Tomorrow will be my last day in the Musketeer office. I am off to London for love, fame and fortune.

The last three years at Musketeer have been an incredible experience. I was able to work with a diverse range of artists from new acts to well established ones.

Here are a few of the highlights:

* Launching the very promising career of our pop-starlet Jessika.
* Receiving a SAMA nomination for our first jazz act; The Dan Wilson Mark Huggett Project.
* Finally signing Heroes Wear Red (even if I’m not here to promote the album).
* Making Fevertree impossible to ignore with incredible press coverage, a UK tour and massive performances at Coke Fest, Fall Out Boy and Ellis Park.
* Passing out in Seether’s dressing room while Metallica was on stage at the first Coke Fest tour in Cape Town.
* Seeing my photos appear in numerous publications (even if I wasn’t always credited for them).
* Getting Ian Henderson playlisted on every regional station without having to beg and pester music managers.
* Hearing the crowd sing along during 12th Avenue’s performance on the Seether tour.
* Working closely with Tuks FM for the awesome launch of Scarlet Box’s second album.
* Abusing my position in the music industry to start a backyard festival called JawFest with my mates.
* Working with the inspiring Verity and creating her limited edition multimedia CD.
* Releasing the greatest hits of one of my all-time favourite bands; Sugardrive.
* Replacing our monstrosity of a website with the sexy new www.musketeer.co.za
* Helping Seether earn their first local gold record, first SAMA, first MAMA and first sold-out arena tour.

It has been an incredible journey.

Thank you to all of you in the media for your support.

My duties will be taken over by David Elstins (a good friend, colleague and professional Englishman) and Gavin Wienand (the new guy that is already a legend in the SA music industry).

I’d like to extent an enormous thank you to Peter Lacey. Always more than a boss, as a mentor he gave me the encouragement and freedom to strive for greatness.

Back in 2005 he was the only man in the music industry willing to invest in the potential of a young campus radio DJ. I will always be grateful for that!

In parting I would like to leave you with a photo of my proudest accomplishment. Here I am grinning like an idiot with the award presented to me for gold certified sales of Seether’s latest album. May Musketeer Records have many more gold and platinum albums in the future.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Paul Harold Seele
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Paul Seele
Head of Marketing – Musketeer Records
www.musketeer.co.za

12th Avenue has grown from strength to strength since releasing their debut EP “Crazy” in 2005. The band’s first album, “Insane” elevated their status even further. In June 12th Avenue will unveil their third release with “Sober”. The group has undertaken the challenging task of carrying a concept through all three releases. “Sober” is the third and final chapter in the tragic love story of Anjee and 12. The tale adds depth to the music as well as reflecting the band’s growth as musicians over the years.

“’Sober’ reveals a new intensity in our music,” says frontman Mark Haze. “We’ve heard that our fans have been hoping, waiting and ultimately expecting us to get a bit fiercer on this new album, and we think they are really going to like it.”

Radio has embraced 12th Avenue providing two No.1 hit singles off previous releases. “Crazy” and “Living in My Life” both topped national station 5FM’s Hi5@5 chart.

The first single off “Sober” is bound to follow suit. “Time Bomb” has just hit South African airwaves with all the glory of 12th Avenue’s power riffs and an incredibly memorable chorus.

Commenting on the song Haze points out, “The single takes on a bit more of a fast paced and cutting edge style compared to some of our previous material, but still manages to keep the sound and energy of what we’ve done in the past.”

“Sober” will be launched in style as 12th Avenue hits the road on a nationwide tour to promote the album in June. Tour dates include a support slot on Seether’s SA Tour. The band is currently planning a UK Tour for later this year.