Formed 1989 by David Bridie and Helen Mountfort (members of Not Drowning Waving) Like their former band, My Friend The Chocolate Cake's music can be seen to straddle the worlds of ambient and world music, with an emphasis on piano and violin-led acoustic music. Influences range from the obvious (such as Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Celtic folk music), to the less obvious (such as John Cale and Talk Talk).
The Tealeaves sound is inspired by the era of the great singer-songwriters, including Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel and Don McLean. Their music overflows with melody, harmony and lyrical honesty, and has been described as “heart wrenching to say the least”. James, the original leaf, gathered the group together in 2008 to prepare and record their self-titled debut album with eminent producer and engineer, Hadyn Buxton. Traversing a wide range of musical styles, their songs range from harmony filled wall-of-sound band tracks to intimate, melancholy indie-pop.
National Folk Festival winner of the 2008 Lis Johnston Award for vocal excellence, Ange Takats' voice has been described as Joan Baez meets Gillian Welch. Her debut album Aniseed Tea tells stories of knitting, longing and lovely Irishmen. Born in Sydney but now based on the Sunny Coast, Ange somehow managed to begin her musical journey in Bangkok where she was based for two years as a foreign correspondent.
SINGLE OF THE WEEK!!! (Beat Magazine) Wednesday 20th Feb 2008 YOUNG WERTHER Treasure EP by Simone 'Young Werther is a terrifically sweet local band led by Mick Young and named after the semi-autobiographical vessel of a young Johann Goethe. In honour of their sorrowful namesake, they play impassioned drifts of folk pop with heavy-hearted lyrics; beautiful in an aching sort of way. Delicate rivers of finger-picked guitar flow through the record, while Mick sings in gorgeous poetic shivers about epic love and distant shores.
A Sleepless Melody is the acoustic project of two Melbourne teenagers. Matthew Seymour, 19, and Andrew Turner, 18. www.myspace.com/asleeplessmelodymusic They are releasing their first demo in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Harry has been playing trumpet since the age of twelve and learnt to scat from listening to the Jazz greats. Harry went to primary school at Malvern Primary School, where he would often perform as a vocalist at school assemblies. Harry went to high school at McKinnon Secondary College and was taught by Ian Orr in Melbourne before studying at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2006 he appeared twice as a panelist on the ABC Australian Music Quiz show Spicks and Specks. Harry is also part of The Conglomerate, a four-piece Melbourne jazz band.
Liz Stringer is a singer, songwriter and musician based in Melbourne, Australia. With a reputation for utterly captivating live shows and a string of albums already behind her, Liz Stringer has established herself as one of Australia’s most exciting and talented musicians. Described by the Australian Herald Sun Newspaper as “an old-fashioned, Springsteen-style storyteller with a soulful, mature voiceâ€, Stringer combines intimate, complex narratives with haunting vocals to create unique contemporary roots music.
Stringer most recent and her fourth studio album “Warm In The Darknessâ€, sees a departure from the intimacy of 2010’s solo record Tides of Time in favour of a bigger, more bombastic sound, with horns, organs and guitars accentuating the rock-solid foundation of long-time bandmates Tim Keegan (bass) and Adam May (drums) with the addition of Van Walker on guitar. The album was co-produced by Stringer and the Killjoys’ Craig Pilkington, who engineered and played guitar on Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s renowned debut and has produced/engineered many of Australia’s greats.
Described by the Music Australia Guide as “a true wordsmithâ€, Stringer’s indescribable voice and intimate stories capture the full spectrum of human emotions. To see her perform live is to see an audience utterly captivated, hanging on every word and every hook as Stringer guides them through journeys of heartbreak, sorrow, hope and love.
Bursting onto the scene in 2006 with her impressive debut Soon, Stringer’s smoky voice and deft guitar work attracted the attention of ARIA award winner Mia Dyson, with whom she toured in 2006 and 2009. Supports, tours and shows with the likes of Ash Grunwald, Jeff Lang, Weddings Parties Anything, Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea, Eric Bibb (US) and Joe Henry (US) soon followed. Stringer was also invited to be part of Deborah Conway’s 2008 “Broad†tour, with performances at the Sydney Opera House, QPAC in Brisbane and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall.
More recent festival highlights have included Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Mossvale Music Festival and the Australasian World Music Expo.
A passionate advocate of independent music, Liz released Warm In The Darkness and her earlier recordings as a firm independent.
Amazingly & without label backing, Liz has a ground swell of interest within the independent and greater music industry, and is widening this interest and acclaim with the releases of Pendulum, Tides of time and now Warm In The Darkness.
Liz has also recently just finished a 36 date tour all around Australia as 'Dyson Stringer Cloher' with Mia Dyson and Jen Cloher where all 3 artist onstage playing on each others songs backed up by the amazing Danny McKenna on drums and the awesome Tim Keegan on bass. More info on that here: http://dysonstringercloher.com/ & you can get the 3 track (1 song from each artist) Tour EP exclusively from Milk! Records here: http://store.milkrecords.com.au/album/dyson-stringer-cloher-2013-tour-ep
WEBSITE: http://lizstringer.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/lizstringermusic
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/#!/LizStringerAU
BANDCAMP: http://lizstringer.bandcamp.com/
For all booking enquiries and requests contact Cat Leahy at the Booking Stable:
Email: cat@thebookingstable.com
Web: www.thebookingstable.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Frank Turner is a burgeoning solo artist based in the United Kingdom. He has toured the UK extensively and gone on a few forays into Central and Eastern Europe since the demise of his former band Million Dead. Frank Turner started solo acoustic shows prior to Million Dead's break up. The first official performance was at the first Small Town America all dayer at 93 Feet East on September 18th 2004. The solo performances were, in a sense, a sideline to Million Dead.
Drawing on influences from old-time jazz standards, folk balladry and traditional country, Halifax Nova Scotia’s Jill Barber has become one of Canada’s most distinctive young voices. Jill is gaining acclaim and radio play for her new 2008 album " Chances" and her status as a 2008 double-Juno nominee and multiple East Coast Music Award winner for previous releases "For all Time" (2006) and "Oh Heart" (2004).
Blind from birth, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is from the Gumatj nation and his mother is from the Galpu nation, both from North East Arnhemland. A former member of Yothu Yindi, now with his own Saltwater Band, whose members are all from Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island. Gurrumul's beautiful voice sings the songs of his Gumatj country.