The Round

We are excited to announce that San Diego based songwriter Steve Poltz will be playing a special night at The Round on Tuesday the 17th of April. The night will kick off with 3 of our songwriters from The Round playing some songs ‘in the round’ to warm us up before Steve comes on and entertains us with his funny stories and beautiful songs.

This show is limited to only 50 tickets so jump on NOW to secure yourself a spot. This will be a night not to be missed!!!!

 

Steve Poltz was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) but has lived most of his life in Southern California and those geographic poles are quite likely responsible for his unhinged genius.

Over the course of his life he’s met Elvis Presley (who hugged his sister for far too long), trick or treated at Liberace’s house (each finger had a diamond ring), was Bob Hope’s favorite altar boy (according to him), bravely traveled the world busking before he knew how to do it, famously co-wrote “You Were Meant For Me” with Jewel, pissed off David Cassidy and can count some of the world’s coolest people as fans.

He’s also an ex high school wrestler (98 pound class), an obsessed baseball fan, a yoga practitioner, a hopeless romantic, a smart-ass philosopher and a child-like adventurer/observer with an absurdist’s view of this crazy world and the life-forms that inhabit it.

As a recording artist, he’s fronted the semi-legendary Rugburns and is responsible for a critically acclaimed body of work on his own (One Left Shoe, Chinese Vacation, Traveling, Unraveling, Tales From The Tavern), along with some stuff that positively defies categorization (Answering Machine, The Barn). Unlike many artists, Steve simply gets better and better the longer he lives; his shows are the stuff of legend – no two are the same – and can take an unsuspecting audience from laughter to tears and back again in the space of the same song. He is quite possibly the most talented, and engaging, solo performer on the planet.

He’s also one of the most prolific. Any live show aficionado can attest to the fact Steve has a ridiculous amount of fantastic, not-yet- recorded material that deserves to be heard.

 

The Secret Whisper

TSW released their self produced debut EP Le Jeune Amour (Young Love) in May of 2011, which was mixed by Grammy nominated producer (Incubus, Iggy Pop, Story of the Year) Dave Holdredge.

Journalists have explained it as, ‘A melodic atmospheric recording with grunt and poignant lyrics.’ – APN media.

‘Taking traditional rock structures and injecting them with atmospheric vocals, sporadic punk breakdowns and a glut of inviting hooks, the band have a sound far more established and assured than their infancy would suggest.’ – Time Off Magazine.

With The Point Sunshine Coast assuring that; ‘These guys will and should be signed in the near future, and if they haven’t then the recording industry needs a good slap.’

March will see them supporting The Getaway Plan on a couple of their upcoming tour dates then they are back to the studio to record their next single in April.

Timothy Sladden

He’s been described as Australia’s answer to Amos Lee. Tim Sladden fuses acoustic, jazz and soul seamlessly into what can only be described as a style of his own. With guitar skills you’d normally only find in seasoned jazz musicians and a voice reminiscent of Sting and James Taylor, Tim raises the bar for anyone flying under the banner of “singer songwriter”.

“This guy has a voice you could put in a honey jar – you have to check him out”

-Nalesh Singh, Byron Bay FM

Olivia Crick

 Olivia Crick may be remembered from her work with the country group Hot Diggety, a Brisbane-based band who traveled extensively throughout Australia in the nineties and were CMAA Awards (Tamworth) finalists in 1995 and 1997. She was also twice nominated herself for a South East QLD Club Award in 2000 & 2001, for ‘Female Vocal Performer of the Year’.

Becoming a solo artist in 2001, a publishing deal with ABC Music saw her collaborating with a diverse collection of writers, including Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors), Beccy Cole, Tamara Stewart, Rick Price, Rod McCormack, Kevin Bennett (The Flood), Chuck Jenkins (Icecream Hands) Monique Brumby, Susie Ahern, Matt Thomas (The Mavis’s), and many more. Olivia has also worked with ABC Composer, Conductor and Producer Sean O’Boyle.

In recent times Olivia has been very quiet on the music front but is beginning to emerge once again, with her brand of strong, sensitive songs, and is an artist to watch in the future.

Jeremy Hunter

“Jeremy  [Hunter] put some home-recorded tracks online, and I listened to them one day,” McRae says of the band’s origins. “We’d been friends for a long time but I’d never taken the time to listen to his songs; needless to say I was impressed. I approached him with some of my own songs and we started writing together. We pulled some of our friends in, to build the large vocal section that we had in mind, and the band grew from there.

“When we started, we had the idea that this band would be more of a choir than an actual rock/pop/folk band. The idea was to focus heavily on harmonies and big arrangements. After adding so many instruments to the band we realised that it was possible to create complex music that could envelop a listener. We aimed to write songs that people could be a part of.”
Of course possessing such a huge line-up (it presently stands at ten people, with no fewer than five lead vocalists) means that some things are a little harder to achieve than they would be with a smaller ensemble. The recording of the band’s forthcoming debut is one such example.

“Going into the studio with a project that is as big and complex as this one is a fairly daunting prospect,” McRae admits. “Being able to record all of the aspects of the band, while still maintaining the atmosphere and feeling of the music, was something we were very concerned about. However, in terms of what is coming out of the recording, the performances and sounds that are being made, it is going beautifully. We’re looking at coming out of this with an amazing product.”

Ashleigh Auckland

Music is my passion and has been the root in my life that has kept me grounded. I have been singing for as long as i can remember and writing songs since about 12 years old. I started playing the piano at age 7 and defiantly told my parent’s at 14, i didn’t need lessons anymore because i knew everything already! Sometimes i wish i had stuck with it, but being free of the classical structure really did allow me to grow as a musician and find my own way of expressing myself.

I first picked up a guitar at age 17 and found that the combination of the two instruments gave me a new lease on my music and song-writing and embodied exactly who and where i was as an artist. I entered many talent competitions when i was younger, but didn’t have the courage to start performing my original music live until i was 18. Being a late starter, it was a bit daunting entering an industry that was full of child prodigies, but as is the way in Brisbane, people were quick to encourage and offer a platform and support network that has really allowed me to grow as an artist.

In 2008 i moved to London, spending the greater part of that year traveling Europe and playing my music to crowds i would never have dreamed I would perform for. Experiencing so many different cultures and learning from the most unlikely of musicians, my eyes were opened up to the infinite possibilities that music holds for me. If i was asked where I want to go in this industry, i could tell you i know exactly which path i want to follow, but also that the future is fluid. Music will always be my passion and what feeds my soul, but exactly where it takes me, I am yet to find out…

Mike Barber

Local songwriter and musician and storyteller

Phil Usher (Grand Atlantic)

Interview April 2010 with Bryan Sanchez from Adequacy.net

Following the success of his band’s latest album, How We Survive, the Australian frontman sat down for a few questions with DOA. Aside from commenting on the success of that aforementioned album, we discussed the writing process and Usher reminded us that The Beatles are still, very much relevant.

Delusions of Adequacy: The songs on the album are about showcasing a certain resilience in the human spirit, what were/was your personal life during the recording process?

Phil Usher: Yeah, I think there were probably a lot of things going on. I sort of struggled with clinical depression the last five or so years and I guess for me, writing music has become an outlet for things I see going on in my life and what I see in others’ lives.

Personally, we lost our original drummer during the recording process and that was a significant experience as well. And that inspired some of the lyrical content on the album. I think it comes down to the fact that it’s not easy being an adult in the 21^st century and I think the album is sort of about that.

DOA: The focus on how Westerners react to problems was especially enlightening, does that come through first-hand experience or by knowing others?

Phil Usher: Probably first-hand because I know I’m really trying to improve my life. I try not to bitch and complain about things and instead, I’ve tried to just fix the wrong. In our world we are so lucky to have all that we do have; that what we complain about is really trivial to what people in third world countries deal with. So for me, it was about reminding others of what he have and the simple fact that we can even have shoes on.

DOA: The actual production comes off as a polished, lean sound, was this a primary focus?

Phil Usher: I think we probably got a bit rawer with the second album, a bit more reflective of what we do like but I think in a way, when you’re in the studio and you are playing, you leave a lot more room for things to just happen at the time. The songs shaped themselves and the lyrics shaped themselves as well. We got a bad-ass producer in Magoo who cane along and put some of his own touches on it too.

I don’t want to use the word organize but we try to go with what will work and let it be natural and I think that’s what we accomplished.

DOA: Just how different is this new album, How We Survive, from your debut, This is Grand Atlantic?

Phil Usher: It is rawer than the first one, the subject matter is more personal than the first one (not that he first one wasn’t honest) but it draws from my experiences and I also think it isn’t ambiguous. We were trying to be more adventurous – the first record I did all the demos and every night was working, and the second one wasn’t like that at all. You can see a progression between the two and we’re excited with the stuff for the third one already.

And yet, I still feel that had I only recorded the first one, I would be proud to leave that as my legacy had I passed away but we need to progress somehow even though I wouldn’t want to choose either one.

DOA: With the music possessing an obvious lean towards alternative rock with big sweeping hooks, do you feel this kind of music still has the power to captivate?

Phil Usher: I’d like to think so because I find that for me, I am into the music of the 60s and I find that music to be very relevant today, to myself (like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones) and I think that music like that and lyrics like that will always find an audience. I guess that, I’ve studied music, a lot of people are really into technical side into playing something very proficient but on a personal basis, I like to see someone record and pour out their heart. And I think a lot of people really feel that way too.

Terry Hannagan 

Terry Hannagan has had what could best be described as a colourful career: Rock’n'Roll Musician; Underwater Filmmaker; Award-winning Songwriter and Jingle Writer; and Voiceover Artist. He is one of the creators of the Morning of The Earth  universally acclaimed as perhaps the greatest surfing film ever made. But it is much more than that. It is the surf movie that has, and will always, have the biggest impact on surfing in Australia. The soundtrack from Morning Of The Earth was the first Australian soundtrack album to go Gold.

Skye Staniford

GBGV’s pants-off-punk-kabaret-músik is not for the faint hearted. These underground creatures seduce audiences into a world of Berlin-style rock ‘n’ roll debauchery. Comparisons have been made to Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Mojo Juju, The Tiger Lillies, John Cooper Clarke, Serge Gainsbourg, The Pogues, Lovage and Michelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen.

Infamous for their exploding live shows they have (dis)graced stages in recent years at the Woodford Folk, Byron Bay Writers, Melbourne Fringe Festival Hub and Brisbane Cabaret festivals.

Their independent debut album ENTER (produced by Darek 11000 from DiscoNap/Intercooler) is set for release Feb 2010 with lead single “Wolfish” and its erotic clip currently bring played on RAGE.

“This writer has been attending the Melbourne Fringe Festival for more than two decades now, and Ghostboy with Golden Virtues are far and away the best thing I have ever seen there. Epic psychosexual rock opera ….of the fucking absurd.” InPress

“GBGV’s powerhouse performance tonight is demonstrative of their credentials as a truly sterling live (art-)rock band… One of the most bizarre and brilliant live music events Brisbane is likely to witness this year” – Time Off

Laura K Clarke (Melb)

Laura K Clarke is a Melbourne based singer-songwriter who’s passion for music reflects in every aspect of her life.  Often likened to a range of musicians she respects and admires including Wendy Matthews, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell and Jewel, Laura’s folk/pop sound is sweet, soothing and honest.

Born into a musical family, Laura made her stage debut at age 6 singing an a capella “We are the world”, but it was a further 12 years before she began actually studying vocals. With 2 years of coaching from multi-award winning blues artist Andrea Marr, Laura honed her craft and won several awards and competitions, but, as singing remained purely passion, it would still be years until she considered a career in music.

Laura began playing guitar and song writing in her early 20′s, during which time her musical journey took her not only across the performing arts spectrum, but across the world. From London’s acoustic lounges to cabaret shows in Portugal, Laura performed constantly while also working behind the scenes in production and venue management.

Upon her return to Melbourne, Laura’s drive and determination resulted in performances at a range of events including the Royal Melbourne Show and The Melbourne Fringe Festival. She also secured a number of gigs at some of the city’s best known venues, including The Espy, Ruby’s Lounge, Spencers Live and Curve Bar (The Arts Centre).

Complementary to the successful completion of a Diploma of Music Performance at Victoria University (2008/2009), Laura also participated in vocal and song writing workshops with some of America’s finest teachers and writers, including Renee Grant-Williams, Wendy Parr, Pat Pattison, Steve Seskin and Mark Simos.

Laura is currently recording her debut EP with producer/engineer and artist MC Momo (Diafrix) and session musicians Damian Smith (M-Phazes) and Mikey Chan (M-Phazes, Direct Influence, Candice Monique). The single from this EP “Do What You Say” was released in August and launched to a sold out crowd in September at the Wesley Anne in Northcote.  The full EP is set for release early in 2012.

Currently playing regular shows around Melbourne and never one to settle with where her music has taken her, Laura is most definitely one to watch in every stage of her musical evolution.

Jen Mize

If James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder and Tom Waits got together to write, you might hear something like the songs of Jen Mize- a soulful, bluesy vocal mixed with alluring melodies and a dash of the melancholy.

A Southern girl, Jen is part Native American (Lumbee) and like the blood that runs through her veins, her music is a melting pot mixing Americana, Soul and Jazz. Jen recently followed love to the Sunshine Coast of Australia and discovered a place full of inspiration for her music.

An accomplished singer, passionate storyteller and old soul, Jen conveys an innate understanding of the human condition through her insightful lyrics and honey-dipped melodies. Jen’s songs, like her cornbread, are rich, warm, tasty, and filled with love.

Abby Skye

“I’ve been writing for some of Australia’s most respected music publications for a very long time now and if that counts for anything, I want you to give me your complete attention for just two minutes.
Abby Skye is the musical equivalent of a nuclear blast – you will be blown away. She can seemingly sing any note in the audible spectrum and has mastery over any genre you care to name. But if that wasn’t enough then I have to risk starting to sound like one of those late night TV ads, because there’s more. Much more.
Skye is a masterful songwriter with a grasp of dynamics and hooks that will give Noel Gallagher sleepless nights. She is a multi instrumentalist, an accomplished sound engineer and sublime producer.
When I first heard her EP I assumed it was a major label promo from some truly huge artist.
But she did the entire thing herself! Sang, wrote the tunes, produced it…..how does someone so young wind up being so good?

Well it helps if you start young. Mozart was writing symphonies when he was five and Skye was bringing the house down at the Parent Teacher Association Christmas bash! From that moment on she was going to be a musician. She joined the grade 4 choir and learnt flute, guitar, piano and classical and contemporary voice as well as studying poetry. She was soon lead voice and conductor of the school Concert Band and Madrigal Choir. She studied music assiduously and passed every exam with high distinctions. As a member of the Australian Girls Choir she had performed with Symphony Orchestras at the Melbourne Concert Hall more times than she can recall – and all by the age of 12!
By the age of fourteen Skye had formed a duo called ‘Hacking Daisies’ which won musical competitions and played countless festivals and live shows. She was already a seasoned performer. At age fifteen she had started doing ‘solo’ shows, even performing for the President of Hungary! No wonder the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts beckoned and she easily gained acceptance, studying with the highly respected Brian Hasford, Head of Opera. Increasingly her heart lay with performing her own music and she went full time at the tender age of seventeen.
Skye immersed herself in a world of studio and live work, voraciously sucking up the knowledge that would make her such a formidable talent. Not content with just being a performer she learnt every aspect of production and engineering as well, and equipped with Pro Tools and some decent microphones recorded the EP ‘Addicted’. High profile artists like Renee Geyer, James Reyne and Mental as Anything were sufficiently impressed to book her to support them. Skye’s career trajectory seemed exponential.
But here’s the thing. Any normal highly talented person at this point would be signing a record deal and going into some well established studio with a top gun producer, resigned to a few compromises in their art. Not Skye. That’s because ‘highly talented’ doesn’t begin to describe her.
Get this…..she built her own studio from scratch so she could create an EP that was the perfect embodiment of her musical vision. Wrote, sang, engineered and produced the whole thing.
And is it any good? Like I said at the start it’s like trying to ignore a nuclear explosion. I’ve reviewed every musical act you’ve ever heard of over the years and I am left wondering how someone this young can be this good. When they were handing out the talent I think they just stopped at Abby Skye and said ‘here, you may as well have all of it!’
What do you want me say? To paraphrase the mighty Mr. Meldrum, ‘do yourself a bloody favour!’ Check out this extraordinary talent. Do it NOW!”

-Baz Bardoe
Australian Musician magazine journalist Sept 2006.

The Phoncurves

ABBIE ROBERTS and NAOMI BURRELL of the delightful harmonic folk-pop duo THE PHONCURVES, answer some questions for RAVE.

How did the two of you meet?

We met on our first day at uni, studying the Bachelor of Popular Music at the Conservatorium. We were two peas in a pod from that day forth.

Were you making music individually before you formed The Phoncurves?

Yes, we have both been making music from a young age. In the beginning of our friendship we were familiar with each others music but it has only been in the last year that we have collaborated and formed The Phoncurves.

How good does it feel to get a harmony just right?

It’s like all our Christmases have come at once!

How would you describe your sound?

We describe our sound as an alternative blend of old and new styles with influences of pop, jazz and country.

If you were guest programming Rage, what would you choose?

If we were to pick a Top 10: 10. She Blinded Me With Science (Thomas Dolby) / 9. Why It’s So (Woe And Flutter) / 8. Hey Jude (The Beatles) / 7. Teenage Crime (Adrian Lux) / 6. God Only Knows (The Beach Boys) / 5. Good Intent (Kimbra) / 4. State of The Art (Gotye) / 3. The Shrine (Fleet Foxes) / 2. Sweet Tooth (Dave Rawlings And The Machine) / 1. Holocene (Bon Iver)

What should we expect from your show at The Zoo?

A night full of harmonies, frocks and lots of smiles.

Where did you play your first gig, and how did it go?

Our first gig was at Elsewhere, it was really fun, we got dressed up and we felt on top of the world. Seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves… All in all a good first gig!

Andrew Lowden

I was born in the Northern Rivers near Byron Bay and spent my childhood growing up between the beach and the mountains. My father is a tone deaf Fire fighter and my mother is a Mother, a wonderful mother who grew up under the ruthless regime of an old piano teaching Nun. As a result, music was never much a part of my childhood, except for one old Pink Floyd b side record that I played into submission. I put so many “Bricks in the wall” that I’m sure my parents thought I would become a builder……… Not quite!

My parents eventually had no choice but to admit defeat and buy me a piano. I subsequently started lessons with the same (now very old) piano teaching Nun. This didn’t last long, as I seemed to have an allergic reaction to the way her ruler would inadvertently hit my fingers when I would play my scales out of time…. Alas, I quit being taught, but continued learning. I also picked up a guitar and by the time I could play Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the wind, I thought I was Bob!

I started singing in Church where I had two life changing spiritual revelations. 1. Not everyone can sing, and 2. That I could sing!

From here I did what all good church going, God fearing, small town boys do….. I ran away from home. Travelled the world, got lost, got found, and lost again. I discovered Khalil Gibran and Paolo Coelho, snow and foreign languages, red wine and gin, Ella Fitzgerald and Eva Cassidy, New York, Buenos Aires and most places in between. I found Melbourne, or Melbourne found me, one or the other, and I lived there for a few years. Living there was like chocolate for the soul, whatever you want, there it is! In time I found myself growing restless again, a restlessness that eventually provoked a move back north to Brisbane.

As I write this, I now live in Brisbane, where the sun shines a lot, and as a result I live life a few shades happily darker. I have a little place with a garden, where I spend my time writing about the things that cross my path, love, loss, heartbreak, joy, trouble, great people, douchebags, and dreams of what’s to come. I spend my time loving things and hating things, losing things and finding things (namely myself), breaking things and building things……

In some ways I guess I turned out a builder after all. Be it relationships or music, I’m usually building something, and living life with a tendency and an acute ability to break things, I’m never short of material.

My greatest achievement to date is the recent formation of a band. I’ve started collaborating with some of the greatest musicians in the cosmos, and am looking forward to unveiling what we’re been up to. Consisting of Sun Jay Jude (Keys), Blair Jackson (Guitars), Steele Chabau (Bass, and Alex Fidel (Drum) we are Andrew Lowden and The Clover.

Jodie Grinsted

If life were a song, Jodie Grinsted would be in her element. Alas, the world spins without musical accompaniment and the 23-year-old singer/songwriter makes sense of it all with pen, paper and guitar in hand.

By day, Jodie is an entertainment journalist – the type who collects words of musical wisdom from each of her unsuspecting interviewees. By night, she is a musical recluse – known only to her neighbours by the stifled melodies that escape through the walls of the heritage-listed cottage in which she resides.

That same cottage houses Jodie’s beloved guitars, named (of course) Mason, Holden and Rose, along with a beastly, yet beautiful pump organ (yet to be named). The songs themselves are inspired by themes of love (or lack thereof), loss and longing… with a bit of heartbreak thrown in for good measure.

As a performer, Jodie has developed a steady following over the last few years. Despite being a bit of a lone ranger on the live circuit, she has collaborated with singer/songwriter Jake Horsey (Sunshine Coast) and alt-country band The Wild Comforts (Melbourne).

Pear and The Awkward Orchestra 

Sweet juicy and unique, Pear and the Awkward Orchestra are a quirky, memorable musical offering; whimsical folkpoproots from a mini-orchestra of diverse instrumentation and sparse arrangements supporting an emotive and powerful voice and gritty, personal songs.  Pear and the Awkward Orchestra are Brisbane-based. EP Russian Doll, released end 2007; and EP Something will Come, released end 2009, have enjoyed critical acclaim and regular airplay and orchestrated the grassroots rise of this unique band, not to mention their beautiful handmade ecologically sustainable merchandise, which has to be seen to be believed.

Alan Boyle 

Seleen McAlister

Sabrina Lawrie

Over a career spanning 15 years that shows no signs of letting up, Brisbane based songwriter Sabrina Lawrie has forged a reputation as a powerful, energetic vocalist and charismatic live performer.

Lawrie burst onto the scene in 1996 with her first band, Sabadah, before imprinting herself on the Brisbane live music map as the lead vocalist/guitarist of the resident band TONGUE of then cult venue The Indie Temple.

The band’s single ‘Don’t Wanna Work Today’ received strong support on local radio stations Triple J and Triple M while the accompanying film clip, shot live at The Tivoli in Brisbane, gained attention on Rage, Channel V, MTV and Video Hits.

Lawrie spent five years with Tongue before moving onto a third band, Level Seven, in 2003. While she wrote over 25 songs in her time with the group, nothing was formally released.

When the opportunity to join up with LITTLE VEGAS AND THE FUZZ PARADE emerged in 2006, Lawrie jumped at the chance and was rewarded. Her punky, no-nonsense vocals fused perfectly with Little Vegas’s garage-rock style and the band enjoyed much exposure and success in Australia.

They won the 2007 WOTNEXT People’s Choice award and the Valley Fiesta’s 2008 Emerging Artist prize, paving the way for the recording of a three-track EP with cult producer Skritch. The EP featured the song ‘Gifthorse’ which scored at #7 on 4ZZZ’s iconic Hot 100 list in 2008.

The Fuzz Parade proved to be prolific live performers, playing hundreds of shows in Brisbane and Sydney and supporting The Mess Hall, Giants of Science, Screamfeeder and The Spazzys as well as a host of others.

The recording of a second single entitled ‘Only Say It Once’, with Darek Mudge at The Shed proved to be Lawrie’s final contribution to The Fuzz Parade and the band went their separate ways on good terms in 2009.

Her recent forays into the solo world have seen Lawrie take a glorious step forward from her garage-punk past to channel her explosive voice into a new sound, winding through mystery-infused rock-fueled jams to scale some truly remarkable vocal peaks.

Her backing band, ‘The Hunting Party’ is a revolving cast of musicians. Members have included Skritch (Drums with Mick Harvey, Tex Perkins Dark Horses), Andrew Davis (Drums with The Red Paintings, Tongue), Andy Buchanan (Bass with HITS, New Jack Rubys, Los Huevos), Steve Palmer (Guitarist with Los Huevos, New Jack Rubys), Will O’Brien (Little Vegas and the Fuzz Parade, Los Huevos, Some Jerks), Jeff Hahn (Drums with Los Huevos), Sue Ray (Bass, Harmonica), Pete O’Brien (Bass with Little Vegas and the Fuzz Parade) and many more.

It has been an ambitious but assured step, provoking a fresh wave of live shows and new-found local interest. Not surprisingly, the release of new single ‘Another Language’ in December 2011 as well as an accompanying full-length player, set to go public in early 2012, is highly anticipated.

Dave Di Marco

We are Charlie Mayfair. Brisbane is our hometown.

We are a five-piece. Last year, we released our debut EP and called it ‘Watch My Hands’. It’s available on iTunes or in various stores around the country courtesy of Green Distribution. You can look up our debut video clip for ‘If I Fell Down’ on the YouTubes.

2011 is going to be big. We started it off by playing at Sunset Sounds. Now we’re working on a new record with Matt Redlich who also made the Hungry Kids of Hungary album, wears a black hat and sometimes sings on our tracks. ‘Tell Her’ is the first single off this record.

Toby Straton

Toby Straton is a Brisbane-based songwriter, writing melodic folk-pop on piano and guitar. His influences include James Taylor, Sting and Radiohead. He is currently recording his first album and plans (dreams)! to tour Australia and Europe next year.  His songs are mostly about relationships and spirituality.

Gabriel Lynch

In recent months, Gabriel Lynch has shared the stage with Australian icons, The Whitlams, and conducted a lavishly received solo tour of Europe and the UK. And with the attention that has increasingly surrounded his emotionally charged and often cathartic live shows, witnessing Lynch and his five-piece band in action makes is easy to see why he is quickly becoming regarded as one of Melbourne’s leading songwriters and performers.

In between frequent radio play and interviews with Australian community station, Gabriel Lynch – along with his ever changing cast of co-musicians – has previously worked with Brian Canham (Pesudo Echo front man of ‘Funky Town’ fame) to create the band’s acclaimed EP Something Like Twilight. Clem Bastow of Inpress raved “…a million sales await” (Inpress April 15, 09), “…there’s an emotional intensity to Amnesia, in particular, that would do very nicely in a (television) cliffhanger a la The OC…”.

Online music press, Wireless Bollinger concurs “…Lynch’s songwriting skills can’t be faulted either, as he and his band work their way through the tight, well orchestrated numbers with undeniable skill.” (Wireless Bollinger, Aug, 08).

Subsequently, the band’s single, Paper Planes, received an overwhelming response both Nationally and Internationally. Notably, during his recent stint in Europe, Iceland National Radio described Lynch as “Australia’s Damien Rice, minus the cheese”.

However, it has often been said that Lynch is in his element while onstage, with BEAT describing him and his ensemble as “…a good time band with lots of heart and ample talent” (BEAT 2008). It is fitting, then, that before the year is out, he will be producing and releasing a live album which will be recorded inside Melbourne’s legendary Armstrong Studios, before once again hitting the road to tour the country.

Gabriel Lynch is among Australia’s most promising young musicians, but the sensitivity and maturity he displays towards his craft has secured him a reputation as an accomplished and deeply respected songwriter and showman of the highest calibre. In short, if you haven’t already fallen in love with Gabriel Lynch’s music, it won’t be long before you do.

Steve Grady

‘A vocal that really wears its heart on its sleeve.’ – Time Off

Steve Grady has travelled a long way from early days living on a mission in Papua New Guinea.

After moving to Redcliffe at the age of 5 Grady discovered a new world of music and wrote his first song at age 13. After graduating from QUT Grady continued to refine his craft first in the band Inntown and then on his own.

In 2006 and 2008 he was a Q Song finalist, in 2008 winning the Emerging Artist Award to attend the Applewood song writing retreat.

In April 2009 he released his self-produced solo album, Hotel Chelsea, to rave reviews.

With a style somewhere between folk and country, Grady’s music has wide appeal that caught the attention of ARIA award-winning songwriter and producer Shane Nicholson (also a former Brisbane boy).

Nicholson has produced Grady’s soon-to-be-released first ‘official’ full length album, ‘Youth Skin’, which includes guest musician and country music royalty Kasey Chambers (Nicholson’s wife).

His song Legacy from the upcoming album was featured on triple J and was a finalist in the 2010 Q Song (folk/ballad).

Not ready to settle down, he will embark on a huge 50-date tour with Dan Parsons across regional Australia starting in January 2011 coinciding with the release of the album.

Daniel Acfield

2011 was a big year for Indie Pop singer-songwriter Dan Acfield. It was the year that saw the release of his debut solo EP ‘Thick Skin’ and when he received national exposure as Rage’s ‘Indie Artist of the Week’. 2011 was also a year for straying far from home as the Brisbane based songwriter successfully toured Australia and the United Kingdom. All of this in his first year as a solo artist! Dan is now riding this momentum right into what is set to be a bigger and better 2012.
An impulsive traveller and compulsive singer, Dan accepted his troubadour destiny at an early age. Even before he was old enough to speak, Dan had managed to amuse his parents with irrepressible car karaoke, and in a TV-free home environment, he took up song writing at the early age of 9.
Following in the footsteps of musical ancestors (ranging from a New York hymn-writing orchestral musician, to a grandfather who played bass for everyone from Cat Stevens to Kamahl), Dan attended music school. Armed with a healthy combination of both respect and scepticism, Dan transitioned from his studies into the Brisbane music scene confidently, and in 2008 emerged as an enthusiastic champion of pop-rock anthems as the front-man and songwriter for the band ‘Dear April’.

The ensuing two years involved Dan penning two EPs with Dear April and performing at the usual indie-friendly venues throughout Brisbane and regional Queensland. Drawing from a knack for teaming catchy guitar hooks with interesting but unpretentious lyrics, Dan’s song writing managed to make waves, receiving acclaim from Triple J host Alex Dyson and earning Highly Commended (Rock Category) in the 2010 QSong awards.

Following the split of Dear April in mid-2010 and some subsequent soul searching, Dan emerged with more inspiration and determination than ever, this time as a solo artist under his real name, Dan Acfield. With a myriad of new songs under his belt and backed by new collaborators ‘The New Tonics’, Dan teamed up with Gold Coast producer Brendan Anthony (George, INXS, Midnight Oil) to enter the studio once more. Thus Dan’s first solo release, the five-track EP ‘Thick Skin’, was born, and with a helping hand from national exposure as Rage’s ‘Indie Act of the Week’, it was solidly supported by community radio around the country.

Finally, Dan packed his acoustic guitar, loop pedal and soaring vocals, and went on tour. Drawing from a well-honed stagecraft gained through his years of performing and sharing the stage with reputable acts such as Hungry Kids of Hungary, The Trouble With Templeton and Diana Anaid, Dan wooed his way through venues down the East Coast of Australia and through Britain.

Now off the back of his most productive and successful year to date, Dan Acfield has developed a taste for touring and is currently working on an acoustic duo project with his sister, acclaimed Melbourne vocalist Hannah Acfield. Together, they will be embarking on an extensive national tour in May, taking with them their natural harmonies that only genetics can provide.

Chris Pickering

With enchanting melodies, insightful lyrics and a fresh-eyed handsomeness, award-winning musician Chris Pickering is already redefining the alt.country genre.

Despite his relative youth, singer-songwriter Chris is no youngster on the Australian music scene. Since releasing his debut EP Hard to Find in 2004 and the follow-up album A Safer Place, he’s been seducing audiences throughout the country with his distinctive acoustic sound that combines soaring melodies with lyrics that paint vivid pictures of life in – and out – of the country.

In 2006, Chris released his next EP, Ghost City. Produced by ARIA Award-winning legend Magoo, Ghost City earned Chris a swag of rave reviews. The accolades continued in 2006 when he won his first Qmusic songwriting award for ‘Better Off’ (from A Safer Place LP).

And if there was any doubt, Chris’ reputation as a musician on the rise was cemented in August 2007, when he secured his second Qmusic award for ‘The Humming Song’, featured on his latest album ‘Excuses Excuses’.

Chris spent much of 2007 performing to a loyal – and growing – following throughout Queensand, Victoria and New South Wales. He began 2008 on a high note, showcasing at the prestigious South By SouthWest event in Austin, Texas, and spent time in Austin, Nashville and Los Angeles touring and co-writing.

Although he plays with a 4-piece band, his solo performances offer a truly intimate musical experience.

Clare Reynolds

If you ask Clare how she writes a song you’ll most likely hear, “It just came out.” A songwriter who sings her own songs, she has a soulful ability to translate the world around her in a way that resonates for others too.

A lot has happened since Clare’s debut album Inside My Head. One song from the album was played on the hit TV show, Private Practice, and another was picked up for the official trailer of an Uma Thurman movie. There was a very romantic wedding to her Producer partner, Daniel McGahan (keep an ear out for a hidden song on the new album and you’ll feel like you were there). And then there was more travelling, some songwriting awards, and creative escapades with songwriters in London, Los Angeles and Nashville.

The album’s had quite a journey already. Tracks were written and recorded everywhere from a Nashville hotel room, a friend’s apartment in London, a Brisbane studio, and in a tropical hideout in the Noosa Hinterland amongst the sounds of the rainforest (and koalas mating at night!).

Some of the tracks took an internet ticket to London where Cliff Masterson, who has worked with Kylie Minogue, James Morrison, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber & Michael McDonald, was able to work his magic with the string arrangements. Also thanks to the internet, other tracks took the sound cloud to producer/songwriter Michael Flanders in Nashville where he laid down pedal steel and slide and sent them on their merry way home again.

Steve Ryan

A man with one deliciously rich deep voice. A musical style that is across between Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. He is not to be missed.