Tag Archives: blues rock

Kaijin Solo Releases Single ‘Elektra’

May 31, 2024 Marshall Cullen

When the Stars, Greek Mythology and Music align….

The name of the Pleiades Star Cluster comes from Ancient Greek. It probably derives from plein (“to sail”) because of the cluster’s importance in delimiting the sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea. In mythology the name was used for the Pleiades, seven divine sisters, the name supposedly deriving from that of their mother Pleione and effectively meaning “daughters of Pleione”.

One of the daughters was named Elektra and here is Kaijin Solo’s single of the same name with him saying-

Kaijin: ‘In a lot of ways I think Elektra is just me hanging on to the thing that good is, despite or even regardless of current global issues. If you have any beliefs at all the sort of stuff that’s been been going down for far too long now is a complete astonishment. I’m not particularly religious but if God is Love, then who is the killing for?’

Kaijin Solo is a contemporary singer/songwriter based on the NSW Central Coast with a blues rock influence. He has been working and honing his craft for many years with various band line-ups and the plentiful bread and butter busking jobs and pub/club gigs around the coast.

In between studio sessions Kaijin formed The Backbeats with Rhys Meyer on Vocals and Keys, Felix Harper on Bass and Ash Feder on Drums. They spent much of 2023 playing local venues such as the infamous Link and Pin, Brackets and Jam on Kincumber Mountain, and Avoca Beach Hotel. Kaijin and Rhys also did a few duo appearances at various venues such as: the Long Jetty Hotel and Bateau Bay Bowling Club.

The band closed out 2023 to a packed crowd as support for The Radiators at Ourimbah RSL. 2024 has kicked off well with a packed house at Mumbo Jumbos at Terrigal and The Hawkesbury Brewing CO. in Lisarow.

Stream ‘Elektra’

Connect with Kaijin

News and Touring

Trysette-Expat Aussie Singer Returns After John Fogerty Tour

October 23, 2020 Marshall Cullen

Expat Aussie Singer Faces Christmas in Quarantine

Trysette Loosemore, Australia’s own back-up singer to the legendary John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) returns to Australia after a whirlwind 12-month tour of the US, Canada and Europe in 2019.

Like the rest of the world, faced with an uncertain and challenging year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Trysette says “I had to make the decision in March this year whether to return home to Australia when the panic was on to repatriate Australians living overseas, but Los Angeles has been my home now for three years and I thought, like everyone else, that this pandemic situation would pass within a few months or sooner than all of us imagined. So I dug in and rode the wave, confident that the touring scene would start up again and everything would be back to normal. I was wrong”

Touring musicians are among the hardest hit of all this year, relying on crowds of people to attend their shows, and in the USA especially, the coast is far from clear for acts to be back out on the road doing what they love to do.

Just as Trysette did with the John Fogerty World Tour in 2019 (pic below)

Photo Credit – Greg Lewis

With all the uncertainty and ever changing rules and regulations, Trysette decided to pack her bags and join the queue of stranded Aussies trying desperately now to get home before Christmas.

Trysette says that “once I decided to return home until work starts up again, I discovered what was really going on with the international travel situation, flight debacles and the two-week mandatory quarantine enforcement on return to Australia. I had no idea how difficult it would be to not only secure a seat on a flight home as the prices are skyrocketing up to $20,000 right now, but to arrive in time to spend Christmas with my family. As it stands, I will arrive in Sydney (Brisbane not possible) mid December just in time to spend Christmas in Quarantine. All this said, I feel very fortunate that I have friends and family in both NSW and QLD who I am extremely excited to see and spend time with, and I have my health. For that I am truly grateful and all the rest of this shall pass”.

2020 has definitely been a defining and transformative year for all, and Trysette has made the most of her time focusing on her songwriting, on-line concerts and a new youtube show she has created called ‘Shoot The Breeze’ where she interviews some of her “Rockstar Friends” so that people who are interested can get to know these stars through her eyes. So far these interviews include Kenny Aronoff (iconic rock drummer to John Fogerty, John Mellencamp and many more), Bob Malone (Singer Songwriter and “Keyboard Wizard” to John Fogerty), Randy Ray Mitchell (guitarist to Donna Summer, Warren Zevon, Keb Mo and more), and while in Australia, Trysette hopes to surprise us with some of our own “Aussie Rockstars” as well. Follow Trysette on her socials below and stay tuned for new music in 2021.

Checkout Trysette’s Releases on Spotify- Just click the image

Connect and Follow Trysette-

News and Touring

Aussie Blues Guitarist James Southwell close to a Grammy Nomination

November 6, 2017 Marshall Cullen

NEWS FLASH! Aussie Blues Guitarist within a whisker of Grammy Nomination

Recorded in Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana with bass player and producer Charlie Wooton of Royal Southern Brotherhood fame, it’s just been announced that Australia’s own premier blues guitarist James Southwell’s latest album, The Dockside Sessions (Where The Wind Blows) is a strong contender for nomination in the forthcoming 60th Grammy Awards in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category!

Featuring some of America’s finest sidemen, among them keyboards player Michael Lemmler from the George Porter Jr Band, harmonica player Jason Ricci, Prince Percussionist Rafael Pereira and Doug Belote from The Eric Clapton and Tedeschi Trucks bands and mastered by six-time Grammy Award-winning engineer David Farrell, the album debuted at #1 on the Australian Blues Airplay Charts and has sat within the top 25 ever since.

Not bad for an album that Southwell, a finalist in both the 2014 and 2015 Memphis Blues Challenge, hadn’t even expected to make. He’d first met Wooton at the Narooma Blues Festival back in 2015 and immediately felt they’d found kindred musical spirits in each other. A few months later Wooton invited Southwell to come on over to record in the US.

“I was shocked and surprised and didn’t expect them to follow it up,” Wooton admits, “but they rang to say they’d booked the flight, Originally just to record a couple of songs that turned into a whole album. From nothing it went to being a full album in Dockside Studios”

“Best album I’ve ever been a part of,” is Wooton’s opinion, while on the subject of Southwell himself,
Riotact reckons “James is not afraid to push his music past all previously existing boundaries and well past what most musicians consider the limits of what is safe.”

The Dockside Sessions(Where The Wind Blows)

OUT NOW(MGM) All Platforms
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Released in June 2017, The Dockside Sessions (Where The Wind Blows) could just become the first album by an Australian blues musician to score a Grammy. The Recording Academy has added the album to the Contemporary Blues Album Category that voting members can vote for Grammy Award Nomination. So let’s all get behind it in whatever way we can and bring in the gold for Australia!

9th December NSW -The Day On The Grass – Wombat

19th-21st January NSW – with special guest Gail Page playing three full band shows, plus two solo acoustic shows at the 2018 Thredbo Blues Festival

26th January NSW – SS & A Club Albury
28th January NSW – Waves – Towradgi Beach Hotel

10th February ACT – A Beer Day Out Rocks The George Canberra