Julie-Anne Marshall New Single ‘Breathe’

April 11, 2024

Julie-Anne Marshall is an independent Australian singer-songwriter in the Adult Contemporary Easy Rock style with vocals that are earthy yet ethereal. We have been playing her tracks on soundslikecafe for sometime and there’s always a strong and warm response to her excellent feel good songs and lyrics.

Although, she does take creative detours now and then. Her songs are mostly piano-driven and melodic, with a lyrical intent to connect and uplift.

Her latest song ‘Breathe’ was inspired by giving herself the time to reflect, release and renew. It’s a curiously crafted light, but solid and uncomplicated song. The weight of the world released. The rhythm is driven by piano with tight and bright acoustic guitar. Lyrically reminding us its ok to stop, take a moment and breathe. That’s this songs intention.

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Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Rumba Flamenca Arabe’

February 23, 2024

The rumba is an upbeat & rhythmically syncopated flamenco style, ideal for dancing & festivities. It is an incredibly flexible genre, able to assimilate a multitude of influences such as Latin, Arabic or pop-contemporary. The rumba is arguably the most recognisable & widely listened to of all flamenco music. It’s lively tempo & irresistible groove, make it hugely popular around the world.

Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a sizeable repertory across multiple genres spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects, rock & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.

Born in Milan, Gareth began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning scholarships for advanced guitar study at The Royal Madrid Conservatorium & the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music & has lectured in music across Australian & European universities.

In 2002 Gareth formed the first guitar supergroup with Karin Schaupp & The Grigoryan Brothers, Slava & Leonard. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to #1 on the Classical Music Charts and even featured on ARIA pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums & was Australia’s biggest selling classical act for several years.

Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & has released a succession of collaborative albums with Martin Kennedy & with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church). His recent release ‘The Guitar Player’ received a coveted 5 star review from The Sydney Morning Herald. Gareth’s current output has a strong rock bias with classical overtones & his writing is increasingly focussed on the ethereal nature of music.

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Bec Taylor and The Lyrebirds – Anchor (New Release!)

November 6, 2023

Out Today Friday November 10 checkout this great new tune on our Cafe Playlist……

Anchor is an upbeat alt-country-pop song co-written by Bec and lyric collaborator CJ Shaw. The track was recorded at Golden Retriever in Sydney, and at ANU Recording Studios in Canberra and was produced by Louis Montgomery (SAFIA, Peking Duk).

(pic by Tony Mott)

Bec Taylor is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has recorded over a dozen studio records while performing on some of the biggest stages and festivals around the country, including BIGSOUND, Groovin’ The Moo, and the Woodford Folk Festival, as well as playing alongside the likes of Gotye, The Darkness, and been on tour as main support for Regurgitator and Shonen Knife in her previous projects Fun Machine and Glitoris. The Lyrebirds, a five-piece alt-country pop band, is her most recent project. Their delightful blend of artful songwriting, tasty earworms and layered harmonies that will leave you humming their tunes for days.

If you happen to be in Canberra go along to the single launch…..

Bec Taylor and the Lyrebirds + CJ Shaw and the Blow Ins + The Burley Griffin at Live at the Polo, The White Eagle Polish Club, Canberra, Saturday 18th November 7pm

Tickets:

https://events.humanitix.com/thriple-threat

Checkout the new single ‘Anchor’ on our Soundslikecafe Playlist

OR Direct link right here

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Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy Release Album ‘The Strange Life of Persephone Nimbus’

October 27, 2022

Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy follow up their acclaimed album Jupiter 13 with the epic ‘The Strange Life of Persephone Nimbus’, a sprawling Pink Floyd-ish concept album that shimmers with darkly beautiful musical undercurrents, oblique lyrics and spooky spoken word pieces. It is the second chapter of an eventual trilogy.

ALBUM REVIEWS
http://bigtakeover.com/recordings/KilbeyKennedyTheStrangeCaseofPersephoneNimbusFoghorn

https://www.backseatmafia.com/album-review-steve-kilbey-the-church-and-martin-kennedy-all-india-radio-are-kilbey-kennedy-and-they-combine-forces-again-to-weave-their-aesthetically-jaw-dropping-sci-fi-sonic-magic/

The album was recorded in Tasmania overlooking the ocean, peaceful and crystal calm one day, dark and stormy the next, a dynamic that inevitably worked its way into the music and lyrics.

Returning to the mixing desk is Simon Polinski (Paul Kelly, The Church, David Bridie, Stephen Cummings, Underground Lovers) who skilfully brings the story of Persephone Nimbus to life.

Steve Kilbey writes: ‘Persephone Nimbus was just an ordinary woman living an ordinary life, with a promising job at Eternity Incorporated. Until one day she was kidnapped by the Plutocracy.
There she reigned for 6 months of the year, a sad cold queen of the dark webbed world. But for 6 months of the year she was allowed to ascend to the Overworld with its marvellous technological illusions, and it’s towers that pierced the very sky. But on the first day of every autumn she must take the long staircase back down, down into the Plutocracy, with their frozen lakes and above them, a sky of iron.’

In 1981 a teenage Martin Kennedy stumbled upon Steve Kilbey and The Church at Tanelorn, an oddball old world meets new world music festival, and fell in love with their look and sound. He recorded their set on a walkman, and the songs helped spark the beginning of his music career. Just a year before, an equally fresh-faced Steve Kilbey formed The Church in Sydney, the very beginning of their public life as accidental hit makers.

Forty one years later Martin and Steve find themselves working together on their sixth studio album, the epic The Strange Life of Persephone Nimbus. As ever with these two, the deal is simple: Martin writes the music and Steve writes the words. No argument, no egos, just a matter of pressing the record button. The results are an effective balancing of Kennedy’s haunting and melodic tunes with Kilbey’s mysterious, witty and intelligent lyrics, melded together by his heavenly voice. Martin keeps his teenage love of The Church out of the equation in fear of it skewing his songwriting but it’s there if you listen closely.

“Sumptuous meeting of Australian soundscaper and the head Churchman…Apart from having a voice of characterful cool poise and an imaginative lyrical lexicon, Kilbey can make a strong melodic song out of simple elements.” (MOJO)

“Occasionally side projects can be something really spectacular. This isn’t an album where you pick favorite songs – you simply immerse yourself in the whole lush experience. The good news is they’re recording a follow up” (Reverb magazine 4.5/5).

OUT NOW – on Foghorn/MGM CD and Digital

Vinyl LP to come early 2023

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Darlene Koldenhoven Releases New Album ‘Traveling the Blissful Highway’

October 4, 2022

The New Album is due out OCTOBER 14 with the first single Cheerful Mohana already on our playlist this one is gold for relaxing and chilling in downtime

Travel with GRAMMY® Winner and three time GRAMMY® Nominee Darlene Koldenhoven and her musicians on the blissful highway with her upcoming New Age instrumental album, “Traveling the Blissful Highway”. There are twelve instrumental tracks including four with her angelic, harmonic vocalese, occasionally used as background instrumentation. All of her compositions and arrangements invite us to go out and see the world and have a good rest at the end of an exquisite day. There are 53:46 minutes of colorful timbres and some nature sounds to keep you balanced, focused, refreshed, and joyfully relaxed. Darlene performs on keyboard synths, creating a culture of calm: half the album has ethnic influences to gently keep you going on the road and half lets you exit to the rest areas. Even when real travel is not in the picture, pack these traveling soundscapes for your inner and outer journey. With this album, the only passport you’ll need for these destination cities – peace, calm, happiness and bliss is your own mindfulness to visit them and the album as your tour guide.

Darlene says, “After being cooped up so long in Los Angeles, I ventured to London, Las Vegas and Denver during the spring this year for some appearances and was so excited to travel again that when I came home, I started writing to process my emotions from it all and I just couldn’t stop! I hope the listener will enjoy the musical adventure and immerse in the sonic benefits from Traveling the Blissful Highway with me.”

The first single from the album (and first track), “Cheerful Mohana” dropped July 15, 2022.

“Cheerful Mohana” recently received a nomination from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Best Ambient/New Age (ceremony 11/14/22 and won Best World Music Recording from the Indie Music Channel Awards.

Mohana means morning raga (scale) in India and is known there to have the power to calm down anxiety and soothe the depressed state of mind. Venugopala Raju, whom Darlene worked with while performing in Bangalore, India a few years ago, plays tablas and an array of Indian percussion. Ron Korb from Toronto, Canada who plays flute and the Indian bansari has also shared the stage with Darlene in Mumbai, India. Using delicate, multi-layered sounds, Darlene performs her composition and arrangements on keyboard synths, adding a touch of her syllabic singing as part of the ensemble, driving it to its cheerful finale.

About
GRAMMY® Award Winner and 3 time Nominee, Darlene Koldenhoven is a vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger, lyricist, speaker, and sonic therapist from Studio City, CA, born and raised in Chicago, IL. Her last two albums, “The Grand Piano Spa” and “The Grand Piano Spa: Legacy” debuted on the prestigious Billboard Classical Crossover Charts at #4 and #8, respectively in May & November 2021.

This past May & June gifted Darlene with a Lifetime Achievement Award from One World Music Radio and Outstanding Legacy Award from the Akademia Awards. She was inducted to the Indie Music Hall of Fame at the GRAMMY® Museum in 2019 by the Indie Music Channel Awards and the COVR Award hailed her “Chromatones” as Album of the Year a few months later. Several of her albums ranked #1 on the worldwide ZMR Radio Charts and she has 2 Best New Age Vocal Album and Best Holiday Album from ZMR.

Darlene is best known worldwide as the featured soprano in “Yanni, Live at the Acropolis” and for her role as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both “Sister Act” films with Whoopi Goldberg. Ms. Koldenhoven has authored “Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind’s Musical Ear,” a comprehensive music education book with 7 CDs or downloads. She performs her music worldwide.

Darlene Koldenhoven – Traveling the Blissful Highway is Out October 14

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PG Naylor’s Latest Singles ‘Better Left Unsaid’ and ‘Sensible’

June 24, 2022

Checkout these new tunes for 2022 from 60’s fanatic PG Naylor

PG Naylor brings a new original visit to 60s classic rock music. All songs are written and performed by PG – who was there then in the 60s and is still here now! Although all the songs are new, they slot perfectly into a 60s rock playlist. PG has been playing in rock bands based in Sydney, Australia since the 60s, and after a life in the corporate world he has returned to his first love – 60s rock music. The title track to his album, Sanctuary, was announced as a semi finalist in the 2019 International Songwriting Competition, based in Nashville, USA; the tracks Sanctuary and Hollywood Road were both announced as semi finalists in the 2020 Voyager International Songwriting Competition based in Melbourne, Australia as well.
Demonstrating that there is still great interest in ‘old rockers’, since 2020 his songs have attracted over 80,00 listeners and just under 160,000 streams on Spotify (and still growing every day!)

Better Left Unsaid – Hate to be a name dropper but I was having lunch with Mike McClellan at the Greengate Hotel in Killara (he was an old schoolmate of mine) and he told me he’d just written a song about seeing a lady at the airport and wondering who she was waiting for. He also thought he knew the lady but couldn’t place her till after she’d left. It turns out she was a well known personality but he wouldn’t reveal who.
Anyhow, I was searching through my old songs and I found this song that I’d written 20 years before for my wife’s birthday which sounded pretty catchy. So I adapted Mike’s idea to a railway station – changed my old lyrics to a tale about being tempted to say something to a lady at the station but deciding – ‘better left unsaid’.

Sensible – Was written about 20 years ago about my frustration with people who procrastinate instead of ‘just doing it’. It also started with some more fiddling around that Em7 chord to which I added a sequence of G, Bm and C followed by a C#dim to link to the chorus. It made, I thought, a nice melody with a ‘sing along type’ chorus. But my demo and Kim’s original tracks were all guitar-based. John Roy had other ideas.
He has a grand piano in the middle of his studio and he decided to record a sole grand piano track – he and Kim sent it to me for my reaction and I was blown away. Some guitar, bass and drums plus vocal and harmonies were added and voila! there we have Sensible as you hear it today.

Producer Kim Humphreys(John Farnham Band, Ted Mulry Gang) on working with PG
I really enjoy shaping Phil’s demos and seeing them evolve into what you can now hear, having taken the songs beyond the boundaries PG considered.
His songs all have a ‘’Back to the 60’s’ slant . . . the period which continues to inspire my own approach to guitar playing ,recording and producing.
If this was the mid 60’s he would no doubt have Top 40 hits on his hands!

Recent International reviews

“Sensible is a beautiful, serene piano number with PG Naylor’s subtle vocals. It’s interesting in the 1:00 minute that the song takes a different turn as if we were stepping into a musical and later being embraced by guitar riffs”- TECO APPLE

“Showland ProductionsI really enjoyed the smooth and mellow entrance to Sensible. The instrumental is extremely catchy, and ready for a scene in a major motion picture. The tone and cadence in your vocals are soothing and perfect for singing along with.”

“PG Naylor is able to make something refreshing and retro while staying as clean and crisp as modern music can be. An A+ effort.” James McQuiston, Neufutur Magazine

Stream on Spotify:
Better Left Unsaid

Sensible

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Julie-Anne Marshall – Featured Artist Interview

May 27, 2022

The new single from Julie-Anne Marshall Let Go has just been added to the soundslikecafe digital espresso playlist and we spoke to her about her music on the interview below

Julie-Anne says “I have learnt to embrace the fluidity of my songwriting and that I am a multifaceted artist…the song says to me, ‘ready’ and I say ‘yep, where are we going this time?’”

‘Let Go’ features slide guitar and piano matched with sassy earthy vocals. She has teamed up again with Matt Williams (from Adelaide) to record a song that is forlorn but also defiant in feel.

Soundslikecafe recently spoke to Julie-Anne about her musical journey

Tell us a little about your writing process, how does a song come along? What gets you going creatively?

It can differ, but my general process is the words and melody come as one in my head when I’m just going about life thinking about something. I can hear it in my head as a song. So, I grab my voice memo and get it down. I then expand it with more lyrics, decide on verses, chorus, structure and make handwritten notes. Then I start putting the chords/music behind it. ‘Let Go’ was different. I was going into the studio and I wanted to write a new song about where I was at. I tried for a few days and nothing came, so I let it be. Then one night I got on my piano and thought if something comes, it comes. I knew inside what I wanted to express. I started on the piano and the words and melody and chords all came at once. Within 30mins I had a song. Tweaks came later.

2. What is the first record you bought and why?

Pretty in Pink soundtrack album. I loved all the songs in the movie – from INXS to The Smiths.

3. What current/new Artists/Bands inspire you and why?

It feels at the moment that everything old is new again, but I also enjoy discovering new Aussie artists and the SLC playlist is a great place to do that.

4. What is the one thing you want/need that you think will make you a successful artist? Why?

Success has a different meaning to everyone, that said, I would say ‘courage’. As an artist all the other things are a given. Love, passion, determination, persistence, dedication, etcetera. But, courage, it takes you to places that you wouldn’t go if you let fear (yours or others) stop you.

5. What are your future plans for 2022/2023

I have two more singles ready for release, they’ll be coming out in the next few months. I’ll also be in rehearsals to get ready for live performances. Exciting times ahead in my new city Melbourne.

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Steve Kilbey – New Solo Album – Eleven Women

August 28, 2020 Leave a comment

STEVE KILBEY PRESENTS HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM FOR 2020 – ELEVEN WOMEN

Catch the new LIVE SHOW – click image for tix.

Checkout The Latest Review

We’ve become used to seeing many of our favourite artists and acts taking advantage of their enforced isolation to complete albums or other musical projects that might normally have been put aside to fulfil touring obligations, but Steve Kilbey was already well into perhaps his most prolific period to date beforeCOVID overwhelmed us. This year already there have two albums in collaboration with Gareth Koch, another with Kate Ceberano and now comes a solo album, Eleven Women. All the collaborations in which Kilbey has been involved over the past couple of decades have certainly helped him push his muse beyond the expected pop/rock references points, but at the end of the day he’s still the archetypal pop sponge; his love of ‘60s psychedelia and artists like The Beatles and Bowie with a dash of The Small Faces remains paramount, the more exotic elements absorbed providing quirky flourishes and whimsical embellishments – which makes for a very accessible and enjoyable classic record. The references, musical and literary, are replete and once in a while they quite cheeky – Birdeeneven sees Kilbey toss in a little reference to Abba’s ‘Money Money Money’. While the title suggests this collection presents Kilbey’s musings on a variety of women, historical, literary and some perhaps even actual, he’s happy to toss in something more oblique – ‘Lillian in Cerulean Blue’ for instance references a brand of metallic paint, while the aforementioned ‘Birdeen’ seems to be about particularly greedy lorikeet. So Mary Shelley is name-checked in ‘Poppy Byron’, though of course Kilbey’s Mary “was watchin’ the telly/on SBS it was in Mandarin”. Elsewhere he advises his listeners not to cross the “bewitching” ‘Doris McAllister’. Kilbey’s lyrics have never been straightforward of course. The fun has always been to test his listeners, to tease them with possible meanings – and so too with Eleven Women. Professionally enigmatic? Perhaps – and why not?

MICHAEL SMITH

NEW INTERVIEW ON THE EVE OF RELEASE WITH ARUN FROM BACKSEAT MAFIA

Meet: We chat with Steve Kilbey from The Church about celebrating 40 years, acting ‘European’, the fruits of isolation and we review his new solo album

Steve Kilbey has created a fine new album for 2020. His first solo release for an astoundingly creative year reveals a dazzling array of songs brimming with ideas, personality & effervescence. The collection is at once whimsical yet personal, and in a masterful sleight of hand Kilbey’s Eleven Women are not quite as one might expect.

The album leads us through a shimmering whirlwind of encounters. After the disarming love song Baby Poewe are plunged headlong into the dark world of Doris McAllister, an evil witch who takes us ‘by the bells’. We are regaled by the Celtic wistfulness of Josephineas she forbearingly awaits her ‘wine & roses’ while Birdeen, a greedy lorikeet with a sweet tooth, beguiles us with infectious bounce & colour.

Eleven Womenis full of melodic invention & lyrical surprises. Singling out tracks for special mention is frankly impossible since this album consists entirely of highlights. Amongst these bijous however the timelessly beautiful Think of Youshines brightly. This song has the unmistakeable stamp of eternity & evokes a sense of having existed since music began.

From the album’s opening salvo it is clear we are in the most capable of hands. Steve Kilbey is a veteran song writer at the very height of his creative powers.

“Steve Kllbey was born in England a long time ago and arrived in Australia as a ten pound pom with his parents in 1957. in 1980 he formed The Church who have gone on to have many hit singles including Unguarded Moment, Almost with You and international best seller Under The Milky Way. Their 1988 album Starfish sold over one million copies in America alone. Kilbey has released many solo albums and collaborations making him one of the most prolific songwriters in the world. He acts , paints , writes books and juggles dangerous objects . He lives in Coogee Beach NSW and is hoping to one day own a Daschund .”

ELEVEN WOMEN SEPTEMBER 4 via FOGHORN/MGM.

Streaming

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Tailor Birds NEW ALBUM – Where Will We Go To Break Free From The Crows

October 26, 2018 Leave a comment

tailor birds-crows-Artwork high resnewWEB

Sophie Kinston is Tailor Birds.
Tailor Birds newest album is music that soothes the soul, warms the spirit, and ignites your passion.
Even though the content is 6 songs they are each a 7-10 minute ‘Piece’ forming an album length body of work. Following the success of the previous work ‘Stilts on the Water’ (a single 40 minute piece) this release explores further electro/folk/world territory with more instrumentation such as Piano and Flute added to the already lush soundscape. Recorded in various studios throughout Europe while on tour and mixed and mastered at Damien Gerard Studios Sydney the sonic quality is exceptional.

In Sophie’s own words, “Tailor Birds combines electronic violin, live looping, foley art, percussion, and rich harmonised vocals, to create a sound like no other. A sound that is all about the vibe and positive energy, building an audience that is as diverse as much as it is one, you could say that Sophie is a traveling troubadour. She believes that music should not just be about playing one gig after another with just the music making an impact, but is also o about connecting people to something good again, in a world that is constantly changing. Music needs to inspire and placing Tailor Birds in a space that can do just that, it makes an impact greater than you could ever imagine.”

“Faint echoes of Kate Bush here, Enya there but really like neither and often much spookier”
–Michael Smith – Rhythms Magazine

Tailor Birds’ key influences are Sigur Ros, the Kronos Quartet, Bear’s Den, Chet Faker and more.
-=Sophie Kinston

Tailor Birds is currently touring through Australia.

Friday October 26 – Miama Marketta, Miami QLD

Saturday October 27 – Storytellers Festival, Raymond Terrace, NSW

Saturday November 3 – The Sound Society, Rainforest Green, South Bank Parklands, Brisbane QLD

Sunday November 4 – Peregian Beach Markets, QLD

Saturday November 17 – Cooran Acoustic Night, Cooran QLD

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Tania De Jong – Australian Soprano – New Album – Flying Free

August 2, 2017 Leave a comment

Flying Free is a classical crossover recording bringing together the angelic voice of soprano Tania de Jong with the virtuosic genius of pianist, composer and arranger Anthony Barnhill. Also appearing on the album is one of Australia’s most acclaimed violinists Zoe Black and baritone Jonathan Morton. The album has been recorded with some of Australia’s leading musicians.

The album includes originals Flying Free and The Everlasting Light with compositions by Barnhill and lyrics by de Jong. There are also reinventions of some gorgeous standards including Shenandoah and Danny Boy and sacred songs including two versions of Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus and the Yiddish prayer Avinu Malkeinu. This incantation seeks compassion and peace and an end to war and famine, hate and oppression. Very timely in a world that is ever more divided.

The recording features the work of Schubert, Handel, Caccini, Dvorak, Lehar, Korngold and Gershwin though not always in the way you may expect. There is a divine and timeless nature to these incredible works and Barnhill has created some magical re-inventions.

The songs speak of love, compassion, hope, peace and light, which are very relevant to Tania’s inspirational work as Founder of Creativity Australia’s With One Voice. These innovative programs use the neuro-scientific benefits of singing and bring the fortunate and the marginalised together as ONE community to reduce growing inequality and create a sense of ‘WE’ rather than the current ‘us and them’ environment.

FLYING FREE RELEASE DETAILS
Official Worldwide Release Date Flying Free Single July 21(MGM) Digital Only
Flying Free Album Release September 1 (MGM) CD and Digital(14 tracks)

Flying Free