$5

Arun Sol has a gift for honest words and beautifully-crafted songs. Having honed his skills with successful Brisbane outfits The Acousma and Sol & Wynter, Arun Sol then took a one year hiatus overseas to perfect his sound. Now back in Brisbane, he is captivating audiences with his flawless songwriting and dynamic solo performances.

Arun Sol plays the Troubadour, Sunday May 18, supported by Peter B (FAQ) and Euan Gray (the Rooftops). Doors from 7pm; $5 entry.

$8

It is hard to put your finger on exactly what it is about Brianna Carpenter’s voice that is so pleasing to the ear. There is something about her vocal timbre that is impossible to ignore. Brianna loves a sense of humour and often incorporates this into her music. She brings life into the room when she begins to play and strives to captivate her audiences. Brianna speaks with them, tells them her stories and her travels. Her shows are personal, like a conversation.

So far this year Brianna has been tucked away indoors busy preparing her debut album release. She was also invited to be the Ambassador for the Statewide Butterfly Appeal Charity Fundraiser for the Hear and Say Centre. The Butterfly Appeal works to raise funds to help profoundly deaf children learn to hear and speak. Brianna wrote a song especially for the Charity called “Hush” as she was so inspired by the work that they do. Being completely deaf in one ear, Brianna is excited to be a part of a charity that she could really relate to.

After many months in the studio recording her debut album “Harlequin” Brianna is ready to celebrate. To get back into the swing of things she will be joined onstage by her guitarist Kim Grose for some acoustic loveliness. Together they will be playing acoustic versions of songs from “Harlequin” to get ready for the launch in early June. This is your chance to hear the songs the way Brianna first wrote them. There is no doubt the show will be an intimate and relaxed evening of delightful tunes. A perfect way to end the weekend.

A limited number of pre-release copies of “Harlequin” will be available to purchase at the show so if you want to get in early, don’t miss this!

$38 presale
$40 door
^{if available}

Harry Manx has been dubbed an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. His unique sound is bewitching and deliciously addictive to listen to.

Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil. He honed his hypnotic live show on street corners, in cafes, bars and at festivals. But it was Indian music that captured Manx and in the mid 80s he began a five-year tutelage with Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winner with Ry Cooder for A Meeting by the River). He also received the gift of Bhatt’s custom-made, self-designed mohan veena—a 20-stringed sitar/guitar—that was the catalyst for Harry to forge a new path with his now signature east-meets-west style of music. While the mohan veena itself is beyond exotic, Manx uses it within traditional Western sound structures.

A successful touring performer, Manx has brought his “breathtaking” solo shows across Canada and into the USA, Australia, and Europe. He has appeared at many prestigious festivals, world-class theatres, concert halls and infamous Blues clubs around the globe. Playing the Mohan Veena, lap steel, harmonica, stomp box, and banjo, Manx quickly envelops the audience into what has been dubbed “the Harry Zone” with his warm vocals and the hauntingly beautiful melodies of his original songs.

It’s in the live setting, Manx says, that the bridge between “heavenly” India and “earthy” American blues is most effectively built. “Indian music moves inward,” he explains. “It’s traditionally used in religious ceremonies and meditation, because it puts you into this whole other place. But Western music has the ability to move out, into celebration and dance. So when we play the Indian stuff on stage, it has the tendency to draw people into something really deep; they’ll get kind of quiet and spacey. Then we’ll play some more Western music, and it grounds them once more, they sort of come out of the mood the Indian music had put them in and get into the performance. I love to see that working — that effect on the audience. My goal has always been to draw the audience as deep as possible into the music.”

Manx is a prolific artist, releasing seven albums in a six-year span with no signs of stopping. His first album Dog My Cat (2001, Northern Blues Music) captured the attention of new fans, musical peers, and the media with favourable reviews and awards, including Best Blues Album of the Year from the Canadian Independent Music Association. The Juno-nominated follow-up Wise and Otherwise (2002) garnered nods from the American media with excellent reviews in The Chicago Sun Times and The Washington Post. Jubilee (2003), Harry’s collaboration with famed Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), has become a critical favourite, receiving both Juno and Maple Blues Award nominations. Road Ragas (2003), a collection of Manx’s live performances recorded around the globe, captures the essence of his mesmerizing solo shows and cemented a solid reputation for this artist amongst fans and musical peers.

Harry Manx’s fifth album West Eats Meet (2004) signalled the launch of his independent label Dog My Cat Records. Produced by Jordy Sharp (Dog My Cat, Wise and Otherwise, Road Ragas) Harry’s serene solo sound was enhanced with decorative elements of tabla, dholak, keys and strong female backing vocals. This release generated his third Juno nomination, this time in the Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Solo) category and accolades across Canada.

His most recent solo release, Mantras for Madmen (2005), is blindingly unapologetic when it comes to even greater use of instrumentation. The groove level is kicked up a notch with the addition of base, drums, and gospel-laden backing vocals with killer harmonies that enrich the ten original tunes. Indian instruments for the two ragas are also thrown into the mix.

Manx’s latest CD, another collaboration with Canadian guitar wonder Kevin Breit called “In Good We Trust”, was released on Stony Plain Records in the spring of 2007. It has just received a Western Canada Music Award nomination for Best Roots Recording (duo).

Harry has received two Maple Blues Awards and his mantel shelf also holds honours from the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Vancouver magazine Georgia Strait, and the South Australia Blues Society. Most recently he was the recipient of CBC Radio’s Great Canadian Blues Awards for 2007.

Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour. It’s hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences coming back for more.

Harry will be returning to Australia for the 2007/08 Woodford Folk Festival and a lengthy tour commencing in late April 2008, bringing with him a stunning new “live” CD, due for release by Shock Records in March 2008.

MADE FOR CHICKENS BY ROBOTS invades the TROUBADOUR... Saturday 31st May 2008 with special guests PARSON DEADCAT MCJONES + THE Z-RAYS

National radio has called him a “backyard maverick”, people in Portugal think he’s a dirty old chicken headed farmhand, and the Germans just keep feeding him luke-warm sausages made from the animals he loves. MADE FOR CHICKENS BY ROBOTS is bringing his bad luck to Brisbane for a one-off show off the back of an enormous tour across the European continent. The one-man-band all the way from down south, stinker, dressed like an alien farmhand, wrestles with a dirty old guitar, uses a pair of suitcases for a drum, mumbles incomprehensible rubbish through a gold plated bullhorn and has an entourage of degenerate barnyard animals accompanying him on the side. He’ll be serving up a deformed casserole of ragtime country blues and retarded garage gravy slop. Come along and shit your pants and dance and make a shit-shake, and consider collecting yourself a copy of his brand new 45rpm record “got shine” released through French label Shit In Can Records. It all is gonna happen at THE TROUBADOUR with special guests PARSON DEADCAT MCJONES + THE Z-RAYS. Carn git!

CARL RISELEY
ANNOUNCES LIVE DATES

Twenty-five year-old Carl Riseley has always had music in his veins. The passion struck earlier than Carl can remember when he was growing up on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

“I held my first trumpet when I was perhaps about four,” he recalls. “Dad taught me to play. I remember having lessons with him in our garage with the music spread across the windscreen of the car. We’d play songs like Scarborough Fair.”

Carl, has some amazing moments to come, with the release of his debut single, This Guy’s In Love With You, taken from his first album, The Rise (out 26th April).

Carl’s tenure in 2007’s Australian Idol, where he made it through to the Final Three, led to a strong friendship with Idol Music Director John Foreman and Vocal Coach Erana Clark. He laughs, ‘Erana gave me my first formal singing lessons! I improved out of sight when she taught me techniques. Before that it was all developed in the shower!”

When Carl was eliminated from Idol - “things just sort of took off!” - when John Foreman mentioned making an album with him. The album came about swiftly with Universal Music Australia supporting the project.

The line up of songs features new arrangements of much-loved hits including This Guy’s In Love With You, Girl From Ipanema, Pure Imagination, Lido Shuffle and We’ve Only Just Begun.

“Most of the songs were my choice,” reveals Carl. “They are a compilation of songs that represent a lot of good things and good times that have happened in my life. You know how you listen to a tune and they springboard memories and emotions? Well, these have been significant memories in my life.”

To support the release of the album Carl Riseley will embark on a selective run of dates around the country.

Carl will be performing 2 sets
- 1 set with Quartet -
- 1 set with Big Band -

$18 presold $20 door

Holly Throsby - New Single, New Tour Dates & A Loud Call

Spunk! and EMI are proud to announce the forthcoming album from songwriter and singer Holly Throsby. The album, ‘A Loud Call’, follows on from 2006’s ‘Under The Town’ and Holly’s 2004 debut, ‘On Night’.

Recorded in Nashville with engineer and producer Mark Nevers [Lambchop, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy], the album includes performances from a handful of very special guests including members of Lambchop, Palace and The Silver Jews. Holly’s long-time band members, Bree van Reyk [drums and many instruments] and Jens Birchall [cello, bass, mandolin], also feature prominently.

‘A Loud Call’ is as stunning as it is embracing - a warm romance of an album where bare folk meets with dreamy bright pop songs and lilting back-porch dirges. Pastoral and nautical imagery and succinct observations - from the everyday to the fantastic - are delivered with Holly’s distinctive phrasing and lyrical twists and turns.

The album features 11 songs including ‘One Of You For Me’, originally found on Holly’s 2007 EP of the same name, and the forthcoming single ‘A Heart Divided’, which will be available for download from iTunes come May 24. ‘A Loud Call’ will be released on July 5 through Spunk!/EMI.

$13

Following last year’s sellout show launching his album ‘Home’, Paddy Dempsey returns to the Troubadour for a rare full band show also featuring guest vocalist Alison St Ledger. Support acts are The Kindness Of Strangers and the full 7-piece version of Tylea & The Imaginary Music Score. Tickets $13.00 available on the door only.

$15

Here’s another exciting Custom Rockabilly gig presented by DJ Lori Lee. On the bill are West Texas Crude, Warren Earl & The Atomic Rockers, Miss Teresa & Her Rhythmaires. Warren Earl & The Atomic Rockers is a new band on the scene. They are fronted by the multi-talented Earl, who has recently made the move to Brisbane and was quick to pull together a quality band and some rockin’ tunes. Warren has released a cd, aptly titled ‘Original Rockabilly’ and it has a cool, stripped back, authentic rockabilly sound. All the tunes are written by Warren Earl and he even played all the instruments on the cd. Earl describes his music as “heavily influenced by 1950’s rockabilly, hillbilly boogie and western swing”. Cheers to that! The Atomic Rockers feature Doug Wilshire (ex Chrome Daddies) on steel, plus Paulie Burke on bass and Greg Bennett on skins. Returning to the Troubadour will be West Texas Crude and they’ll be putting on maximum rockabilly show. Miss Teresa & Her Rhythmaires simply don’t play often enough, so when they do hit the stage, it’s very special. Make sure you are there to catch a lively set of fillybilly from some of the best rockabilly players in the country. $15 cover.

Mark Kozelek has been thrilling and inspiring his legion of devoted fans since 1989 over the course of 13 albums and a dizzying tally of shorter releases in his own name, under the banner of Sun Kil Moon and of course with his near-legendary outfit Red House Painters.

2008 sees the release of April, the new album from Sun Kil Moon - Mark Kozelek’s first original record since the acclaimed 2003 Sun Kil Moon debut Ghosts Of The Great Highway. 11 songs at almost 74 minutes, April is a collection of songs recorded between March and August 2007 in San Francisco (Hyde Street Studios) and Seattle (Well Recording). In the spirit of Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts and Tiny Cities, Mark was joined by the same players as before, including drummer Anthony Koutsos (Red House Painters), bassist Geoff Stanfield (Black Lab), violist Michi Aceret, and percussionist David Revelli. April also finds Mark in the company of guest vocalists Bonnie Prince Billy, Ben Gibbard, and Eric Pollard (Retribution Gospel Choir).

Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon returns to Australia for his second tour in July: July
Thu 24: The Troubadour, Fortitude Valley, QLD
Fri 25: The Factory Theatre, Enmore, NSW
Sat 26: The East Brunswick Club, Brunswick, Vic
Sun 27: The East Brunswick Club, Brunswick, Vic

Tickets on sale Monday April 14th.
April is out in Australia through Spunk.
Mark Kozelek is proudly presented by Mobile Industries and Troy Horse Australia.