AWME 2010 Artists

Afro Habesha

Afro Habesha is a 10 piece ensemble performing Ethiopian traditional and contemporary music and dance. Soulful, vibrant, aurally and visually beautiful, the group is fronted by vocalist and dancer Seble Girma and includes some of Melbourne’s finest instrumentalists, including the cream of Ethiopian-Australian artists. Traditional Ethiopian instruments feature alongside a blistering horn section and modern rhythm section that gives voice to the rhythmically infectious grooves unique to Ethiopian music and culture.

Ethiopia is an extremely multicultural nation where in excess of 80 languages and dialects are spoken today. The music is equally diverse and yet is unmistakably and immediately identifiable as Ethiopian in all its diversity. Afro Habesha successfully expresses the cultural richness with songs in a variety of languages, including Amharinha, Oromihna and Guragihna. Giving voice to regional pride, tribal values and of course most importantly, the universal theme of love. Various traditional styles such as Gonder, Walita and Wollo represent the regions from where they originated, these traditional sounds are combined with reggae and other forms, to create a contemporary sound that connects authentically to a profound antiquity.

Afro Mandinko

www.myspace.com/afromandinko

Gambian Master Percussionist King Marong and his band Afro Mandinko deliver a breath of fresh air into the Australian African/world music scene with their original cross genre style and breathtakingly dynamic stage presence. Drawing on influences from across West Africa, ranging from coastal Senegambian highlife to deep Saharan Desert Blues, Afro Mandinko fuse the centuries old traditions of West Africa with the contemporary sounds of  Western styles, creating a vibrant blend of irresistible dance music. Featuring incredible African dancers and elements of afrobeat, funk, latin, reggae, dancehall and jazz - it’s a modern mix, underpinned by the deep roots of the traditional rhythms and melodies of Kings Manding heritage.

This energetic ensemble is a collaboration between a number of Australia's premier world musicians and features Melbourne based West African artists including members of the several national African troupes (Gambian National Troupe: King Marong, Senegalese National Ballet: Lamine Sonko, Ghanaian National Dance Ensemble: Kuukwa Ackuah).  The instrumentation incorporates the authentic sounds of traditional West African instruments Kora and Kamelngoni (harps) plus a wide range of percussion, melded with the modern sound of keys, guitar and bass, a driving kit and a bright and resonant afro horn section.

For the past 5 years Afro Mandinko have been creating,  refining and performing a unique yet highly accessible sound and a stage show that is entertaining on numerous levels - from the fine musicianship, attention to cultural detail and energetic choreography.

Bella Kalolo (New Zealand)

www.bellakalolo.com

Bella Kalolo is of Samoan, Tongan and Maori (Ngati Porou) decent. Bella is currently a finalist for the 2010 Best Female Vocalist for the Pacific Music Awards, and recently recorded a track with Don McGlashan to feature on the soundtrack of a new New Zealand Feature Film Matariki. She is one of New Zealand’s most exciting artists and has worked extensively as a vocalist for the last ten years performing and/or recording with Don McGlashan, Dave Dobbyn, Hollie Smith, Fat Freddys Drop, Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke, Susan Lynch, the NZSO, Carl Doy and Nathan Haines to name a few. Equal parts raconteur and soulstress, Bella Kalolo is a sassy femme fatale who draws on her experiences of love, life and heartache. Her bittersweet melodies soar with stomping piano and swampy beats, traversing the riotous, the raw and the intimate.

Black Jesus Experience

Members of the Black Jesus Experience hail from Ethiopia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Australia. Vocals by Enushu capture the unique singing traditions of Ethiopia through conscious rhyme, while vocalist Mr Monk, known as the “Lyrical Miracle” brings solid flows and conscious word play to the mix. Peter Harper, alto saxophonist and ensemble leader, manifests a searingly powerful sound through the use of overtones, while Cass Horsfall, bass guitarist, brings a reggae sound system culture to the ensemble. The remaining highly respected musicians that round off the ensemble are Patrick Kearney, drums; Ian Dixon, Trumpeter; Souren Tchakerian, Percussion; and Thai Matus, Keyboard Player who incorporates East African song forms.

Black Jesus Experience performed sell-out shows at the 2010 Melbourne International Jazz Festival with Mulatu Astatke, the prominent father of Ethiojazz. The ensemble has also toured extensively in Europe and Ethiopia.

Blak Roots

www.myspace.com/blackrootsmelbourne

Combining some of the rarest vocal talent to hit our shores in recent times with an all original repertoire of soulful African reggae tunes, Blak Roots is taking the reggae genre in Melbourne to new heights.

Led by African born vocal extraordinaire William Kadima, Blak Roots formed in early 2008 bringing together an eclectic mix of talented artists from some of the planet’s most exotic locations. Blak Roots have created a fresh and exciting musical brew that truly represents African reggae music - a razor tight mix of driving reggae rhythms, refreshingly sweet vocals and African inspired harmonies.

In the past year the band has performed all over the city winning over fans with their high energy shows and the dynamic presence of William and Aminata - two powerful and original African reggae soul singers.

Busby Marou

www.myspace.com/busbymarou

From humble beginnings, on the banks of the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Busby Marou is making a serious impact on the local music scene.

Since recording their debut EP The Blue Road with Australian singer/songwriting icon, Pete Murray and acclaimed producer Anthony Lycenko, at Pete’s home studio in Northern NSW in late 2007, the boys have come a long way. Their debut EP was played on radio playlists across Australia, including Triple J, ABC, 98.9FM, Deadly Sounds and Koori Radio.

In 2009 the band were one of five successful applicants for ‘Breakthrough’ – A Federal Government initiative supporting emerging Indigenous contemporary musicians. The award assisted in the production of the bands debut self-titled album, which was launched in July 2010.

Jeremy, a proud Torres Strait Islander has a unique and rare musical talent, with an instrument range that includes the ukulele, bass, drums and piano, and guitar. His experience with traditional Murray Island song and dance as a child shines though his melodies. This, combined with Thomas’s distinctly Australian way of sharing stories has developed into a unique Australian song writing flavour with cracking harmonies, breathtaking musicianship and a natural feel for each others style.

Celenod (New Caledonia)

Hailing from Mare Island, Celenod is one of the most renowned Kaneka bands – a music based on the traditional dance rhythms of the Kanak people. Celenod produce a diverse mix of percussive dance music using bamboo and wood instruments, an acoustic guitar, an electric bass and polyphonic vocals inherited from religious choirs.

Celenod’s live shows are centred around their unique rhythmic creations, dances and ancient chants.

With their first album Co Weli released in 2005, the band won many fans in New Calendonia along with the prestigious Trophees de la Musique Award, with their second album Pani Bua Ko winning the Public Choice Award last year.

The Cumbia Cosmonauts

www.myspace.com/cumbiacosmonauts

Tropical space cowboys Cumbia Cosmonauts are Australia's first cumbia sound system, and already at the forefront of the growing global phenomenon of Nueva Cumbia. This Colombian rhythm is blasted into the future and beyond by Melbourne-based visionary producers Moses ‘saca la mois DJ!!’ Iten and Thomas ‘Soup’ Campbell, who assemble a stellar cast of guest musicians to make each live performance a unique visual and sonic adventure featuring lasers, casio keyboard, accordion, melodica, brass and plenty of percussion.

The Cumbia Cosmonauts combine influences from classic Colombian roots cumbia to Jamaican dub, Mexican tribal club and electronic mutations, Peruvian psychedelic chicha funk, and digital cumbia experimentation coming out of Argentina. In their live presentations expect a science fiction soundtrack lost in the Amazon jungle; sampled recordings from a recently re-discovered Soviet dub laboratory; tropical vibes in orbit; and ultimately an infectious shuffle-beat anyone can dance to.

Before having made an official release, the Cumbia Cosmonauts established their reputation by producing commissioned remixes for some of Latin America's most renowned electronic-folk artists such as Nortec Collective (Nacional Records, Mexico), Tremor (ZZK Records, Argentina) and Radiokijada (Wrasse Records, Peru/France).

Cumbia Cosmonauts have performed all over Australia, and taking their sound to Europe saca la mois DJ!! performed ten DJ shows in July/August 2009, inciting thousands to dance at the world’s biggest Caribbean party Antilliaanse Feesten (Belgium), and the Lowlands Festival (Netherlands). Arriving back home, Saca La Mois DJ!! toured the cumbia rhythm nationally with the massive Big Day Out, Australia’s most popular music festival.

Dan Sultan

www.dansultan.com | www.myspace.com/dansultan

With a star that’s been swiftly rising since the release of his second and highly acclaimed album Get Out While You Can, Dan Sultan and his band's powerhouse performances are reputed to be amongst the most talked about shows in the country.

With a voice that is simultaneously sweet and rough, front man Dan Sultan knows how to turn on a crowd. The musical partnership and great synergy between Scott Wilson and Dan Sultan is as visible on stage as it is on their albums. From haunting acoustic ballads to big band soul-rock guaranteed to make you move, Dan Sultan and his knock out 7-piece band deliver a dynamic live set.

Get Out While You Can, the second album by Dan Sultan, is an electrifying romp through rockabilly, blues, soul, country and swing and on the back of its release last November, was Triple J’s album of the week, shooting to Number 1 on the Independent Australian album charts. It remains one of the highest selling independent releases in the country today.

With striking guest appearances around Australia at festivals, on film (Bran Nue Dae), TV (Spicks and Specks; Rockwiz) and a ground breaking performance at the 'Before Too Long' Paul Kelly Tribute concert, Dan Sultan is emerging as a stand-out showman amongst Australia’s music heavies – the band to watch. Indigenous music legend, Kev Carmody described Dan Sultan as exactly how he would have performed in the 60's ...and Dan's powerful collaborations with Kev Carmody and Black Arm Band, are testament to his commitment to his people and the band's dedication to quality music and performance.

Diafrix

www.myspace.com/diafrix

One of the country's most explosive and eclectic live acts has finally completed their immensely anticipated debut album. Following on from the hugely successful EP in 2006, Concrete Jungle has taken Diafrix's iconic concoction of hip-hop, funk and African roots and developed it into a truly world-class product while still maintaining the same raw energy they've carried since they formed in 2001.

The group – which was born in the sketchy Melbourne suburb of Footscray - comprises of two frontmen, Momo and Azmarino, both of whom are African refugees but have lived through struggles which are worlds apart. Momo arrived in Australia with his family at the age of three after fleeing their homeland of the Comoros islands. His background and culture left him feeling isolated in a community which was not yet accustomed to African migration. Azmarino, on the other hand, originally hails from Eritrea but didn't arrive in Australia until earlier this decade – after a life of citizenship hunting throughout countries like Jordan, Italy and Switzerland. He lived and worked illegally in the country for six years until he was made Australian citizen in 2007. Theirs is not the typical story of an Aussie band, but one that reflects an underrepresented and growing community of first generation Australians.

Throughout their extensive career in the live circuit, the boys have made their stamp at festivals like Big Day Out, Meredith, Good Vibrations and Falls Festival to name but a few, and held down infamous residencies at Melbourne haunts like The Evelyn. In early 2009, Diafrix undertook their first European tour, playing in packed, intimate venues in cities like Paris, London and Amsterdam.

Electric Wire Hustle (New Zealand)

www.electricwirehustle.com | www.myspace.com/electricwirehustle

Developing their own sound and twist on modern hip hop, psychedelic and soul, Electric Wire Hustle – Taay Ninh, Mara TK and Myele Manzanza – have an exciting new sound that challenges genre boundaries.

They have performed across New Zealand at most major music festivals and are currently making waves in Europe with their debut self-titled album . Released in New Zealand last year, the album is about to be released internationally through BBE Records (UK) and Wonderful Noise (Japan).

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force

www.myspace.com/femikuti

The world is full of celebrity offspring, yet it is almost impossible to think of one who lives up to expectations to the same degree as Femi Kuti, son of Fela, the originator of Afrobeat and former Public Enemy No1 in Nigeria. He is that rarity, a scion whose career rests on talent and hard work rather than the family name.

Born in 1962 in London, where his father was a student, raised in Lagos and a saxophonist with Fela’s bands Africa 70 and Egypt 80 from the age of 15, Femi has spent the best part if his life keeping alive his late father’s dreams of a Nigeria free of corruption and an Africa able to provide for all its people. Afrobeat that is both hard driving and hard hitting is still the order of the day at the Shrine, the nightclub where Femi and his band, Positive Force, play three times a week, and which he runs with his older sister, Yeni.

However, copying note for note his Father’s music has never been Femi’s goal. If he accompanied Fela’s musicians during his youth, he decided as early as 1986 to free himself up and create his own band. Whilst always respecting his musical heritage, Femi has refined over more than twenty years, an Afrobeat with soul-jazz nuances that is entirely his own.

The route taken has always been original, from his signing with Motown in the early 90’s until his ground-breaking album in 2001 Fight To Win, when he forces joined with rappers Mos Def and Common and funkmaster James Poyser, amongst other American luminaries. These rich experiences only served to re-enforce his ultimate conviction; his music has never been as intense as when brewed in a Nigerian cauldron and matured in the hot-house atmosphere of the Shrine - his Lagos nightclub.

Frank Yamma

Frank Yamma is one of Australia’s most talented contemporary performers. He also happens to be a traditional Pitjantjatjara man from Australia’s central desert and speaks five languages. 

Regarded by many as one of Australia’s most important Indigenous Songwriters, Frank’s brutally honest tales of alcohol abuse, cultural degradation, respect for the old law and the importance of country are spine tingling.  Frank has the ability to cross cultural and musical boundaries and constantly sets new standards through his music.

When Frank sings about standing on a sand dune watching over the landscape, it's as though you are standing right there with him. When he sings about the plight of Aboriginal children born into a world of chaos and alcohol, Frank wrenches the heart.

In 2007 Frank released Keep up The Pace, an explosive album that mixed up-beat dance rhythms, reggae, hip hop and roots. His next album is due to be released later this year.

Graveyard Train

www.myspace.com/graveyardtrain3051

In retrospect it's obvious that horror and country music go together like peas and carrots - it just took Graveyard Train to show us.

Utilising old timey instruments (banjo, dobro & washboard) with the unorthodox percussion of hammer & chain, all underneath a six part baritone 'wall of men' vocal delivery, Graveyard Train have created a unique sound and an equally unique way to deliver it. Exclusively singing songs and stories about death, despair, vampires, werewolves and anything macabre, Graveyard Train have drawn on the storytelling styles of old folk songs and mashed it with a punk/rockabilly/country frenetic foot stomping energy to create 'horror country'.
 

Groundation (USA)

Jeff Lang

www.jefflang.com.au | www.myspace.com/jefflangmusic

Australian-based musician Jeff Lang has earned worldwide acclaim as a virtuosic guitarist, a dynamic songwriter and a startlingly unique live performer. With a back catalogue of 14 studio albums, Jeff has been featured at major festivals, pubs, clubs, arts centres and venues internationally for the past decade. Blending rock, roots, folk, blues, ballads, instrumentals, improvisation and a devastatingly high level of musicality, Jeff Lang is a singularly unique performer in our world. Jeff has been showered with achievements and awards throughout his career - the most outstanding would be his six ARIA award nominations, as well as his win in 2002.
Lang has built up a devoted, almost cult-like, following with his live performances. Working without a set list and allowing the unique energy of each night to shape the songs, taking the audience along for the ride, has seen word of mouth bloom into a successful career.

It’s been widely acknowledged that Jeff Lang is an extraordinarily individual musician. What enhances his unique nature is his steadfast adherence to a prolific and diverse musical palette and output. A songwriter, a collaborator, a virtuosic guitarist and a stunning lyricist, Jeff Lang crafts songs as novella - rich with depth and vision, yet with an open breath for individual interpretation.

Katie Noonan & the Captains

www.katienoonan.com

Katie Noonan's technical mastery and pure voice make her one of Australia's most versatile and beloved vocalists.  A mother, singer, producer, songwriter, pianist and business woman, this multi-award winning and 5 times platinum selling songstress first received widespread praise as the angel-voiced songstress of indie-pop band George and she has since taken audiences on sublime excursions through jazz, pop and classical music.

Her various releases include her folk trio’s self titled album Elixir, the No. 1 selling classical album Two of a Kind with her mother Maggie, and her gold-selling top ten album solo album Skin. She has also worked with the country’s top orchestras including her recent fruitful collaboration with Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Noonan's affinity with jazz shone through the ARIA award-winning album, Before Time Could Change Us. Recorded with revered pianist Paul Grabowsky, it captured the breathtaking beauty and emotion which characterises her work. For her latest album, Blackbird, Noonan collaborated with a historic ensemble of iconic jazz players including Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash and John Scofield.

Kavisha Mazzella

www.kavisha.com

Kavisha Mazzella was born in London, England, to an Italian father and Anglo-Burmese mother who all migrated to Australia in the early sixties. Growing up in a family of singers, it was her destiny to sing.

As an ARIA-award winning musician, Kavisha is a singer/songwriter who enjoys crossing musical boundaries and creating community experiences in her shows. She produces passionate, life-affirming music, which amounts to energetic fusions of her own original music with echoes of Italian folk traditions, tinged with country, Celtic and gypsy styles.

As well as leading the Kavisha Mazzella Trio (with ARIA award winner Irine Vela and Peter Vadiveloo), she collaborates with many artists in theatre projects, vocal teachers’ workshops in Italy and Australia, and has founded choirs such as Melbourne based 'La Voce Della Luna' Italian Women’s choir, of which she is the current Musical Director. In 2004 Kavisha was Port Fairy Artist of the Year and in 2008 Kavisha was a recipient of the Victorian Governments Multicultural Awards for Excellence for her contribution to Community Arts.

King Kadu

Originally from Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait, Ricardo Idagi (King Kadu) now lives in Melbourne and is regarded as a prominent Australian Indigenous musician performing at music and arts festivals across the country.

King Kadu’s music is inspired by his ancestors and the recent history of the Torres Strait, incorporating authentic Merian music and traditional instruments such as the 'warup' - a traditional drum, and the 'gor' - a rattle made of seeds.

His performance is a journey of song and dance from pre-European contact to the influences on the community of the music from the 1920’s to ’50’s. Kadu’s work documents Meryam international kinship ties and includes working songs of the pearling and fishing industries. These stories and songs are snapshots of contemporary Australian Murray Islander life.

Kadu’s music blends and overflows with different musical genres ranging from the ragtime style of JuJu Jive to the funky rhythms of Taybobo. His mix of traditional chants with melodic guitar and piano accordion creates a unique world music style that has yet to be explored.

King Kapisi (Samoa/New Zealand)

www.kingkapisi.net | www.myspace.com/kingkapisi

King Kapisi fuses an eclectic mixture of hip-hop inspired beats with sprinklings of rock, drum 'n bass, reggae and jazz - executed with the help of a live 6 piece band. King Kapisi was the first hip-hop artist in New Zealand to receive the prestigious Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards for Songwriter of the Year for his single Reverse Resistance, which followed on the popular release of his debut single Sub-Cranium Feeling from his critically acclaimed debut album Savage Thoughts (2000).

King Kapisi has performed alongside Janet Jackson, Moby, Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. His second album, 2nd Round Testament, was released in New Zealand and Australia in 2003 and Dominant Species in 2005. His fourth album Hip-Hop Lives Here is due for world-wide release in 2010.

Kundalila

www.myspace.com/kundalila

Traversing diverse musical territories through the simple beauty of voice, Kundalila brings together a unique a cappella sound which draws on the musicians' varied cultural backgrounds.

Brought together by a passion to share each others music, Kundalila formed in 2008 through a merging of two groups, acoustic folk duo ‘Etienne and Rene’ and Zimbabwean sisters Rue and Sharon, finally the group stumbled upon the missing voice Alice, completing the sound of Kundalia.

The groups name, Kundalila, originates from the Bemba language of Zambia, Southern Africa. Meaning ‘cooing dove,’ it is also one of Zambia’s most beautiful waterfalls, and represents both the groups sound and purpose.  From the sweet melodies of peace to thunderous calls for social justice, Kundalila’s lyrics are heart warming, and thought provoking reflections which lament on the human condition around the world, and rejoice in the blessing life offers everyday.

Join in song and dance, lamenting and laughter as Kundalila takes you home, wherever that may be and fills you with a whole sense of being, recognizing individual differences and encouraging the respect of global co-existence.  A new era of ethnic music – Kundalila!

Maisey Rika (New Zealand)

www.maiseyrika.com | www.myspace.com/maiseyrika

If you took some of Sade, a touch of India Arie and a splash of Tracey Chapman you would get the sound of Maisey Rika. She performs stripped-back, hauntingly beautiful acoustic melodies with a spine-tingling fusion of English and Maori lyrics, accompanied by her brother JJ on guitar.

A highly-talented Maori singer-songwriter, Maisey has toured the world as a lead vocalist with her traditional Kapa Haka (Maori performing arts) group, performing in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and Australia before focussing on her solo career.

Her debut album is entitled TOHU which is a Maori word meaning signs, symbolism, instruction and direction.

Mama Kin

www.mamakin.com | www.myspace.com/mamakinmusic

Mama Kin is equal parts raconteur and soulstress: a sassy femme fatale who draws on her experiences of love, life and heartache. Her bittersweet melodies soar with stomping piano and swampy beats, traversing the riotous, the raw and the intimate.

Drawing inspiration from the songbird greats, Mama Kin’s music is powerful and gut-wrenchingly honest. She opens her heart to reveal a strength and vulnerability that is at once arresting and inspiring.

Born into a family of Maltese extraction, where music reigns and talent abounds, Mama Kin is Danielle Caruana, the youngest of six siblings. Intimidated by the natural ability of her elder brothers Michael and Nicky (Bomba), she was a diligent classical piano student, focussed on honing her technical skills, but pining for the musical and improvisational freedom of her brothers.

It was her sister Carmen who inspired Mama Kin to sing, paving the way for her rich vocal exploration. Through Carmen, she discovered Joan Armatrading, Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin, and a fragility and resonance that now defines her hauntingly powerful croon.

From her father’s record collection, Mama Kin found the country greats, lamenting storytellers such as Johnny Cash and Charlie Pride, together with the lounge and swing of Dean Martin and Louis Prima, not to mention a wealth of traditional Maltese troubadours. She taught herself old favourites at the piano, hoping to throw off the shackles of her classical training, but never believed she could move beyond hobbyist tinklings.

“I was completely petrified,” Mama Kin says. “After growing up under two incredibly diverse musical brothers and a really musical family, I think I just made a decision early on that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t as good as them.”

The music stayed close, always bubbling below the surface. But when Mama Kin found love, and then married Australia’s pre-eminent roots rocker, John Butler, her musical insecurities intensified. She became central to The John Butler Trio entourage, also steering The JB Seed Fund - a philanthropic foundation established to support emerging musicians and artists - and laid her musical aspirations to rest once more. It wasn’t until she sat with her husband’s lap steel guitar one night that Mama Kin penned her first tune, a song called 'Woman’s Life', which eventually made its way onto her debut EP Papoose. She started to write regularly, and soon discovered her voice as a songwriter in her own right. With a small collection of tracks under her belt, Caruana approached her brother Nicky to record some demos. The siblings discussed the idea of forming a band called Kin. It was then that Caruana discovered she was pregnant with her second child. “Well, I guess that makes you Mama Kin,” Nicky laughed. The name stuck.

Still more of a songwriting exercise than an intention to launch a musical career, the songs from this session were shelved as Mama Kin immersed herself in the role of motherhood. Coaxed into performing a string of house concerts, she shared songs that grappled with the very fragility and inhibition that prevented her from living her dream. This intense honesty, vulnerability and her charming sense of humour, tapped a cord with her audiences and they embraced the stories, the pain and the confessionals. They wanted more. The time had come when the desire to share her music outweighed the fear. “I now had two children and every day I urged them to follow their dreams, to live truthfully and courageously,” Mama Kin says.

Microwave Jenny

www.myspace.com/microwavej

Microwave Jenny is Australian duo Tessa Nuku and Brendon Boney. This intriguing match has been wooing music lovers across the country with its silky harmonies since the pair first joined forces three years ago. With a name that stems from classic Aussie film "The Castle", Microwave Jenny’s genre-defying style is determined to bring pop music played by real musicians with real instruments back to the Australian musical landscape.

Drawing influence from artists such as James Taylor, Bill Withers, Van Morrison, Janis Ian and Joni Mitchell, they aim to promote good vibes, and sincere lyrics. Their contagious melodies and unique outlook on life, love and the world around them is hard to ignore.

Mista Savona

www.mistasavona.com | www.myspace.com/mistasavona

Jake Savona, aka Mista Savona, is arguably Australia's leading exponent of roots-reggae and dancehall music, with acclaimed international releases under his belt and high profile collaborations with a raft of reggae heavyweights, Mista Savona is building a reputation as one of the country’s most prolific musical exports.

In 2007 Savona, released Melbourne Meets Kingston - the first ever album length collaboration between Australian and Jamaican musicians. Released to widespread critical claim, Melbourne Meets Kingston, was hailed as “one of the most important releases of 2007” by 3D World, “pure excitement...a fantastic exercise in cross-cultural collaboration” by the Sydney Morning Herald, and respected reggae DJ and broadcaster Jesse I called it “a landmark for Australian music...the strongest reggae album produced in this country to date”.

In 2009 Mista Savona undertook further international collaborations and released a series of explosive 7” singles known as the Fire Dragon Riddim - the first ever Australian produced releases of their kind to be manufactured and distributed globally from Jamaica. Hailed as “hypnotic" and “irresistibly charming" by French critic Jean-Marc Lemonnier (Natty Dread), these singles constitute Australia’s official entry into the global reggae market.

In 2010 Mista Savona followed up this achievement with the release of his blistering fourth studio album Warn The Nation, continuing his work with internationally renowned artists such as Capleton, Sizzla, Horace Andy (Massive Attack), Anthony B, Prince Alla, Burro Banton and many more. J Mag called it “Australia"s definitive reggae album” and the Sydney Morning Herald defined it as “fantastic...authentic... an incredible reggae album”.

To perform this music live, Savona brings together an incredible 10 piece band, including a horn section, African dancers and Melbourne vocalist, Vida-Sunshyne (whose credits include work with Nitin Sawhney and Lionel Richie). His show is by far the toughest and most exciting presentation of authentic, raw roots reggae and dancehall music in this country.

Mr Percival

www.mrpercival.com | www.myspace.com/mrpercival

Darren Percival has achieved an outstanding reputation in Australia as an artist, musician, vocal coach and jazz singer of talent, imagination and skill. With over twenty years of professional experience, he has worked as an entertainer, recording artist, singing teacher and innovator with resounding results.

A childhood spent in Mexico inspired the canvas for his ‘spontaneous vocalization’, and recording monthly cassette tapes for family and friends back home in Australia propelled his fascination with recording the human voice and being able to play it back.

In the early years he learnt his craft studying singing techniques with Alan Dean, Kerrie Biddell and Mark Murphy. At 17 he was the youngest ever finalist in The Australian Singing Competition and when he left high school in 1989 he toured throughout the west coast of California with the Big Band he fronted for his senior years at school. Then returning to Australia to begin touring with veteran Australian entertainers Bobby Limb and Dawn Lake and later that year joining a troupe of ballroom dancers as compare and guest vocalist.

In 1991, Darren was a finalist in The James Morrison Jazz Scholarship and after grabbing Morrison’s attention, toured with him around Australia at jazz clubs, special events and festivals. Various bookings took a young Mr. Percival to stages around the world including a Parliament House Concert for President Bill Clinton. For seven years the association with James Morrison lead to numerous television appearances, recording sessions and national touring.

Nathalie Natiembé (La Réunion/France)

www.myspace.com/nathalienatiembe

Natalie Natiembé sings an atypical and unclassifiable Maloya – the traditional music from Réunion Island. With a passion for life and writing, she expresses her attachment to her island and recounts her life in a poetic manner.

Rock or maloya, techno and disco, ethno-grooves and poetic trances, all improvisations turned into a marvelous, intuitive collusion of two words.

Neil Murray

www.neilmurray.com.au

Neil Murray first appeared in the early eighties as a founding member of the groundbreaking Warumpi Band, which over three albums and twenty years of performing helped to make contemporary indigenous music heard in mainstream Australia and yielded such classic songs as My Island Home, and Blackfella Whitefella.

Neil Murray has since become one of Australia's most original and respected singer/songwriters and has enjoyed a solo career since 1989. He has released ten albums.

In 1995, Neil Murray was awarded the APRA song of the year for My Island Home originally written for the Warumpi Band and re-recorded by Christine Anu. My Island Home has become something of an unofficial anthem and featured in the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

In 2005 Neil Murray received an environmental achievement award by the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority in western Victoria for his efforts in instigating 'Healing Walk' along watercourses in the region and for being the inspiration behind establishment of the annual Lake Bolac Eel Festival. In 2007, Jailanguru Pakarnu (Out From Jail) a song he co-wrote in the Indigenous Luritja language with fellow Warumpi Band co-founder Sammy Butcher was honoured by the National Film And Sound archives 'Sounds Of Australia' series as a significant recording in Australia's musical heritage. Neil Murray's albums are out through ABC Music.

Ngaiire (PNG/Australia)

www.myspace.com/ngaiirex

Ngaiire arrived in Australia aged 16, after having spent most of her life in the jungles of Papua New Guinea living out of a grass hut with no electricity, television or internet - a single hand held radio serviced the entire village.

Starting a new life in the NSW town of Lismore meant a significant change of lifestyle for Ngaiire. At 18 she began a Jazz degree at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay before moving to Sydney to further her music career. Shortly after which she began working with an array of musicians including, jazz great Roy Ayers, Paul Mac, Sarah Blasko, ARIA award winning Monsieur Camembert, and Blue King Brown.

2011 will see what is set to be Ngaiire’s first long awaited offering to the world. A body of work she describes as ‘some bastardised form of alternative’. Certainly something worth getting wound up about.

Nga Tae (New Zealand)

Richard Nunns, widely considered to be the living expert on Nga Taonga Puoro (Maori traditional musical instruments) unites with Paddy Free, one of New Zealand’s best-known electronic musicians to create a uniquely Aotearoa sound which pays homage to the raw beauty of New Zealand. The group is rounded out by Richard's protégé Horomona Horo and renowned singer Waimihi Hotere.

A strong combination of keyboard, computer, Taonga Puoro and voice, Nga Tae have performed in a number of combinations: Richard, Paddy and Waimihi performed together on the latest Paddy Free album Karekare; Richard, Waimihi and Horomona came together as Ipurangi at New Zealand's Nelson Festival as well as part of Urban Taniwha tours and recordings; and Horomona and Richard have played together on many occasions, including the opening of the Asia Pacific Festival and in China in 2009.

Sol Nation

www.myspace.com/solnation

Sol Nation is more than a band, it’s a meeting of nations and cultures - East Timorese, Indigenous and Australian. Drawing some of it’s members from top World and Reggae bands, Sol Nation embodies Melbourne’s multiculturalism and is a living testament to what can be achieved through music - bridging cultures, languages and borders.

East Timorese vocalist Paulo Almeida is the voice of Sol Nation, soaring and weaving through the music in a mixture of languages, a product of his life experience living in several different countries during his homeland’s occupation by Indonesia. Languages include English, Portuguese and his mother tongue Tetum. Paulo is supported by the very gifted Indigenous songstress Deline Briscoe, whose rich voice and deep musicality magnify the stories and messages told through Sol Nation’s music.

Stone Love (Jamaica)

www.myspace.com/stonelove1

The name Stone Love has become an international household name and is the most sought after sound system today. Blessed with the talent to provide excitement wherever he goes, Rory is an icon in the sound system business. Since 1984, he has had a wealth of experience including playing throughout the world.

After years with Stone Love, there is a place reserved for Rory in the pages of dancehall history. Known for consistently pleasing audiences with his selections, his versatility and musical knowledge, Rory is also renowned for his sharp sense of humour.

Street Warriors

www.streetwarriors.com.au | www.myspace.com/streetwarriormusic

Newcastle boys, the Street Warriors (brothers Abie and Warwick Wright - aka Predator and Wok) are familiar faces on the Australian hip hop scene and well respected pioneers of Indigenous hip hop - an amazing achievement given that they are only just now releasing their debut album, Unstoppable Force, recently launched by the Honourable Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts as part of his Breakthrough Artist initiative at the Carriageworks, Redfern.

Unstoppable Force bursts from the speakers with the first track, Firestorm, a NoKTuRNLesque vision of modern life, providing a mission statement about who the Street Warriors are: ‘step by step you do it, town by town you show it’…this album is the culmination of seven years of hard work and showcases the Street Warriors’ unique energy, realness and ability to still say what they want.

Street Warriors have built a loyal following around the country on the back of their energy filled live shows, poignant lyrics and their unique musical messaged culminating in nominations for Best Band at the Deadly Awards in 2008 and Single of the Year for Solid Rock in 2009.  The song was nominated before its release, such was the buzz from their live launch of the song at the Dreaming in June 2009.

Street Warriors draw their name, inspiration and force from their ancestors, many of whom were at the forefront of fighting for Aboriginal rights.  Abie and Warrick Wright feel it is incumbent upon them, as musicians, to use their talent to help improve and educate the prospects and attitudes of not only young Aboriginal Australians, but all Australians. They proved it as Local Knowledge with the release of Blackfellas, their shout out anthem to all the tribes, which gained strong Triple J support.  As Street Warriors they carried the torch further with their rage anthem, Look at Me, and countless workshops mentoring Aboriginal youth.  

Now the boys feel they need to go further again and, with their new album, Unstoppable Force, provide an inclusive message for all Australians and set a positive example for young Aboriginal youth.

That 1 Guy (USA)

www.that1guy.com | www.myspace.com/that1guy

“Funky Bean,” “Buttmachine,” Mustaches and Laser beams. It reads like a page out of a Dr. Seuss book, but for Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, it is just the reality he was searching for.

At 150-200 live shows each year people gather to see his mad scientist at work, curiously watching as That 1 Guy plugs an electric chord into the heel of a cowboy boot and transforms it into an instrument. He howls and the audience joins him like a pack of coyotes. They even chime in for the song Weasel Pot Pie, offering rhymes to finish a line about “cinnamon scones”: Twilight Zones? Al Capones? Frank Stallones? That 1 Guy laughs and offers the grin of a Cheshire cat. Here is a man who loves his job.

Silverman’s back story is not dissimilar to other musicians: he grew up a music geek, influenced by his jazz musician father, and enrolled in San Francisco Conservatory of Music before joining the jazz scene himself as a sought-after percussive bassist. This is where the similarities end, though, and where That 1 Guy began. “In my case, being a bass player, I just felt very restricted by the instrument itself,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to sound different and have my own sound. I was headed that way on the bass, but for me to fully realise what I was hearing in my head sonically I was going to have to do it my way.”

That 1 Guy set off on his own, challenging the idea of what a one-man band can and should be. Rather than altering and adding on to the bass, he started from scratch, conceptualising and creating the Magic Pipe. Standing at seven-feet-tall, the collection of swivelling pipes, metal gears, bass strings and electronic buttons forms the shape of a harp, but is played like a futuristic gutbucket.

The Bombay Royale

www.myspace.com/thebombayroyale

A newly formed ensemble based in Melbourne, The Bombay Royale, plays slamming surf, disco and funk tunes from 1960’s and 1970’s Bollywood. Whilst many of the great musicians of this era such as RD Burman, Anadj-Kalayanji, Asha Bhosie and Mohammed Rafi are household name in India, their music is relatively unknown or performed outside of that country.

The Bombay Royale project seeks to both reinterpret this material and compose new works drawing on this era for inspiration. The cinematic nature of the music and the many styles from which it borrows makes for a heady cocktail of eastern and western influences.

The band is fronted by Parvyn Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya who sing largely in Hindi. Parvyn comes from a family of professional musicians and has been singing and dancing on stage for almost as long as she can remember while Shourov, like many Indian kids of his generation grew up listening to this music as part his family’s record collection. The rest of the band is drawn from the Melbourne’s thriving live music scene featuring key members from bands such as Labjacd, The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, San Lazaro, Vulgagrad and Illzilla. Guest musicians include percussionist Sam Evans, widely recognised as one of the finest tabla players in the country and multi-instrumentalist Josh Bennett who is adept on Sitar, tabla, guitar and dilrooba (Indian violin).

The Raah Project

www.raahproject.com

Spawned from an idea by Ryan Ritchie and Tamil Rogeon, The Raah Project stands out immediately as the most credible alternative to the European sound of Cinematic Orchestra, Matthew Herbert Big Band or the eccentric dub of Fat Freddy’s Drop from New Zealand. Recorded with the support of over 40 musicians including the Australian Show Big Band with strings, this work boasts the presence of some of the best musicians in the vibrant music scene of Melbourne.   

Ritchie and Rogeon share a love of diverse musical formats and gain equal enjoyment. From pounding modern electronic beats and traditional orchestral music, the two work and tour as part of the critically acclaimed, True Live, as well as various individual projects as producers, arrangers and performers.

The Woohoo Revue

www.myspace.com/thewoohoorevue

Proprietors of punchy folk jazz, gypsy swing and manic tango, this multi-instrumental monster is responsible for wreaking havoc upon dance floors across the country.  Described as a “Balkan gypsy brass band, wild-west fiddle contest and a roaring 20's swing band all rolled into one”, this fiendishly talented sextet of violin, saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass and drums create an adrenalin-fuelled on-stage celebration fit for dancing, drinking, and ignoring tomorrow.

The Woohoo Revue’s debut album Dear Animals, (2008) has been strongly received and attracted regular airplay on radio stations across the country including Triple J, ABC, PBS, 3RRR and FBI.  Like their live show, the album is full, frantic and features incredible musical feats.

Off the back of Dear Animals, the band has been on tour almost constantly, performing well in excess of 100 shows per year at venues and festivals throughout the country.

“Expect old-world charm, furious gypsy tunes and a chunky sound that will either make you dance or wish you’d brought a unicycle. Big fun.”  The Melbourne Age

Tijuana Cartel

www.tijuanacartel.com

If Carlos Santana had been hanging out in Iraq for the last 10 years then he would have to sound something like the Gold Coast’s own Tijuana Cartel. Tijuana Cartel delivers a perfect marriage of lustful rhythms and upfront electronica. They are inspired by everything the musical world has to offer, from funk to hip hop to reggae to the Middle Eastern flavours of the Sub Continent to the dance venues of London.

This eclectic collection of traveling musicians and their myriad of personal influences gives Tijuana Cartel their distinctive sound, and it is their infectious and inspiring onstage performances that are earning them the highest accolades from audiences all over our fair land and beyond.

Their performances are a concoction of multi-layered grooves, splashes of Middle Eastern vocals, lilting Moby-esque soundscapes,flamenco and slide guitar, trumpet, electronic world beats and live latin Cuban percussion. A fusion of infectious music and phat electronic dance beats. Their musical energy and unrestrained delivery is thrilling audiences wherever they perform. Their tunes meander their way across the bumpiest musical terrain, a rhythmic body moved with stately deliberation creating inspiring and infectious rhythms that you just cannot help but dance to.

Tijuana Cartel houses Paul George and Carey O’Sullivan as co-producers, guitarists and keyboard players. Daniel Gonzalez on Cuban/Latin percussion and trumpet player Shannon Van Horn and an ever growing list of guest musicians.

WAI (New Zealand)

www.myspace.com/wainz

Tuhia te ha o te reo Maori ki te rangi, e kaha ai te mapu o te manawa ora, e rekareka ai te taringa whakarongo, e waiwai ai te karu m?takitaki

Let the Maori language be heard on the airwaves thereby causing the heart to leap with joy, the ear to appreciate its eloquence, and the eyes to moisten at its impact

Mina Ripia and Maaka McGregor formed WAI in 1999 to create new waiata (music) out of ancient Maori roots, traditions and Te Reo (Maori language). Their highly innovative, groundbreaking debut 100% (2000) signalled a new, unique style and sound as soulful and funky as any music, while sounding not remotely like anything heard before. Their much-anticipated follow-up album Ora was released in New Zealand in early 2010 to critical acclaim. Ora is a lush album of compelling polyrhythmic funk featuring many guest performers (including Iain Gordon of Fat Freddy’s Drop and Warren Maxwell of Little Bushman) who bring their rich mana to the songs. The album is set for release in the UK in September and in Australia in November.

WAI is the Maori word for water. WAI perform electrifying, inspirational songs and stories which speak of emotions of profoundly personal events, sending ripples and waves out to listeners all over the world.

Yien (South Korea)

www.artyien.com

Korean five piece, YIEN, draw inspiration from contemporary musings on urban life.

With instruments that include the gayageum, daegeum, haegeum, piri and percussion, the troupe showcases a creative combination of traditional Korean music and electronic sounds. With YIEN, the balance between old and new is masterfully achieved in an enchantingly, subtle manner.

The group’s expression focuses on our shared readings of the space we live in and on the common thread of life that allows us to react to the motion that surrounds us. YIEN develops a variety of performances forms by actively communicating across a range of creative genres, including theatre, art, dance and video.

YIEN has been acknowledged by Arts Council Korea, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Korea Arts Management Service and Korea Foundation for its excellence in performance.

view the AWME 2009 Artist Archive >

view the AWME 2008 Artist Archive >