Hailing from Melbourne (Australia), Mal Webb is a world-renowned vocal gymnast, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. When live he has a loop pedal that allows him to record a loop live and then sing/play over the top of the loop. Watch this YouTube video for an idea. Aside from solo performance he is also well known for the many bands he has been involved with - most notably Totally Gourdgeous, Oxo Cubans and Bomba.
emily ulman has established herself as one of melbournes finest singer-songwriters. emily is applauded for her lyrical honesty (ranging from moving and confessional, to humorous and self-deprecating), and the sheer beauty of her clear, distinctive vocal delivery. her albums and live performances have received critical acclaim including glowing reviews for her opening supports for beth orton, m ward, paul kelly, tim rogers, tex perkins, jolie holland, tim finn, and damien rice. one can't help but notice the immediacy and strength of emilys songwriting with her ability to move any audience.
Weddings Parties Anything, often known as WPA and Weddoes, is an Australian folk rock band formed by Mick Thomas in Melbourne in 1985 and continuing until 1998. Their name came from a Clash song ("Revolution Rock") and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s. WPA initially gained a reputation as a hot new band through their constant touring in their early days, however they never really became a commercial success.
Enigmatic songwriter and front man for Bluebottle Kiss, Jamie Hutchings is also a solo artist and producer. The son of professional jazz musician, Jamie was born, grew up and continues to live in Sydney, Australia. Fifteen years of leading one of Australia's most consistently creative and critically acclaimed rock bands, Bluebottle Kiss, saw Jamie Hutchings write and release over 130 songs. During that time the band relentlessly toured the country, the US and Europe playing with bands as diverse as Beck, Midnight Oil and Dinosaur Jr .
Indiana's Murder by Death (formerly known as Little Joe Gould) layers the vocal sounds of an old saloon with the haunting strings of a Hungarian folk dance and the hard driving rhythms of pure rock 'n' roll, producing what Stuff magazine has called "lush, orchestrated songs," somehow simultaneously reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Radiohead. Added to that thick and intriguing sound are a series of dark and ironic lyrics, combining the mood and tone of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with the narrative force of The Decemberists or a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
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. An extraordinary songwriter and an exceptional guitarist, Frank Yamma also has an incredible voice, rich, deep and resonant. When Frank sings about standing on a sand dune watching over the landscape, it is if you are standing with him. When he sings about the plight of Aboriginal children born into a world of chaos and alcohol, Frank wrenches the heart.
Melissa Etheridge (born May 29, 1961, in Leavenworth, Kansas) has produced eight albums since signing her first major recording contract in 1987. Three of them have gone multi-platinum: Melissa Etheridge (1988), Yes I Am (1993) and Your Little Secret (1996). Two others, Brave & Crazy (1989) and Never Enough (1992) went platinum, and Breakdown (1999) went gold. In 2007, her song "I Need to Wake Up" from the documentary An Inconvenient Truth took home an Academy Award for Best Song.
Like most inspirational art Timber Timbre comes from a source of isolation, cabin fever specifically. Timber Timbre, primarily the work of Oshawa-born Toronto based Taylor Kirk, walks a precious line between harrowing blues and desperate death country. Recorded in a farm house near Bobcaygeon, Ontario, their debut Cedar Shakes was released in 2006, the moniker Timber Timbre an ode to the surroundings and the warm haunting sound of the album.
Teddy Thompson was born in London, England in 1976 and is the son of Linda Thompson and Richard Thompson (Richard & Linda Thompson), and the brother of singer Kamila Thompson. Teddy's style is difficult to categorize, because his influences are varied. Growing up around folk music, he listened to a musical gamut that covered Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sam Cooke and gospel. As he fell in with other musical progeny, most notably close friend Rufus Wainwright, his sound developed into his own combination of country/western, rock, and his father's folk-rock.
Justin Townes Earle walks the line between old time country and modern acoustic Indie music by breathing new life into Early country, blues and gospel forms. His first release, Yuma, was a stark and beautiful set of songs written while Earle was fresh out of rehab and is now re-released by Bloodshot Records, who have a further three albums on their catalogue. The Good Life, Midnight At the Movies (Americana award nominee) and the latest Harlem River Blues show Earle's characteristic charm, wit and rhythm to the forefront.