Fiona Joy Hawkins and Rebecca Daniel Present Heavenly Voices

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"Fiona Joy Hawkins and Rebecca Daniel Present Heavenly Voices"

Australian musicians Fiona Joy Hawkins and Rebecca Daniel team up once again to create a remarkable acoustic new age album titled Heavenly Voices. Recorded and mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Cookie Marenco and released under Marenco’s own label Blue Coast Records, Heavenly Voices sounds close and present. The entirety of the album was performed live in Blue Coast’s Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) and recorded straight to DSD256 (1). Expert recording techniques combined with the high definition audio bring to life every rich keystroke and string vibration. Heavenly Voices is a testament to what great musicianship and audio engineering can accomplish.

Pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins has won several awards including Album of the Year by Zone Music Rewards, Best New Age Album by Independent Music Rewards, and her song “Grace” was featured on a Grammy Award winning album in 2014 (2). Violinist Rebecca Daniel has performed around the world. The Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney invited her to join their ranks where she held duties as the Orchestra Leader for several of their productions (3). Both virtuoso in their own right, together Hawkins and Daniel make for an incomparable team.

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Hawkins’ pensive piano playing lays the foundation for Daniel’s expressive violin work. Listeners will become immersed in the evocative melodies and harmonies, where the piano and violin have their own emotions that they wish to convey. Tracks such as “Sugar Plum Ghost,” “The Lightness of Dark,” and the title song “Heavenly Voices” also feature Hawkins’ and Daniel’s voices, adding a greater ethereal element. Though every part was performed live, much of the album sounds other-worldly, as though Hawkins and Daniel are pulling back the curtain to reveal a glimpse into the afterlife. In a way, Heavenly Voices is a lament. It evokes feelings of grief and loss, though not without a ray of hope, as if the very impermanence that causes our mourning is also the source of beauty upon which we gaze.

2 Portrait LOD Rebecca and Fiona

Expertly crafted in composition, performance, and production, Heavenly Voices is an album that fans of contemporary classical music will not want to miss. We’re sure once you hear the music this will be a MUST HAVE!

This is how the piano and violin were meant to sound!

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Fiona Joy Hawkins New Album Moving Through Worlds

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"Fiona Joy Hawkins New Album Moving Through Worlds"

Fiona Joy Hawkin’s Presents New Album and Video
Moving Through Worlds

As the Australian Bushfires crept toward her rural home, Fiona Joy Hawkins turned to her Stuart & Sons piano to do what has always bought her solace: writing music. After crafting 4 songs that she later marketed as fundraisers for firefighters and wildlife rescue – and which are included on this album – she began final preparations on Moving Through Worlds.

Although she began recording and conceptualizing the album three years ago, one could say it is an album 44-years in the making. One of the more classical-crossover pieces is “For the Roses” which a 12-year-old Fiona wrote for her Grandmother’s funeral.

Fiona says, “I believe music is a gift from another world, from ancestors of the past communicating to inspire and give us hope. Music is a universal language that connects us without prejudice, it speaks to us all equally, yet is received with great variation. My wish is to open a few more hearts to the power of music. Now more than ever we need the connection to our past to find the pathway to our future.”

The 14-track album was beautifully produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records) and Tom Eaton. As per her usual style, Fiona defies genre by bringing Classical, Contemporary Piano, and New Age instrumentals together to create something uniquely her own, and reflective of all the worlds that she has moved through so elegantly while this powerful music gathered in her soul.

Fiona Joy Hawkins is an Australian Pianist, Composer and Singer who enjoys and regularly tours China and the USA and is also a member of the Contemporary instrumental group FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman). Fiona Joy Hawkins is best known for her romantic, melodic songs and lush arrangements. A prolific composer, she has always been interested in creating music that evokes images, emotions and tells stories.

Fiona Joy is known for ‘Grace’, her song on a Grammy Winning album in 2014 and for her extensive catalogue produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records). In 2016 she won two categories of the Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Centre in New York and has been awarded Best Piano Album by International Radio (ZMR Awards) for several of her albums. Nominated alongside Pete Seeger for Best LIVE Performance Album in the Independent Music Awards,Fiona was an ARIA Finalist in Australia in 2008. Fiona works with Australian piano maker Stuart and Sons, and has several albums with Blue Coast Records (content partners with Sony Music for hi-resolution releases).

Watch the Video (Premiered on Scenstr) for Calling County Clare here

In the case of Fiona Joy Hawkins’ latest collection Moving Through Worlds, there are glorious exceptions where it’s not hyperbole in any sense and fits today, tomorrow and for all…let’s just say I can’t imagine there ever being a time in the future when listening to this deeply personal, socially conscious, stylistically expansive 14-track musical narrative would grip me any less than it does today, in the midst of world gone mad 2020. – Jonathan Widran, JWVibe

“Moving Through Worlds” is OUT NOW (July 7) via Little Hartley Music. 

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Fiona Joy Hawkins’ New Single and Video

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"Fiona Joy Hawkins’ New Single and Video"

Fiona Joy Hawkin’s Presents New Single and Video
 Calling County Clare

Music for this moment… A piano journey that finds joy. Calling County Clare is the first track on Fiona Joy’s upcoming album Moving Through Worlds due out 7 July. Calling County Clare is a Celtic dance and joyful celebration featuring piano with Irish Whistle, guitars, accordion and rhythm. In the video Fiona is standing on the shores of Town Beach at Port Macquarie and calling to the shores of Ireland. There’s some really beautiful drone footage of the Irish coast throughout the video shot specifically for the clip.

Fiona Joy Hawkins is an Australian Pianist, Composer and Singer who enjoys and regularly tours China and the USA and is also a member of the Contemporary instrumental group FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman). Fiona Joy Hawkins is best known for her romantic, melodic songs and lush arrangements. A prolific composer, she has always been interested in creating music that evokes images, emotions and tells stories.

Fiona Joy is known for ‘Grace’, her song on a Grammy Winning album in 2014 and for her extensive catalogue produced by Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records). In 2016 she won two categories of the Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Centre in New York and has been awarded Best Piano Album by International Radio (ZMR Awards) for several of her albums. Nominated alongside Pete Seeger for Best LIVE Performance Album in the Independent Music Awards,Fiona was an ARIA Finalist in Australia in 2008. Fiona works with Australian piano maker Stuart and Sons, and has several albums with Blue Coast Records (content partners with Sony Music for hi-resolution releases).

Watch the Video (Premiered last week on Scenstr) for Calling County Clare here

Blue Coast owner/producer Cookie Marenco says, “Fiona’s melodic solo piano and masterful performances are the perfect music to debut the kind of clarity double DSD audio brings to the home listener,”

“One of the brightest lights in contemporary instrumental music, Fiona Joy is poised to move into stardom,” -Will Ackerman, Founder of Windham Hill Records

“Calling County Clare” is OUT NOW via FOGHORN/MGM. 

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For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net

Review of New Single from Karissa

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"Review of New Single from Karissa"

REVIEW OF

LIGHT AT THE END OF DARKNESS – KARISSA HAMBILTON

by Adam Jones. 20/3/2020

The piano notes tinkle gently as they introduce a voice with the huskiness of Stevie Nicks and the passion of the great late Janis Joplin. The light at the end of the darkness in so much piano rock is here, with a well-written song and the perfect level of emotion for the lyrical subject. This is what Delta might have been like when she came out, if she had some Aussie guts! And don’t forget the B-side “it was only me in this delirium..this reality…only to be with you” in a Utopian Coma, a gently contrasting but equally emotional performance from Karissa Hambilton, along with some complementary electric rock rhythm guitar.

This strong woman really does rock hard, well, hard enough for me. And those floating piano notes are always entrancing, every time it features momentarily during these songs. Karissa has been tapping the ebony and ivory and smashing out her dynamic vocals since 2011, and her latest offering reveals the maturity and development of a fine artist delivering from the pocket that she fits snugly into.

This is what I call ‘good driving music’. I can take the wheel and engage in her emotional rollercoaster whilst still happily avoiding those giant road trains!  Although, I could have this on during a dinner party, and it would make nice vibrations for my guests’ ears to occasionally tune into, indulge in, during that sweet but brandy-drenched dessert. 

So, without further ado, I tip my glass to you, Karissa, and say a simple ‘thank you for your music’. Never give up, because you’ve got this!

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New March Playlist

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"New March Playlist"

Our new additions and playlist changes for March include new releases from Karissa, Fiona joy and Throwing Shapes as well as tunes lifted from current albums by Graham Gouldman, The Mezcaltones, Steve Kilbey, Gareth Koch and more.

  1. Steve Kilbey / Gareth Koch – ‘Stay Where You are’ (from the album Chryse Planitia)
  2. Big Merino – ‘I Lay Me Down (2020 Remix)’ (remix single from the album Sweet Little Angel)
  3. Graham Gouldman – ‘Standing Next To Me’ (from the album Modesty Forbids)
  4. Karissa – ‘Utopian Coma’ (from the album Light at the End of Darkness)
  5. Park Haven – ‘Take Cover’ (single)
  6. Fiona Joy Hawkins – ‘Bushfire Moon’ (single)
  7. The Mezcaltones – ‘Shango’s Surfwaxxx’ (from the album Mexican Hillbilly Surf Music)
  8. Throwing Shapes – ‘Tranquility Base’ (from the album Tranquility Base)

Have a listen to all these songs on Our Soundslikecafe Digital Playlist On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5r0hsdTsV5N3aZAXUWt6r2?si=FcW9kDa4RcCWwF980x2Iaw

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Karissa-Light at the End of Darkness

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"Karissa-Light at the End of Darkness"

A regular soundslikecafe artist Karissa has recorded a brilliant new single, 2 songs that will capture your imagination with her heartfelt lyrics and delivery. Listen below and find it on the new February playlist.

Based in Young, Karissa divides her time between a young family, running her own business and her recoding career.

She lists her influences as Paramore, Muse, Sia and Lady Gaga. In her own words: “I love making music- it’s that simple. It’s always been part of my life and it’s who I am. I was put on this earth to stroke the keys of a keyboard and singing gives me inner satisfaction. It’s how I can express how the music makes me feel- emotion and passion. It’s been to long since I’ve done a recording and it was so good being back in the studio. I’ve longed for it and I felt like myself again being back in the studio creating music.”

About this track…Light at the End Of Darkness
This piano driven track also features full rhythm section with an up-tempo catchy feel. Karissa’s lyrics speak of passion, frustration and loss but resolve into the positive.
About this track…Utopian Coma

A ballad from Karissa with her signature piano work and vocals augmented by drums, bass and guitar. Reminiscent of anthemic 90’s tracks from artists such as Evanescence and Paramore.
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REBECCA DANIEL AND FIONA JOY HAWKINS – THE LIGHTNESS OF DARK

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"REBECCA DANIEL AND FIONA JOY HAWKINS – THE LIGHTNESS OF DARK"

REBECCA DANIEL AND FIONA JOY HAWKINS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE THE LIGHTNESS OF DARK –A POWERFUL MUSICAL EXPLORATION OF LOSS, MOURNING AND FINDING BEAUTY AMIDST LIFE’S SADNESS

Blending New Age and Contemporary Classical Crossover Music, Daniel (Violin/Voice/Piano) and Hawkins (Piano/Voice) Will Be Supporting Their Cathartic and Healing 11 Track Album With A Tour in Fall 2019

Leonard Cohen once said, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

2 Portrait LOD Rebecca and Fiona

Australian instrumentalists Rebecca Daniel and Fiona Joy Hawkins place this insight on the back cover of The Lightness of Dark to illuminate their creative and spiritual vision behind the project –their first dual album after many years of live and studio collaborations. The two explore the many facets of life and loss, the search for something positive in the crippling shadows and the potential beauty that can emerge from mourning and sadness

The Lightness of Dark weaves its lush, cathartic narrative via music with varying instrumentation depending on the emotions the two are expressing. The opening track “Heavenly Voices” blends string quartet (featuring The Kanimbla Quartet)with organ, piano and vocals. Other tracks feature solo piano (“Ghosts, Insanity, Angels”), piano/violin duet (“Elegy”), piano with quartet pads (“Lake of Contemplation”), string quartet only (“Interwoven Threads of Chance”), string quartet featuring piano (“Empty Moments”) and other combinations uniquely fitted for the compositions they imbue.

“We believe our album will connect with everyone because we all experience loss in varying forms,” Fiona says. “It can be the loss of youth, a loved one, a pet, your health…Life changing events where we are left to mourn because of loss. People only face their own issues when you lead them to a safe place to do this.”

Rebecca and Fiona have enjoyed a long history of collaborations and are looking forward to working with renowned Australian Producer Llew Kiek. They have performed over 50 concerts together including at the Sydney Opera House for the 2012 MusicOz Awards, New Orleans for 2014 ZMR Awardsand 2017 Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival-and Rebecca has appeared on nearly every one of Fiona’s solo albums. The two have played together as part of Fiona’s Blue Dream Ensemble, and Rebecca produced the group’s album Live at the Q.

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Rebecca Daniel studied violin and chamber music with Emanuel Hurwitz and the Amadeus String Quartet at The Royal Academy of Music. She worked withTrevor Pinnock and Simon Standage, and The Australian Chamber Orchestra, and was Orchestra Leader for Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. She has recorded and performed with, John Denver, Bread, James Galway and the Chieftains, Will Ackerman, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand, Men at Work and INXS.

Fiona Joy Hawkins, a Conservatorium-trained pianist, renowned for her romantic, melodic songs and lush arrangements, is a prolific composer who regularly tours China and the USA and is also a member of the Contemporary instrumental group FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman). Fiona’s song “Grace’ is on a 2014 Grammy Winning album, and in 2016 she won two Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Centre in New York. She has several Best Piano Album ZMR Awards and has worked with Producer Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records and Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records) for hi-resolution audiophile recordings.

Soundslikecafe is proud to feature this brilliant album and the leading single Elegy appears on the July Playlist.

Checkout the entire album here

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Melissa Black – The Eden Project EP

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"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.”

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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.

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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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