The passing of Piet Botha in June this year was a bitter pill to swallow for SA’s greater rock community.
Today would have been the musician’s 64th birthday and in celebration of his life and legacy, some of his closest comrades got together to record and perform “Borrowed Time” in light of Botha’s passing.
Composed and arranged by Andre Kriel the track features the Jack Hammer band Johno, Tertius and Paul, together with Andre and Kobus from The Black Cat Bones, Arthur and Rudolph Dennis, Gareth Wilson and finally the Van Der Walt Brothers Lanie, Chris and Heine.
“Piet’s songs are the foundations and the cornerstones on which a lot of South African rock and rollers including The Black Cat Bones are built on. Brutally honest and direct but also sympathetic and sincere,” guitarist Andre Kriel explained to me, when I asked him what Botha’s music meant to him specifically.
“I can’t assume to [take] charge of someone else’s feelings but I do wish for the song to make people remember and take time to reflect on your experiences with friends and loves ones,” Andre confesses.
With the entire process documented and edited into a live studio music video by our homie Fred van Leeuwen (The Image Engineer) allow this video to be the cathartic musical breath you take after this very long week.
