Luke Escombe Releases New Album ‘Whale Beach Road’

August 19, 2022

Finally out on all digital platforms here is Luke’s latest album, an ode to brilliant songwriting and musicianship all wound up in family stories.
Luke says –
“I genuinely believe that Whale Beach Road is the best album of “adult music” I’ve made, and it’s very special to me because of all the family history written into the songs.

Whale Beach Road is the first full studio album I’ve made solely under my own name. I started writing the songs in early 2020, towards the end of the fires and before the first lockdown. Initially, I was working on a memoir but then the stories started turning into songs instead.

At first, I was hesitant to apply for Jobkeeper in 2020, as I felt like other people needed it more than me, but then I realised it would give me the funds to go and employ all of the amazing musicians on this album, like drummer Evan Mannell, bassist Zoe Hauptmann, Aaron Flower on guitar and Clayton Doley on Hammond organ. There was even enough to get string and backing vocal arrangements for most of the songs, which gives it that luxurious 70’s soul vibe I was after while still sounding modern and clean. I could have been a hermit and lived off beans and rice, but instead Jobkeeper enabled me to keep creating and collaborating with my community.

Whale Beach Road is a very personal album, but I think there’s also something very universal there in that the songs are all about searching for love and hope in an uncertain world. It was all written and tracked between the Northern Beaches of Sydney and the Central Coast, and I think those beautiful locations feed into the sound. Hopefully the album takes listeners to a good place.”

Family – On Feature Track ‘Max and Melanie’

“While I was writing Max and Melanie I had the idea that it would make a good 70th birthday present for my Mum, a way of paying tribute to her family and where she came from. I’d never actually realised it before, but she was a political refugee, an asylum seeker in her own country. I carried on her story in another song on the album – “Lady Sunlight” – and then started to think about my own story, and all the events and circumstances that had led me to the exact place I found myself at the time of writing these songs: a house on Whale Beach Road. That’s how the album found its narrative, and its title. It’s about people trying to hold on to love and hope while confronting the powerful tide of history. To paraphrase the chorus of Max and Melanie, history makes plans for us, but we can still make plans for ourselves. I find that idea very hopeful.”

“Luke Escombe is a rock-soul singer, raconteur, blistering blues guitarist, comedian and songwriter, and very good at them all” – Sydney Morning Herald

Luke Escombe is an ARIA-nominated singer-songwriter who combines his blues, rock and soul influences with subversive humour, poetic lyrics and heartfelt storytelling. He is the creator of the internationally acclaimed one-man show “Chronic” and the writer and front man of multi award-winning Aussie kids band The Vegetable Plot.

Luke has released numerous albums and EPs with his band Luke Escombe and the Corporation and one album solely under his own name, 2017’s Skeleton Blues. The album was recorded direct to tape in a three-hour session at Damien Gerard Studios, featuring his smoky-voiced cover of Bob Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat” alongside distinctive originals like Punctuation Blues and The Lipsi. This new Luke Escombe studio album, Whale Beach Road, was recorded in between lockdowns with some of Sydney’s most in-demand session players.

Luke received his early musical education in London, where his father’s job in the rock and roll industry enabled him to see hundreds of legendary performances by artists like Freddie Mercury, Prince and Bruce Springsteen while he was just a boy. When he’s not channelling his childhood idols, Luke is an ambassador for a number of health charities, a member of the NSW Arts Advisory Panel, a teaching artist with the Sydney Opera House’s Creative Leadership in Learning Program. He is also a song writing mentor with the Sydney Children’s Hospital’s Chronic Illness Peer Support program [ChIPS] with whom he wrote and recorded the track “Wake up Call” in 2021. He believes strongly that music and storytelling can play a transformative role in health, education and society. Among his more obscure awards is the title of “Sydney’s Sexiest man voice”, which he won in a competition on a once-popular Sydney radio station.

Luke Escombe – Whale Beach Road (Foghorn/MGM) August 19

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Daxton Releases Music Video for Single ‘End of the Road’

August 12, 2022

Daxton’s latest music video is for his new single ‘End of the Road‘ lifted from his current ‘Electric Satellite‘ album.

With a green screen now part of his home garage studio and a tonne of spare cardboard boxes lying about it’s amazing to see what Dax has managed to create with nothing but his imagination and time on his hands.

‘End of the Road’ Official Music Video:

The video and song is reminiscent of Beck’s ‘Loser’ and is a bit of a nod to that era although the slide blues element (a signature of Daxton’s) gives it a timeless quality as well and could fit any era from right now to way back.

The album has also just started to garner warm reviews internationally, here are some of the most recent:

“Although it’s blues-based, Daxton plays these songs with an alternative rocker’s edge.” – Dan MacIntosh
https://www.curiousformusic.com/post/daxton-s-new-album-electric-satellite

“A wild, animalistic energy ties together “Electric Satellite” revealing Daxton’s uncanny ability to craft a truly timeless sound.”
https://beachsloth.tumblr.com/post/689331784743272448/daxton-electric-satellite

“Electric Satellite is another blast of electric and eclectic blues, taking in the grunt and groove of rock and the accessibility and melody of pop and using this to forge his own southern fried take on the genre.” – Dave Franklin
https://dancing-about-architecture.com/electric-satellite-daxton-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/

Daxton released his new album ‘Electric Satellite’ earlier this year, a twelve-track slide blues album with up-tempo spacious songs produced by Pat Dow and Marshall Cullen. Daxton has worked with Pat on many projects – someone who has a keen ear for Daxton’s rustic blues mixed with psychedelic pop/rock sounds.

The album is Daxton’s seventh following the release in 2018 of ‘In Verses’ which features songs covering his favourite themes: life and death, the yin and yang of life, love and loss, while still keeping his always positive and up-tempo vibe.

Producing and playing music since his early teens, Daxton’s passion has kept him continually creating new material both for his band and solo career. On stage, Daxton comes across like he was born to play, his unique guitar style blending perfectly with heart-warming vocals.

Daxton has appeared at major festivals including the Sydney Blues & Roots and Tamworth Country Music Festival where he supported artists such as Kasey Chambers and Beccy Cole. He also has had one of his tracks ‘Moody Liz’ featured in the popular American TV series Doll House.

Based in Sydney, Daxton is best described as a blues/rock artist with a twist of pop and rock. He plays slide guitar rock/blues songs with a fresh and innovative sound. His latest album ‘Electric Satellite is a heavy, rustic blues rock album with psychedelic pop/rock sounds.

‘End of the Road’ Official Music Video:

Listen to ‘End of the Road’ on Spotify:

Download or Stream the Album:

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PG Naylor ‘Move Like That’ (Official Music Video)

August 10, 2022

PG Naylor Releases Latest Single ‘Move Like That’

August 5, 2022

“The song is based on my memories of my first visit to a strip club in Kings Cross in the mid 60s (the Pink Pussy cat – not Chinatown as mentioned in the song – Chinatown just seemed to work better musically). There was a well known ‘dancer’ there who attracted much interest for her ‘moves’. The verse about me being hauled onto the stage is entirely imaginary!!” – PG Naylor

A nod to the 60’s rocker with some modern brass and vocal touches make this mid-tempo song from PG Naylor instantly accessible. Right from the get-go its hooky, rhythmic and very sing along. There’s a cheeky element to the lyrics and vocals to set it all off too.

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!)

Official Video:

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Luke Escombe Releases Single ‘Sacred River’

July 29, 2022

“Sacred River” is the pulsating second single from Luke Escombe’s forthcoming album “Whale Beach Road”. Starting with some very funky catchy bass (Tina Weymouth style), then once Luke’s vocals start this could be a Talking Heads song for sure. Up-tempo, hooky, and immediate, this one is a winner for radio. Written around the hypnotic bass and drum loop, played live on the recording by bassist Zoe Hauptmann and drummer Evan Mannell, the track builds a suspenseful narrative of a man on the edge.

Luke says: “The song was inspired by certain characters I would see on small flights up to Mackay, the FIFO workers leaving their young families for weeks on end to disappear into the company of other men, working in deserted places.”

Musically, “Sacred River” draws on one of Luke’s deepest musical influences: “One of my earliest memories is going to see Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ live in concert at Earl’s Court in London when I was 4 years old. My Dad was working on the tour and showed me around the stage on the day of the show. I remember being really excited but then running out in terror as soon as the lights went down.”

Luke plays the lead guitar part on the track, recorded in one take at Damien Gerard Studios in Gosford through an old Fender Bassman amp that was, as Luke recalls, “cranked so loud I thought it was going to explode. I was sitting right next to it trying to manipulate the sound so it didn’t incinerate me with feedback. It was totally instinctive.”

Clayton Doley adds extra layers of swirling tension on the Hammond organ, and the epic choruses feature backing vocals by Sarah Belkner, Darren Percival, Alice Terry and Daniel Mifsud. It was recorded by Andrew Beck and Richie Belkner, mixed by Richie at Free Energy Device Studios in Newtown and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer William Bowden, who declared it his favourite track on the album: “hypnotic and awesome”.

About Luke Escombe

“Luke Escombe is a rock-soul singer, raconteur, blistering blues guitarist, comedian and songwriter, and very good at them all” – Sydney Morning Herald

Luke has released numerous albums and EPs with his band Luke Escombe and the Corporation and one album solely under his own name, 2017’s Skeleton Blues. The album was recorded direct to tape in a three-hour session at Damien Gerard Studios, featuring his smoky-voiced cover of Bob Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat” alongside distinctive originals like Punctuation Blues and The Lipsi. A new Luke Escombe studio album, Whale Beach Road, recorded in between lockdowns with some of Sydney’s most in-demand session players, is set for release in 2022.

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Afrobeat Artist D.Matthews Releases New Single ‘No Frontin’

July 15, 2022

Introducing Nigerian Afrobeat singer, songwriter, and musician “D.MATTHEWS”

“D.MATTHEWS” has collaborated with New Zealand producers Edyonthebeat and Shaan Mehta, as well as Ghanaian producer Possigee, who has worked with the likes of Wizkid, Mr. Eazi, Sarkodie and Stonebwoy. To list a few.

The recently Australian based afrobeats crooner also showcased his penchant for creating contemporary and progressive afropop throughout each & every one of his songs. Always paying homage to the foundational flavours of the late great Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Flying the flag for afrobeats music in New Zealand over the past few years, D.Matthews was the first artist to bring afrobeats to New Zealand Fashion Week, as well as the first afrobeats artist to perform at one of the country’s biggest festivals, Splore Festival. His music has also garnered critical acclaim and support from Australian and New Zealand tastemakers such as Triple J Unearthed, The Beat Magazine and Base FM among others, as he continues to spread the gospel of afrobeats music down under, while representing NZ/AU afrobeats on the worldwide stage.

Listen to the New Single ‘No Frontin’

Listen to Two Previous Singles

Don’t Leave Me

Africa

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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

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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Steve Williams Releases New Single ‘Pump’

June 24, 2022

Steve Williams releases the new single from his forthcoming album today and had this to say about it

‘Pump was actually written about a friend who went to jail for the crime of fraud. I’ve never been in jail but was locked up for a few hours once due to unpaid parking fines in the late 80’s en route to a support with Cyndi Lauper in Brisbane.t It’s my version of a modern day blues I guess.’

About Steve Williams

Steve Williams came to prominence as the lead guitarist in the 80’s pop group Wa Wa Nee, who had top 5 hits and ARIA Nominations in Australia and chart action in Europe and the USA. Following Wa Wa Nee’s breakup Steve worked with prominent local artists, James Freud and Richard Clapton, before relocating to Europe.

In London, Steve built a successful career as a session guitarist working with Jon Lord from Deep Purple, Ray Parker Jr, Real Life and many more. He returned to Australia in 2005 and continued session and production work including musical theatre and television appearances playing with The Choir Boys, Matt Finish and others.

In 2020 Steve released the ‘Surry Road album’. All the tracks were co-written with musicians that he has worked with over his many years of touring and recording. Tracks feature guest vocals from Pat Powell (Melbourne Ska Orchestra and many more) and other well-known vocalists such as: John Kenny (Rockmelons), Tim Watson (Taxiride), Vince Contarino, Terry Slesser (UK) Louise Person as well up-coming Melbourne singer Nic MC.

Steve’s new album ‘Déjà Vu’ is scheduled for release later in 2022. All songs were written by Steve except ‘Pump’ with Pat Powell and ‘Ronnie’ with John Kenny. Steve played all instruments but with help of a few very talented guests: Gus Fenwick, Nic MC, John Kenny, Pat Powell , Glen Muirhead, Ralph Franke, Raechel Summers, Mac Johnson.

The album was mixed by Steve with the exception of ‘Bouquet Of Life’ which was mixed by Russ T Rock.

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Anirban Jee – New Single Will Above My Wish

June 10, 2022

Screen Shot 2022-06-09 at 4.01.22 PM

Just added to our playlist is this exciting new single from one of our favourite artists who has previously reached our number 1 chart position.

Will Above My Wish was penned, composed and performed by award winning singer-songwriter Anirban Jee. It was recorded, produced and mastered by Sydney’s multi-platinum producer Steve Peach from Stereo Missile Recordings, Sydney.

‘Will Above My Wish’ is about realizing that sometimes our dreams or wishes remain unfulfilled despite our ardent efforts. But eventually through life’s humbling experiences we realize that those desires wouldn’t have yielded the best outcome for us. This makes us ponder whether there is some Will above my Wish that paves the possibility for something much better – Anirban Jee

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For Anirban Jee, his musical awakening spawned at the vibrant age of 12, when he received his first electronic keyboard. Heavily influenced by a diverse range of musical genres through the 80’s and 90’s, Anirban found himselfheavily inspired by pop icons such as Elton John, Richard Marx, Maxwell, Sting, Carol King and many more. During his teen years, AJ found himself dabbling in numerous tuition courses and on the back of many years studying Piano/Keyboard through school and university, Anirban had honed his musical growth to original songwriting, musical compositions, artist collaborations and performing.

In his early years of songwriting, Anirban managed to catch the attention of Australian music industry heavy weightproducer and ‘song doctor’ Matt O’Connor (Thirsty Merc, The Beautiful Girls) from the A&R Department, Sydney. Originally discovered from a rough demo, Matt O’Connor took Anirban under his wing to further develop and hone his craft.

His last two self-featured releases “Mayday” (2020) and ‘Move Out’ (2021) generated positive and exciting reviews on online music magazines such as GongScene, Vents Magazine, Around the Sound, BMA Magazine and even pegged at #1 on Soundslikecafe Singles Chart!!

Anirban’s current series of composition alone range from POP, Urban, Dance, R&B which feature a unique and un‐ patterned soulful infusion that’s embedded in an expressive lyrical muster. Having recently worked with many sought after music producers such as Simon Cohen (Will.I.Am, Guy Sebastian, Vera Blue, Thelma Plum), Steve Peach (Icehouse, Marcia Hines, Sophie Monk), Adrian Hannan (Delta Goodrem, Gabriella Cilmi, Taxi Ride, The Androids), Sven Tydeman (Josh Pyke, Tina Cousins, Candice Alley), AJ’s compositions and songwriting repertoire have resulted in numerous radio plays spanning both commercial and community radio stations across Australia.

Will Above My Wish is now available for download through all good music stores. Listen now!

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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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Tag: singer songwriter

Luke Escombe Releases New Album ‘Whale Beach Road’

Daxton Releases Music Video for Single ‘End of the Road’

‘End of the Road’ Official Music Video:

‘End of the Road’ Official Music Video:

Listen to ‘End of the Road’ on Spotify:

Download or Stream the Album:

Connect with Daxton:

PG Naylor ‘Move Like That’ (Official Music Video)

PG Naylor Releases Latest Single ‘Move Like That’

Luke Escombe Releases Single ‘Sacred River’

Afrobeat Artist D.Matthews Releases New Single ‘No Frontin’

Listen to the New Single ‘No Frontin’

Don’t Leave Me

Africa

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

Steve Williams Releases New Single ‘Pump’

Anirban Jee – New Single Will Above My Wish

Julie-Anne Marshall – Featured Artist Interview

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