Album Notes

Some years ago Marius Nel (a Pretoria based guitarist) got together with Alexis Retief (a well-known Afrikaans poet and author) and started writing songs. Three of these collaborations; Stasie , Is daar 'n Plek and Iets Wat Pla, appear on this album. "Stasie" (Station) is about the fear of the unknown which keeps us waiting for opportunities (trains) that may never come. "Is daar 'n Plek" (Is there a place) is a song about homelessness and alienation, trying to find one's place in life. "Iets wat Pla" (Something worrying) is about hankering after a goal which cannot be reached because of unresolved issues in life. Alexis' solo composition "Wit en Blou" (White and blue) also appears on this album, performed by Marius.

Marius then moved to his old home town of Pietermaritzburg, where he got involved with the folk scene and met Mairi-Anne, another guitarist and songwriter. Together they were known as "The Racketeers", teaming up with various local musicians, writing and playing their own English music with a Celtic influence. Marius, meanwhile, wrote more Afrikaans songs, which form the bulk of this album. These songs were then recorded as "Die Bywoners" with the outstanding help of Mark Houston on drums (notably on "Avontuur" or "adventure" - a song about exploring further than our physical horizons) and Chris Jensen on saxophone (on "Fietsry" - a song about cycling - and "Madala" or "old man" in Zulu). "Die Bywoners" ("The Attenders") is an ambiguous word that can also mean someone who is living on rented space, as we all are.