Tag folk

We are pleased to announce that the beautiful new single ‘The Diamantina Drover’ from ‘The Queensland Tiger’ is now on the Daily A-List Playlist. Listen out for this melodic and touching folk gem on the playlist + it will also be played daily as a special AUSTRALIAN FOLK POWERPLAY at 8 PM Pacific USA time every night for the next month.

The Queensland Tiger is an artist who focuses on traditional Australian folk songs, which are known for their timeless essence and personal themes. Featured are his distinctive keyboard melodies and heartfelt vocal style, which fit seamlessly within this genre’s style and narrative.

“Drovers, Stockmen and Bullockies” is his fifth release. His previous albums have included a tribute to the Australian poet Henry Lawson, a national literary icon. This release is also deeply tied to the history and lore of Australia, and features an extensive track list of eighteen songs, which includes literary ballads by highly respected Australian poets such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, as well as many traditional songs. Despite the adversity of the times , there’s room for some lighter, more humorous songs too.

But why have these particular songs and poems been chosen ? Firstly, because the works of this period have a genuine directness and lyrical charm: many of the stories are down to earth and come from the heart. Secondly, because they best depict the hard lives of rural workers in the century when Australia was still considered a new frontier: a difficult land that offered many challenges to people, some from the other side of the world, who were looking to build new lives. What followed were new generations, born into this tough environment, which fostered distinctive Australian traditions. This album can feel like a musical time capsule that takes the audience back to the 19th century : one can easily imagine the lives of these stockmen, drovers and (often forgotten) bullockies.

This artist puts a lot of passion and resources into a project, creating an album that encapsulates the spirit of folk music while presenting a fresh approach. He sets the mood with clear vocals and immersive keyboards, using lengthy bridges. In these bridges, and throughout the songs, a diverse range of talented musicians provide engaging breaks and supporting lines, broadening the sound. These include : international cellist Natasha Jaffe ; the delightful, brilliant young fiddler, Jessie Morgan ; violinist John Joe Murray ; violist Mikhail Bugaev ; and the lyrical multi instrumentalist, Lillian Penner.

The album has many highlights : one is the opening track, “Travelling Down the Castlereagh” , a political poem by Banjo Paterson. This musical rendition offers a sparse yet interesting piano arrangement. The lead vocal is backed up on the chorus by Lillian Penner, who also plays some wonderful strings linking the verses. “Andy’s Gone with Cattle” is another notable moment. The track features words by Henry Lawson paired with a great tune by the late Hugh McDonald. John Joe Murray provides a stunning violin track, which brings the emotion of the song sharply into focus, enabling the audience to immerse themselves in the story and listen to the moving words of this famous poem, one of three of Lawson’s on the album. Transforming poems into music presents a unique set of challenges for musicians and songwriters.

One of the primary difficulties lies in maintaining the essence and emotional depth of the original poem, while fitting this into the constraints of melody, rhythm, and verse structure. The Queensland Tiger’s arrangements stay true to the spirit of the original work, and in most cases, he sings the entire poem. About half the melodies are traditional, while others were written by Australian folk artists like Mike (and Michelle) Jackson, Hugh McDonald, and Graham Jenkin. It was Graham Jenkin who wrote the tunes for the three “Breaker” Morant poems on the album.

This production isn’t just entertaining and relatable, it’s also educational and thought-provoking. It shines a light on Australia’s rich history, focusing on one of the country’s most colourful eras. The Queensland Tiger manages to go beyond mere historical facts, offering listeners a profound glimpse into the humanity of the period, delving into the depths of people’s experiences and capturing the struggles, triumphs, and nuances of colonial times, breathing new life into history.

“Drovers, Stockmen and Bullockies” belongs to a series of traditional folk albums from this artist which explore different aspects of Australia’s colonial history. It is the aim of The Queensland Tiger to keep these important musical and literary traditions alive.

Follow The Queensland Tiger

Website: https://thequeenslandtiger.com
Stream All: https://gyro.to/DroversStockmenandBullockies
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thequeenslandtiger.at.gmail
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/queensland-tiger
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thequeenslandtiger
Bandcamp: https://thequeenslandtiger.bandcamp.com/music

The head of music for hollywoodfm.digital said that he loved the new single ‘Self Control’ from ‘Soph’ with introspective storytelling vibes, cascading acoustic guitars and beautiful, ethereal vocals that go straight to the heart in a Katie Melua esque fashion, lovely. This incredible new single is now on the daily playlist and will be played in general rotation throughout the day and night + as a special powerplay every day at approx 4 PM Pacific US time for a month or more.

Soph is an Indie pop artist from the Midwest. She wants to create a vibe that people can relate to. Soph loves every part of creating music and just wants to share her love with the world. Words have power and she wants to use them to tell her story and convey emotions that people can relate to while vibing.

Described by NOW magazine as a “tantalizing Afro-soul combo of folk, roots, desert blues and African continental music,” AfroSoul Volume III: Re’ is the new EP from Amai Kuda et Les Bois. It is the follow-up to their full length release, AfroSoul Volume II: MaZai, hailed as “earthy and rootsy and good for your ears” by CBC’s Errol Nazareth. Amai Kuda’s debut album, Sand from the Sea, was considered “one of the year’s most exciting discoveries” in 2012 (Nicholas Jennings – Canada’s foremost music journalist and historian).

Amai Kuda et Les Bois have been featured in NOW magazine and on CBC’s Canada Live and Big City Small World, as well as performed at venues like the Jane Mallett Theatre, Harbourfront, The Rivoli, and festivals such as Luminato, Kultrun, and Small World Music Festival. They’ve give workshops on music, decolonization, and African cultural knowledge at schools, universities, and community centres internationally. Selected as one of the ‘101 Standout Artists’ during the nationwide CBC Searchlight competition (2015), they have opened for Joel Plaskett, Kellylee Evans and Sarah Slean, and collaborated with M1 of Dead Prez.

Most recently the group won the Best Folk/Roots award and also placed 2nd for the Best Song across all categories at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. Whether on the street, the stage or in the studio, for Amai Kuda et Les Bois, music is about healing –the healing of the earth, our ancestors, and ourselves. 

Amai Kuda et Les Bois share a fluid and stunning new single, Ecouché. The piece is sonic magic -a spell for healing of the waters, it will arrive as the first single from Amai Kuda et Les Bois’ upcoming full-length album, EmUrgency!, to be released as a limited edition vinyl recording on May 20.

Channeled and sung entirely in a language of ancestral communication, Ecouché can never be performed the same way twice. The song was written and produced by Amai Kuda Yemoja Ile, with vocals, guitar by Amai Kuda Yemoja Ile, and second guitar from Jimmy Smalbach (Jimmy Kiddo).

EmUrgency! will be released on exclusive limited-edition vinyl next month, followed by a full-length visual album in the form of animated episodes, set for digital release this summer into the fall.
Ecouché is a sample of what audiences can hear from Amai Kuda et Les Bois as the months progress.

“The album is about my journey as a woman of African descent to overcome internalized sexism, racism and the negative stigmatization of African spiritual beliefs in order to come into my power as an artist, community-leader, and particularly as a traditional healer,” Amai says. “Similar to other ‘coming out’ processes this emergence process is filled with a sense of urgency as it is in fact a matter of survival.”

Follow her here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaikudaetlesbois

Listen to Ecouché on Spotify: