GENRE: Afro-pop
MEMBERS: Erik Windrich (keyboards & vocals), Lucien Windrich (guitar & vocals), Wayne Harker (drums 1983), Danny DeWet (drums 1977 - 1982), Terry Andalis (bass guitar 1977 - 1982), José "Aggi" D'Aguiar (vocals 1977 - 1982) & George Voros (percussion 1977-1983).
DATES: 1977 through to 1986
DISCOGRAPHY: EVOID (debut 1983) WEA International (catalogue number WIC 8012) - re-released by Retrofresh Records on CD (catalogue number freshcd 106) - still available! HERE COMES THE ROT (1986) WEA International (catalogue number WIC 8027) - re-released by Retrofresh Records on CD (catalogue number freshcd 117) - still available! EVOID "SHOES" cassette - rare recording circa 1993.
SINGLES TO REMEMBER: Shadows, Taximan, Junk Jive, Sgnt Major & Dance The instinct.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Both Windrich brothers emigrated to the UK during the mid 80's. Erik is still involved musically - as a session musician (he plays more than 9 instruments - mostly exotic) and runs his own record lable called TANTRUM RECORDS. He has released several solo offerings which can be purchased from his website. Erik can be reached at: erik@multikultimusic.com and check out his very good website at: http://www.erikwindrich.com
Wonderbooms Danny DeWet has given a conclusive history of eVoid (including the arrest of Wayne Harker for avoiding military service in apartheids SADF) under postings. Danny also mentioned that Lucien Windrich came to SA last Sept (2006) to produce the latest Wonderboom album "City Of Gold" and played a few shows with Wonderboom. You can check out drummer George Voros website at: http://www.georgvoros.com/. He seems to be into quite a bit these days with drumming instruction and motivation speaking so check it out!
5 comments:
Which Windrich brother played with a band called Askari?
The éVoid history: Music-and-dance adventures in the land of Ethnotronics | The older of the two Windrich brothers, Lucien (born in November 1958 in the Netherlands), cut his teeth playing Jimi Hendrix-inspired material, which included a few Hendrix-like stage antics (such as playing his guitar behind his back). The Hendrix legend became a feature of the embryonic band, conceived in the mid-1970s when Lucien started playing in a Brakpan-based band, Zennith, with high-school friends in small venues. Zennith would metamorphose and become Void in 1977. For a period in this embryonic phase the band also featured on bass guitar their future record company custodian, Benjy Mudie, another native of Brakpan. Erik (born in February 1960, also in the Netherlands) matriculated in 1977 having written and performed two "rock operas" for school productions and joined the band in 1978 after a stint with his own rock band, Ardent Hayes. While at school the two brothers, along with a few musician friends, played small gigs around Springs, Boksburg, Benoni and their then hometown of Brakpan. For both brothers, rock 'n roll in its myriad of expressions was the key to opening new doors of perception and experience. It was no ordinary adolescent infatuation, but their lifeblood and destiny. In 1979, billed as Void - a name that was aptly never intended to mean anything - the two brothers performed their first professional gig in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, with three other musicians (including drummer Danny de Wet, later to play with Petit Cheval and Wonderboom and bassist Terry Andalis, later to play with BBC Paris). Ironically, Void had won the 1978 Battle of the Bands on the Witwatersrand, but could not secure a decent paying gig in South Africa. An eight-month stay in Zimbabwe followed, where they were well received by audiences starved of good live rock music - and where they recorded and released their first single (a pogo-inspired cover of The Knack's My Sharona), Erik, Lucien and their fellow band members of the day spent most of the subsequent four years on the road paying their dues and gathering a following of loyal fans in South Africa. "My only regret at the time was missing Bob Marley's concert celebrating Zimbabwe's Independence in April 1980," says Lucien........
.......After another packed stint at the Chelsea, éVoid undertook a gruelling three-week tour of South Africa, starting at Durban's University of Natal campus, moving down the coast to Cape Town and then roughly northwards to Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and culminating at the University of Pretoria's Sports Centre on March 15. By and large, the media and the fans responded warmly, even ecstatically, to the band's jiving rock sounds. The headlines of the time provide some hint: "éVoid show is compelling" (Port Elizabeth's Evening Post) and "éVoid takes EL by storm" (East London's Daily Dispatch). n Amid the mostly positive headlines and the frenzied crowd responses, a foreboding event was to upset the tour's momentum and, in time, provide much of the reason for the band's emigration. n Drummer Wayne Harker was arrested by military police shortly before the band was to start its scheduled Grahamstown performance of February 28. Harker was taken into South African Defence Force custody to appear before a court martial for being absent without leave (AWOL) from military service since December 1982 (414 days). In a deft manoeuvre, original Void drummer Danny de Wet was recruited hurriedly to replace Harker for the remainder of the tour.
IN FACT I DID THE WHOLE TOUR - WAYNE WAS HIDING FROM THE MILITARY POLICE BUT BY GRAHAMSTOWN HE THOUGHT THEY WERE OFF HIS TRAIL - HE BOOKED INTO THE HOTEL UNDER HIS OWN NAME AND WAS ARRESTED ON THE MORNING HE WAS TO PLAY HIS FIRST SHOW
TWO CBC BOKSBURG OLD BOYS REUNITE ON SONG
Wonderboom drummer Danny de Wet and Lucien Windrich, the eVoid guitarist and songwriter, both went to CBC Boksburg quite a few years ago. They formed a school band called Zenith which, through the years, developed into the mega-successful eighties trio eVoid, featuring the two school buddies along with Lucien’s brother Erik Windrich.
When Lucien and Erik emigrated to London, Danny completed his studies and qualified as an analytical chemist, went onto play for Petit Cheval, the Electric Petals and Wonderboom and eventually went into the record company side of things. He is currently the A&R/Marketing manager for Sheer Sound, having worked for David Gresham for a number of years.
Lucien based himself in London with eVoid , recording and gigging and discovered a new found passion – Astrology. He completed a degree in the UK, lectures on the subject and runs a magazine. Music became a lot more part time until Danny invited Lucien to a show in London.
Danny elaborates “Lew couldn’t make the big show at the London Astoria – the Global Battle of The Bands final…..the one where we came second in the world, but he did come to the other gig at the Half Moon in Putney. To cut a long story short, Cito (Wonderboom’s vocalist) was late and this huge crowd were waiting, so being a true friend Lucien got up on stage and helped out. He played a few songs, then called me up and we reminisced about growing up and going to school on the East Rand and South Africa in general – the crowd loved it.”
At the ‘Halfmoon – Putney’ in London on the night in question: (L to R) former Boksburg resident Gordon Cock, Danny de Wet & Lucien Windrich.
There was more to the scenario than that - Lucien hadn’t performed live in a number of years and was writing songs sporadically. Wonderboom incorporate the eVoid single “Shadows” in their live show, having recorded a version for the ‘Rewind’ album. So once Cito had arrived, the band invited Lucien to join them on stage and play ‘Shadows”. The London audience went crazy and as history was being made, the spark ignited inside Lucien once more. He wrote a song for Wonderboom describing that night and when Cito, Martin, Wade and Danny heard the song they were so blown away that, not only are they going to include the song on their new album, but they are flying him out to help with the recording production.
Wonderboom took a six month break this year while lead singer Cito starred in Pieter Torien’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”. The band are hosting a free come back concert at the K90 center in Boksburg on Saturday 2nd September 2006. Lucien arrives a few days before the show…..who knows, he just might be persuaded to join Wonderboom on stage in South Africa for the first time!
SEE THE SPECIAL PHOTO'S CHAPTER
Neither of the Windrich brothers played in Askari only Evoid drummer Wayne Harker (after he had left the band)
eVoid was a really great band.
Today Wayne Harker is living in cologne/ Germany and he is still making great music with his band seaweed.
You can check out his website at:
http://www.seaweed.de.com/
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