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Those Pretty Wrongs

Those Pretty Wrongs are Jody Stephens and Luther Russell, two old friends and veterans of the music scene in different ways. Jody was the drummer for the legendary band Big Star and now helps run equally legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis. Luther Russell was the leader of seminal roots-rock band The Freewheelers and is now an acclaimed solo artist and producer.

It was the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me that brought Jody and Luther together creatively, when Jody asked Luther to join him for some promo performances. A chemistry was immediately noticed. They began writing songs and performing them whenever possible, soon taking their name from the opening line of Shakespeare Sonnet 41, which they slipped into one of their first collaborations, “Fool Of Myself”. They released the first track they cut in Memphis, “Lucky Guy”, with “Fool Of Myself” as the flip side. There was an outpouring of support for the new music, which gave Jody and Luther the confidence to move forward.

Those Pretty Wrongs was tracked entirely to 2” tape at Ardent Studios in Memphis, using much of the old Big Star gear, including Jody’s original kit from Radio City and Third and Chris Bell’s acoustic and electric guitars from #1 Record. The album was mixed by Luther Russell and Jason Hiller at Hiller’s Electrosound Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Jody is way out in front on this release--really for the first time ever--taking all lead vocals and co-writing all of the songs with Luther. Through the words on this record Jody opens up about his life, which has been well-documented, but not in this very intimate way. Adds Stephens: “For me the lyrics are a walk through day-to-day emotions and experiences."

Luther lives in Los Angeles and Jody in Memphis, so there was a real commitment to finishing these songs and cutting them until they were totally satisfied. Those Pretty Wrongs will be released in May in a unique partnering between the Ardent Music label and Burger Records. No one could be happier than Jody and Luther, who feel that this keeps a family-like feeling to the release. “Why stop now”, remarks Luther. “We’ve wanted to keep this thing sounding and feeling personal from the start because it’s extremely personal for both of us.” Just like Luther's handmade collage inside the LP, the record is akin to a series of snapshots: of lives present and past, and fleeting moments of simple joy and reflection.

WILSN

Australian singer/songwriter WILSN has always known a thing or two about being assertive and standing up for herself and others; she’s proved it time and again over the past seven-plus years. Yet never before have we heard the artist quite as confident, as unapologetic, or as astoundingly self-assured as she is on her latest single. Cinematic and smoldering, “If You Wanna Love Me” is a searing rush of raw passion channeled through a timeless soul-soaked rock sound.

Infinity Song (USA)

Infinity Song is a Soft Rock band based in New York City comprised of 4 siblings, Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo Boyd. With a blend of tight vocal harmonies, dreamy lyricism and sublime guitar riffs, the band creates a transcendent experience for the audience on every stage and in their recorded music.

Homeschooled academically and musically, along with their 5 other brothers and sisters, by parents who founded the Boys & Girls Choirs of Detroit, the siblings have performed in front of audiences since Pre-K. They were raised on classical, gospel and jazz, like Pat Methany, Marvin Gaye, The Winans Family and many others. Infinity Song’s journey was a labored yet adventurous climb. In 2006, the Boyd patriarch, John Boyd, relocated the entire family from Detroit to New York and they began performing publicly all around the city. Singing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the morning, on 5th Avenue in the afternoon and Times Square at night, eventually Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain became a permanent stage for the next 12 years of their lives. After several years of developing a following and turning casual park visitors into loyal fans, the group was introduced to JAY Z.

In 2016, the band was signed to Roc Nation by JAY Z, who advised them to not conform to the label’s artistic culture, but rather allow Roc Nation’s artistic culture to catch up to them. 4 years later in 2020, the siblings made a giant splash with their debut album “Mad Love” and several viral videos that amassed millions of views across all social media sites, garnering attention and support from some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Now again in 2023 - 2024 Infinity Song is reeling from the reception of their newest viral singles, Haters Anthem & Slow Burn, from their latest EP METAMORPHOSIS. Their catchy singles are making waves all around the world. Even leading many listeners to compare the band to legendary 70s groups such as Fifth Dimension, The Mamas and The Papas, and ABBA. With this amount of excitement surrounding their project, Infinity Song is ready to continue to solidify their place in the space where great music is being created in today’s culture.

Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (born February 12, 1952) is an American singer, keyboardist and songwriter known for his distinctive, soulful voice and as a member of the bands the Doobie Brothers (1975–1982, 1987, 2019–present) and Steely Dan (1973-1974). McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.

McDonald's solo career consists of nine studio albums and a number of singles, including the 1982 hit "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)". During his career, McDonald has collaborated with a number of other artists, including James Ingram, David Cassidy, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Lee Ritenour, the Winans, Aretha Franklin, the rock band Toto,[2] Grizzly Bear,[3] Joni Mitchell, and Thundercat. He has also recorded for television and film soundtracks. McDonald is the recipient of five Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.

Golden Vessel

Golden Vessel is an artists from Brisbane, Australia, who crafts a unique blend of electronic music with hip-hop, R&B and alternative pop influences, resulting in a sound that can be likened to a mix between Mount Kimbie, Toro y Moi and Arcade Fire.

“I want to convey in my music everything I love about music. Whether it’s incorporating different genres into one song, or different processes and homages to different times” – Max Byrne

Since 2016 Maxwell Byrne, aka Golden Vessel, has given us two independently released eps – Before Sleep (2016) & Right/Side (2018) – plus two albums – SLOWSHINE which was released in 2019 via Exist Recordings (ANZ) and Ultra Music (ROW), and colt that was released in 2020 via sumoclic which he co-owns with his good friend and long-time collaborator, Akurei.

There has also been a collection of stand-alone singles – Control, Borrowed Time & Cant Stay – as well as a song titled Hesitate which features one of his regular collaborators Emerson Leif, and has become one of his most successful releases to-date with over 25 million streams on Spotify alone.

Golden Vessel has completed three Australian headline tours as well as supporting the likes of Willow Beats, The Kite String Tangle, Jai Wolf and Sofi Tukker across Australia. He was also the main support for BAYNK on a 13-date North American tour in February 2019, he performed five showcases at SXSW 2019 and then embarked on his own 21-date North American headline tour in July 2019.

Throughout 2020 Golden Vessel kept himself quite busy making the final touches to his second album colt. He gave us three exceptional lead singles – midwest, littlebitwild (feat. Mallrat) & that’s us (feat. The Nicholas & Rei So La) – which helped build quite a bit of anticipation for the album’s release. When that time came around colt was met with much praise and attention from fans, industry peers and music curators around the world, and it has since collected over 11 million total streams across Spotify alone.

In 2021 Maxwell launched a few new side-projects including an indie-rock band called Lucky Idiot and a lo-fi house project called 1tbsp, he gave us an epic 10-minute single & short film titled “getforward” (directed by Harry Deadman), and he also teamed up with San Holo’s label bitbird for a one-off release called “Jersey City”, which was a co-release with fellow Brisbane artist rei so la.

Maxwell has also ben busy working on his next Golden Vessel album which is scheduled to hit the stores in June 2022. Just recently we were treated to the first taste of that album with new single ‘eee’, which has him teaming up with two of his good friends and regular collaborators, rei so la and Abraham Tilbury.

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Tyson Yoshi

Ben Cheng Tsun Yin (Chinese: 程浚彥; born 17 July 1994), better known by his stage name Tyson Yoshi, is a Hong Kong independent singer, songwriter, and MV director. He made his debut in 2018 with his single To My Queen.

Career
Tyson Yoshi attended Sedbergh School in the United Kingdom and later studied interior architecture at the University of Brighton. In 2018, he started producing music in Taiwan and debuted with the single, To My Queen. In July 2019, he became famous with Christy, a song written to his girlfriend. Christy went on to accumulate more than one million views on YouTube, the first of his songs to do so.

The name "Tyson Yoshi" derives from his first name's initialism, "T.Y". "Tyson" was one of his middle-school nicknames, and "Yoshi" is from Yoshinoya, a food chain found widely across Hong Kong.

Tyson Yoshi started as an independent singer in 2018. His first album, 1st, was released in 2019. He is one of Hong Kong's best-known hip hop artists and rappers, with over two million streams on Spotify in more than 100 countries in 2019. In 2021, his popularity surged again after his performance in Music is Live with Terence Lam, Keung To and Jer Lau. As of 2022, Christy has garnered more than 20 million views on YouTube.

Children of Zeus (UK)

Astral People & Handsome Tours proudly present the return of Children Of Zeus.

The return of Manchester’s finest. Cool out n get lifted as Children of Zeus deliver their smoothed out, future-leaning brand of British street soul across Australia and New Zealand this November.

The dynamic duo of Konny Kon and Tyler Daley have carved out their own distinct lane of r&b and hip hop. The formula - a strong flavour of gritted soul described no better than themselves: “We make classic soul for Hip Hop heads”.

Both storied journeymen in their own right, the combination of Children Of Zeus burst into the public eye following the release of their debut album Travel Light in 2018. Dropping via cult UK imprint First Word, the album perfectly gives both referential nods of nostalgia while also looking forward, featuring in numerous 'Album of the Year' lists. After two years extensively touring the UK, Europe, Australia and South Africa - then came the pandemic.

With shows on ice, Children of Zeus took the time to mature their sound. The result - 2021’s brilliant sophomore album Balance. Taking the blueprint of their debut and evolving it into a deeper, more refined body of work. Konny’s laidback flow and Tyler’s buttery vocals return with a masterful piece encompassing hip hop, neo-soul, gospel and r&b. Balance has cemented the duo as one of the world’s most compelling hip hop / soul acts attracting a legion of fans.

Over the past few years, they’ve garnered praise far and wide; from Jazzie B to Jazzy Jeff. They've done performances for the likes of Soulection, BBC, and Colors in addition to hosting their monthly NTS Radio show and collaborating with artists like Beat Butcha, Black Milk and Goldie.

The Children of Zeus sound is now fully grown. It's time to bring 'Balance' into the universe. This is unashamedly big people music to be played out of big speakers. Catch headline shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Auckland, Wellington plus a special appearance at Strawberry Fields this November.

Olivia Escuyos

Olivia Escuyos is the most important artist in the Australian R&B landscape.

After amassing one of the biggest Youtube followings in the country, Olivia quickly took her career into her own hands by moving back and forth to Atlanta, L.A. and Miami. Here she learnt and worked with some of the best in the industry including, Murda Beatz, Keyz, Tricky Stewart, The Dream and even performing a string of shows with Brian Micheal Cox.

She then spent the next 5 years perfecting her skills as a prolific songwriter and a master in vocal production. It was in this period of time where she personally helped shape the sounds of Australian artists such as RINI, Akosia, R.L.KING and even songwriting for international artists such as Alex Isley & Jael.

Olivia is finally ready to showcase the full extent of her experience and skill in her own music, with the upcoming release of her debut EP "Fantasy Girl" and accompanying Australian tour.

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Carl Panuzzo

Carl Pannuzzo, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist autodidact. From Bob Sedergreen, Opera Australia, Mia Dyson, Stephen Magnusson, Paul Grabowsky, Vika and Linda Bull, Kavisha Mazzella, Cirque du Soleil, Fred Smith, Tripod, Checkerboard, Acapelicans and Music Outback. As a creator, interpreter and improviser, Carl is recognised as a sensitive, dynamic and fearless singer, a quickfire musical mind.

Emily Williams

Multi platinum-selling recording artist Emily Williams announces ‘Woman Of Colour’ – a performance of empowerment and celebration like no other.

Williams is bringing this multidimensional show to Australia’s stages to shine a brighter spotlight on the incredible music and creativity that has endlessly inspired her. From the classic ballads of Whitney Houston to the pop presence of Lizzo, Emily pulls back the red curtain on incredible music, raw talent and sheer brilliance of her icons.

Throughout the show, Emily will share stories of these inspiring women. From discovering their talent to overcoming obstacles, their career highlights to her personal journey. Expect Aretha, Donna, Tina, Beyonce and so many more.

This passionate performance will turn heads, inspire hearts, and most of all – celebrate what it means to be a Woman of Colour.

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