Steve Kilbey and Gareth Koch – Lost At Sea
Ninth Time Lucky – Take It Slow
Another stand-out tune is Half of Me, which was nominated for a WAM Award this year.
Carlyle Christopherson – Follow Me
Carlyle Christopherson is an Australian musician, originally from central Victoria, who now resides in Switzerland.
His remarkable journey from the corporate world to following his dreams as a musician and a lover of acoustic rock has seen him reconnect with his passion for music and performance.
His debut single Follow Me offers a definite Australian acoustic-rock flavour in his sparse instrumentation and storytelling lyric about hope and aspiration as we navigate through life’s great big journey.
It comes from his debut album, Here Comes History, which was produced and co-written alongside Things Of Stone And Wood frontman Greg Arnold. It is an album possessing a remarkable collection of fables, echoing Christopherson’s journey against some challenging yet eventually rewarding personal odds.
The Insufferable Paul Scott – Surrender To Robots
Surrender to Robots is a solo album by the insufferable Paul Scott (The Likes of You, Montana, John Kennedy’s 68 Comeback Special and The Bad Machines). The album was written, recorded, performed and produced by Scott. “So really, there’s no-one else to blame,” he says.
The first single is Sheila and it’s at radio now.
Song subjects include existential angst, co-habitation as a means of financial easement, optimism, missing people, mobile phone culture. Influences include a splash of Suicides’ keyboard sound, a hint of James Murphy’s indie crashes into dance music, a lick of Wren sand a dollop of the Dukes of Stratosphear vocal stylings.
Paul Scott began his career in music, writing and playing bass in angular NZ group Pop Mechanix. Despite court cases, a revolving cast of singers and multiple record labels, their single ‘Jumping out a Window’ became a staple of New Zealand pop culture. Relocating to Australia Paul formed Montana with Ken Stewart (Mr Blonde), Michelle Margherita and Steve Melville. Their first release featured ‘Koolest Band’ which received national airplay and high rotation on Triple J. A USA Tour and performance at SXSW, led to ‘Koolest Band’ being included in the Hollywood movie ‘You Drive Me Crazy’. The subsequent album ‘Bubblegum Love’ was released in Australia, Spain, France and the USA. Scott has since plied bass for various Australian acts, playing everywhere from community halls and malls in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to the Sydney Opera House. More recently Scott has released an album on the Australian label ‘Half a Cow’ with his new power pop combo ‘The Likes of You’.
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Lily Duval – The Last Goodbye
Featured on our May Playlist
Full bodied acoustic guitar is the hallmark of this terrific new original single from Lily Duval. The classic sound of this song has its own time and place and transports you somewhere else.
Her writing comes from her own experiences and also longtime influences such as Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. Lyrically, The Last Goodbye explores the sense of an ending, the realisation that you may never again see the person you love. Lily describes this song as, “a love story. I wrote this last winter. I deliberated over the key change at the end but then felt it worked.”
With help from accomplished session men – Peter Holz on guitar and Andy Beck adding the medieval sounding Celesta, the track is woven together by the expert ears of producer Russell Pilling.
Previously Lily has digitally released a number of acoustic blues originals to a warm response on Community Radio and online.
Download or stream now:
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Melissa Black – Eden (Official)
Melissa Black – The Eden Project EP
Melissa Black is a musician and songwriter with a strong connection to nature, as evident on her new release, The Eden Project EP. Soundslikecafe is proud to feature this excellent recording that comes with a powerful environmental message as well – as evident in the stunning video – see below.
For the past decade Melissa has been a staple on the original music scene steadily gathering accolades and building a loyal fan base. A chance meeting with singer/songwriter Scott Bird led to a production meeting with Riversong Music and the team was assembled to work on ‘The Eden Project’. Pre-production began mid 2016 and tracking started soon after. As the project developed the musical landscape was revealed and the imagery surrounding the songs came into sharp focus. The production team then developed filming ideas around the stories that were emerging from the songs, after spending time as participating artists at Tarkine in Motion 2017. The quality of the recordings and visual concepts led to Melissa becoming a Riversong Music family artist and a valuable contributor to their environmental arts project.
Melissa says her passion for music began when she was very young. “I used my older brothers record collection for ages, where I discovered Jethro Tull, Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zep all the classics, then I discovered (I think much to my brothers disgust!) Queen and I was off on my own adventure.”
These early influences still inspire her sound today. “There was a lot of hammond organ in my brothers collection which I loved the sound of, then Queen with the piano sealed the deal.”
The title track, ‘Eden’ shines as a key single from the EP, with an enticing piano, strings and guitar intro leading into the full instrumentation evoking comparisons to Neko Case’s album Hell On and Tori Amos.
Just click either of the images to watch the new Eden video or scroll down for our feature video selection.
The hooky chorus of ‘Fallen Angel’ sets it up as a great radio track and the song has already found a warm response on the soundslikecafe network.
A music mentor teacher for children and teens, Melissa is inspired by a broad musical pool. She cites her favourite artists as “most definitely the story tellers”, listing Freddie Mercury, Jeff Lynn, Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Regina Spektor, Elton John for the melodies and Bernie Taupin for the stories, Kate Miller-Heidke, Aurora Jane and Diana Anaid.
Melissa is also a part of an exciting new short film called ‘Merging with takayna’, launching in July, which is part of the Tarkine In Motion project co-ordinated through the environmental action group of former Greens Senator and environmentalist Bob Brown. Takayna is the name of the Tasmanian wilderness also known as Tarkine – Australia’s largest temperate rainforest which is the habitat of many of Australia’s most iconic animals, some of which are endangered.
Check out Melissa talking about the Tarkine and her release on 3CR Melbourne here.
Piano driven songs supported by solid groove, understated guitars and a conversational vocal delivery which evokes the rich Australian landscape and an empowering feminine essence ~ Heart Light Music
The Eden Project EP is out now through Riversong Music.
The video for Eden will be released on the 10th of May, with shows to follow in July surrounding the Tarkine in Motion exhibition in Hobart.
More tour dates below:
2nd May – Guest Host Australian Songwriters Association – Ground N Sound’, 6/23 Musgrave Avenue, Chirn Park Gold Coast 6.30 – 9.30pm.
17th May – Album Showcase – Boho & Co Prospero St, South Murwillumbah NSW
18th May – Launch of New Shop + Album Showcase – Boho & Co Prospero St, South Murwillumbah NSW
10th August – Album showcase for Fundraising Support for Cancer Function – House of Gabriel, Riverside Drive, Tumbulgum NSW
August 24th – Ground n Sound (Album Showcase)
Chirn Park, Gold Coast QLD
August 25th – Sphinx Rock Cafe (Album Showcase)
3220 Kyogle Road, Mount Burrell NSW 12pm
Sunday 1st September – The Nook Cafe, 87-89 Tweed Coast Road, Hastings Point, 6.30pm – 8.30pm Bookings 02 6617 6779
Friday 6th September – Marty’s at Caba, 35 Tweed Coast Road, Bogangar (Cabarita), 6.30pm – 9.30pm Bookings 02 6676 3955
Sunday 15th September – Uki Buttery Markets, Uki Village, Kyogle Road from 9.30am to 1.30pm
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Mick Hart’s Anticipated New Album ‘Awake’ is out and touring
UPDATE: New Tour Dates!
On the heels of Mick Hart’s sold-out Sydney launch at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville last weekend, some new dates have been added!
New shows:
Fri 9th August – The Entrance Leagues Club (Central Coast NSW)
Sun 25th August – Gasoline Pony, Marrickville (Sydney)
Sun 29th September – Towradgi Beach Hotel, Wollongong (Sydney)
Sat 12th October – Stag and Hunter, Mayfield (Newcastle)
Sat 27 July – Winter Blues Festival, Echuca VIC
Sun 28 July- Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne
Community radio is loving the album, with widespread support on the airwaves proving it carries so many brilliant tracks! The Way It Is, 3am Or Anytime, Light My Way, Keep Hold and Peaceful Nest are all being played around the country.
Some great reviews are also flowing in for the album.
Bruce Elder at the Sydney Morning Herald declared that Hart has produced, “a classy, memorable album from a gifted musician at the height of his powers.”
“A delicious collection of blues-folk “toons” inspired by sources as rich as the early Rod Stewart (3am Or Anytime); a nod towards Free and Family (The Way It Is); Muddy Waters’ great version of Got My Mojo Workin’ (Light My Way); the edges of folk blues (Real Thing); that glorious style which involves a slow burn and driving blues with lashings of lap-steel (Time for the New); and inevitably, lots of Dylan-influenced blues and country blues (Back To The Start, Star Bed andKeep Hold).”
Elder also notes Hart’s wide-ranging musical talents – “Playing bass, lap-steel, harmonica, percussion, Rhodes, Mellotron, piano, organ, ukulele and, oh yes, guitars….ranges widely across the rich plains of the blues and American folk music.”
Meanwhile Mark Fraser at Redbackmusic.comcalled the latest single, Keep Hold, “sad, beautiful, perfect”, with the entire album, “a beautiful collection of soundscapes that caress your very soul in their own unobtrusively enveloping way.”
Read the whole review here:
The album’s first two singles – ‘The Way It Is’ and ‘3am Or Anytime’ are both out now and receiving strong support across community and regional radio, Triple J and Double J.
‘3am Or Anytime’ will be premiered TONIGHT on Double J’s Stir It Up show! It’s a gentler offering than its predecessor, more of an acoustic ballad that charmingly shows off Hart’s silky vocals and sublime guitar work. A sweet love song, ‘3am Or Anytime’ centres around the alluring chorus, “You can steal my blanket anytime, you can drink my last full glass of wine, you can wake me for help at 3am or anytime, you can take my heart because you’re mine.”
You can check out ‘The Way It Is’ on the new SLC Playlist for March. A “you done me wrong” break-up song with a catchy blues groove, The Way It Is grabs the listener with its addictive chorus that features some blistering guitar and Hart’s determined lyrical growl, “I don’t owe you nothing, that’s the way it is.”
ARIA nominated for “Best Blues and Roots” in 2002 for his sophomore album Upside Down In The Full Face of Optimism, Mick Hart occupies a sonic space that’s influenced by Jeff Buckley and Ben Harper, from sparse acoustic songs to wild dirty blues rock and some brilliant lap-slide guitar.
Awake will be released on April 26 via MGM.
Mick is on the road in support of ‘Awake’ starting in Europe in April and following through to Australian dates in June and July. Check out his pages below for details.
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Daxton – ‘Live In The Studio’ Acoustic Album Release
Central Coast musician and singer-songwriter Daxton has recorded a bunch of live acoustic songs which will be released on his ‘Live In The Studio’ album, which was recorded by Russell Pilling at Damien Gerard Studios in Sydney. Daxton’s chilled out dreamy songs and moody, driving vocals make for a brilliant acoustic album which oozes a summery vibe.
‘Sanctuary’ is a great acoustic rendition of one of his most popular songs from the recent ‘In Verses’ album. Hearing it as simply vocal and guitar really shows the quality of the song.
Another album highlight is ‘Perfect Day’, a more country up-tempo and happy song featuring vocals and acoustic guitar, but still managing a strong catchy chorus, snappy verses, and even some “da da da’s’ to sing along to. Perhaps, best of all, its less than 2 minutes, which means it’s perfect to squeeze into playlist spots.
For some really nice bluesy slide acoustic and a catchy riff, go no further than ‘Ball and Chain’. It combines a great falsetto verse with a baritone chorus, adding to the rich tonal feel of the song.
With songs like ‘I Don’t Mind’, singing in high falsetto with jangly guitar line to the bubbly low tones of ‘Good Time Friends’ with its’ grungy sounding chords, ‘Live In The Studio’ covers all flavours.
Daxton’s music has been influenced by Captain Beefheart, The Dead Kennedys, The Church, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Neil Young, The Killers, Mud Honey, The Pixies and Arcade Fire.
Hear the music:
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