Margaret's Daughter
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | SELF
Music
Press
An acoustic guitar set needs an experimental approach to make it interesting or good songwriting skills to make it engaging.
With Margaret's Daughter it's the latter, and their immaculate timing. It was amazing to watch the band play their strings at extremely speedy paces and finish off the last note at exactly the same time. Musically, they followed each other beautifully. - Tonight.co.za
An acoustic guitar set needs an experimental approach to make it interesting or good songwriting skills to make it engaging.
With Margaret's Daughter it's the latter, and their immaculate timing. It was amazing to watch the band play their strings at extremely speedy paces and finish off the last note at exactly the same time. Musically, they followed each other beautifully. - Tonight.co.za
Summary: If you like early Sarah McLauchlan, any Dar Williams or perhaps the Indigo Girls, you’ll like this release. I’m looking forward to the next CD.
According to the cryptic website material, Margaret’s Daughter is a real person called Adri-Mari (no last name), Ami for short, and her sometime collaborator Etienne Gyoot. This is MD’s second release, recorded and produced by Gyoot in his home studio (amazing how you can produce really good music without resorting to a million dollar studio, no?). There is a full bore “real” CD in the works and expected any time soon…as far as I’m concerned, this release is the real thing.
A big (pleasant) surprise is that MD hails from South Africa. You won’t hear any overt African influences on this CD, though. This is pure pop, such as you’d find in any European or North American record store.
So why pick up this CD as opposed to another one? To start with, there are the lyrics and melodies. I feel a certain maturity in how the songs are constructed. With the North American penchant for confession, we are often assaulted with songs that act more as news bulletins about the state of mind of the singer. From MD, we get words that evoke feelings and thoughts.
The overall aesthetic of the CD is more ruminative and perhaps a little melancholy, like someone witnessing the crumbling of a few cherished ideals…nothing life-threatening, just kind of a downer. I would have liked to get my hands on a lyric sheet in order to swim around in the words for a while.
Another good reason for grabbing this release is the production. The aesthetic is greatly reinforced by the production values. This release has a very sparse sound. Most of the accompaniment is multi-tracked guitar strumming and flat-picking; you’ll hear a violin being played here and there along with some percussion. There are no synthetic harmonies or software instruments being applied…listen for some gentle male and female harmonies but nothing really obtrusive. In keeping with the low key production approach, none of the songs really rocks in a big way (except for “Crazy” where the tempo steps up a little).
Ami’s singing is competent and fits her music really well. I know I’m quibbling, but it would have been nice to hear a bit more obvious passion in her voice. But this doesn’t detract from the recording at all. I think she’ll only get better as time goes on.
- BullFrog music reviews
Summary: If you like early Sarah McLauchlan, any Dar Williams or perhaps the Indigo Girls, you’ll like this release. I’m looking forward to the next CD.
According to the cryptic website material, Margaret’s Daughter is a real person called Adri-Mari (no last name), Ami for short, and her sometime collaborator Etienne Gyoot. This is MD’s second release, recorded and produced by Gyoot in his home studio (amazing how you can produce really good music without resorting to a million dollar studio, no?). There is a full bore “real” CD in the works and expected any time soon…as far as I’m concerned, this release is the real thing.
A big (pleasant) surprise is that MD hails from South Africa. You won’t hear any overt African influences on this CD, though. This is pure pop, such as you’d find in any European or North American record store.
So why pick up this CD as opposed to another one? To start with, there are the lyrics and melodies. I feel a certain maturity in how the songs are constructed. With the North American penchant for confession, we are often assaulted with songs that act more as news bulletins about the state of mind of the singer. From MD, we get words that evoke feelings and thoughts.
The overall aesthetic of the CD is more ruminative and perhaps a little melancholy, like someone witnessing the crumbling of a few cherished ideals…nothing life-threatening, just kind of a downer. I would have liked to get my hands on a lyric sheet in order to swim around in the words for a while.
Another good reason for grabbing this release is the production. The aesthetic is greatly reinforced by the production values. This release has a very sparse sound. Most of the accompaniment is multi-tracked guitar strumming and flat-picking; you’ll hear a violin being played here and there along with some percussion. There are no synthetic harmonies or software instruments being applied…listen for some gentle male and female harmonies but nothing really obtrusive. In keeping with the low key production approach, none of the songs really rocks in a big way (except for “Crazy” where the tempo steps up a little).
Ami’s singing is competent and fits her music really well. I know I’m quibbling, but it would have been nice to hear a bit more obvious passion in her voice. But this doesn’t detract from the recording at all. I think she’ll only get better as time goes on.
- BullFrog music reviews
Discography
Black Hole Express (2009)
Margaret’s Daughter invites you to join them on their journey through the passion, heartache and joy of being alive. You will be accompanied on this train ride by a collection of music ranging from delicate acoustic songs, through tear-jerker ballads
to energetic pop-rock anthems. In addition to the music, renowned Cape Town-based French artist, Brice Reignier, has prepared a booklet with full-colour illustrations to complement your experience. Every passenger will receive a complimentary copy. So, get your tickets for the Black Hole Express and prepare yourself to relax, dance, cry and maybe even go crazy!
This album features a host of new songs, as well as brand new versions of some Margaret’s Daughter classics. The duo took the opportunity to re-record some of their most popular material, since this is the first album to feature all live instrumentation and with an outside co-producer on board, Matthew Fink. Matthew has made a name for himself working with artists as diverse as The Black Hotels, One Sock Thief, The Sick Leaves, One Night Stands, Laurie Levine and Jim Neversink, to name a few.
Without any marketing budget or record label backing, many songs have been play-listed on radio stations countrywide.
Ami - In ‘n oogwink (2011)
In keeping with South Africa's multi-faceted culture and diverse languages, Margaret’s Daughter doesn’t set boundaries on their musical style. Until very recently, they were known only as an English pop-rock band, but they will be releasing an adult contemporary album in Afrikaans in June 2011, under the name of ‘Ami’.
The album still stays true to the original Margaret’s Daughter sound. In fact, imagine everything you love about Margaret’s Daughter: meaningful lyrics, tight rhythms, beautiful harmonies and catchy melodies, just in Afrikaans.
This album is again self-produced, but the extra experience that they gained since their first self-produced album, ensures a more mature and commercial sound than their previous offerings. They are convinced that this is their best work to date. Apart from the drums (where long-time collaborator Andy Maritz makes his appearance again), all the instruments were played by Ami & Etienne.
This side project was originally intended to only be an EP, but due to the great response from radio and fans alike, it turned into a full blown 11 track album. The album has been licensed by Kanada Records and will be distrbuted by Select Music Distribution.
Simplicity... (2007)
Margaret’s Daughter often performs as a duo, focusing on the interaction between their two guitars and vocal harmonies. Fans saw them playing these stripped-down versions of their songs, and wanted to take some of this home with them. Margaret’s Daughter delivered with Simplicity... As the title suggests, it is a simple, acoustic album, with some percussion and violin added here and there to spice things up. Several tracks streaming on internet radio stations and terrestrial radio stations as widespread as Australia and Scotland.
Margaret's Daughter (2006)
With a little bit of knowledge and a lot of passion this album was recorded in drips and drabs over a period of two years in Etienne’s home studio. This album contained various styles and vibes, as the two were still trying to figure out exactly what the Margaret’s Daughter sound was all about. Nevertheless, the album was well received by critics and fans.
Several tracks were playlisted on South African national and college radio stations and are also streaming on internet radio stations. These original recordings are still available as digital downloads.
Photos
Bio
Once upon a time, not so long ago, Margaret had a daughter. She called her Adri-Mari, or Ami for short. Fast forward a couple of years and Ami has established herself as one of South Africas top singer-songwriters. Together with multi-instrumentalist and indie producer, Etienne Ghyoot,
they are the Margarets Daughter duo that fans have come to know and love.
Margarets Daughter has released three albums independently and their fourth, which is entirely in Afrikaans, will be released in June 2011. This album is marketed by Kanada Records and distributed by Select Music Distribution.
Over the years, Ami and Etienne have paid their dues by performing literally hundreds of shows. Theyve shared the stage with most of South Africas top artists, played many major festivals and have even performed internationally (Mexico, England, Spain, Mozambique). Several of their songs have been play-listed on commercial and community stations countrywide.
Margarets Daughter can adapt their stage act to suit the venue and mood required. They perform either as an acoustic duo or as a full rock band, incorporating different musicians as the need arises. Whichever
way they perform, one thing remains constant: Amis timeless songs and unique voice, accompanied by her rhythmic acoustic guitar playing.
Recent successes include:
* Performing in Mexico at the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival 2011.
* A number one hit on East Rand Stereo.
* Several songs play-listed on commercial radio stations countrywide.
* Main stage at several festivals, including Splashy Fen, White Mountain, FORR.
Please view our printable EPK (with more detail) here: http://www.margaretsdaughter.com/MD-EPK.pdf
Band Members
Links
