Jackson Jackson is the psychedelic collective of musicians led by Harry James Angus (Vocals/Trumpet; The Cat Empire) and award winning Producer/composer Jan Skubiszewski. 

Featuring a wall of synthesisers, drums, guitars, an MPC and soaring melodies from  the elegantly-robed 6 piece vocal section; the live show is where epic retro comes face to face with the future.  Jackson Jackson has the mystery and intensity of a Tarantino film coupled with the whimsy of a musical, a touch of disco and plenty of straight up musicality.  This 10-piece outfit know how to play.

Jackson Jacksons first album The Fire Is on The Bird (Virgin records 2007) was rated by THE AGE newspaper (Melbourne) as the 2nd best album of 2007, also earning the band a final ARIA Nomination in the hip-hop category (07), and a song (Eliza) in Triple J’s Hot 100.

These social prophets of the New Apocalypso Beat managed to fly just under the radar in ‘07, while quietly but quickly gaining huge momentum on the live scene, playing the main stage at Falls Festival & Blues & Roots, and headlining their own shows nationally. 

If you got onto this band early, and count yourself in their top 1000 friends, you can expect to have to share Jackson Jackson this year with the release of their new record slated for Sept 08.

Los Delincuente All-Stars

"Los Delincuente All-Stars" are the toughest, most exciting Afro-Cuban/Soul band in Australia. Playing repetoire that ranges from hard hitting breaks, to burning latin grooves, this band is fast becoming a force on dance floors all over. Led by writer and trumpet player, Ross Irwin, The All-Stars are made up of musicians from some of the best Latin, Jazz, Ska and Soul Bands in the country. A rhythm section blended with players from The Cat Empire, The Bamboos and San Lazaro creates a unique, powerful, soulful sound. While a horn section made up of players from The Bamboos, The Empire Horns and Vada, creates one of the most raw and dynamic horn sections in the world. This exciting new ensemble is not to be missed at any club or festival.

Los Delincuent All-Stars are:

*Ross Irwin (The Empire Horns, The Bamboos) - Trumpet
*Daniel Beasy (#1 Commercial Lead Player) - Trumpet
*Phil Noy (The Bamboos) - Alto Sax
*Carlo Barbaro (Vada) - Tenor Sax
*Kieran Conrau (The Empire Horns) - Trombone
*Shannon Barnett (Vada) - Trombone
*Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos) - Guitar
*Nasrine Rahmani (San Lazaro) - Percussion
*Ollie McGill (The Cat Empire, Jackson Jackson) - Piano
*Ryan Monro (The Cat Empire, Jackson Jackson) - Bass
*Will Hull-Brown (The Cat Empire, Jackson Jackson) - Drums

Watussi

Oscar Jimenez: Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Simon Olsen: Lead Guitar
Jared Kneale: Drums
Vicente Sebastian: Percussion
Nick Weaver: Bass
Michael Brown: Tenor Sax/Flute
Simon Ferenci: Trumpet/Trombone
Nick Garbett: Trumpet

The unmistakeable distorted riffs and funked-up percussive rhythms of Watussi (pronounced “WAH–too–SEE”, translated from the Cuban slang “the most handsome man at the party”) signifies one of the most dynamic and unique groups to come out of the multicultural broth of Sydney’s Bondi beach.
Lead by Colombian born Oscar Jimenez with a sound that has been variously described as ‘Afro-Colombian rock and roots’ and ‘Rage Against The Machine with horns’, it wasn’t long after the first few gigs as a fully formed eight piece that their wild live shows, powerful original compositions and ability to destroy genres saw them gain a huge following with an ever widening and diverse fan-base.

International supports, tours and Australia wide exposure through TV and radio performances has led to critical acclaim of the debut album “Tequila, Sangre y Fuego”. Released nationally in October 2007 through Knowfoowl/Inertia, it has featured regularly on Triple J’s ‘Roots n All’, ABC Radio National (Album of the Week Dec 07), SBS, Radio Adelaide, PBS Melbourne and Sydney’s FBI Radio.
Watussi’s live energy can be witnessed in 2008 with appearances at WOMADelaide, Jamabalaya Festival NZ, Sydney Festival, national tours, The Famous Spiegeltent and an impending international surge.

Web: www.watussi.com.au
MySpace: www.myspace.com/watussimusic

THE BAMBOOS

"The best new Deep Funk band in the world today...." - Adrian Gibson (The Jazz Cafe/Freestyle Records U.K)

"The Bamboos are the best thing to come from downunder since The Avalanches..." - Exclaim! Magazine (Canada)

“…Arguably the best Funk album of the modern era…” - IDJ Magazine (UK)

 “Top notch funk from down under that hits the spot every time. Right there, in the pocket!” - Dom Servini, Straight No Chaser Magazine (UK)

The Bamboos are Australia's premier Deep Funk outfit. Masters of super-heavy, raw and upfront drum-break driven grooves. Led by Guitarist Lance Ferguson (Equatorial Records/Lanu/No Comply), other members include Ben Grayson (Hammond Organ), Danny Farrugia (Drums), Yuri Pavlinov (Bass), Anton Delecca (Sax/Flute) and Ross Irwin (Trumpet).

The Bamboos formed in 2001 and released the 7" single 'Eel Oil/Blackfoot', earning them international acclaim from the likes of Snowboy, Mr Scruff, Jazzanova, Patrick Forge and Russ Dewbury.

Their next release 'Tighten Up/Voodoo Doll' was picked up by Kenny Dope (Masters At Work) and Keb Darge (Legendary Deep Funk) for their U.S-based imprint Kay-Dee Records.

Making their home at Tru Thoughts records (home to Quantic and Alice Russell) in 2005, The Bamboos debut album ‘Step it Up’ was released jointly by Tru Thoughts and Ubiquity Records (US).

The latest Bamboos album ‘Rawville’ has been described by IDJ magazine (UK) as ‘Arguably the best Funk album of the modern era…”
It was JBHiFi, Radio National and 3PBS FM’s ‘album of the week’ upon release in May 2007.

In 2004 and 2005 The Bamboos toured Australia and New Zealand alongside Quantic and Alice Russell to universal acclaim.

In 2006 and 2007 The Bamboos toured Europe and the U.K, bringing their unmistakable sound to venues including The Jazz Café in London and countries including Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Belgium. The
Bamboos live shows have evolved into non-stop mixtape-style throwdowns that draw the links between Hip Hop, Funk and old-school Breaks.

The Bamboos have performed at events including Meredith Music Festival, Falls Festival, The West Coast Blues & Roots Festival, The St Kilda Festival, The Sydney Festival, Trop Fest and have appeared on the ABC TV Show ‘Sunday Arts’

The Bamboos music has been featured in the worlds highest rating TV Show ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and in the upcoming movie ‘Transformers’ (Paramount/Dreamworks).

The Bamboos have supported and/or performed alongside international artists including:

Web: www.thebamboos.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/thebamboos

Becky Fox

Becky Fox may only be 24 years old, but when she sings it’s as if she’s channelling the emotion and perception of a whole lifetime.

She has one of those voices that sends tingles down your spine: it is pure, exquisite and such a sheer joy to listen to that you can’t help but crave more.

And her ability to take a song and draw out the layers of emotion and meaning within it is a rare gift — one that Becky values and cultivates.

“I regard myself primarily as an interpreter of songs,” Becky said. “There is so much extraordinary music out there, and the thrill for me is in taking that and making it my own.

“Over the past few years, I’ve learnt that my real strength lies in arranging and recreating a song so that it both reflects my own style and personality, and becomes accessible to a whole new audience.”

Becky has just released her second album, Allure, on ABC Music’s Jazz label. It is in fact her first solo outing: her debut recording, Music for a While, was a collaborative effort with one of Australia’s leading young classical guitarists, Leonard Grigoryan.

Becky discovered her remarkable vocal talents in the early years of secondary school, when she began taking singing lessons in order to appear in her high school musical. She quickly realised she wanted to take singing seriously, and enrolled in the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Secondary School, where she was able to develop both her vocal and performance skills.

She has since gone on to graduate with a Bachelor of Music Performance from the VCA, majoring in Classical Voice.

Despite her classical training, however, Becky resists being pigeonholed as a classical performer. She believes that music is about expressing emotions, and connecting with audiences, and thus transcends boundaries of genre and style.

“My musical directions at the moment are more in the areas of jazz and contemporary music, but that doesn’t mean I’m a jazz singer either,” Becky said.

“My musical training has enabled me to create a complex, multi-layered sound that is influenced by everything from folk and jazz to Latin American influences.”

One powerful influence is French music, particularly the Gallic torch songs performed by artists like Edith Piaf and Nina Simone. She spent some time in France honing her language skills, and says she has a real passion for interpreting and performing songs in French.

But Becky is not only talented: she is determined to take her music as far and wide as possible. She recorded and financed her first album independently, doing the rounds of bookshops and music shops to sell it, until the album was snapped up by ABC Music and re-released. The incredibly positive reaction from both broadcasters and the listening public to its sublime sounds and style led to the release of Allure.

Becky is now poised to take her career to a whole new level, with the fresh, powerful and enormously appealing sounds of her new album to pave the way. Ultimately she says she’d love to take her music on to the international stage, and there is no doubt that the sheer class and style of Allure, and Becky’s own talents as a performer and an arranger and
interpreter of great music will ensure that happens in a very short time.

Bob Malone Bob Malone ( USA ) pianoman, singer, songwriter, mixes elements of blues, jazz, swing, ragtime, boogie woogie into one stout brew. A dazzingly skilled pianist, Malone pounds the keys with charm, style and charisma `til they scream for mercy. His songs spin tales of heartbreak, humour and world weary humanity with seemingly effortless glee. Described as heir to the legacy of Professor Longhair and Dr. John he is a piano pulveriser supreme with nimble playing and smart, sassy lyrics. www.bobmalone.com

Media Contact

Lisa Pringle, Media Manager
USM Events
lisa@usmevents.com.au
ph: 0417 005 743