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blues rock

Rob Caudill

People stop Rob Caudill in airports for autographs. They stare at him in restaurants. And when he struts on stage, women scream themselves hoarse. Why? Because Caudill is a dead-on Rod Stewart Impersonator. He's got the high-definition jawline, the shock of spiky blonde hair, but most importantly, he has the nose. Vocally, his distinctive, naturally-raspy voice sounds like the legendary Stewart, and his range easily nails every high note from Stewart's younger days. So, it's no surprise this singer has carved out a career 'recreating' Rod Stewart. From kicking out soccer balls to spinning mic stands, to belting out all of Rod's greatest hits - Caudill's high energy show is a must-see event for people of all ages. When Rob was just seventeen, people started telling him that he looked like Rod Stewart - a phrase Rob would hear repeatedly from almost everyone he met for the rest of his life. He began his musical career after graduating high school and moving to Memphis, TN to study music at MSU. "I've got the greatest job in the world, making a living doing something I love." While in Memphis, Rob began playing bass for local bands around town and doing session work. As bass player for a band called "The Breaks" Caudill got his first major opportunity when they signed to RCA Records. The Breaks' first single, "She Wants You", was played in heavy rotation on MTV music television which caught the attention of Bugle Boy Clothing, who used The Breaks for their first commercial on MTV. After a few years, The Breaks disbanded, so Rob put together a group called "The Willys" that included legendary guitarist Shawn Lane. They quickly became one of Memphis' hottest bands. Rob also began doing session work with Joe Walsh of the Eagles and jammed with many others such as John Entwhistle of the Who, along with members of Cheap Trick, Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Survivor and Red Hot Chili Peppers just to name a few. In 1996, he realized he couldn't escape the remarkable natural resemblance to Rod Stewart so he heeded the advice of Joe Walsh and began his tribute career. Rob put down his bass, bought some wild clothing and diligently studied lots of Rod's videos, vocals and mannerisms.Now, more than a 15 years later, he is still spinning his mic stand and kicking soccer balls out to audiences everywhere. When he leaves town he is armed with his "Tonight's the Night Band," a repertoire of more than 100 Stewart songs (covering everything from the beginning years of The Faces to the Great American Songbooks), and a wardrobe of loud, mostly custom made suits that match Rod Stewart's attire to a tee. He has been working with the world famous Legends in Concert show out of Las Vegas for the past 15 years. He also works independently doing a high energy two hour show and claims "I've got the greatest job in the world, making a living doing something I love." A true international sensation, Rob has performed:•For The Sultan of Malaysia•At a wedding for a Malaysian Princess•At the Miss World Philippines Beauty Pageant•At Autoracing's MotoGP event in Sepang Malaysia•At the AFF Suzuki Cup Football (Soccer) Matches between Malaysia and Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta Rob’s performed his Tribute to Rod Stewart all over the world including: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and theUnited States

Art vs Science

Beloved Sydney electronic dance band Art vs Science release their long-awaited new album ‘Big Overdrive’. The vibe-packed record, written and recorded over the past decade includes their recent dancefloor ready single ‘I Saw You’, ARIA club hit ‘SWEAT’ produced by Kim Moyes (The Presets) and their new single ‘Check The Boombox’, which was produced by Dan McNamee and Dan Williams. Rich in melodies, synth stabs and classic Art vs Science experimentation, ‘Big Overdrive’ is a collection of songs that captures the heights of the trio as a groundbreaking alternative dance band, pushing musical boundaries with crafted multi-layered bangers.

Sonically ‘Big Overdrive’ lives and breathes in a way that can be played live to an intimate club audience or to a festival crowd. It’s also a celebration of the band’s longevity performing together for fifteen years. The music was recorded in studios all around Sydney, with a heavy emphasis on DIY. The bulk of the album was tracked at Dan Mac’s parents’ old place in Dural, in a sweaty hotbox near the attic, using a handful of microphones and a bucketload of vibe!

“In the course of selecting the music for this long awaited album, some of these rare sessions were uncovered, and the joy and fun embedded within were plain to hear. Of course, lots of love and expertise came from actual outside experts such as Kim Moyes (The Presets), Alex Gooden (Mix Engineer, SAFIA), Sam Ford (Tone City Records), Joe La Porta (Mastering, Sterling Sound), and Guy Davies (Mastering, Electric Mastering).”
Art vs Science.

Festival ready single “I Saw You” explores a quiet-verse loud-chorus dynamic, with soaring synths and thumping drums. New single “Check The Boombox” was recorded at a friend’s house in Wilsons Creek in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. A full arsenal of old stereo equalisers, a terrible mixing desk, and dusty guitar amplifiers went into this track. “The cost of producing this track was keeping a black and white cat fed and entertained, and lugging the gear from Bondi in a hired Goget van.”

“How 2 Stay High” was recorded in one session at Dan Mac’s house in Thirroul, whilst “Sweat” saw the band recruit Kim Moyes from The Presets to beef up and bangify. “Joe La Porta was enlisted to give SWEAT its beautiful sheen and thump, while Guy Davies was chosen to make DANCE the most thumping it could be” Art vs Science

Dan Mac produced many of the tracks on ‘Big Overdrive’; finding weird locations and setting up mics in bedrooms and kitchens to capture Dan W’s epic drum performances. Jim as always provided the solid synth bass lines and creative counterpoint that makes the band more than the sum of its parts.

“Big Overdrive is a celebration of jamming and making music which is fun, different and experimental. It’s a collection of tracks written over most of the band’s lifespan, with an emphasis on songs which we think are beautiful in their weirdness. The themes of the songs span love, loss, exuberance, life, death and passion. And dancing.” Art vs Science

Since 2008 Art vs Science has been widely acclaimed for their dynamic live performances and energy on stage. With their insistence on playing everything 100% “live” weaving intricate dance arpeggios – played by human hands – with real drums, real presence, and a bass sound that is uniquely their own. Dan Mac, Dan W and Jim Finn’s clear musicality is empowered by a collection of random keyboards plugged into huge guitar amplifiers and pedals which inspired one critic to call them “AC/DC with keyboards”.

They’ve performed at nearly every major Australian music festival including: Falls Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Bass in the Grass, Parklife, Good Vibrations, Big Day Out, and a range of boutique festivals such as Festival of The Sun, St Kilda Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Wine Machine, Red Deer Fest, NYE On The Hill, The Great Australian Beer Fest, The Bacardi Express and Mountain Sounds. Art vs Science also performed at the Keep Sydney Open rally in 2016 and has supported Groove Armada and The Chemical Brothers.

Peaking at #2 on the ARIA charts, their album “The Experiment” won an ARIA for Best Independent Album in 2011. They currently have over 136K Spotify monthly listeners including 4.9million streams for their ubiquitous hit ‘Parlez Vous Francais’, 2.3million plays on Apple and over 7millon views on Youtube.

Art vs Science will be returning to the festival stage playing at the Caloundra Music Festival on Friday, 30 September, and Wine Machine, along with Flight Facilities, Lime Cordiale, Masked Wolf, San Cisco and many others in December!

ART VS SCIENCE TOUR DATES
Friday 30 September, Caloundra Music Festival, Queensland Tickets
Saturday, 17 December, Wine Machine, McLaren Vale, South Australia Tickets

“Stoked to be playing at the Caloundra Music Festival again this year. Had a ball at the 2017 one. Also keen as beans for another round of Wine Machine, this time in South Australia. Psyched!”
Art vs Science

PRAISE FOR ART VS SCIENCE

Art vs Science – The Experiment album – 200 Greatest Australian Albums Of All Time – Honorable Mentions List
ROLLING STONE AUSTRALIA

“It’s easy to tell why crowds love these boys. Their music is laced with happiness: it’s addictive, plus their live shows involve inflatable penguins!”
MUSIC FEEDS

“Unlike most hyped-up artists, this claim wasn’t far from the truth, with singles like ‘Magic Fountain’ and their debut album, The Experiment, going on to cement the band as household names in no time.”
TONE DEAF

“The Sydney trio’s new tune is definitely larger than their previous stuff, with their signature, fast-paced synth blending super nicely with rolling piano chords, bouncy vocals and hectic drum work.”
PILERATS

“Art vs Science have always been capable of producing – an album that is sharp, full of confidence and great musical execution.”
AU REVIEW

ART VS SCIENCE are:
Jim Finn (vocals, keyboard)
Dan McNamee (vocals, guitars, keyboard)
Dan Williams (vocals, drums)

Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952) is an American singer, keyboardist and songwriter known for his distinctive, soulful voice and as a member of the bands the Doobie Brothers (1975–1982, 1987, 2019–present) and Steely Dan (1973-1974). McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.

McDonald's solo career consists of nine studio albums and a number of singles, including the 1982 hit "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)". During his career, McDonald has collaborated with a number of other artists, including James Ingram, David Cassidy, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Lee Ritenour, the Winans, Aretha Franklin, the rock band Toto,[2] Grizzly Bear,[3] Joni Mitchell, and Thundercat. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks. McDonald is the recipient of five Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.

Fandango ZZ

This is FANDANGO, the TRIBUTE to ZZ TOP

Since their debut in 1995 opening for Blue Oyster Cult, Fandango have delivered

the gospel of Tone, Taste and Tenacity to fans across the entire United States and beyond.

In the years since then Fandango has made concert stops in Florida, Washington, Kentucky,

California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, Canada and in 2001 and 2005

performed shows in Japan for the USO.

Constant improvement in showmanship, musicianship and investment in costuming, make up

and visual effects have allowed Fandango to define the musical and cultural powerhouse that is ZZ Top.

Fandango's play list includes hits from over 30 years of recorded music and can exactly duplicate

song order and pacing of an authentic ZZ Top concert.

Fandango is passionate but cool, dirty but tasteful and all American.

Being interactive with an audience is essential and preferred.

Every Fandango show is a professional officering dedicated to the humor, style, content

and history of the mighty ZZ Top.

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The Dead Amigos

Formed in early 2016 from a most unlikely late night encounter, The Dead Amigos have been unrelenting in spreading their unique blend of bluesy stoner rock with underlays of psychedelic and funk across the Melbourne and St Kilda music scenes.

The Vineyard, Prince of Wales, the Espy, Cherry bar, Revolver, Evelyn hotel, Brunswick hotel and the Tote are among the many iconic venues the boys have frequently graced in their short time together. On top of this, the St Kilda rockers ‘Lets Get Twisted’ tour brought the new gospel of their sound to rocking places such as Frankies Pizza in Sydney and the Bearded Lady in Queensland.

Now preparing to unleash their debut album with producer Tyson Fish (The Living End, Dropkick Murphys, Bad//Dreems), The Dead Amigos are showing no signs of slowing down as they continue to bring a unique blend of St Kilda rock n roll to the masses.

Dan Brodie

Dan Brodie is an Australian singer and songwriter from Melbourne, Australia, best known for his prolific solo career, during which he has released seven studio.

In addition to releasing his own albums, Brodie's songs have been recorded by other artists including two songs on Love Is Mighty Close, a Vika and Linda Bull Album. Also in 2010 Brodie appeared on the Paul Kelly produced Maurice Frawley tribute album, Long Gone Whistle – The Songs of Maurice Frawley, performing the Frawley track, "Roll me" to a sold out audience at the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Brodie was raised in a musical family, his father, a professional guitarist and singer taught Brodie the basic chords of guitar. With his brother Chris Brodie (Dallas Crane), they began playing in bands together, honing their skills of playing live to audiences around the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne before landing their first pub show whilst still in their early teens at the Richmond Club Hotel in 1990.

Over the next five years, Brodie performed around Melbourne, recording his first proper Album in a student run studio at Monash University in Clayton in 1993, released on tape and sold at live shows. After a move to the inner-city in 1996, Brodie joined dirty swamp rockers, Luxedo, on bass, the line-up also including Tom Carlyon on lead guitar and vocals, Emilie Martin on violin and guitar and Jamie Coghill on drums, contributing to the debut LP, Beauty Queen and the follow up, City Lights and Roadkill departing in 2001 to concentrate on his solo career.[citation needed]

1998-2000: I'm Floatin' Mamma and Big Black Guitar
A five track EP, I'm Floatin' Mamma was independently released in 1998; followed by debut album, Big Black Guitar in 1999. Backed by The Broken Arrows which featured his brother Chris Brodie on slide guitar, Craig Williamson (These Immortal Souls) on drums and Dan Kelly on bass, Brodie signed to EMI who re-released his debut album. Both the EP and debut album were produced by Maurice Frawley and engineered by Dave McCluney at Atlantis Studios in Melbourne.[citation needed]

2001-2004: Make Me Wanna Kill and Empty Arms, Broken Hearts
In 2001, Brodie released a four track EP featuring songs recorded for his forthcoming unreleased album, as well as some from earlier demos.[citation needed]

Brodie's second album, Empty Arms, Broken Hearts was released in 2002. Containing the singles "Jesus, Try and Save Me", "Take a Bullet" and "Hope That We Get Home Tonight", the album was nominated for two ARIA Music Awards.

2005-2009: Beautiful Crimes
Brodie's solo album entitled Beautiful Crimes was released in 2005 that veered away from country into a more indie rock sound and was produced by Barry Palmer of Hunters and Collectors, releasing the two radio friendly power-pop rock anthems, "Wanna Shine" and "Sweetheart".[citation needed]

Brodie took an extended break from touring with a band and spent several months playing solo shows across the Americans.[citation needed]

2010-2011: My Friend The Murderer
Brodie returned to Australia to record My Friend The Murderer which was released in 2011. The album was recorded at Headgap Studios in Melbourne, Australia by Brent "Sloth" Punshon and for the first time showed off Brodie's newly formed backing band, the Grieving Widows, featuring Chris Brodie on bass and Dave Nicholls on drums.[citation needed]

2012-2014: Deep Deep Love and Run Yourself Ragged EP
Brodie completed work on his fifth album Deep Deep Love in 2012 before a diagnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma and subsequent treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy sidelined him for most of 2013, delaying the record release. Deep Deep Love features minimalist backing of double bass by Dean Schulz Layla and Rhianna Fibbins on backing vocals and Grieving Widow's alumni Chris Brodie and David Nicholls on guitar and drums respectively.[citation needed]

In June 2014, Brodie entered St Charles Recording Studio in Northcote with the Grieving Widows to record a song from their live set; a cover of Ian Rilen’s (Rose Tattoo/Love Addicts) "Booze to Blame". Three more songs of original material quickly followed, and Run Yourself Ragged EP was released.

2015-2016: Big Hearted Lovin Man: A Retrospective 1999-2014
In March 2015, Brodie released the live album, Big Hearted Lovin' Man: A Retrospective 1999-2014. The album was recorded in one night in January, 2015 at Salt Studios in Melbourne. In April 2015, Brodie embarked on a three-month solo acoustic tour of Europe playing back to back shows at France.[citation needed]

2017: Lost Not Found and Funerária do Vale
In early 2017, Brodie returned to Melbourne to record Lost Not Found a collection of reinterpreted cover songs.[citation needed]

Brodie's seventh studio album, Funerária do Vale was released on 30 August 2019. The album cover and title are taken from a photo that Brodie took of a funeral home in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil during a six month stay in 2007. He said "I found the imagery so evocative (with its English translation of 'Valley of the Funeral Home'), and always hoped to use it as an album cover. In a way I wrote the songs to fit the existing photograph, exploring themes of loss."

The Modfathers

Heavy Soul, the follow-up to the million-selling Stanley Road, saw Weller twist his sound again. The album was more raw than its predecessor; Weller was now frequently playing live in the studio in as few takes as possible.[citation needed] The first single "Peacock Suit" reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart, and the album reached No. 2. Success in the charts also came from compilations: "Best Of" albums by the Jam and the Style Council charted, and in 1998 his own solo collection Modern Classics was a substantial success.

In 2000, while living in Send, Surrey, he released his fifth solo studio album, Heliocentric. Once again finding himself without a record contract, Weller's Days of Speed worldwide tour provided him with the opportunity to view his works as one back catalogue, giving rise to a second successful live album in 2001. Days of Speed contained live acoustic versions from the world tour of the same name, including some of his best-known songs from his solo career and the back catalogues of his Jam and Style Council days.

There were rumours at the time that Heliocentric would be Weller's final studio effort, but these proved unfounded when he released the No. 1 hit album Illumination in September 2002. Co-produced by Noonday Underground's Simon Dine, it was preceded by yet another top 10 hit single "It's Written in the Stars". Weller also appears on the 2002 Noonday Underground album called Surface Noise, singing on the track "I'll Walk Right On".

In 2002, Weller collaborated with Terry Callier on the single "Brother to Brother", which featured on Callier's album Speak Your Peace. In 2003, Weller teamed up with electronic rock duo Death in Vegas on a cover of Gene Clark's "So You Say You Lost Your Baby", which featured on their Scorpio Rising album.

In 2004, Weller released an album of covers entitled Studio 150. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK charts and included Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" as well as covers of songs by Gil Scott-Heron, Rose Royce and Gordon Lightfoot, amongst others.

Weller's 2005 album As Is Now featured the singles "From the Floorboards Up", "Come On/Let's Go" and "Here's the Good News". The album was well-received, though critics noted that he was not moving his music forward stylistically,[14] and it became his lowest-charting album since his 1992 debut.

In February 2006 it was announced that Weller would be the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BRIT Awards. Despite a tendency to shun such occasions, Weller accepted the award in person, and performed four songs at the ceremony, including the Jam's classic "Town Called Malice". In June 2006, another double live album titled Catch-Flame!, featuring songs from both his solo work and his career with the Jam and the Style Council, was released. In late 2006, the album Hit Parade was released, which collected all the singles released by the Jam, the Style Council and Weller during his solo career. Two versions of this album were released: a single disc with a selection from each stage of his career, and a four-disc limited edition, which included every single released and came with a 64-page booklet. Weller was offered appointment as a Commander of the Order of British Empire in the 2006 birthday honours, but rejected the offer.[15]

In 2007 Weller was guest vocalist on the album issue by the folk musical project the Imagined Village.

Joni Mitchell

Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell CC (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her starkly personal lyrics and unconventional compositions, which grew to incorporate pop and jazz influences.[1] She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever",[2] and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century".[1]

Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. She moved to the United States and began touring in 1965. Some of her original songs ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides, Now", "The Circle Game") were recorded by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968.[3] Settling in Southern California, Mitchell helped define an era and a generation with popular songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock". Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[4] rising to number 3 in the 2020 edition.[5] In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music".[6] NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a 2017 list of Greatest Albums Made By Women.[7]

Mitchell switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974's Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris"[8] and became her best-selling album. Mitchell's vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto around 1975.[9][10][11] Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she melded jazz with rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-Western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings.[12] She later turned to pop and electronic music and engaged in political protest. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002[13] and became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2021.[14]

Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums. A critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th and last album of original songs in 2007. Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance".

Cold Irons Bound

"Cold Irons Bound" is a Grammy Award-winning song written by Bob Dylan, recorded in January 1997 and released on September 30, 1997 as the eighth track on his album Time Out of Mind. The song was produced by Daniel Lanois.
Dylan was inspired to write the song in the studio after hearing drummer David Kemper, who had arrived early one day, playing an unusual beat. As Kemper explained in an interview with Uncut:

I heard this disco record with a Cuban beat, and when I got to the studio, I sat back at the drums and I slowed the beat down, and turned it upside down, and I was just playing, and there was nobody there. No one was expected for a half hour. So I was playing this drum beat, and then Bob snuck up behind me and said, "What are you playing?" I said, "Hey Bob, how are you today?" He said, "No, don’t stop, keep playing, what are you playing?" I said, "It’s a beat, I’m just writing it right now". "Don’t stop it. Keep doing it". And he went and got a yellow pad of paper and sat next to the drums, and he just started writing. And he wrote for maybe ten minutes, and then he said, "Will you remember that?" And I said, yeah, I got it. And then he said, all right, everybody come on in, I want to put this down".

Well I got it in my head, and by then everyone had arrived and tuned up. And take one, he stepped up to the microphone, and "I’m beginning to hear voices, and there’s no one around". And I think we did two takes, and then he said, "All right, let’s move on to something else". I remember Daniel Lanois wasn’t happy; he didn’t like it. It was one of his guitar breaking incidents. He said to Tony [Garnier] and I: "The world doesn’t want another two-note melody from Bob". And he smashed a guitar. So I thought, well, there goes my chance of being on this record. Next time I saw Daniel was at the [Grammys] because we had performed that night, and all of a sudden, Male Vocal Performance of the Year, came from that song – the one that Dan was adamant wouldn’t get on the record.

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