Portfolio Travel Blog asked this inspirational musician and band member 10 questions and she obligingly gave us 10 interesting answers...
10 Questions for Melissa Larter
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"I really believe that we change people’s lives when we perform by giving them hope that they never had before..."
- What place (in SA) do you call home, and why?
I’m in two minds about this one, I live in Molteno in the Eastern Cape, most of my friends are there, and because it’s such a small town we are a lot like family. When The Descendants Band comes back from tour I’m always glad to come “home” to my little “dorpie” but, my real family lives in Port Elizabeth and because we are so close, when I visit them it also feels also like I’m going “home” so, that’s a tough one.
- Favourite place to have breakfast near(ish) where you live?
Well, to be honest, my favorite place to have breakfast is at one of my best friend’s house, Ingrid (also a member of The Descendants Band). Before she got married we were housemates and she used to make us the BEST breakfast just about every Saturday.
- You belong to The Descendents Band. What makes this band unique on the South African music scene?
I would say there’s a lot that makes us unique, we are a gospel band, but are mainly influenced by secular musicians like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Because there are 3 song writers in the band, our songs are quite dynamic because we are all influenced by different people, plus we all sing our own songs so you’ll never get bored of hearing only one voice.
It never has and never will be about money for us, all we want to do is bring hope to people and show them that we can have a better world. Changing people’s lives and perceptions through our music is what drives us.
Also, none of us drink, smoke, or do drugs, and unlike a lot of other Christian bands out there, we never judge those who do, which I reckon is pretty unique.
Ultimately our goal is to start a revolution of unreligious people who take God as His word when He said He’d take away our pain and give us a better world on earth – no strings attached!
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- What kind of music do you create and perform? What specific instrument/s do you play in the band?
We are a gospel band, but more of the Bluesy/rock/Southern Gospel type than the “Christian band type.” Like I said, we’re very influenced by people like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and bands like Kings of Leon and The Black Crows, even AC/DC. But our sound varies a lot; we now have songs that vary from African to pop, so I can’t really narrow it down to one kind, but I think you get the picture.
I play guitar and sing in the band.
- How can music change lives? Please give some specific examples J
Music can have a huge impact, think of Woodstock ’69! 500 000 kids brought together with a common cause, all of which was celebrated with music. Not one single fight broke out! The music had a message, the people listened, they were affected and the world would never be the same from that day. They made the world see that peace was possible.
Men like Bob Dylan had a message and were often criticized for it, but they never backed down and changed the face of music forever, forcing people to stop and consider what they were saying.
There is a lot of wisdom found in Song-writers and Poets, if people would just stop and listen, it could seriously change the way they see the world. Especially songs that are directed to the human condition, some people are so ignorant and so involved in their own lives that they are blind to the suffering in the world, and these songs can really open a person’s eyes to this pain.
I really believe that we change people’s lives when we perform by giving them hope that they never had before.
- What inspires you (in your music, every day, in life)?
Humanity inspires me, God inspires me. Being a part of The Better World Foundation inspires me.
I’m very inspired by people who are passionate about what they do, whether it be playing music, or gardening – if someone has a love for what they do, it makes me want to be better at what I do.
- When you’re away from SA what do you miss?
Well, I’ve only really been to Zambia, but if I were to go overseas, I would definitely miss braai’s, Barry Hilton, Bovril on toast, biltong, and the word “bru”. Mostly I’d miss my friends and family.
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- Name your favourite places in SA that you’ve visited (on tour with the band or on your own)
When I was younger I went with my family to the little town of Rhodes – definitely one of the cutest towns I’ve ever seen. I love small towns, I suppose because I come from one, like Clarens - Beautiful!
The Splashy Fen music festival in Kwazulu Natal is on a stunning farm. I also love traveling through all the coastal towns on the garden route - when they haven’t had a drought anyway.
- Who is your South African hero, and why?
Definitely my pastor Allen Wilson, because he has changed me and my family’s lives so much, as well many lives around South Africa.
If he’s not famous enough to count then I would have to say Nelson Mandela for putting an end to one of the worst crimes against humanity this world has ever seen.
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- Tell us about your latest album and where we can hear (and buy) The Descendents online
Our latest Album is called “it is rising” but we will be recording a new one in the next month called “Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.” – “you can hear a couple of our songs on our Myspace page.
And you can place orders for the cd’s at www.allenwilson.co.za. They are also available at all our live shows.
We also have a music video on Youtube called “Your love is…”
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Melissa''s Bio
Melissa Anne Larter (known by most as “Meesh”) was born in 1984 in Molteno, South Africa – a small town in the Eastern Cape. In 2003 Larter attended The Better World Foundation’s Ministerial Training College in Molteno where she became very involved in the local church band. By 2005 she completed the training course and was then ordained as a minister in 2006.
The church band became known as The Descendants Band in 2004 and went full-time with Melissa on guitar, Ingrid Oeschger on piano, Terrance Murphy on bass, and Gareth Bunge on drums.
Though Melissa’s primary job is singing and playing guitar for The Descendants Band, she is also involved in the media and design for the band such as album cover designs, for which she studied a graphic design course through Intec College as well as a Photoshop CS4 course. She is also involved in some pastoral duties at her church, Churchnet (a network of churches around South Africa.) both Churchnet and The Descendants Band are covered by The better World Foundation.