Prime Circle’s Neil Breytenbach and his son Jesse are making up for the years they spent apart with their band Cantrel.
The father and son duo created their music collective to spend time together and share their love for music with the world.
“Being in a band with my son is incredible and it is such a blessing,” Neil said.
Jesse is also thrilled about their musical venture, which has seen them perform their songs across South Africa as well as abroad.
“We are always coming up with new music. We go into the studio and record. Just to build a song from scratch is really amazing,” he said.
Neil is a keyboardist for Prime Circle. He is also a prolific songwriter and an ambassador for Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Jesse started making music with his father during the Covid-19 lockdown when they found themselves with time on their hands.
During online schooling breaks, Jesse joined Neil for jam sessions – a first for the pair – and Cantrel was born.
Their close-knit relationship makes them a rare in the music world. They also share a passion for grunge music and a love 1990s bands such as Nirvana, Linkin Park, Seether and Limp Bizkit.
“It’s been pretty much smooth sailing. We get on really well with each other. We have the same taste in music, we have the same mindset on life of just being positive and not letting the negativity get to you, so we’re a really good match,” Neil said.
Jesse added: “I believe that what makes us unique is that we have such an awesome bond and relationship with each other as father and son and we can just create music together and we are able to relate to what we write about and we just love to connect with our fans.”
He said that the reaction to Cantrel’s music had been great so far.
“People are loving the chilled and contemporary stuff as well as the energetic rock songs. I think that it’s so cool that we are diverse and that we give everyone something to listen to and I think that people really love that in a band.”
Jesse started playing guitar at the age of eight and his father also started playing the keyboard around the same age.
In Cantrel, Jesse is the vocalist and plays the guitar, with Neil on bass, keys and backing vocals.
They released their debut album, “Drive”, earlier this year as well as their EP titled “Something in the Orange” in July, something that Neil regards as one of their highlights on the duo’s Cantrel journey so far.
“In between all of that, we toured South Africa as well as Austria, so I would say playing at venues that really appreciate our music and going overseas and seeing how people still love rock music makes us feel good and we love doing what we are doing.”
The EP includes a radio edit and an acoustic version of the track, originally written and performed by American country artist Zach Bryan. It was reimagined by Cantrel into a compelling adult contemporary ballad that highlights Jesse’s rock voice.
And while they are thrilled to be expressing themselves creatively through music, Cantrel is also a way for the father and son to bond.
“The most fulfilling part of Cantrel is being in a band with your son and spending time with him,” Neil said.
“Jesse was a boarder at high school, so he's spent the whole of his high school career at school except for the holidays, so being a part of that right now is a really an awesome thing.”
Having a recording studio inside their house always makes it easier for the Breytenbachs to make music together.
“This makes it so much easier because when we are both at home, we can just start writing and producing music from there and it’s a really fun thing to do.”
Some of the hits they have produced include their rock track “Jump” as well as “Final Hour”, which Neil wrote for his mother in just 20 minutes during her final hours battling cancer.
Cantrel’s other hits, “Chains” and “Runaway”, are dedicated to anyone in an abusive relationship.
As Neil splits his time between Cantrel and Prime Circle, where he features alongside new lead singer Gavin Edwards, founding member and bassist Marco Gomes, guitarist Dirk Bisschoff and drummer Dale Schnettler, he has found some differences between being in the two bands.
“The big difference is that with Cantrel we are 100 percent independent and we do everything ourselves, from writing to recording to mixing and mastering, and that alone is a huge learning curve for my son and myself.
“We get to know the ropes. We are our own record label and it's really cool. We would love to have other people on board but for now, we are just pushing it 100 percent independently.”
Neil said Cantrel fans could expect much more music from them in the near future.
“We are currently in the studio recording new music and we are going to be touring around South Africa a bit closer to December.”