Tag Archives: Roots

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The Sheyana Band Release Single ‘Remarkable Man’

The new uptempo cracking’ single Remarkable Man lifted from The Sheyana Bands EP Ricochet.

The band went into the studio to record a Johnny Cash style country & western ditty, but sound engineer, Russell Pilling, suggested changing the original Americana feel to a tougher AC/DC – Aussie Rock feel. Bingo!! It was like a brand new song and the track fitted like a glove into their new EP ‘Ricochet’.

Sheyana explains: “When I close my eyes, this is how the imagery of the song plays in my mind; show yourself friend or foe! Remarkable Man lines up with both barrels, bullets of pleasure and pain – shining bright, cutting deep, demanding to be loved and loathed. Cover your trusting heart! Do you have the superpowers to survive the impact?”

The track has become a band and fan favourite.

A full throttle country rock number from Sheyana, a very worthy single to follow up to Big Hearts. The song begins with the full band straight in, its up-tempo, catchy and full of riffs and hooks from the very competent guitar section, foot tapping all the way to the end.

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The Sheyana Band’s recent EP, ‘Ricochet’, came together during covid lockdown in Tasmania. Making the best of a bad situation and with time for reflection, Sheyana and the band focused on songwriting, and the music emerged out of conflicting times.

Influenced by the classics and drawing inspiration from their deep Tassie roots, The Sheyana Band are like a fine wine. A ripe fruity musical banquet, fusing stylistic flavours from Australian Rhythm & Soul, American Funk & Blues, English Pop/Rock & Punk with a dash of Southern Country/Folk.

London born, Tasmanian based singer, songwriter and guitarist, Sheyana, has been hooked on music since early childhood. The soulful Celtic/Sri Lankan storyteller brings flavour to the table with her stellar band, featuring Wayne Rand on lead guitars/vocals, Dan Jeffrey on bass & Leigh Hill on drums/vocals.

Following the release earlier this year of their EP, the band embarked on a series of sold out single & album launches across Tasmania. The EP is getting national airplay, charting on Australian Blues and Roots Chart, and received some great national and international album reviews.

The first single & music clip Big Hearts was premiered by Australian music group Scenstr. Internationally, YESFM Sri Lanka recently premiered the track and came in Top 20 on the Yes Home Grown Charts. The band are releasing a second single from the EP, ‘Remarkable Man’ and planning to tour East Coast Australia in 2024, along with some live shows in Sri Lanka.

The Sheyana Band had a top ten hit in Sri Lanka in 2015 with their single ‘Keep the Change’. Sheyana scored a blues award with the OzSong International Song Writing Competition in 2011 for her song ‘Two Birds’, which also made it to the finals in the Fresh Air ABC National Song writing Competition. The Sheyana Band are a favourite act at major Tassie events: Skyfields, Forth Valley Blues Festival, Party In The Paddock, Fruits of the Roots, Festival of King Island, Junction Arts Festival and Riverbend Blues.

The band have supported Deborah Conway, Hoodoo Gurus, Neil Finn, Meg Mac, Mojo Juju, Gang of Youths, Diesel, The Angels, Kevin Borich, Ian Moss, Bill Chambers and Fanny Lumsden. Nationally they won “The Chris Wilson Award” for Emerging Act of Year” with their album Big Love in 2018.

Stream/Download Remarkable Man (Foghorn/MGM) August 18

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Jack Nolan Releases Single ‘Dollar’

When it was just you and me, broke, young, and free, that’s love. No houses, no fast cars, no responsibilities.

“And she loved me like no other / When I did not have one dollar / Not a dollar / On me”

They say when you’re on a good thing, stick to it – so why not go back to Nashville, it worked out perfectly pre-pandemic, why not post-pandemic? And what better way to add a bit of hope to 2022 than a 12 string guitar and a nod to the mighty Wilbury’s? Listen out for Justin Weaver’s jangling 12 string intro to herald the first track release from Jack’s upcoming 2023’s album Jindabyne.

Dollar is a story about hope and knowing things would work out just fine.

“See my reputation follow / When I did not have a dollar / Not a dollar / On me”

An up-tempo acoustic/band based track akin to Paul Kelly from Jack Nolan as the debut single from his forthcoming album. The tune moves along very smoothly with some sweet backing vocals, catchy guitar riffs and Jack’s story telling vocals. A hooky chorus sets the spot on vibe of this one.

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Based in Sydney, Australia, singer songwriter Jack Nolan has been performing and releasing music since the mid 1990’s. Along with a five-album solo catalogue Jack also fronted The Kelly Gang, with Rick Grossman, bassist for The Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus along with Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst and guitar player Martin Rotsey. Their 2004 album Looking for the Sun was critically adored along with their energetic live shows.

Once quaintly described as ‘Darlinghurst Country’, his sound unites elements of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and ambient atmospheres fusing Nolan’s passion for intensely charged electric guitar and finger-picked acoustic guitar.

The critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Our Waverley Star’ was followed up by the equally impressive ‘Gabriel’. It was these two American outings that cemented Nolan’s love of Nashville and built from a connection with guitarist/producer Justin Weaver that started with a one-off phone call and developed into an alliance that Nolan describes as ‘Team America’. What’s now become a regular jaunt is an opportunity for Nolan to get away from all the distractions of home, and “arrive in town, in the northern winter, when everyone’s off the road, with my swag of songs to greet all the boys again to collaborate”.

Jack’s new album – JINDABYNE is set for release in early 2023. This album has waited in the wings while lockdowns and rules meant the guitar took on a whole new meaning. “I arrived home from Nashville in early March 2020 with ‘Gabriel’ ready for mastering. One week later, the world turned on its axis and – lockdown. This created a sense of urgency in me, so I made a conscious decision not to waste the time and went to work writing JINDABYNE. As soon as the plane could fly I was booked and took off back to the US”. 

Stream ‘Dollar’

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Big Merino (AUS)

BiG MERiNO – Debut album Suburban Wildlife

BiG MERiNO – Debut album Suburban Wildlife

Big merino

Sydney based Alt-Country/ Rock/ Soul band Big Merino released their debut album Suburban Wildlife on the 13th of May 2018, all recorded and engineered by Russell Pilling over three weeks at Damian Gerard Studios.

Big Merino songwriters Alex and Stuart write socially and politically-charged song lyrics that are sometimes gentle and nostalgic and at other times nothing less than a fierce cry for revolution.

Big Merino’s music has a handmade quality to it, they try to blur the lines between Rock, Country, Blues, Roots, Soul, Funk, Grunge occasionally and make their way into lesser known genres. Stuart’s passion for New Orleans second lane and Cuban music has its influences in the bass lines and rhythms of several songs.

How did the Big Merino start Alex?

It just grew like topsy, at first it was Stuart and I we went to school together and we played in bands together for years. It was just two old friends jamming and making up tunes then suddenly there was a bass player and finally we found a drummer (We did manage to explode another drummer along the way) and my wife had a birthday coming up so we played a few songs and after that we just kept going.

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What was the first record you bought? And what drove you to make music Alex?

My first record I think it was “Night at the Opera”. It was awesome but I remember ABBA being on high rotation a lot back then or it may have been something deeply uncool.

It’s hard to walk past something as beautiful as a guitar and not want to pick it up. I was your regular earnest, spotty, undateable 15 year old when I first started playing the guitar. I never lost the passion and my early influences were all those sixties and seventies bands.

What was the first record you bought? And what started your journey to make music Stuart?

My first record was The Monkees “Someday Man”. I loved that song! It was classic 60’s pop song written probably by Neil Diamond or some other great songwriter. The B side was a Mike Nesmith song called ‘Listen to The Band’.

In my early 20’s I lived in London with a friend who introduced me to the infamous 100 Club. At that stage it was a Jazz/ Blues venue and I was lucky enough to see several old Blues legends like Memphis Slim, Nina Simone and Slim Gaillard. The night I saw Memphis Slim my whole world changed and I was going to be a performer.

My other big influence is Black Gospel Music. I spent years listening to the great Gospel groups like The Soul Stirrers and The Swan Silvertones – trying to emulate that sometimes ferocious, sometimes tender vocal delivery.

What are the future plans for Big Merino?

Get our album done and out there, get some gigs at festivals and play to bigger audiences, more travelling and playing & singing!

Other cameos on the album include:

Featuring guest performances from the creme de la creme of Australia’s musical talent, including:

Musician of the Year at Tamworth Music Festival Clare O-Meara, player extraordinaire Jonathan Zwartz double bass, Johnny G from Johnny G and the E-Types on piano, organ and accordion, Australia’s most sought after percussionist Jess Ciampa, Living legend James Greening on trombone, sousaphone, euphonium, trumpet, flugelhorn and pocket cornet, the pedal steel player of choice for Australia’s leading country performers Michel Rose from the  band The Catholics, a string quartet from the Sydney Chamber Orchestra. Stuart’s wife Alice is featured on 2 songs for vocals.

Reviews:

Beach sloth – “Big Merino goes for a powerful, heartfelt sound on the symphonic folk musings of Suburban Wildlife.”

http://www.beachsloth.com/big-merino-suburban-wildlife.html

Dancing About Architecture (by Dave Franklin) – “The art of pinning down a band in just a few generic descriptions or a handy soundbite is the stock-in-trade of the music reviewer but I have to admit that it will take a better man than me to concisely pin down Big Merino.”

https://dancingaboutarchitecture.info/2018/05/19/suburban-wildlife-big-merino-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/

Middle Tennessee Music.com (by Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman) – “Comprising of a team of seasoned music makers, Big Merino is the culmination of various musical styles, years of various experiences and the talented personalities which have come together like Voltron to form an appealing, soul-infused rock record that can be listened to from beginning to end…multiple times…without getting old.”

https://www.midtnmusic.com/big-merino-suburban-wildlife/

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