Manny Walters blew many minds at Oppikoppi 2015 when he took to the stage. He answers some questions about songwriting, music as a career and life in general.
Good day, Manny. How are things?
All is good on my side, brother, thanks. How are you?
Photo by Henry Engelbrecht
All good as well, thanks. Congrats on the wonderful gig you did at Oppikoppi this year. I must say, the description of your show in the programme that spoke of similarities with Tom Waits and Joe Cocker was quite the pedestal setup, but the show exceeded all expectations on this side (as someone who hadn't heard you play before). How did you enjoy the 'Koppi show? How do you view the value of such festivals for emerging artists such as yourself? What do you personally enjoy more – the festival vibe or more intimate venues? Where do you think your music is most highly appreciated?
I appreciate that very much, thank you. It was my very first Oppikoppi, so I was pretty excited to head down there with my brand of music. I enjoyed the show very much, I don’t get to play up north all too often, but usually enjoy it whenever I do. It was awesome being part of a great production and being showcased amongst a variety of local and international artists. The festival scene is a great space to share music – there is something about music and open air for sure. That being said, I do enjoy the more intimate club gigs very much. It’s great to play to a small concentrated bunch of people who can intimately engage with the sound. I’m not too sure quite yet where my music might be more appreciated. While the more intimate shows do feel like home, I do think that the bigger stage and sound rigs do showcase my voice and band well.
Listening to the tracks you have available online, it's quite obvious that you've nurtured an exceptional musical talent. How did this all come about for you? How, in particular, did you get into the electric rhythm and blues / garage soul (as you call it on your Facebook bio) vibe? What made you decide to pursue it and how have you purposefully developed your vocal and guitar skills in this regard?
I guess it’s been part of long journey of finding myself and finding a channel for my creative and emotive expression. I was raised in family and culture which appreciated music very much, in many different aspects. Rhythm and blues and soul have always nostalgically resonated with me from a really young age, and after years of being exposed to other genres that spoke to me as well, I slowly started to piece together my own direction. I have no formal training background, so have slowly ground and developed my guitar-playing and songwriting in the pursuit of creating my own noise. I’m still grinding. The vocal development was a bit more natural and I’ve been at that for quite a bit longer. When my voice broke at primary school I had worked out that I liked listening to and emulating vocalists like Marvin Gaye and The Stylistics (in my room), which set up a lot of the initial interest with music and what I had access to at home. By the time I had checked out other genres outside of what was available at home, I started to work out what I could do with my voice. I spent some time playing in cover bands after school, which helped me engage a lot more with live music and learn to play guitar. Shortly thereafter I started writing songs of my own.
It seems that you also place a high value on the quality of lyrics ("socially conscious", your lyrics are described as on your Facebook bio). Do you think artists in general, especially in a place as bustling and filled with challenges on all levels as South Africa, tend to disregard the impact that lyrics can make, or ignore the qualities that lyrics should have? Do you hope to achieve anything specific with a good piece of lyric writing, or is that up to the listener? What should lyrics be?
It is difficult to comment on artists in general. So many different approaches, so many different aesthetics. I think lyrics are important – they’ve always been part of the depth in music that has spoken to me. I also think being able to draw from personal thoughts, ideas and experiences and translating that into more universal and relatable lyric themes is a skills set on its own. Songwriting has always been a huge channel for this. Conveying an experience, story and/or message in the hope that it resonates with someone is all I would want to achieve, so in that way it is very dependent on the listener. The specific bio you refer to was an extract from a review, and what the writer took from listening to some of my music.
Songwriting is a much harder art to master than many imagine ... How does your personal songwriting process work, from when the first lyrics or chords are written down until it's recorded or performed? Do you purposefully try to create differentiation or diverse elements for different songs, or do you just let an idea take its course? When are you happy with a song, or know and feel that a song is good?
Generally, I would first try to find a chord progression I like. Once I have that recorded, I would spend time working on a melody. I would slowly work that melody into lyrics, until I’ve found something that feels right. Once I’ve roughly arranged the song, I would take that to rehearsal and run it with my band. Once we had a steady idea of the song down, it would be added to the set. From there it will be ironed out from playing live until I’m happy to record it. I do try to differentiate and draw different influences into different songs. Some progressions/riffs lend themselves more directly to certain influences, so I try to keep this in mind when writing, and putting sets together.
Photo by Artank Creative
You've recently released your debut EP. A lot of emerging artists find the South African scene, especially in the less mainstream genres like soul and blues, a really tough nut to crack in terms of building a strong following and making a living through music. What has your experience of this been like? What works well about the South African music scene and industry, and what sucks about it? How would you like to see it change and evolve over the next few years?
I have learnt and understood that monetising any art form comes with a lot of challenges – this is certainly nothing new for those in the pursuit of making a living from music. My experience has been that no one is entitled to a career in music, especially in the young and developing industry we find ourselves in. I've explored many avenues to try to make things work, from playing corporate shows for petrol and rent money, to having day jobs to facilitate music projects like recording. I think what’s important is maintaining artistic integrity with the material you produce – by that I mean making sure you're making material you want to make, whatever that is. I feel like longevity is more likely this way. While there might not be a big existing live scene specifically for the music I make, I do appreciate being able to offer my particular sound to the live scene as something different/unique – which I think would not be as easy in older/more developed scenes. I think the local scene has made significant strides in recent years and it would be great to see more widespread showcases of different genres, commentaries and styles in the live scene.
The EP is available on iTunes, and you've made one track ("Parables") available on Soundcloud. Many musicians – especially emerging acts – seem to battle to find a "perfect" approach with regard to releasing music in the digital age. Some just put everything online, others hold back as much as possible. What guided your decision-making in this regard? How do you think young bands or acts should go about this, especially in an unpredictable scene like the one in South Africa? Do you think you'll explore a different approach in the future, or do you think there's still a solid future in selling albums or singles without the free avenues?
I'm not sure there is any "perfect" approach. The digital age has seemed to influence the way a lot of people consume music. That aligned with the costs involved in producing, printing and distributing music leaves me scratching my head about what exactly the right approach may be, so I don't think there is a prescription that works for everyone. What guided my decision significantly was getting a publisher, which assisted with distribution and getting the music available on most platforms where music can be streamed and/or purchased. I think it is also important to start monetising art that I've invested in. I’ll explore different approaches in the future for sure.
Manny Walters might be fresh-ish on the scene, but you've got loads of gigs and performances behind you already. What stands out for you, looking back, as highlights? Any odd happenings that you won't easily forget? Any places or venues you're itching to get back to, or would rather avoid?
My journey so far has been filled with some good times. The last year specifically has marked some of my favourite shows and time spent on the road. I would like to play more shows up north towards the end of the year / early next year. I’d also love to be showcased at festivals like Bushfire and Cape Town Nu World Festival in the coming year.
What does the near and far future hold for Manny Walters, as far as you can control it?
I’m currently in process of conceptualising a full-length album and working on material to take my live set to the next level. Once I have this recorded, the plan is to fine-tune the live set and venture outside of South Africa with the project, something I have wanted to do for some time.
What is the meaning of life?
I guess trying to find your own truth. 
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