Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea released their critically acclaimed ARIA nominated album Dead Wood Falls in 2006. They have toured with the likes of Josh Pyke, Ben Lee, Missy Higgins, Jose Gonzalez and MIa Dyson and played Homebake, Queenscliff, Falls, Feel Good and Harvest. For all the latest on this hot new songwriter and band go to www.jencloher.com
Bertie Blackman’s first encounter with her artistic self came as a child sashaying across her mother and father’s paint strewn studio floor. The daughter of iconic Australian artist Charles Blackman, not many musicians can boast a foundation of emotional expression like Bertie.
Bertie first stepped onto the scene with ‘Headway’ (2004), her folk-inspired debut album. The single ‘Favourite Jeans’ became Bertie’s radio breakthrough and saw her dubbed “Australia’s underground queen”.
Originally from Scotland, Shelagh McDonald moved to London in the late 1960s, where she was part of the folk-music scene. In 1970 she released her first album, Shelagh McDonald Album, which sold rather poorly. 1971's Stargazer sold better, and was critically acclaimed. However, some time after its release, McDonald disappeared and wasn't heard from again until quite recently. Shelagh McDonald's music is close to that of some of her contemporaries, for example, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, and Duncan Browne.
MICK THOMAS has been determined to reconfirm his standing as one of Australia's finest singer/songwriters - both solo and with his gun band THE SURE THING. Apart from the occasional one-off reformation show with the iconic WEDDINGS PARTIES ANYTHING, Mick has been busy with his own label, Croxton Records, and making the new MICK THOMAS AND THE SURE THING album. Produced by Mick with Craig Pilkington, PADDOCK BUDDY was recorded in the Northern Victorian Goldfields in May 2006.
American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O'Rourke has been a key component in the increasing overlap of the American and European experimental music avant-garde, working in everything from jazz and rock to ambient and electro-acoustic and building many a bridge in between. A Chicago native, his work has found equal luck with experimental jazz and noise fanatics, chill room denizens, and bedroom experimentalists, and has had the resultant effect of cross-pollinating many otherwise isolated compositional communities.
Paul Greene (Culburra Beach, NSW) has been a quiet achiever in the Australian Music Scene. Strongly Independent, he has traveled incessantly delivering his music across his continent, with an infectious live energy and great songs. There is no hype with Paul Greene. His songs span a range of styles, but always come from the heart with lyrics you can sink your teeth into.
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16th, 1964 in Old Town, Maine, is an American folk singer. She brought out her debut album Living With Ghosts--a set of demos featuring only Ms. Griffin and her guitar--to critical acclaim in 1996. Her sophomore album, Flaming Red, demonstrated a more rocking, full-band sound. The ill-fated Silver Bell album was never released by her record label, however, and the label terminated her recording contract shortly after that. Many of the songs from Silver Bell were re-recorded for subsequent albums.
Clare Bowditch is a a critically acclaimed, ARIA award-winning singer from Melbourne, Victoria. She came to prominence in 2005 with the release of her second album "What Was Left", which received excellent critical reviews, high rotation airplay on radio station Triple J and moderate commercial success. Her sweet folk-pop style has been compared to that of Cat Power and Beth Orton. Visit the Clare Bowditch website or her Myspace profile.
Decoder Ring was formed in 2001, in Sydney, Australia. Original line-up consisted of Matt Fitzgerald ( keyboards, guitar) Geoff Towner (bass, El Mopa), Pete Kelly (guitar, Sea Life Park), Kenny Davis Jr (keyboards, piano, The Jackson Code, The Blackeyed Susans) & Thomas Schutzinger (drums). Original line-up recorded the EP "Spooky Action at a Distance" (2002) and album "Decoder Ring" (2002). Geoff Towner departed in 2003 and was replaced by Ben Ely (Regurgitator).
James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 2, 1942 in St. Matthews, South Carolina) is an American avant-garde jazz and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer's distinctive guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging." His singing has been called "raggedly soulful." Ulmer began his career playing with various soul jazz ensembles, and first recorded with organist John Patton in 1969. After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, Rashied Ali and Larry Young.