Description: Anton Calitz first started playing in 1989 performing the late Saturday night/ early Sunday morning slot at the iconic Its Country in Evatt street.
Performing on vocals, guitar, harmonica and occasionally pan flutes, as well as being a “one man band” Anton has been performing his own music at folk music clubs and arts festivals in South Africa for almost 30 years.
Anton writes and records songs around romantic themes, comedy themes, socio political themes, to fit primarily into a live, one man music cabaret show package as well as the folk or rock type album. Anton’s song “A Summertime Stillife in Spring” which relates in lyrical form the story 1980’s South African human rights activist Molly Blackburn, is a powerful expression of Anton’s appreciation for outsiders and people who try to use their privilege to help others, often at a tragic cost to themselves.
In the 20 year period in between 1990 and 2010 Anton staged 9 original music shows on the National Arts Festival. His debut show “Dead Slugs and Strawberries” he travelled and staged in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Windhoek and the Edinburgh Festival fringe 1991-1995
Most recently Anton’s activities as a s singer songwriter include being a one man acoustic “live background” musician, playing cover gigs around Port Elizabeth at venues such as Charlies in Summerstrand.
Shows staged on National Arts Festival Show (Title and year)
- Dead Slugs and Strawberries 1991, 1992
- Live Jived and Jumping 1993
- Unplucked 1993, 1994
- Full length Mirror 1994
- Curve Balls and Crooked hearts 1995
- Somewhere between Nowhere and Jeffreys bay 1996
- Doubled up in Abstract 1998
- To Peel a Perlemoen 2005
- kwaaihoek Stories 2007, 2008, 2009
In 2013 Anton formed the band “Silverhorse” with respected veteran local artists Keith Yoko, Cliffy Francis and Sandy Robbie. Until 2016 the band performed revue shows in music theatre venues around Port Elizabeth, the most noteable being “Tonights the Night” – a tribute to the godfather of grunge, Neil Young.
Anton continues to perform his original songs as a one man original show entitled
“Unfaithfully Yours” He continues to write new songs and rewrite older songs. An updated version of an older song “Claustraphobia” is viewable on the Cenrestage online webpage.
Using old as well as new material, he intends to do a show at the National arts festival 2021 and an accompanying album in tribute to his late wife Melanie Gertenbach Calitz’s struggle against cancer.
Albums
- Dead Slugs and Strawberries 1993 (on cassette)
- Unplucked with Andrew Buckland 1993 (on cassette)
- Dreaming out aloud album recorded 1999 (C.D)
- Kwaaihoek Stories album self recorded and release in 2005 (CD)
- Dead slugs and Strawberries recordings (compilation of songs CD ) 2010
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