Justin “Jay Smash” Shaw, the lead singer and funny man for 10 Points for the Dismount, talks about the
their future prospects over chocolate cake and chicken mayo sandwiches.
Justin “Jay Smash” Shaw, the lead singer and funny man for 10 Points for the Dismount, talks about the
their future prospects over chocolate cake and chicken mayo sandwiches.
The band started off as a group of friends who enjoyed “jamming together”, and grew from there, after stealing the crowd one fateful night at a Grahamstown Battle of the Bands in 2007.
Mostly local boys, they describe themselves as “afro-reggae-punk-rock-jazz” and claim that their music, with all of its infusions and influences, helps to attract a larger crowd from all walks of life.
“My gran even came to one of shows! “She’s tiny and just kept on pushing to the front of the crowd saying: “That’s my grandson on stage, please move!’” laughs Shaw.
When asked about the origins of the band’s almost gymnastic sounding name, his answer involved the Old Gaol, a flight of stairs and minimal spillage of beer that was followed by a chorus of “10 points for the dismount!” Then and there the name for the band was decided upon. “It’s a sarcasm thing,” says Shaw with a sentimental smile.
Justin Shaw, Luke Clayton, Paul Voigt, Grant Mears and Fred Every started off with what is classified as a black ska band in 2007 due to their prominent horn section, but have since been remoulded into a mash up of
many genres.
“It’s honestly the only way we can describe our sound,” says Shaw. With a planned show at the National Arts Festival and a brand new, yet-to-benamed, full-length album due on 15 June, 10 Points for the Dismount are sure to draw in new crowds and keep the old ones coming back for more.
Although the guys plan on disbanding after the Festival, they look forward to “going out on high note”. They maintain that they will always have the music in them and have no clue what the future will bring.
“It’s for our guitarist, Paul really, who’s leaving to Australia. We’re going to be playing all our old songs, as well as tracks from the new album,” says Shaw.
Some old favourites of the band’s discography include Here We Go Again, 61 Hill Street and A Rasta Only Dies By Accident.
10 Points for the Dismount will be playing at the Grahamstown Arts Festival at the Sound Kiln on Thursday 24 June and can be contacted via their Facebook fanpage or their website (which is in the process of being updated) – www.10points.co.za.
