The Band
Gravel Road is an acoustic band from Cape Town — musical friends who play because they love music, love each other's company, and love the warmth of a crowd that feels the same way. The line-up spans guitars, upright bass, mandolins, banjo, ukelele, whistles and other wind instruments, with strong lead and harmony vocals from everyone in the band.
No amplification. No pretense. We play what we love — folk, country, bluegrass, traditional sea shanties, and the occasional Rolling Stones number re-imagined in our own acoustic style.
We have held a regular weekly slot at the Aegir Brewery in Noordhoek, Cape Town for over seven years. We occupy the front porch, playing to a regular crowd of friends, their dogs, and their children — open-air, under the impressive milkwood trees. We're deeply grateful to Rory and Carey Lancellas for providing such a wonderful venue, and to the Aegir staff who keep us well supplied with beer and food.
The band is joined from time to time by musical friends and guests — always welcome on the porch. Special thanks also to Carl of Sound and Motion for adding brush snare to one of the tracks, and to James Harvey for wonderful French accordion and pedal organ on two tracks.
In August 2021, the original four members — Nielen Prinsloo, Emma Rycroft, Rob Anderson, and Ben Hetherington — plus Neil Harvey, went into Sound & Motion Studios in Cape Town to capture 25 songs that represented the band's regular live set. The sessions were produced by Simon Ratcliffe, whose ear for the live acoustic sound proved exactly what was needed.
The approach was simple and honest: the band sat in a circle and played live, with Simon taking two or three takes of each song before choosing the best. Overdubs were kept to a minimum. There are small imperfections in some performances — but as the team behind the Woodstock albums famously said, consider those the scars in fine leather: proof of authenticity.
The first album was released on a limited edition of USB Flash Drives, with photos and videos included alongside the audio. A second session followed in November 2023, recording 10 additional tracks with an expanded band that included Maddy Gin and John Bolton.
The formal track videos from the 2021 sessions were filmed and produced by Jolene Cartmill at various locations at Veld and Sea on the Cape Peninsula. The Glasshouse live session videos were filmed by Justin Phillips, who also provided the band photographs — one of which is silkscreened onto the USB drives.
It's a privilege to perform together and to receive such support from our families and friends. We do not take any of it for granted — it's too precious, especially in these times. There are far too many people to mention individually, but know that we love you all and appreciate every word of encouragement over the years. We couldn't have done it without you.
Special thanks also to Jens and Helen, who sorted out technical issues with the website over the years.