Three young guys from Cape Town head off to L.A. to follow their dream. Idealistic, you say? Not quite. Now called Civil Twilight, their music has featured on a range of big name TV series, including 'One Tree Hill', 'House' and 'Without A Trace'.

This alternative rock band are slowly but surely making a name for themselves in an industry unrelenting and ruthless at the best of times. Lindi Brownell talks to front man, Steven McKellar about musical emotion, creative identity and braving the move to the land of the free.

You started as Seraphim, moved on to Superfine and were most well known in the Mothercity as The View. Off to the 'States and you're making it big as Civil Twilight. Do you feel like, after trying to start up in Cape Town that you?ve finally found what you?ve been looking for?

I think going to the 'States was the right move, no doubt in my mind. But, in the words of Bono, "we still haven't found what we're looking for". That's why we push on for more. America is not a promised land by any stretch of the imagination, but it does allow one to build a dream. It has always been a platform for dreams, and our dream as a band is to do what we do and to do it well. America has pushed us to go further, and for that, we are grateful.

The three of you started playing and making music when you were still in high school. Barring the obvious musical progress that you?ve all made over the years, has your sound changed since the early days, and if so, how?

I think our style has changed, but our musical sensitivity is still the same. The things that turned us on then still turn us on today. We're just looking for new ways to diversify. That's part of the journey and part of what makes this whole creative exploration so exciting ? that you can remain the same creative soul, but learn to hear and see and feel things differently; from things that you've heard thousands of times, to things you've never felt before.

Once you had finished recording your debut album 'Human', what were your expectations after its release?

We recorded that album about a year and a half ago, in a town called Greenville in South Carolina. We weren't signed to Wind Up Records yet, so our amazing manager raised the funds for the recording, and we did it ourselves.

I'm sure we each had our moments while working on the record, thoughts of taking over the world with our music, blowing people's minds wherever we went. I think it's healthy to nurture a spirit like that. But we learnt that it's going to take more than one little album to build a career.

I'm happy with the result. The beautiful thing about creative integrity is that you never feel ashamed or too tired to sing one of your songs, no matter how old it is. It?s because that song was born out of pure love and passion ? things that don't fade, no matter what colour they're painted with.

'Letters From The Sky' is a song immersed in power and meaning, the lyrics open to interpretation. Apparently, it has a religious message attached to it. Is that what you intended when you wrote the song, or is it simply an intense love song?

'Letters From The Sky' is a love song. A very intense love song. I don't like to elaborate on the images and visions that I drew from when I wrote the lyrics. I prefer hearing what people feel when they listen to the song. There are some Christians who approach me about this song, and I understand how Christians would like to imagine that this song has something to do with Christ's return, or something spiritually epic. Just like some people who are otherwise spiritually inclined could also think about the song in a similar way. Even though the song is spiritual and draws from deep human emotion, there's also an earthly quality to it's desperation, which I enjoy performing.

The Cape Town indie/alternative rock scene has experienced quite a boost over the last two years and it seems such a pity that people still haven't come across Civil Twilight yet. While, clearly, you are proud of your hometown and your beginnings, is there any reason why you don?t promote your music down here on a larger scale?

That's a tricky question. It's hard to get a realistic picture of things in America when you're down on the beautiful tip of Africa. Like I said before, America is not a promised land where everything goes right and success is guaranteed. It hasn't been easy for us, to be able to live here and make this thing work. It's been a long road just to get here where we stand right now. So, to be honest, amongst all these beautiful struggles, Africa seems pretty damn far away. We always knew that if we could get to where we are now, where we have international distribution of our records and a chance to make it work overseas, then playing in Cape Town would naturally follow. We're not interested in forgetting where we come from. This year will be different. Because of the support we have from the label, we should be able to promote the band more in Cape Town and I look forward to seeing what happens.

An important aspect of the series 'One Tree Hill' is its knack for exposing indie bands and underground music. During a pivotal scene in the latest season, the show played 'Quiet In My Town'. Soon after the episode aired, iTunes reported it had sold over 4000 downloads of your song. How did that feel?

Naturally, it felt great. To know that that many people are listening to your song is weird, but exciting at the same time. I wrote that song after my grandmother died a few years ago, in someone's garage in L.A. To think of the progression from that stinky room to the ears of all those people is quite a thought.

You've performed with bands like The Bravery and The Fratellis. What was one of your best moments while on tour?

Touring with both bands was great. I think I enjoyed the West Coast run with The Fratellis the most. It's just a beautiful drive, and seeing Seattle for the first time was fun. The shows were packed and sweaty and the crowds were young and excited. The Fratellis are a really nice bunch of guys; hanging with them in such beautiful cities like Seattle and San Francisco was awesome.

So, is it all glitz, glamour and groupies? Or have times been tough as an up-and-coming band? What is the most difficult situation you?ve had to deal with so far?

Gosh. Well, it's certainly not glitz, glamour and groupies. I don't even know what those things are! No, it hasn't been easy, that's for sure. Even though it's all a risk, it's a great adventure and that's what we're all about. We're not really interested in anything else to do with this industry. It can be dirty and ridiculous at times, and there is a lot of shameful hype that goes into maintaining a career. But we are entertainers, and this is showbiz, right?

The most difficult thing I've had to deal with so far is the realisation that most people don't feel the same way I do about music. Your average person doesn't believe that music can change the world, and doesn't need to believe it. That's my job. But it's a humbling revelation to stumble upon; a hard lesson to learn as a young band wanting to take over the world.

While watching your live performances, I noticed that your guitarist Andrew played his electric guitar using a bow. How did that come about? Did he just pick it up one day and think: 'Hey, let?s try something new?'?

Yeah, the bow is a cool feature of our live show. Andrew is pretty good at creating some amazing sounds. I'm not sure where he got the idea. I do know that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin used one. But he didn't use it as well as Andrew does.

What does 2009 bring for Civil Twilight? Are you planning on recording anything new? Or are you going to concentrate on promoting the debut album further?

I'm really excited about 2009. Wind Up Records releases our new album in March/April, and then we will hit the road for a few months to promote the record. If things go well, we'll stay on the road the rest of the year.

> for more Civil Twilight, visit their official site.