Yolandé Strauss

I am not weird at all but...

2011-09-14T00:59:00.000-07:00

...when I shave I use the same amount of strokes on each leg...don't want to favor a leg now do I?

...I believe that monsters come out of closets at nigh, so I can absolutely can not fall asleep knowing that a cupboard is open.

...I eat the bubbles made by bubble bath...don't know why...i just love the texture

....I start humming when I stop concentrating. If I start humming while talking to you- you have probably lost me in your conversation

...I finish songs that doesn't end on the tonic secretly in my head. can't stand open endings

...to fall asleep i make up sleep time stories in my head, which normally stars me as a secret agent in some foreign country

...I twirl my hair- so that my finger sometimes start to pain

...when i am in a bad mood, my ringfinger starts itching and becomes inflamed, so i have to take of my wedding ring untill i feel better

...my fingers are always playing the piano when they have nothing else to do. even when i hold my children, i find myself making melodies on them with my fingers.

...i love putting my pinkie toe over the neighboring toe...don't know why...just do

...i wear shoes because i have to, but every chance i get i am barefoot. when i get to the office in the morning, the first thing i do- i take my shoes off

...when i sleep on my tummy, my feet automatically take flight. so i then sleep with them in the air.

...i can bath up to 3 times a day- even more...

...my feet get claustrophobic very easily. can't keep them under the covers at all

...i think flip-flops are the best shoes EVER invented.

RebelRiffs: Steve Gilmore reviews the Internet's Unsigned Artists: Yolande Strauss - I Can't Wait

2011-08-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

RebelRiffs: Steve Gilmore reviews the Internet's Unsigned Artists: Yolande Strauss - I Can't Wait: "Hear The Track Here Funnily enough, I don't really know that many musicians from South Africa which, considering my range, is a bit puzzlin..."

George Herald | ‘n Stem wat werklik tel

2011-04-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

George Herald | ‘n Stem wat werklik tel

Circle of Friends

2010-10-21T06:35:00.001-07:00

A Couple of weeks ago I started giving private music lessons at Hoekwil Primary. (as if I have the time...haha....but that is another story for another day- for now- I pretend that I do have time and do it anyway.) My magnificent classroom (a full 6sqm- cracked yellow wall the works) looks out over the rugbyveld, which also doubles as the school playground during breaktime. (It also doubles as a cricket field, Soccer field, athletic field and the school concert happens in a marque tent that is pitched for the ocasion!) Anyway....so I was looking from my macnificent classroom, staring over the playground, when suddenly all hell broke loose. I rushed to my veranda (for funsake, let's call it that...) and was greeted by a boy running towards the school yelling that a girl (I think her name was Luna or some other moony name) was stung by a bee. Like one army all the girls in her classroom made a circle around Luna and helped her (almost carried her) to reach the school office. On their way there they all had a simpathetic ear to Luna's wining about how this was the worst pain she had ever felt (lucky girl if you ask me). Lines like "ag shame man don't worry"..." it must be terrible...don't worry, it will soon feel better"... and ..."poor Luna" where thrown around seemlessly. This for me was a memorable happening, not because my life is so pathetic, but because I realised something about grown-ups. When do we stop making little protective circles around our friends? When do we stop to stop whatever we are busy with to listen to a friend who might need us? When do we stop to put some effort into telling people that everything will be alright- and believe ourselves when we say it? All of a sudden one day we wake up and we just don't care... Sounds kinda stupid, don't you think?

About Giving

2010-08-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

I read this article the other day. (I love to read- I read anything- from chappie papers to billboards, to car registration numbers to boring novels...anyway)It was about a lady who decided to forget her own grief (she is terminally ill if I remember correctly- I love to read, not neccisarily to remember the facts!) and try do good to others...so she wrote this book about 29 gifts. basically it is about doing something nice to/for someone else, everyday for 29 days. the wonderful thing, is that it does not have to be something big...give a hug to an old lady, buy a candybar for the lady working behind the check-out till where you shop, water your neighbours flowers while they are away, without them knowing or asking...stuff lke that. So that really inspired me, cause just last week I had an experience of someone doing something small and unneccisary for me and it really made my day much brighter. I am not much of a good doer as a rule...but I thought I would give this a try...so today I gave money (I do not neccisarily have) to someone who needed it. (probably less than I needed it- but I think that's the point). Apparenly after 28 more of these, my life and how I see myself will change...could only be a good thing I reckon? Will let you know how it goes...

Introduction

2010-08-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

Yolandé started doing music at a young age and handles herself very well in both the Afrikaans and English market. Her favorite genre is cabaret, but for corporate functions you can hear her fluently singing in the pop, rock as well as the jazz genre.
As a student at the PU for CHE Yolandé belonged to an amature Student Theatre Group- Alabama Student Company. She toured with them for three years, doing between 50 and 60 shows a year throughout the whole of South Africa. Her time with them proved her to be an outstanding soloist and stage performer.
In 1998 and 1999, she teamed up with very talented songwriter Herman van der Walt and entered the ATKV's talent hunt for young Afrikaans singers/songwriters- Crescendo. (Careers that kicked of with Crescendo includes icons like Anna Davel, Karin Hougaard, Reana Nel, Jak de Priester and many more.) The songs Kaalvoetkind and Pleister made it to the final round (top 3) on both occasions. Music videos for both songs were produced and aired on SABC2.
Yolandé also came 2nd in Beeld's Vuurdoop for songwriters in 2000 with her own composition Misreën, loosing to now famous Mel Botes.
Yolandé has since done a one women show called Blouklip (2002), Doringdraad Blues Café (2001-With Mari Laufs), Nagkantoor (2004/2005- With Jannie du Toit, Mathys Roets and Charlene Truter) Vieux Amis (2008-2009 with Mari Laufs) and has performed numerously at the informal stages at Aardklop and KKNK.
At present Yolandé is busy with a Online Collaboration Album with talented Canadian Songwriter Casia titled Destiny's Fire. Yolandé currently lives in Wilderness with her husband André and 2 sons Aiden and Lennon.

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