Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
The Sick-Leaves is an alternative rock artist originating from South Africa. The Sick-Leaves is the solo project of Eksteen Jacobsz who is the songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and bassist.
Life and career
Early years
Jacobsz, who grew up in Ermelo, Mpumalanga, South Africa had an interest in music from very early on in hs life. It was not until much later that he actually started to find an interest in an instrument as such. His childhood memories are filled with the sounds of ABBA, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc. Jacobsz started taking piano lessons when he was 11. However, his interest in piano did not last long and he stopped after a year. Jacobsz started playing guitar at the age of 17 while attending boarding school, inspired by The Beatles Anthology movie. Fortunate enough he had a room mate who had a guitar and he asked him whether he would teach him a few chords. The thought that the strings could be swapped around did not even occur to him back then, and today Jacobsz plays guitar right-handed although he is left-handed. The first songs he could play were standard pop and rock numbers of the day. Jacobsz prefers string based instruments and guitar is his primary instrument.
Initial band inceptions & songwriting
In 2002, after receiving a degree in Investment Banking, Jacobsz left for the centre of the music scene, London. He met fellow band members – who ranged from a butcher to a member of the mafia - through music ads on Denmark Street, and together they formed the infamous rock band, The Infidels. The Infidels did not have a vocalist, so it is hard to believe that Jacobsz became one quite by accident. Jacobsz admits that it took him quite a long time to convince himself that he could actually sing. For the next two years, The Infidels roamed the clubs of London - there were good gigs and there were holocausts, all part of the trade - leaving Jacobsz with fond memories of “stage thrashing, audience abuse, outside club in-fighting, an unreliable van that had a habit of breaking down when it mattered most to be on time at a venue, late night rehearsals after work and the camaraderie of being in a rock'n'roll band after a good show.” When his visa ran out after two years, Jacobsz came to the conclusion that he needed to become a better guitar player - he decided to come back to South Africa and start his own project where he had a bit more control over the songwriting.
Jacobsz formed The Sick-Leaves in 2005 after his return from the UK and to date has remained the face and mind behind The Sick-Leaves.