RICH DAVIES & THE LOW ROAD
Australian Folk Music Awards Finalists (Artist of the Year, 2021) Rich Davies & The Low Road deliver a ‘foot stomping contemporary folk attack’ (Mick Thomas – Weddings Parties, Anything), featuring trad-roots instrumentation, 5 part gang-vocals, and emotive narrative-driven songs delivered with a ferocity any rock band would be proud of. Drawing from Davies’ Scottish heritage they combine their love of folk traditions – encompassing celtic, mountain music, and even shanty – with 60’s Folk Revival influences and a healthy dose of Springsteen-meets-the-Pogues attitude into a rousing sweat-drenched symphony of wild, visceral, contemporary folk’n’roll. They’ll charm you with wit, banter, and heart-on-sleeve story-telling, then the moment you let your guard down will bring you to tears with a heart-wrenching ballad.
2021 saw Rich Davies & The Low Road showcase the band’s charismatic and take-no-prisoners live performance for Folk Alliance International, subsequently releasing that performance as an EP (with accompanying YouTube clips). Davis also participated in the Global Music Match program co-presented by Sounds Australia and featuring artists from 17 countries. In 2020 Davies released a solo reimagining of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The USA’ album using the darker folk palette of ‘Nebraska’, aptly titled ‘Born in Nebraska’. Davies’ song Dirt Under My Nails has previously been recorded by The Bushwhackers and nominated for Song of the Year at the 2018 Golden Guitar Awards.
The Low Road are currently recording the follow-up to first album ‘Ghosts’ with Myles Mumford for release in 2022.
Dallas Frasca - BOTH GIGS
Dallas is the namesake frontwoman of the award-winning Australian rock outfit, Dallas Frasca alongside long time collaborator, Jeff Curran. A stand-out of her class and an almighty presence on the mic. Frasca has not stopped for over a decade. She’s toured the world, clocking over 1000 shows with her band including 9 international tours and has managed to put a Top 30 Australian ARIA charting album under her belt, a #10 Aus album as well as many awards including ‘Artist of the year’ at the Independent Music Awards. 2018 saw frontwoman Dallas Frasca a finalist for the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards in the ‘Artistic Excellence’ category and in April 2018, showed off her guitar skills to an estimated 1.5 billion viewers for the closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games held at the Gold Coast, Australia. Re-emerging from the pandemic Dallas will unleash her first-ever solo record in early 2022 doubled with a power-packed live show. “Going back to my roots made sense to me, almost like a forced message from the universe to my fiercely independent heart, reminding me of the power of songwriting. This release is for my fans.” On the tour circuit, the band has rocked the world for more than a decade, supporting the likes of Ugly Kid Joe, Patti Smith and Aerosmith, and once fronting legendary Aussie rock band Midnight Oil in support of Amnesty International.
EMMA DONOVAN & THE PUTBACKS
Acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks burst on to the Australian scene with their album Dawn in 2015, announcing a new voice in Australian soul music. Emma’s songwriting is optimistic, impassioned, and bruisingly honest, The Putbacks’ music is fluid, live and raw, and the collaboration has won friends and admirers all over the world.
The project was born of Emma and the band’s shared love for classic US soul and the protest music of Indigenous Australia. Shades of every soul record you ever liked sneak through: Al Green’s Hi Records era? Check. Aretha’s Classic Atlantic recordings? Check. Stacks of Stax? Check. It’s all there, but there’s also a whole lot of Coloured Stone and Warumpi Band influences giving this project a uniquely Australian slant.
Emma grew up singing church songs with her grandparents on the North coast of New South Wales and her first secular gigs were singing in the family band, The Donovans, with her mother and five uncles. Throughout her career, she has toured and recorded with many of the mainstays of Indigenous music from Archie Roach to Dan Sultan and was a part of the Black Arm Band project. It was in The Black Arm Band that Emma met members of The Putbacks and their journey together began.
The Putbacks are stone cold pros, grizzled veterans of all the tours and all the studios. As individuals, they’re the players behind so many bands it’s difficult to list, but let’s start with Hiatus Kaiyote, The Bombay Royale, D.D Dumbo, Swooping Duck and The Meltdown. When they come together, they’re one of the tightest, sharpest, most dynamic musical units ever to exist. Their collaboration with Emma elevates their music and Emma’s songs to another level. Emma Donovan & The Putbacks have together released three studio albums: Dawn (2014), Crossover (2020) and Under These Streets (2021).
“Driven by brutally honest lyricism, irresistible percussion and a purist’s respect for the funk and soul tradition, Dawn hearkens back to the heyday of Stax and Atlantic Recordings” – Karaslamb, Okay Player
“Emma’s voice is everything you’d want in a soul singer. She’s the real deal.” – Wax Poetics
“Donovan can front a well-oiled soul band in her sleep” – Rolling Stone AU
“A tour de force of funk and soul hailing from the land down under” – Pop Matters
BARRY MORGAN
Barry Morgan, the ultimate organ salesman, grew up in the outer suburb of Sunnyside, Adelaide, where he still resides today as owner and proprietor of the now world famous Barry Morgan’s World Of Organs store in the beautiful Sunnyside Mall.
When he’s not busy giving the public the best organ deals in town, you can catch him performing live. Yes – Mr. Barry Morgan from Barry Morgan’s World Of Organs will delight you, the music loving public, with a memorable musical experience in the form of an organ demonstration on the latest release from the Hammond Organ company, the ‘1981 Aurora Classic’.
Barry is keen as mustard to share the ‘joy of the organ’ in what he knows is going to be a golden decade for organ lovers. His famous ‘one finger method’ is changing the lives of hoards of housewives and improving the health of many mature men and will have you champing at the bit to take out your cheque book and take an organ home.
Barry Morgan rose to fame after performing on ABC’s Spicks and Specks where he became an instant audience favourite. After his Spicks and Specks Finale appearance, Barry trended #2 on Twitter, as the Australian public’s love for this character grew.
Barry’s gone on to grace our screens on numerous shows such as Gordon Street Tonight, The Marngrook Footy Show and ABC’s New Years Eve Pub Quiz.
Barry has sold out live shows Australia wide including Melbourne Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth Fringe, the famous Spiegeltent; and performed to adoring young crowds at Homebake and Falls Festival. Barry has even travelled his show overseas to the NZ Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe.
Barry’s also shown through the release of his album “The Touch of You” that he is not just one of Australia’s most entertaining performers, but one of its most accomplished musicians. He performed nightly onstage with superstar Gotye for his 2012 tour as well as having Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D inquiring after his organ. Barry and his organ couldn’t handle the excitement that the organ blew up and they spent time in the high dependency neuro ward.