’m still perplexed that with the rise of equality in numerous facets of society, I still live in a town with a fiercely male dominated underground music scene. There are exceptions to the rule, and it would seem that the hip hop and neo-soul music genres have embraced a more gender inclusive and diverse array of performers. Yet it’s sad to note that rock ‘n roll in my harbour hometown of Durban is still very much dominated by men. The salt air and suffocating humid weather keeps everyone subdued, hence people in Durban generally live in the past.
That’s why I feel individuals like Cara Munroe are important for the “scene” because people like Cara do what they do, purely because they love what they do and are dedicated to being up on stage, even if they have to fight for their place among a sea of sweaty men. I can’t really remember the first time I met this wonderfully bubbly and genuine human. It must have been many years ago now. However, I also remember from my initial interaction, that we became friends fairly quickly.
Watching her growth as a performer has been quite something, and the fact that she has a background in performance and drama, sees her bring a somewhat theatrical element to her live performance. Which is also an element that is missing in the current, Durban, punk/metal and hard-core wasteland.
It’s a random Monday night, winter is starting to rear its miserable head, and I’m not really feeling up for the interview. I’m run down and burnt out, however Cara lightens the mood and I instantly feel more comfortable in her presence. She orders a gin and tonic, I order a rooibos tea and lemon and the conversation starts to flow. Cara is keen to impart the story of how she got into music.
“I started by playing in a drum marching band when I was in grade 9, then I decided I wanted to play a full drum kit so I went for lessons at “Ronnie’s Allbang & Strumit” which is an awesome music shop in Johannesburg. Neil and Ronney, two Scotsman who run the shop were both a huge influence, in my life. I went to lessons there for a few years. After that I always wanted to be a drummer, and singing and screaming actually came much later. I started drumming in a boy band called Penny Lane, and then an all-girl band called Calamity Jane. I’d also write lyrics and sing occasionally, and then everyone in the band suggested I start singing. I started performing vocals on a few songs, yet I wasn’t that comfortable with it as yet, until I started studying music at AFDA which led me to sing in front of people for the first time – I still felt extremely shy. I read about Jim Morrison and The Doors and I adopted that style of turning your back to the audience, largely due to my lack of confidence” –recalls Cara.
Pietermaritzburg born Cara then decided to move back to KwaZulu-Natal. She relocated to Durban, where she formed a band. This time as one of the main singers, opting to play a ukulele instead of a drum kit. The band was called The Volsunga Saga and this is where she found her voice and confidence as a front person. The Volsunga Saga was short lived due to one of the members falling pregnant and another relocating overseas. This gave Cara an opportunity to get her first taste of what being a rock vocalist, was all about – when she was recruited to join the grunge act-Deadpandoll. Again this band didn’t last long due to various circumstantial occurrences out of her control. Yet Cara had now built up her chops as a vocalist, which enabled her to join Write Off, a hard-core/punk band which can be found performing at many of the alternative shows around the city. Cara laments about the struggle of being in a place with little to no support for alternative music, yet she still loves Durban for the fact that it’s a suitable destination in which to hone ones’ skills and craft.
“I love Durban because it’s a blank canvas and it’s been really good in building my confidence. I’m not nervous any more, I can get up there and belt it out. Playing here has been a great foundation, because it’s given me the space, it’s helped me to take those baby steps to getting on stage and now that I’m up there, it’s a lot easier to perform. It’s also shit because there is pretty much only one dedicated music venue for the genre of music we play – The Winston Pub. Its shit because there isn’t that much support for the type of music we play, there is only a certain amount of times that an audience can watch you play before they are over it. To play to the same crowd constantly and expect a different reaction each time is asking far too much from them. It’s also soul destroying for the performer, who gives it their all only to discover that people are either so drunk they don’t give a shit, or they are quite bored because they have seen the band before, and I can’t blame them actually. That’s why it’s really nice to tour, I’ve found we have had our best shows in Johannesburg and Pretoria and we are also performing soon with one of my favourite bands The Slashdogs” – states Cara excitedly.
The reality of being a creative in South Africa and especially Durban is the duality that artists have to adopt in order to make ends meet. During the day Cara is a drama teacher, and she talks of having to play certain roles to keep aspects of her life private.
“I’m quite reserved about the fact that I play in a punk band because people’s opinion on rock ‘n roll aren’t always positive, I think if my students see me, they might be quite frightened by what I look like or how I sing, they don’t really expect it, because they are two very separate things, some of my students have found what I do online and are quite shocked as they remark how “sweet I am” as opposed to the aggressive music I make, even though some of the kids have seen what I do from the internet, I try keep them as two different things, this does create a situation, where it feels as if I am living two lives, however people can be quite judgmental and apprehensive, so I have to take this into account largely for the sake of my teaching career” – states Cara.
Taking risks and feeling alive is very much a part of the ethos of the punk subculture. Yet Cara embodies the idea that everyone is on their own personal journey of self-discovery. Reckless exploration and abandonment can be coupled with a healthy dose of normality and routine. You can be a hardcore singer and a school teacher at the same time, and in 2019 it’s perfectly acceptable to explore the dichotomy of this strange paradigm called post-modernity. Even though society does pose its judgmental glare, people such as Cara are living proof that if our intention is to face every waking moment with bravery and honesty, we can be our own heroes in a world that teaches us to cower, instead of rise up and scream.
Aweh Online 