Sydney’s blues-rock-rockabilly act Toadvine release new EP

"Sydney’s blues-rock-rockabilly act Toadvine release new EP"

Toadvine are a five-piece blues-rock outfit hailing from Sydney, Australia, who dish up a unique blend of blues-tinged rock’n’roll with generous lashings of rockabilly, country and fuzzed-out garage sounds. Their new five-track EP is called Love Is A Dangerous Game.

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The five track EP Love Is A Dangerous Game is set for release on 25 October 2019. 

TRACK BY TRACK:

Stones and Bones – The EP opener is a rip snorting bluesy garage rock tale about love gone wrong and revenge, featuring a blues harp solo courtesy of Celia Curtis.

Dead Man’s Clothes – cool country Johnny Cash vibe

Dirty Lies – garage rock with a peppering of country roots

More Than Anyone – fun bar-room classic about boy meets girl

Black Naomi –  a blues tinged rockabilly sound with the swagger of the Stray Cats

Toadvine will launch the EP at Moshpit Bar, 642A King Street, Newtown on Saturday November 9. 

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Download or stream from October 25:

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The Blind Pilots release debut 3-track EP

"The Blind Pilots release debut 3-track EP"

New on the soundslikecafe playlist this month is a track called Tell Me I’m Wrong, courtesy of an electrifying blues rock outfit from Sydney called The Blind Pilots.  

When describing this band, it’s easy to say the same old things about being an explosive four piece Australian Roots, Rock and Blues outfit from the Northern Beaches. But the truth is all four members have known each other in previous successful bands, which gives them an advantage in the creative songwriting process.  The four friends share a close rapport and have a laugh together every week. They say, “There’s never a dull moment in rehearsals!” 

 The band members’ camaraderie is largely based on the fact they grew up listening to the same music and share common influences like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, Cat Stevens, Led Zepplin and Midnight Oil.  Together they form a band making the most of dirty slide guitar, hard hitting drums, solid bass grooves, accompanied by a soulful vocal drenched in foot stompin’ harmonica riffs. “We all have an urge to push each other harder to get the best out of our muscianship and are driven to create those magic moments,” says lead guitarist and vocalist Owen.  

In a live format, the band produce an energetic show full of intense commitment, whilst still maintaining a laid back vibe.  

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The lead track of their brand new EP is called Tell Me I’m Wrong, which offers frontman Owen’s perspective on the current political landscape. Accompanying tracks are Telephone – a hard-hitting blues rock tune about breakdowns in relationships, complete with  dirty blues harp and riffing electric guitar.  The swampy southern blues rock style of Howling at the Moon fits perfectly with the lyrical lament about longing and yearning.  

 Between them, their experiences have seen them performing at festivals including Byron Blues, Woodford Folk, Festival Of Sun, Echuca Blues Festival, Mud Run, Harley Days, Throttle Roll, Sydney Blues Festival and has found them on the Australian Blues charts. With new ideas consistently being brought to the table this group will continue to make inroads in the Blues and Roots World and be one to watch.

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The Blind Pilots members are: Owen Mancell – Guitar/Vocals; Matt Hough – Drums; Ryan Stone – Harmonica; Daniel Changas – Bass/Vocals  

“Owen brings the spark, Matt is the conductor and reconstructs, Changas adds the bottom end whilst Stony waves the magic which is the icing on the cake.”

The Blind Pilots EP is out on August 30.  

Tell Me I’m Wrong is on the soundslikecafe playlist now. 

Download or stream from August 30:

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Apsara – Galatea EP

"Apsara – Galatea EP"

Apsara is an original project of classical soprano Michaele Archer, exploring a sound palate that is rich and raw. Composed with Latin text from Virgil and Roman woman poet Sulpicia, Apsara’s debut EP Galatea intertwines ancient and new sounds.

Leading the Apsara project on harmonium and vocals, Archer is joined by cellist Rachel Whealy, violist Gabrielle Laura Steele and guitarist Giuseppe Zangari.

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It been a journey bringing together the different layers for this project – Ancient Latin text, alto instruments and a vocal approach that blends opera and early music. “Once I had it the music came quickly. The songs almost wrote themselves. They came so fast in a matter of minutes recording on my phone.”

In addition to medieval vocals, ancient Latin text and deep analogue instruments, the flow of water and nature inspires Apsara. In Virgil’s Eclogue 7 there are references to Galatea, a water sprite and the name Apsara also translates as Indian water spirit.

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Michaele has performed opera, song and oratorio in Australia and internationally and has featured in several world premieres of new works by Australian composers.

“Coming from an opera background and having a larger voice type my sound has always been full on opera”. Michaele has recently been performing and studying in Los Angeles with Robin de Haas, a leading voice coach in Europe and founder of a new performance and body work method called Breathing Coordination. Going ever deeper into anatomy and the science of breathing led Michaele to a new vocal style, blending Opera into medieval straight tone.

Discovering the poetry of Roman woman poet Sulpicia struck a deep chord.  “The portrayal of women in opera is often two dimensional and I wanted to depart from that,” says Archer.  Sulpicia was a woman who lived outside the stereotypes of Ancient Roman society in terms of being unmarried, writing poetry and writing explicitly about love. The feel and sound qualities of old Latin text and stories interpreted from a female perspective form a rich layer, built with instruments from the deeper harmonic spectrum.

“I’ve got a thing for the darker sounding instruments so combining the tone of the viola with cello and alto harmonium was a perfect fit.”

Cellist Rachel Whealy has been a muse since high school. The pair met in Year 12 Music class, where Michaele fell in love with Rachel’s playing and the mellow sob of the cello. There were quite a few maths lessons skipped to play Purcell on Balmoral Island with the waves. They have been performing, writing and recording together ever since. “We’ve created some beautiful original recordings, but I kept putting them aside. I hadn’t quite cracked the feel of the sound I knew I was looking for. I wanted to move slightly left of opera with an instrumental foundation that was real and textured.”

APSARA – GALATEA will be released on August 23 through MGM. 

Download or stream from August 23:

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CaliCisco – One Last Night EP

"CaliCisco – One Last Night EP"
CaliCisco is the name of the new musical project of songwriter Joel Leffler.  The name was inspired by his love of the Western part of the USA – a conglomeration of the names San Francisco & California.
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The ‘One Last Night’ EP follows the story of a couple who had parted ways, leaving one of the parties to deal with different stages of grief.
‘Smoke Clouds’ is the first single to radio from the EP featuring a tight snappy verse structure & a four-on-the-floor disco beat chorus complete with Bee Gees style falsetto vocals. ‘Smoke Clouds’ lyrically touches on flavours of a love that can be so inundating it can literally leave you feeling high.
The EP features elements of mellow piano, funk guitar & punchy synth throughout the 5 tracks, underpinned by dance beats &catchy loops that all enhance the lyrical melody. Songwriter/Producer Joel Leffler set out to create an EP that represented both elements of his songwriting world with tracks like ‘Smoke Clouds’ & ‘Got It Good’ heavy in synth and pop guitar whilst ‘One Last Night’ tells a story through an honest lyrical delivery.
‘Feeling Like’ introduces itself in simplistic fashion with record player static, a piano loop and a close raw vocal. Before you know it the song is in full flight with Synth risers leading into a catchy vocal driven chorus. A strong beat accompanied by a vocal synth melody perfectly illustrates the new sound direction from songwriter Leffler.
‘My Heart’ begins its journey with an earthy assortment of piano, lead guitar and a mellow bass line creating the foundations for a raw honest vocal to enter. When the chorus hits, a bouncy synth bass & keys lead the charge with the return of the lead guitar melody. ‘My Heart’ follows the story of a man who leaves a trail of self-sabotage in love, where he fails to protect his heart while wearing it openly on his sleeve.

‘Got It Good’ starts with an upbeat pop arrangement, settling itself into a beat-driven verse reprieve. A repetitive lyrical hook in the chorus is accompanied by multiple synth melody lines that completes a contemporary electronic/pop sound. ‘Got It Good’ is a story about a female who lives the high life of travel, booze & disposable income.

‘One Last Night’, the title track of the EP & the stand-out storytelling song, is led by sustained grand piano chords & a close vocal that makes you feel like you are sitting in the same room as the singer. The chorus features swelling orchestral strings, harmonising back up vocals,  synth keys & a strong drum beat while lyrically the song depicts a couple sharing one last night of passion together even though they both know it’s over.
Download CaliCisco – One Last Night now:
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Joel Leffler – Brighton Lakes Sessions EP

"Joel Leffler – Brighton Lakes Sessions EP"

If you were to walk in the front door of one of those homes, turn right up the stairs and left into bedroom 3 you would find a grand piano, an acoustic guitar & an air of something recognisably creative.

This 8 track EP features popular songs from Joel Lefflers’s previous titles ‘Run With The Wolves’ & ‘Strip Me Bare’ along with 2 brand new acoustic tracks fresh out of the studio, ‘Where You Are’ & ‘Home To Me (Caledonia)’.

Much like Brighton Lakes face lift; these songs have been re-imagined to give an insight into what they sound like both in pre-production & live in show.

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Joel says of his experience recording the acoustic sessions, “I was recently diagnosed with severe anxiety that found me laying in an ER bed at Liverpool Hospital…What I thought was originally derived from music actually turns out to be – that music itself is the cure!”

Brighton Lakes Sessions EP was written, recorded & produced by Joel Leffler followed by mastering by Andrew Beck at Damien Gerard Studios.

Listen here:

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