Tag Archives: blues
The Sheyana Band – Big Love
Hussy Hicks Are Back – New Album On The Boundaries
New Review Just In – 16 November
“Review of Hussy Hicks new album On The Boundaries . Another brilliant release for 2017.This great scorched land has birthed 3 remarkable albums this year & we are now joined by a 4th.Hussy Hicks join the elite company of Charles Jenkins , 19Twenty & Woodland Hunters with the delivery of On The Boundaries. You don’t lose sheer talent like you lose the flavour of chewing gum , and Leesa Gentz & Julz Parker are blossoming & blooming from album to album. Leesa’s soaring voice of evocative, volcanic velvet is like honey for your soul & the fretwork of Julz is fire & brimstone one minute & yet the epitome of controlled restraint the next. Co-conspirator Raph White adds the sonic soundtrack like an idiosyncratic Daniel Lanois or Mitchell Froom , and his brushstrokes are an embellishment to be revered.I first saw these ladies support Turin Brakes in Fremantle & my ears were converted & prised wonderfully wide open.Are they a cult secret ? I’m not certain , but we should all join hands , buy this stunning offering and make these ladies wealthy. It would only be justice for the riches this album conveys.
Cheers Duncan Smith Top Shelf Music 89.7FM So much music so little time.”
With their new single Mutiny recently Premiered with repeat plays on Triple J Roots N All the Hussy Hicks are well pleased with their collaborative efforts on the new album. Teaming up with long time friend London based Producer Raphael White the girls have created a stunning new album that will surprise some but still maintains their folk and blues roots.They are currently on tour in the USA and head home this month to drop the record and head out for their Australian dates starting in WA (listed below)
Almost 10 years after the release of their debut album Hussy Hicks
are back with their fifth full length offering, On the Boundaries. A
departure from their trademark live recordings, this album sees the
Hussy Hicks experiment with their sound and production to create
something familiar yet fresh. It’s the Hussy Hicks embracing a
creative approach and the results are nothing short of stunning.
The Gold Coast based band has made a name for themselves locally
and on the international stages the old fashioned way – not through a
Youtube video gone viral or a Facebook post shared thousands of
times, but by playing their music and connecting with audiences
one passionate performance at a time.
Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz possess a special connection and an
innate understanding of each other musically. Their unique sound
spans many genres from boisterous blues and roots, to
contemporary folk, alt country and power ballads.
For this album they joined forces with long time friend and musical
collaborator Raphael White. Their trust in him as a producer allowed
them to expand on their live sound and conduct some sonic
experiments in his London studio.
“Stylistically I guess the biggest difference between this and our
last albums would be the layering; more vocals, more guitars, more
time spent on production” says Julz. ““We tried not to be beholden to our live
sound, to keep the tracks open to be able to grow in any direction.
The way we found was best for that was to start each song by
Leesa laying down a couple of shaker tracks (as we do live) so that
we all had a solid foundation groove that we were all comfortable to build upon. We then sang
and played all the different ideas we had for each song and left
Raph with a bit of a sonic smorgasboard to play with.
It’s not a folk album, its not a blues album, its
not an alt-country album but it still has bits of all our influences
wrapped up in there and we’re super happy with the result.”
On The Boundaries (Funk/Fauna)
Release Date November 10 All Platforms
Radio Amrap/AiritALBUM PRE ORDER LINK-
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/on-the-boundaries/id1293275790
The Hussy Hicks are also pleased to announce their upcoming Tour DatesNov 8 – WA Redcliffe on the Murray
Nov 9 – WA Settlers Tavern
Nov 10-12 – WA Bridgetown Blues Festival
Nov 14 – WA Perth Blues Club
Nov 15 – WA Clancy’s Fremantle
Nov 17-19 – NSW Mullum Music Festival
Nov 25-27 – VIC Queenscliff Music Festival
Dec 1-3 – NSW – Sydney Blues and Roots Festival Windsor
Dec 8 – NSW Tintenbar Hall
Dec 9 – QLD House with No Walls Eumundi
Dec 15 QLD Summertime Sessions in the Village – Gold Coast
Release Date November 10 All Platforms
Radio Amrap/AiritALBUM PRE ORDER LINK-
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/on-the-boundaries/id1293275790
The Hussy Hicks are also pleased to announce their upcoming Tour DatesNov 8 – WA Redcliffe on the Murray
Nov 9 – WA Settlers Tavern
Nov 10-12 – WA Bridgetown Blues Festival
Nov 14 – WA Perth Blues Club
Nov 15 – WA Clancy’s Fremantle
Nov 17-19 – NSW Mullum Music Festival
Nov 25-27 – VIC Queenscliff Music Festival
Dec 1-3 – NSW – Sydney Blues and Roots Festival Windsor
Dec 8 – NSW Tintenbar Hall
Dec 9 – QLD House with No Walls Eumundi
Dec 15 QLD Summertime Sessions in the Village – Gold Coast
Jan 19-21 – NSW Thredbo Blues Festival
Checkout the stripped back version of current single Mutiny (premiered on Triple J) captured live in the European Winter for Youtube
Fearlessly independent, Hussy Hicks are making their own way in
the musical landscape. This album cements their reputation as
musicians who are dedicated passion, courage, creativity and a
distinct refusal to compromise their vision.
While the band have a tried and true formula for making amazing
music, they’re not afraid to change it up, challenge themselves and
try new things. Like the best artists, they are always looking for
ways to grow and this album represents a new and exciting chapter
in the good book of Hussy Hicks.
-Social media links
https://www.facebook.com/hussyhicks/
https://twitter.com/hussyhicks?lang=en-Official site
http://www.hussyhicks.com/en/newsYouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBEJG9RXjBiENJNWFeM–eg
https://www.facebook.com/hussyhicks/
https://twitter.com/hussyhicks?lang=en-Official site
http://www.hussyhicks.com/en/newsYouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBEJG9RXjBiENJNWFeM–eg
Aussie Blues Guitarist James Southwell close to a Grammy Nomination
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
Itunes
Spotify
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
28th January NSW – Waves – Towradgi Beach Hotel
10th February ACT – A Beer Day Out Rocks The George Canberra
-Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/JamesSouthwellMusic/
https://www.facebook.com/JamesSouthwellMusic/
-Official site
https://www.jamessouthwell.com/
YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6gnAD0a8PgLSj51H2_Xh3w
The Mezcaltones – Painted Lady
QnA With Tenille Rogers from The Dirty Earth
Tell us about the moment you decided to become a singer/writer? What did your family have to say about it?
I actually got into music from a very early age. I did the obligatory recorder and piano lessons, and my older sister and I used to make up songs and put on shows for our parents. However, the turning point for me was when my sister started taking guitar lessons when I was 8 years old (she was 11 at the time) and because I wanted to be just like her I begged my mom to let me go as well. I did acoustic lessons for 4 years and then went on to learn electric with another teacher, who encouraged me to record my first EP at the age of 12. My parents have both been extremely supportive of me throughout, driving me to gigs when I was a teen and coming along to cheer me on.
What inspired you to become an artist and who are your early influences?
I was very lucky to grow up with parents who loved music. My mother has always been into her rock music like the Stones, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, while my dad loves his soul music. I loved the classics like Etta James and Dusty Springfield but my passion always lay in rock music. I greatly admire Joan Jett, I’m a huge fan of Jefferson Airplane and Fleetwood Mac are an all time favourite of mine.
Tell us a little about your writing process, how does a song come along? What gets you going creatively?
When I’m writing solo stuff I usually start from the vocal melody up. I find a phrase or a line that really speaks to me and then I write around it. While in the band however it’s a lot more collaborative. Either Raff has a really good idea and fleshes it out or he gives it to me to do the vocal lines, as well as some great tunes that were born out of a jam session and a killer riff that we’ve just run with, much like Cheating Heart our current single (LISTEN HERE)
What current Local acts inspire you and why? What international acts?
I love Alpine because they’re quirky and fun. They mirror a lot of the attitude that I loved so much in No Doubt so it’s a throwback to my teens. Internationally I’m heavily influenced by The Donnas and Adele.
What are your future plans for 2017/2018?
At the moment we’re focussing on Aurora and getting some good mileage out of it because to be honest it’s a pretty solid album. We have already started tentatively looking at some new songs for the next album but we’re also bringing some old songs from Ascendancy and Autonomic out for our sets to keep things new and exciting for our fans.
Official Site
www.thedirtyearth.com
Facebook
www.facebook.com/thedirtyearth
Spotify
www.play.spotify.com/artist
Hussy Hicks – Pirate Flag
Mama K and The Big Love-Moth to The Flame
Backtrack Blues Band – Album Reviews and Praises
Backtrack Blues Band – “Way Back Home” Reviews
On its latest release,“Way Back Home,” the Backtrack Blues Band has delivered an exciting harp and guitar-infused album that really hits the mark! The solid grooves, stellar guitar, electrifying harmonica, and vocals make this album one of the best blues releases of 2016. Reminiscent of the sounds of Paul Butterfield and the early Fabulous Thunderbirds, the songs on this record are true electric blues with lots of soul and energy. The band has won three consecutive Tampa Bay Music Awards for “Best Blues Band” and has performed at festivals and concerts around the world with blues music legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B.King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Gregg Allman, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, and others. “Way Back Home” marks the band’s fifth album, and the critics have proclaimed it the band’s best work! “Way Back Home” is receiving worldwide airplay, placing it at #8 on Roots Music Blues Rock Radio Chart. Even more, “Way Back Home” was selected among the world’s top 50 blues albums of 2016!
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/au/album/way-back-home/id1147238331
Reviews and Praises
“This is blues par excellence, raw essential blues and quintessentially this type of music is what the term was designed for! … In truth this album is the best I’ve been fortunate enough to review. Musically this disc is flawless, the arrangements and the vocals are superb and the instrumental renditions truly magnificent! It is a must for any aficionado of the blues genre,” – Tom Walker, Blues Matters Magazine
(backtrackbluesband.com/images/way-back-home-review.jpg)
“Backtrack Blues Band has been delivering some of the finest blues to come out of the Sunshine State and continues to do so onWay Back Home. This album is a must have for all blues lovers. If it’s piano blues that gets your engine humming, then this album is for you. If you can’t get enough harp playing, you will be left breathless. This album is sure to make existing fans happy and bring numerous new fans out to see The Backtrack Blues Band,” – Steve Crowley, American Blues Scene
(americanbluesscene.com/2017/01/backtrack-blues-bands-way-back-home-keeps-fans-warm)
“The songs drip with guitar and harp and you just can’t help tapping your feet to the infectious rhythms. Their sound is reminiscent of the early electric Muddy Waters, with the harp getting plenty of air and there’s lots of tasty Texas-inspired guitar throughout,” – John Knighton, Fatea Records
(fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/reviews/BacktrackBluesBand)
Find more outstanding reviews for “Way Back Home” here: backtrackbluesband.com/reviews
Social Links
Website
backtrackbluesband.com
Facebook
facebook.com/BacktrackBluesBand
Twitter
twitter.com/backtrackblues