All posts by Marshall Cullen

Tailor Bird (AUS)

Tailor Birds New Album Stilts On The Water

Tailor Birds New Hot Album Stilts On The Water

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Sophie Kinston is Tailor Birds.
Stilts On The Water Tailor Birds newest album is music that soothes the soul, warms the spirit, and ignites your passion.

This is world folk at its’ finest, music at its’ most raw, Tailor Birds combines electronic violin, live looping, foley art, and rich harmonised vocals, to create a sound like no other. A sound that is all about the vibe and positive energy, building an audience that is as diverse as much as it is one, you could say that Sophie is a traveling troubadour. She believes that music should not just be about playing one gig after another with just the music making an impact, but is also o about connecting people to something good again, in a world that is constantly changing. Music needs to inspire and placing Tailor Birds in a space that can do just that, it makes an impact greater than you could ever imagine.

Tailor Birds is currently touring through Australia and Europe

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SAT – Apr 14, 2018 12pm – Glebe Public School – Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, Sydney, NSW

SAT – Apr 21, 2018 2pm – Manly Markets – Sydney Rd, Manly, Sydney, NSW

FRI – Apr 27, 2018 8pm – St Albans Folk Festival – Hawkesbury, NSW

SAT – May 12, 2018 4pm – Mothers’ Day Twilight Market – Middlemount Markets

SUN – May 13, 2018 7.30am – Willows Market  - Cnr Thuringowa Dr & Hervey Range Rd, Townsville, QLD

SAT – May 19, 2018 7am – Innisfail Lioness Market – Anzac Memorial Park, Edith St, Innisfail, QLD

SAT – May 26, 2018 5.30pm – Riverbend Tours – Cooktown Boat Ramp, 50 Furneaux St, Cooktown QLD

SAT – Jun 02, 2018 7am – Cardwell, QLD

SAT – Nov 03, 2018 2pm – The Sound Society – Rainforest Green, South Bank Parklands, The Arbour, South Brisbane, QLD

SAT – Nov 24, 2018 – Middlemount Markets – Middlemount

European Tour

THU – Jun 21, 2018 8pm – Holland, UK, Ireland, Italy, and further afield Europe tour 2018!!

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Spotify

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Facebook Link

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Website Link

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Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer (USA)

Let There Be Light Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer New Album

Let There Be Light is the New follow-up album

of multi-instrumentalist Tom Moore and

award-winning flutist Sherry Finzer

 

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Heart Dance Recordings is proud to announce the new release of multi-instrumentalist Tom Moore and award-winning New Age flutist Sherry Finzer -

Let There Be Light

New age, ambient, meditational music

Let There Be Light is the follow up to the duo’s highly successful release of Whispers from Silence, which received worldwide airplay on FM, Internet Radio, SXM Spa Channel, and numerous airline placements.

This album’s music is an expression of a journey. It is about movement not only in our outer life, but equally on the inner plane. Light is the most omnipresent element in nature. The universe is made up of light, which then becomes vibrations and sound. The purpose of this album is to help bring “light” to the listener in as many forms as possible.

Link to purchase the Album:

Itunes:

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Spotify Link

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Album Review:
Mainly Piano 
Review by Kathy Parsons

Let There Be Light is a very positive and uplifting listening experience that is sure to ease away the stresses of daily life. It is available from Amazon and iTunes. Highly recommended!

New Age CD
Review by Dyan Garris

From the very first notes, the music effortlessly leads us into a place that transcends space and time, effectively reaching its goal of translating the frequency of light into sound. The album is broad in its appeal, multi-dimensional in its scope, and through each song we find ourselves inside ourselves, and yet at the very same time beyond

Facebook Links

Sherry Finzer                                     Tom Moore

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Diana Anaid – The Better Girl Tour

The Better Girl Tour 

UPDATE MAY

Diana Anaid’s Better Girl East Coast Tour is well underway

Starting with a couple of out of town shows north of Brisbane last weekend including the huge ‘Rockin for the Homeless’ benefit at Redcliffe Leagues the shows are rolling out…heres some  reviews already…

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“Diana Anaid was up next, shes been around a long time now
I remember hearing stuff years ago and thinking she was
very much like Ani Difranco, I didnt get that last night
she has found her own voice and its one of a kind
It was a great performance
Shes playing a few shows up here including one at the
milk factory in west end on the 4th of may
and the stones corner festival on the 6th”- striped sunshine blog Rockin for the Homeless review 

and

“On My Queen (Diana) presents a soundscape that traverses everything from art-rock (Into your Heart) to jagged Alt Country(Can’t Apologise) to Reggae Ska(Mortify Me). Braveheart boldly veers into electronica…The current single the classic rock Better Girl manifests the albums theme of gender identity and empowerment.” Cyclone Werner- The Music

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The Better Girl Tour takes in venues from Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Sunshine Coast
and more. (See dates below)
Openers include Ben Camden, Rosie Burgess, Kristy Coote, Meg Ripps, Essie Thomas and Dreadlock Cowboy.
Diana’s lineup will vary from 3 piece to unplugged mode depending on the venues and the tour also takes in The Brisbane Stones Corner Festival and The Rockin’ for The Homeless benefit.
One of the very special features of the tour is the album’s Producer Steve James(Toyah Willcox, Skunkhour, The Saints, Screaming Jets)
will be guesting on select shows in a Question and Answer session with Diana.

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Complete dates
The Better Girl Tour – Presented by TheMusic
April Fri 20th Nimbin, ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY Nimbin Bush Theatre
, NSW (w/Essie Thomas and special guest Steve James ‘Q&A’)   $10 Tix at https://nimbinbushtheatre.com/events
April Fri 27th Eumundi, Imperial Hotel, Sunshine Coast QLD 
$15 + bk fee presale & $20 on night   Tix from Venue or  http://www.imperialhoteleumundi.com.au/whats-on
April Sat 28th Redcliff, ROCKIN’ 4 The Homeless, Redcliff Leagues Club QLD (w/ Hoodoo Gurus unplugged)
$57   Tix from Venue or  https://www.rockin4thehomeless.com/buy-tickets
May Fri 4th Brisbane, The Milk Factory, QLD w/ Meg Ripps and Dreadlock Cowboy
$15 + bk fee presale & $20 on night   Tix from Venue or  www.oztix.com.au
May Sun 6th Brisbane, Stones Corner Festival, QLD, w/ Custard, the Mavis’s, Screamfeeder and more 
https://www.stonescornerfestival.com.au/
May Fri 18th Melbourne, The Caravan Music Club, w/ Rosie Burgess 
Tickets $15 + bk fee presale & $20 on night. Tix from venue Ph (03) 95681432   or www.caravanmusic.com.au/
May Thurs 24th Newcastle, Hotel Cambridge w/ Ben Camden and Kristy Coote $12/15
Ticket link for Diana Anaid – https://events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/diana-anaid
May Fri 25th Canberra, Smiths Alternative, ACT, 10pm w/ Ben Camden 
$15 + bk fee presale & $20 on night Tix from Venue or  https://www.smithsalternative.com/
May Sat 26th Sydney, Factory Floor, w/ Ben Camden and Steve James (‘qna’) $15 + bk fee presale & $20 on night
Tix from Venue or http://www.factorytheatre.com.au/events/factory

Link to Tickets just click the image-

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Link to New Single Better Girl (OUT NOW) MGM

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Better Girl is the second single from Diana’s current Album My Queen(MGM).
The culmination of 7 years of writing and Co-written with longtime guitarist Nathan Correy, produced by Aria Award Winning Steve James the album has already earned praise such as
“Diana’s a rock ‘n’ roll firecracker… a totally passionate one-off'”- Michael Smith – Rhythms

“My Queen’ has all the heartache, wit, poetry and honesty of her most well-known work.” – MJ O’Neill-TheMusic

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Current Album 
My Queen(MGM)

Out Now

TheMusic 4 star full review

100% Rock Magazine full review

Rhythms Magazine full review

With comparisons to Liz Phair, P.J Harvey and Ani DiFranco, Diana Ah Naid (as she was known until changing it to the palindromic Anaid) in 2004 cracked the U.S market with Last Thing and her ‘No Boys Allowed’ campaign, which saw the single climb into the Billboard Top40.     
Diana’s career highlights include US Billboard Top 40 placement, 5 ARIA nominations, 2 inclusions in Triple J’s Hottest 100 and sets at the BDO, Falls, Vans Warped, Woodford and Byron Blues Fest.

“…wistful and edgy, rebellious and arty, relentlessly creative..with an amazing voice.” 100% Rock
“The spirit is honest, heartfelt and pleads with listeners to, well, listen…'” MusicLove
“The Australian equivalent of Alanis Morissette, the alternative rock/pop on display is world class.” OverDrive

-Social media links
https://twitter.com/dianaanaid
https://www.facebook.com/dianaanaidmusic
https://www.instagram.com/dianaanaidmusic/

-Official site 
https://www.dianaanaid.com

YouTube channel  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p0p7ppxY20&list=PLqyZpey416YThLG8Apq43uYsJ32UNU7J0

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Flow with their self titled Debut Album

FLOW: A DYNAMIC NEW AGE IN MUSIC

Will Ackerman, Fiona Joy Hawkins, Lawrence Blatt and Jeff Oster Take a Open Approach to Musical Discovery, Embracing Friendship While Building Organic Songs for their eponymous new release–FLOW.

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Forty years after Windham Hill became a catalyst for the global musical phenomenon, its bountiful legacy of best-selling solo works (George Winston, Liz Story, Alex DeGrassi, Michael Hedges) and Grammy-winning ensembles (Shadowfax)–extends into a truly new age with FLOW–a new four-piece ensemble comprised of Ackerman and three of today’s most acclaimed independent artists, Australian pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins, acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt and flugelhorn master Jeff Oster. All in, FLOW members have accumulated literally dozens of accolades, from GRAMMY® Awards, ZMRs, IMAs, IAMAs and a catalog of #1 albums in the genre.

FLOW, on Blatt’s LMB Music label, came together to record deep in the West River Valley in Southern Vermont, at Imaginary Road Studios, the longtime creative home base of legendary Grammy-winning acoustic guitarist Will Ackerman, the original founder of Windham Hill; the 282-acre property in Windham County has become a hotbed of acoustic excellence over the past 25 years.

Ackerman shared his thoughts on the process of recording with FLOW, saying – “There was a moment in the process of making FLOW with Fiona, Lawrence and Jeff when I felt a hint of panic that my pieces were being altered and transformed into something very different from what I would have done with them on a Will Ackerman record. It was in the moment just after this thought that I realized that FLOW was actually working… that I was experiencing real synergy. The group had become a creative entity unto itself and four dear friends had gathered to create something beyond anything they could have created on their own.Experiments don’t always work. This one worked!?”

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As officially announced, the concept of FLOW had its origins in 2015, when Blatt invited Fiona and Oster to join him at Imaginary Road to create an album inspired by the iconic Windham Hill sound and ensembles. Ackerman had already produced several of Fiona Joy Hawkin’s and Oster’s albums plus Blatt’s recordings The Color of Sunshine, Emergence, and Latitudes and Longitudes featuring Oster on horn; Blatt and Fiona met while recording a special project on Blue Coast Music.

Oster remembers that each of them brought two or three songs to the project to which they added their parts under the guidance of Ackerman’s longtime production partner at Imaginary Road, Tom Eaton. The group likens Eaton’s multi-faceted role in the success of the project as that of The Fifth Beatle.

Reflecting on FLOW’s debut project, Oster says, “If you look back into any time of human existence, this need for peaceful breathing and listening has always and will always be deeply important. It’s not only New Age music, it is EVERY AGE music!”

FLOW made their official debut with an album release celebration at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on October 6, 2017. The group is booking concert dates this Spring, including a featured performance at the Zone Music Awards on Saturday May 12th at Roussell Hall in New Orleans; they are nominated for both Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

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AXS Review

“By Sari Cohen”

“These are four musicians who are all self-sufficient in their talents. They’re brilliant at making albums that are unique and musically successful as soloists. The lovely surprise is that they, we, all managed with grace and ease to come together and create something new and different from anything any of us had ever done before,” Grammy-winner Will Ackerman explains.

World Music Central Review

“By Angel Romero”

Flow is a supergroup of musicians who have been involved with New Age music for many years. The term New Age is used to describe a wide range of genres, from easy listening acoustic music to electronic meditation music. In this case, Flow performs peaceful and ethereal instrumental music with smooth jazz, folk, gliding ambient sounds and classical music elements.

Website Link

https://www.flowthegroup.com/

Link to USA Tour Dates and Tickets

FLOW hope to tour Australia at select locations in 2019

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hh full tour dates

Hussy Hicks: Ten Things You Never Knew About the Band and New Tour Dates

Just announced Byron Bay Blues fest performance on the

31 March & 1 April 

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The new single Silence Creeping is Due out March 2nd but you can checkout the stunning new video right now as it was premiered recently on Whatsmyscene.com

With the girls already on tour here’s some little known facts the girls have recently divulged….

Ten Things You Never Knew About Hussy Hicks

  1. Hussy Hicks started out as a three piece, playing a residency in a bar in the Middle East with Julz, Leesa, and Leesa’s sister, Kristy
  2. The original three members of Hussy hicks, Julz, Leesa, and Kristy, recently got the band back together to feature in ABC for Kid’s TV series “Get Grubby TV” as Dirt Girls’ all girl band, encouraging kids to get outside, be creative, gros things, and be less wasteful.
  3. Both Leesa and Julz started playing music as tweens, playing a similar circuit of pub venues around NSW and SE Qld from the ages of 11 and 13, yet never crossed paths until they were in their early 20’s.
  4. Aside from music, Hussy Hicks’ current obsessions are:
    1. Julz – Astronomy, cheese, and crypto currencies
    2. Leesa – fermenting, fermenting, fermenting
  5. Julz and Leesa did a stint as “artists in residence” for five months in Dachau, Germany where the only phrase they managed to learn in Bavarian dialect directly translates as “Hello old sausage skin”
  6. Leesa was a signed country music starlet with a record contract with ABC Country and a songwriting deal with Warner/Chappell Publishing at age 17. When she was 18, she appeared in a Rolling Stone feature on the rising stars of Australian country music.
  7. Sinead O’Connor once said, “This is Julz – She’s the funniest f*cker you’ll ever meet,”
  8. While touring in australia, Hussy Hicks usually trip around in their old Hiace camper van, and often still choose parking out under the stars over posh hotel rooms. On their first tour of the USA in 2006 they hired a Ford F250 van and drove it thousands of miles ending up in situations that certainly can’t be condensed into a point form article!
  9. The infamous Hussy Hicks bass player “Tracy Bassy” has been playing with Julz and Leesa since well before the band got together, though doesn’t like photo shoots, video shoots, or any kind of extra publicity.
  10. Out of Julz and Leesa’s combined 6 siblings, 4 have been gigging members of Hussy Hicks at some stage.

 

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Although they’ve been playing together since 2005, February 2018 marks ten years since Gold Coast act Hussy Hicks released their first album and undertook their first National Tour. It’s been an amazing decade with the release of five full length albums, many circumnavigations of the globe, playing countless gigs in the US and Europe as well as pretty much every festival and town in Australia.

To celebrate this landmark the girls are starting their National Single Release Tour in WA and then across the East Coast for a string of gigs from February and stretching all the way into June.

Complete Australian dates
17-18 Feb  Boyup Brook Country Music Festival WA
20 Feb – Perth Blues Club WA
21 Feb – Mojo’s Fremantle WA
22 Feb – Settlers Tavern Margaret River WA
23 Feb – Karma Rottnest WA
24 Feb – South West Blues Club WA
25 Feb – Redcliffe on the Murray, Pinjarra WA
1 March – Live at the Backlot, Perth WA
2 and 3 March – Nannup Music Festival WA
4 March – Clancy’s Fish Pub Dunsborough WA
9,10,11 March Port Fairy Folk Festival VIC
14 March – Open Studio Northcote VIC
15 March – Republic Br Hobart TAS
16, 17 March – Forth Festival TAS
23rd March Currumbin Soundlounge QLD
25th March – Stag and Hunter, Newcastle NSW

31 March & 1 April -Bluesfest Byron Bay, NSW
6 April – Royal Mail Goodna QLD
15 April – Bleach Festival – Gold Coast QLD
May 3 – Surfers Paradise Live Festival (Gold Coast Music Awards)
May 6 – Surfers Paradise Live Festival
8-10 June Peak Festival Perisher NSW

See Full Tour Press Release Here

Current Album ‘On The Boundaries’

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Social media links
https://www.facebook.com/hussyhicks/
https://twitter.com/hussyhicks?lang=en

-Official site
http://www.hussyhicks.com/en/news

YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBEJG9RXjBiENJNWFeM–eg

The Sheyana Band (AUS)

The Sheyana Band – New Single BIG LOVE and a chat with singer Sheyana

With their first single BIG LOVE just released from the forthcoming album of the same name due out mid March we managed to get hold of the bands singer and founder Sheyana all the way down in the deep south of Australia – Tasmania to be exact. The interview reveals theres a lot more to this rocking blues band and Sheyana’s influences than you may think – London, Sri Lanka and even Keith Richards earn a mention……

What inspired you to become an artist and who are your early influences?

“Born in the UK, I was inspired by the British 70’s era. Raised in London, watching “Top of the Pops” and listening to music by David Bowie, Jimmy Hendrix & The Jackson 5, we would often go to concerts at Hyde Park to see our favourite band, The Rolling Stones. The feeling was overwhelming and I knew back then, I wanted to write songs and play music. I come from a musical family. My Nan was a mezzo soprano champion and my Pop hand-crafted acoustic guitars. After my Pop passed away and my Mum & Dad separated, we migrated from the UK to Tasmania and I found inspiration in our local chapel listening to the beautiful harmonies from my mother’s family choir. David Bowie, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Renee Geyer, The Beach Boys, AC/DC & Alice Cooper, and Kiss were all constant on my record player.”

Your Bio Mentions Keith, tell us the story?

“My Tasmanian mother and my Sri Lankan father met in the late 60’s on a ship bound for England. I was born in the UK, living in London in the early 70’s. We were living in an apartment at Ivor Court in London, two doors down from The Rolling Stones. I used to ride my tricycle up and down the hallway, and Keith Richards took a shine to me. He used to always take the time to talk to me and pat me on the head as I rode by, learning to ride my first bike. I have early memories of being drawn to him, often talking with him as they were going in and out of their apartment. This is a memory I will never forget.  I went on to begin my music career in the late 90’s, with my song “Wash me in the Water” being selected to feature on “Bloomers One” – Australian Women’s Singer Songwriter’s Album. Following with my debut album “Firehorse” in 2002, and EP “Sweet Honesty in 2010, which received an International songwriting award. During this time, my Dad who was now living in Sri lanka reconnected with me after all these years and we set up a Sri lankan tour with a promoter in Columbo, which included MTV appearances, live shows, radio interviews and airplay, and I made my first video clip for the single “Undone”.  It was a successful, exciting, emotional time for us all. The missing piece in the puzzle was found. I also found a new fanbase for my music and a second island home.                                                                                         The 2nd EP release, “Keep the Change” ( first release with The Sheyana Band), hit the charts in Columbo at Number 6, and The Sheyana Band were nominated in the Top 5 Band’s in Sri Lanka 2015. We were invited to their awards night, so I headed to Sri lanka to make my second video clip, along with TV & Radio appearances and some shows. This has been the journey, which has brought me to the release of the latest album “Big Love”.                                                                                      I’m hoping that my Father will be around to see my new music, as he is battling with cancer.  Im planning to meet him in the UK later this year and play some shows. So it has come full circle, as I will return to the UK for the first time since I was a child meeting Keith.”

What current Australian acts inspire you and why? What international acts?  

“Meg Mac, Gang of Youths – I recently saw both  when I performed at Party in The Paddock. They have become favourites. I love their stage presences. Both send clear messages with great vocals, loads of soul, with catchy riffs and good hook lines.”

“Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age –  these International acts have been a huge inspiration for me, with their clever songwriting, high energy & big guitar sounds, and I”m really inspired by the way they have always done what they believed in without wavering or selling their soul, much like Tom Petty did throughout his career ”

Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show?

“The songs and our live shows are exciting,  edgy & accessible. Featuring great musicianship from my band, there is something for everyone in our music, From heart wrenching acoustic ballads, to rocking dance songs and catchy riffs, rooted in the blues, we cross over into rock, country and pop.”

Whats your favourite Place?

” Laurel Creek – in the midst of a NW Tasmanian rainforest by a babbling brook. This is my property with 50 acres of wilderness. Its a magic healing place with naturally formed hexagonal sandstone rocks and crystals, which I built my house from.”

What are your future plans for 2018/2019?

“Developing songwriting skills and collaborating with other artists.                        Going back to my roots to Perform in the UK & Sri Lanka. Going back into the studio to record some new material with The Sheyana Band & to record a stripped back solo album.”

Thanks Sheyana , finally what shows have you coming up ?

“We’ve just been asked to do a big sports event -
Sat February 24 – It’s an AFL Match with North Melbourne and Carlton, at Twin  Ovals in Kingston, Hobart.
I’ll be appearing on Roots of Rhythm 
PBS 106.7FM in Melbourne with Helen Jennings on
Wednesday Feb 21 at 10.15am talking about the Album.
We also have a couple of smaller Tassy  gigs:
Fri Feb 23 Prickly Mos Wineries Eugenia, TAS
March 10 Cradle Forest Inn – Moina, TAS
Then we’ll be launching the album on
Checkout the Official Video for BIG LOVE-
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Stream, buy, connect –

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