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'Crowfoot blends three major roots systems of traditional music, and the result is electrifying......if this trio is playing a dance or a festival anywhere near you, be there!'
- Sing Out! Magazine Crowfoot's second CD release As The Crow Flies builds on the foundations of wonderful original tune writing laid down on their first CD. The band have not only wonderful instrumental skills but also great arrangements and and lively swing in the tunes - simply excellent. |
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Jane Belfrage is a unique harp player with a highly rhythmic approach to playing and composing. Jane plays a custom-made Rigby Australian double-strung harp with seventy-five strings. Her music is beautiful, unorthodox and adventurous, reflecting her love for the lavish diversity of Melbourne’s world music culture. Peter Vadiveloo is a rhythm disciple, and has studied, composed and/or performed in a range of world music styles, including African, Middle Eastern, Latin and flamenco. Peter has performed on the national and international festival circuit for over twenty years, and also currently plays with Grammy-award winner John Rees and ARIA-award winners Kavisha Mazzella and Irine Vela.
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The new release from Murrumbidgee Jones - The Same Joke Twice - is in stock now."The CD is a collection of ordinary, everyday images, but ones too often missed as we go about the exercise wheels of our lives, exemplified in "Brown Champagne"; and in "From an Aussie"; "fish and chips should be eaten down by the sea", or "when you're coffee's cold and the butter on your toast is stale" from "Magpie in the Distance". Amongst the everyday, there are some delightfully perceptive descriptions: "Catch a brace of currawongs/they'll fly like black angels in the sky", and "there's a shadow on a toenail moon" from "Toenail Moon"." - MR 2009 |
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Louise Bell's CD The Soul's Dream is difficult to categorise. The influences that spark this collection of originals are folk, jazz, ambient and eastern styles, underpinned by Louise's background in classical piano. Featuring dreamy instrumentals, vibrant rhythms, passionate vocals and songs of social justice, the CD also embraces experimental soundscapes such as wind-played harp. The material is all composed and performed by Louise. In addition she is joined by an able group of supporting musicians, among whom viola player Christine Jarczewski plays a strong role. David Condon (drums), Mark Scotland (bass), Debby Baker (percussion) and Julian Paviour (trumpet) also feature on different tracks. Full review coming soon... |
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Ananke [uh-nung-kee] is the Greek word for necessity. It's also a wide-open, occasional trio of Achilles Yiangoulli, Nick Tsiavos & Anthony Schulz. Ananke is based in Melbourne, Australia. The trio has always been an execution of a 'leap of faith' when creating this sound world, discarding the expected functional roles of the instruments and familiar musical structures, and instead, looking for resonance and narratives within the moment. " Ananke?s mission is to play beyond their familiar musical structures, to completely surrender to the unknown and immerse themselves in the journey. As a musician myself I can appreciate the pleasure of riding the moment this way, the skill in listening for each others? cues and not knowing what will happen next. If you apply this open-mindedness as a listener these sounds will definitely transport you." - Bradfield Dumpleton |
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The inspiration for "Magic Sounds" comes from the many traditional throat singing cultures whose shamans and indigenous peoples have been singing harmonics to mesmerise and heal for thousands of years. The artists hope that "Magic Sounds" can help to elevate the listeners moods and horizons, contributing to a sense of peace - inner peace.
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Melbourne based duet, Mandy Keating & Helen McLachlan have played music together for over a decade. Our Town is their first release as an acoustic duo, and covers a range of bluegrass, celtic, folk and gospel standards as well as an original apiece. The recording has an honest homegrown singalong quality to it, with Mandy and Helen sharing vocals as well as several instruments, including guitar, banjo, whistle, mandolin and percussion. ... This is unabashedly simple folk, heartfelt and warm, no frills playing and a consistently pleasant listen that could well suit a lazy summer afternoon.
review by Bradfield Dumpleton, 2007 |
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"No, not our Smith, but a young singer/ songwriter/ raconteur/ political commentator Fred Smith, who currently calls Canberra home but has lived in five different countries in his young life to date. Wherever he might have previously lived however, his sharp intelligence has obviously honed in on the unique personality of his current home, Australia, as you can hear in the selections of his songs he released late last year as his debut album, 'Soapbox'. After a very successful performance at this year's Woodford Festival, where the punters seemed to have decided he was "the freshest thing there", Smith and the band followed Fairport Convention to Sydney and supported them at the Basement and Three Weeds." - Drum Media, 1999 |
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Melbourne musician Nick Tsiavos treats us to six pieces for solo contrabass. The pieces, ll improvisations, were all recorded in the same studio session. Nick Tsiavos' CD liner notes: - "This sequence of improvisations was recorded in the evening of Tuesday, 3rd of July 2007. The months prior to this night were filled with a growing tension in my day to day thinking, a desire
to create music again with just one's own instrument, and explore what new possibilities may unfold in the experience of the moment.
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Minna Raskinen is a musician from Finland whose has mastered the kantele, an instrument in the zither family, and uses it to perform music of great beauty, inventiveness and delicacy. On this CD she plays her own original compositions for kantele which explore a variety of textures and tonalities, always with sublime technique and musicianship.
"I started to play the kantele at the age of ten. Within a short time I became attached to the instrument's unique sound- the tones, "colours"; on the one hand bright and thin and then on the other sometimes deep and dark. Kantele is a very quiet instrument. To me it is also soft, strong and even dramatic." Minna Raskinen |
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"A Fresh Wind is well named - it really does offer an invigorating listening experience. Etsuko Sakai's thirteen string Japanese Koto and Tasmanian Cary Lewincamp's seven-string guitar combine beautifully in an east-meets-west synthesis. The resultant alchemy is neither one style nor the other; it hangs together beautifully with an equal measure of Lewincamp's well-crafted classical and folk-orientated tunes and traditional Japanese pieces. The odd track out, 'Over The Rainbow', shows just how well the two instruments blend. The ancient koto, which is plucked like a harp but played horizontally, brings a new dimension to Arlen & Harburg's hardy perennial. Stand-out piece 'Akatonbo'('Red Dragonfly') doubles as an excellent tremolo study."Tony Hillier, Rhythms, Aug 2007. |
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Masala are Roman Astra (sitar, esraj), Nigel Hope (six string bass) and Jules Witek (acoustic and electronic percussion). This CD released in 2007 comprises music created for the "Ten Days on the Island" arts festival in Tasmania 2007. Astra comments of their spontaneous performance style 'You can't step into the same river twice'. |
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A true blend of opposites, Liz Frencham's warm, open countenance, honey voice and double bass contrasts with Fred Smith's dry wit and award winning songwriting. 'Love Thongs' is the second album from this dynamic duo, performing together since 2004. |
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Voiceplay diva, Helen Rivero is an award-winning performer in the world music scene. Her singing style combines elements of jazz, cabaret, traditional music and experimental performance, described as intense and humorous. Her new album, Yes Capitan, released in 2007, is a collection of original bilingual compositions (English and Spanish), combining the flavours that have inspired and influenced Helen's musical endeavours over the years. Pure peasant girl cabaret! A jazzy folky blend of songs that are whimsical and explore themes of longing, love, treachery and the unspeakable bliss of it all! Intimate and edgy vignettes about searching, finding, suspicion, lingering memories, disturbing obsessions and unexpressed dilemmas. Slightly absurd, personal ballads with a naive artist's love for colour.
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Sitar, guitar, Indian violin and lute go hand in hand here with middle
eastern percussion and the Indian style of Narara singing. These
melodies are inspired by Astra's research for a recital on the
Silk Road for the Australian National Folk Festival 2005. Blending eastern and western, ethnic
and contemporary sounds and styles he demonstrates how easily music can
cross cultural and geographical barriers. |
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Sitar and slide guitar take their turns on this enchanting CD. It all
happened on one late Sunday afternoon. Originally recorded on audiotape
to utilise tape warmth and compression, Astra then transferred the
tracks to digital recording equipment using minimal EQ to preserve the
overtones and harmonies. Additional sounds were recorded digitally.
This is a solo project. The minimal instrumentation is reminiscent of
some of Ry Cooder's or Brian Eno's work.
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The 2006 CD from Akasa is now available. Combining Brazilian, South African, hip hop and Motown influences, Akasa's latest album of original songs, Views from an Urban Jungle celebrates the cycle of life and embraces the need for care and social justice in our communities. "Their Views from an Urban Jungle presents a vision of a world Not for profit/For the need of it/For the love of it/For belief in it. This CD from Akasa is a clear example of that vision ? produced for the love of it and based on the belief in it. Believe me ? you need it! "- Roger Holdsworth , PBS-FM |
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The CD Cantara is a project springing out of Jenny Gall's fascination with women's song in Australia. With Ian Blake and other supporting musicians, she has produced arrangements of both traditional songs and newly composed works. The linking thread is that the pieces are all either ones that were traditionally sung by or written by women in Australia, or pieces Jenny herself has written. The CD also celebrates the piano as bush instrument. "Who is singing when you sing a folk song? Ghosts inhabit this kind of music: play a dance tune and you ride the tide of generations of musicians; sing an old song from a 19th century manuscript and you evoke the presence of the musician who notated her favourite airs." |
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Coming from a contemporary jazz and a cappella background, vocalist Diana Clark has spent the past seven years focusing on the music and language of Brazil, also working with guitarist Doug de Vries. In 2001 Diana established Australia's first choir performing exclusively Brazilian material, Borboleta, who released their CD BORBOLETA (Butterfly)
in March 2004. |
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Singer and songwriter Chris Gillespie is based in the Sydney area of New South Wales. His songs have a freshness and simplicity about them that makes them stand out from the mass of singer/songwriters out there. Chris's second release, The Road to Tamworth is a short EP of acoustic style music. |
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Singer and songwriter Chris Gillespie is based in the Sydney area of New South Wales. His songs have a freshness and simplicity about them that makes them stand out from the mass of singer/songwriters out there. Don't Tailgate is Chris's first recording, a full length album of acoustic style music featuring guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and three part vocal harmony. |
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Umanee's second CD, Fravashi, features mostly new unreleased material and rearrangements of a few songs previously published on the band's self-titled debut CD in 2004, reflecting the current lineup. "Fravashi" contains 13 arrangements highlighting the band's unusual instrumentation of flute, cello, clarinet, hurdy-gurdy, saz, guitars, khushtar and a selection of hand drums. Special guest vocals by Shakira Searle. |
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Harpist and singer Christina Sonnemann is based in Tasmania, where she often presents harp and voice recitals in small or remote communities around the island, as well as performing in festivals and concerts
in its major cities. Her time is also spent in teaching harp students of all ages, playing at weddings and functions, in composing, arranging and recording music of many genres. |
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Christina Sonnemann is a player of the concert harp based in the midlands of Tasmania. This is a diverse and intimate album reflecting Christina's personality, heritage, home, travels and audiences. The CD features long-standing requests as well as new songs composed for the album. |
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This CD single is a musical tribute to brave Tassie miners from Peter Hicks and Geoff Francis.
In this song Peter and Geoff pay tribute to the courage and unbelievably selfless hard work of those Tasmanian miners at Beaconsfield who gave their all to rescue their union comrades, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, following the Beaconsfield Mine Explosion in April 2006. We also remember Larry Knight, the miner whose life was tragically lost in the blast. We also join the AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten in calling for a full independent enquiry. This song is for you all. Profit raised from sales of this CD single goes the Knight family. |
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Between Two Doors is the 2006 CD release from Sydney vocal trio Touchwood. The material is the bands own arrangements of traditional Northern Italian folk songs, as learnt from listening to archival interviews with Italian migrants in Australia. |
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Australian a cappella group Blindman's Holiday first made their mark on the folk circuit performing traditional songs from around the world, but in recent years they have also incorporated original songs into their repertoire. In this, their fourth album, they delight us with increasingly confident and sophisticated arrangements, and rhythmically complex vocals well supported with a variety of percussion instruments. This album is BMH?s most confident yet. They cover an impressive amount of musical territory and a wide range of themes with assurance and skill. |
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Sinbad Ranch is Stephen Lomas's follow up to his 1999 release Mermaids. It pushes the envelope of "folk+plus" to include elements of country, rock & jazz with Stephen's basic folk & funk style. |
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This release from 1994 features harp player Jane Belfrage with Simon Kravis. "Many tunes flow through the internal music sessions of pubs, festivals and living rooms in Australia, but few demand to be played in the way that Jane Belfrage's do. Intensely evocative, they combine many strands of Australian culture - Irish music, jazz, Aboriginal - into an original whole." Simon Kravis. |
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Percussion gurus Tokakros serve up a slab of music stripped to the bone. Harmonies, brash and beautiful glide, and sit occasionally undignified on top of rhythm born from the soul. With a sound that never strays from urbanised grit, Tokakros, hailing from Sydney, manage nods and dedications a plenty to borders far away. Jeff Donne |
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Airport Lounge is the 1997 CD from acclaimed a cappella group Blindman's Holiday. The album has an intriguing rhythm created by switching back and forth between English-language folk (and African-American spirituals) and a sampling of international material - including Azerbaijani (Ay Lachin) and Afro-Peruvian (La Ruperta). |
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The debut CD from widely acclaimed Australian a cappella group Blindman's Holiday, Archipelago. Originally released in 1992, this album was independently re-released by the group in 1996 with a new cover. "This is the album which establishes them as outstanding world-class a cappella interpreters of traditional music" - Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, 1992. |
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The debut CD of the Spondooli Brothers - yes! now you can own your own copy of the recording of these two daredevil acoustical guitarists as they play outrageously thrilling and dangerous tunes with no safety net of any kind. Thrill as they explore original ideas influenced by klezmer, hot jazz, blues, ragtime, and pure craziness from somewhere unpronounceable in eastern Europe. Be first on your block to possess this fantastic plastic... |
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The 350 voice choir rehearsed in Mallacoota, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maldon and Frankston, joining the Melbourne contingent for the final rehearsal and concert. The choir has never sounded better. The concert also celebrated Australia's amazing cultural diversity through dazzling performances by supporting artists. - notes from the CD liner. |
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Harlequin play mediaeval-style music on handmade mediaeval instruments. Can you recognise the sound of citole or darabouka? Are you able to discern the difference between the sound of a mediaeval fiddle (vielle) and a modern fiddle? Harlequin have selected a good range of ancient melodies and original compositions to accompany the entertainment in the royal palace, to keep the courtiers dancing and the rulers amused. |
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This CD is a live recording of the concert Nongoma, performed at the Melbourne Concert Hall in 2003 as part of the Boite Winter Festival. The concert featured some of Melbourne's finest African musicians, plus the 350-member Melbourne Millennium Chorus, a choir of community members the Boite brings together every year to perform at the concert hall. Nongoma means mother of song and these pieces honour the female voice with their wholesome busty vocal performances. |
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Five musicians weave their own magic tapestry from an eclectic mix of traditional and popular songs with unashamedly new age flavour. The airy voices of sisters, Ingrid and Tahlia, combined with harp, dulcimer and penny whistle give the music of The Fellowship of the Strings a resonant other-worldly sound, at times reminiscent of panpipe music from the Andes.
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This CD is a live recording of the 2000 concert by the Melbourne Millenium Chorus in the Melbourne Concert Hall. |
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This CD produced by "The Boite", Melbourne, features the first Melbourne Millenium Chorus concert in 1999. |
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Rongo is the seventh Melbourne Millennium Chorus event. Presented by The Boite and the Melbourne International Arts Festival, it takes its name from a Polynesian god of song and music, who brings rain, makes things grow and manifests as a rainbow. It?s a celebration of music of the Australia/Pacific region, featuring traditional drums and carefree melodic chants of the South Seas mostly performed in traditional languages by musicians from Tonga, New Zealand, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Java and Malaysia, as well as indigenous and contemporary Australian artists. |
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This is still a ground-breaking recording of 24 different groups from right around Australia. At that time the Boite had presented several popular annual A Cappella Festivals in Melbourne, culminating in this large and diverse event in 1995. An amazing range of a cappella singing can be heard on this CD, ranging from duos to large choirs, and from many styles of fascinating traditional to remarkable contemporary original compositions and groups. Dieter Bajzek 2005 |
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This CD comprises 22 tracks of mostly Georgian music by close to 20 different groups from Australia and New Zealand, representing almost 1400 singers altogether on this compilation of fascinating Georgian singing. The idea for this CD, Mravalzhamier - Traditional Georgian Songs (Recorded Live in Australia & New Zealand), was born after a concert in 2003 by the Boite, which celebrated the visit to Melbourne by celebrated Gurian singer Vazha Gogoldadze. |
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Peter's latest CD features songs which are all parodies of Australian/Irish/American/English folk standards, with a strong emphasis on satire and humour, sticking the boot (hopefully in a way that will amuse people) into suitably deserving locations. Available now! "What can I say about The Ratbags' Revenge...it's smart, it's funny, it's chilling, it's depressingly insightful ... Sister Sandanista
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"These are rich, textural pieces led by dense lyrics, delivered by a highly individual vocalist. Casinader traverses new ground for the songwriter and succeeds in creating an interesting and sometimes challenging CD. Casinader?s approach to song and music quite defies easy categorisation. Perhaps a more even tempered Jethro Tull(ish) kind of arrangement and construction is a fair comparison - although its pre-occupations lyrically are more present day. |
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"Touchwood are an Australian vocal ensemble who continue to produce great live performances and inviting CDs. There's a wealth of thought provoking material presented with stunning sensitivity. " IP 2005 |
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sold out | Fred Smith - Independence Park | Review, tracklist, & music samples In this assured follow up to his widely acclaimed "Bagarap Empires",
Fred Smith once again draws extensively on time spent living in Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, and travelling in Vietnam. Smith's songs affect you with an understated style, deceptively slow pace, a dry wit and sharp observation. |
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This album is the result of a live recording at Le Soir Mystique - a late night supper club held monthly at the Mittagong Playhouse in NSW. "Ben Mackenzie paints a captivating picture of the beauty of human emotion with his words, coloured by a rich range of instruments and vocals. This music speaks to me of a man with uncommon sensitivity and an incredible ability to craft words into an expression of the human experience. The result is an album with enduring appeal." |
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Soursob Bob presents a biting satire of aspects of modern Australian life on this excellent compilation CD. Bob's dry wit ranges over a range of topics, and he's never afraid to be critical and political. The relationship between Australia, the USA, beer and sport is explored in the opening cut "Beer for Breakfast". This CD is a compilation of Bob's two previous releases, "Living in the Long Grass" and "You Don't Make Me Feel Special Anymore". |
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'This self-titled debut album is a welcome addition to the vast market of folk recordings in Australia. The material is interesting and varied, with traditional pieces mixed with original songs and tunes, with good compositional influence from the group. The trio of violin, flute and guitar (with some guests added at times) makes for a nice translucent mixture.' Folk Alliance Australia newsletter.
'The fiddle playing is excellent - I loved the Balkan dance tune with its gypsy-style intro and whirlwind beat. Chris has a fine, expressive, melodic voice exactly suited to this music. Some excellent guitar playing, as well. Original music was good too. I'll certainly be playing the CD frequently." Arthur Elliott, Brisbane radio,Sidestream
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Accomplished Sydney vocal trio Touchwood present a remarkably eclectic mixture of material on their attractively packaged second CD, "Big Things". Released 2004, the album is around 50% a capella material, and the rest of the tracks have sparse but effective accompaniment on vihuela and cello. Covers of standards such as the bleak "Strange Fruit" mingle with wry humour in tracks such as "Old Blevins", with a couple of original tracks by the group. The material spans a time period from the 16th to 21st centuries. |
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Akasa's second CD release, now available from indie-cds |
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Akasa means the cavity of the heart/ether, that which fills everything and there is an overall feeling of this life force behind the new CD from this group. Melanie Shanahan, a well known figure in a cappella circles has put together the album with Diana Clark, Vicki King and Andrea Watson who make up the other elements of Akasa.... At 30 minutes in length the CD is a pleasure, and one that I would listen to often. Thanks Akasa! - Jo Michel, The Oral Majority |
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Winner of the prestigious TUI award for best New Zealand folk album 2005, Turn the Diesels signals a move into more contemporary territory for award-winning songwriter Bob McNeill. Although it still feels strongly Celtic, the record deals with modern themes and the songs explore the issues of redemption, memory and lost grace. At times groovy and intimate, it is an accessible record despite its depth. The songs have great hooks and are played on guitar, piano, bouzouki, cittern, cello and double bass. |
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A unique sound and style from this talented artist based in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. Her music is an eclectic and contemporary tapestry of strands from various areas and styles. The hurdy-gurdy, Barb's feature instrument, lends a mediaeval feel, and guest players that include Linsey Pollak and Mal Webb, add a quality edge. Highly individual music that doesn't fit neatly into categories. |
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Brisbane duo Jeremiah is both traditional and contemporary. The music is comfortably familiar yet completely fresh, combining a respect for the past with a desire to say something new, continuing the best story-telling tradition of the singer-songwriter. Their sound is stripped back and intimate, making use of fiddle, accordion, mandolin and threadbare acoustic guitar. It's a kind of back verandah folk/country/roots music inspired by the likes of Gillian Welsh, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt. |
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Judy Pinder's solo CD presents a collection of songs from Ireland, Scotland and Australia. Judy is accompanied on the CD by accordion, harp, fiddle, bouzouki, guitar, fiddle and flute. A fine album with an excellent choice of material, featuring Judy's voice much to the fore. |
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This CD features Lori Bailey, a descendant of the Bidjara clan of the Kunja nation of Central Queensland. This is a compilation of songs collected from different places around the world, featuring Lori Bailey's haunting, ethereal voice. This is a beautifully arranged and produced recording. |
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With an identity that seems to be somewhere in a grey area between Scotland and Australia (perhaps because of recent journeyings between the two countries), WoodworX have a rather folk/rock feel to their music. The vocals of Toni Wood are central to the feel of the band. Together with Brian Heywood, this duo is the core of the band, which appears as a five piece line up for this first CD. The songs are mostly of Australian/emigrant subjects. |
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The selection of music on this CD conveys well the sense of involvement and dedication that Ian brings to his music. This is another assured production from an artist who already has many CD releases to his credit. All of the tracks were recorded live in concert, and this immediacy and sharpness add to the sense of presence and vitality of his music. Listen to the sample track, here, and order the CD from our secure server. |
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Shoalhaven a capella group Trilogy present a collection of traditional and modern songs, ranging from the solidly traditional such as 'She moved through the fair' to Neil Young's 'After the goldrush'. |
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A three piece band from Tasmania, playing an album based around the links between South America and Tasmania, both once parts of ancient Gondwanaland. Songs explore themes around human relationship, the natural environment, the joys and pathos of travel. State: Tasmania |
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Adelaide band Tingali's music attracts by its freshness and originality. With a feel that is somewhere between jazz/folk and indie/alternative, their self penned material on this CD draws inspiration from the Balkan crises of the end of the 20th century. Musically the material is strong, blending a central European feel with rock/jazz bass lines.
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Adelaide band Tingali's new release for 2001. This mini-CD is a strong offering, both lyrically and musically. Songs of our times, documenting the trespasses and injustices commited by the powerful, and of the spirit of resistance of ordinary people who have the courage to challenge those injustices.
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A fine album of acoustic guitar tracks from a Melbourne based singer/songwriter. Written over a period of ten years, this album is a personal anthology of Jim's work. This is an artist who deserves to be more widely known. A strong supporting cast of musicians features on the recording, including Shannon Birchall, Kate Burke and Ruth Hazelton, Ewen Baker and Dale Gerner, Jeremy Dunlop and Martha Baartz.
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