We will be introducing Australia's elder statesman of folk, country, jazz and blues, Andy Baylor on guitar, with longtime band member Amy Bennett on piano, viola, violin & harmonies, Justin Bernasconi (The Stillsons) on slide and guitar, and Mark Elton (Flap!, The Band who Knew too Much) on double bass.
Last week we finally slipped the master of our new album through the after hours slot of the front door of Implant Media. 'Two in a Book' is being pressed as I write. It is about to take flight and will be playing in your kitchens, in your bedrooms and on your car stereos in no time! We are free of a million small decisions and infinite possibilities. 'Analysis is paralysis' we were warned and so we let it go. We are so happy and proud of 'Two In a Book' and can't wait for you all to hear it!
The Vic Rocks grant we received enabled us to expand our arrangements and have some talented guest musicians play on the album so you'll hear some cello, mandolin, drums, double bass etc.
We recorded the album with Barry Stockley at Fatsound Studio and it is a very present, live, true sound. Below street level, Barry's studio is a darkened cave full of vintage ribbon mics and amps, reverb plates and other treasure that captures sound in that warm, old world way reminiscent of the old records we grew up listening to. Barry has incredible ears and always knows which take is 'gold' and, being the father of twins, he knew exactly how to handle us!
We're distributed by Vitamin Records so you will be able to buy the album in all good record stores by mid March. If you don't see 'Two in a Book' on the shelf, just ask for it and say it's distributed through Vitamin and the shop should be able to order it in.
You'll also see us in 'A Woman's Voice' Stage 1 Sunday March 7th at 12.30 and the whole band again on
Fiddler's Green on Sat @ 4.30pm. There's such a great line up at the festival this year but hope you can fit us into your program.
So exciting!!!
BRUNSWICK MUSIC FESTIVAL March 20th supporting the wonderful Scottish singer Eddi Reader. There are some great acts booked for the Brunswick Music Festival - check it out at www.brunswickmusicfestival.com.au
Saturday, March 20th @ 8.30pm opening for Scottish folk singer Eddi Reader at the Brunswick Music Festival, Brunswick Town Hall.
Sunday, April 4th @ the Troubadour, The National Folk Festival 'Tribute to Joni Mitchell' album launch
Sunday,April 25th from 7.30pm Melodica @ the Wesley Anne, 250 High St, Northcote.
Friday, April 30th @8.30pm, Northcote Social Club supporting the Hazelman Brothers at the launch of their new album 'Eyesight Like an Owl'. Our set is at 9.30pm
17th January - Melodica Acoustic Festival @ the Wesley Anne 250 High St, Northcote, 4pm - 11pm . This is the fourth Melodica festival which celebrates local music and independent artists, encouraging networking and the building of a sense of community between them. We share the stage with some great acts such as Sam Bourke, Cilla Jane, the Hazelman Brothers, Tracey McNeil, Andy Hazel, The Orbweavers, Owls of the Swamp, Caitlin Park and James Cannon . Our set is at 7.30pm on Saturday.
12th September The Darebin Music Feast at the Wesley Anne 250 High St Northcote 8.30pm.
We have a great show planned as part of the Darebin Music Feast - 'The twins, the skinny man and the owl'.
It’s Alicia’s homecoming show and we will be doing songs which will be on our new album plus some you will know well.
Our special guests are amazing guitarist Tim McMillan who plays his own unique brand of acoustic, viking metal/power folk – it’s a fusion of many styles including flamenco, blues, fingerstyle and Latin jazz – sure to be a feast for the ears!
And Owls in the Swamp – Melbourne singer/songwriter Pete Uhlenbruch combines distinct mellow vocals with haunting melodies and lush instrumentation to create an enchanting style of 'swamp folk'.
Pete will also just be home from Europe. Promises to be a great night of acoustic music.
NO SIBLING RIVALRY HERE!
This is a very special night for us – we are playing in excellent company at a fabulous venue – the Northcote Social Club. Please support it and bring some friends!!
NO SIBLING RIVALRY HERE. Correct! There will be no biffo on stage (we're too old for that), no tantrums, no jealousy, not even any blackmail. Just pure sibling musical chemistry. This is your chance to see 4 stunning sibling acts showcasing skills of collaboration that first sprouted years ago surrounded by Mum and Dad's vinyl records. You will hear some of the finest harmonies going around. The Hazelman Brothers create warm, dynamic, conversational songs with intricate structures moving from gentle ballads into darker melancholic themes without warning. Young Werther, together with brother Dylan, conjures richly detailed pictures of people in nature and on their own – and was a recent Feature Artist on Triple J Unearthed. Alanna and Alicia Egan are identical twins who sing original poetic, perceptive tunes blending folk, jazz and blues, while Cavanagh and Argus are classically-influenced brothers featuring mesmerising twin guitar parts. So bring your brothers, bring your sisters, and be sure to give them a hug. Awwwww...
'Writing songs is a way of crying, breathing, letting go of things or picking apart conflicts and things that confuse me.' www.myspace.com/hazelbrown1
We’ll be playing some new original songs and songs from our album ‘Funny She’s So Much Like Me’. Frank will be joining us on double bass for the first time and Rosie’s going to play some banjo with us.
What a year it has been for us – it’s well and truly time for a website ramble.
We have launched our debut album 'Funny She’s So much Like Me' not once but three times, and now watch it fly through CD players and across radio airways into kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and gardens, filling the spaces between conversation, between drivers and empty night roads, accompanying midnight tears and private smiles. How strange to think of our tilt on the world being woven into the fabric of people's lives, strangers' lives. Stranger still to have my lyrics taunted back at me in arguments, now that people can listen more closely to the songs and learn the words by heart.
Thank you to everyone who came to the unofficial sneak preview launch at the Port Fairy Folk Festival and to those of you who came to the country launch at The Golden Vine and the overwhelming number of you who came to the Melbourne launch at the Wesley Anne.
Your support is so much appreciated.
Thank you to everyone who took care of the little special details at the Melbourne launch; like Moira who made the fortune cookies with our lyric lines inside and Chris and his workmates who stopped work on Friday afternoon to fold a hundred golden cranes, to Jeremy Smith for being such a considered and calm sound man, to Monash Jazz Cats - Brenden Tsui, Chris Port, Tiffanni Waldron and Scott Edwards for realizing the dream of my jazz arrangements for the songs beginning the second set and to our lovely support act Tom Tuena and Adam Pallozzi.
If you haven’t managed to pick up a CD yet and are too lazy or geographically challenged to make it down to Readings in Lygon St, Carlton – don’t despair as you can now buy our CD online – just click on the link to The Last Record Store and it's all there. They are located at 304 Smith St, Collingwood and are great supporters of independent Australian music. If you live in the area our CD is also on their shelves now.
Thank you to all who supported us at the Bendigo Folk Club – we really enjoyed ourselves there. It is heartening to see that unpretentious, genuine, traditional folk clubs still exist. Our experiences there are much better summed up by the reviews of local radio presenter Trisha May and 'Purple Poet', Tru Dowling.
We will be taking a break over January as Amy is going to Paris (and will hopefully come back with a piano accordion ala Paris metro busker style and some Yann Tiersen musical sensibilities).
We'l be back in February with a gig at the Empress and the Selby Folk Club soon after.
Until then have a lovely summer
Love Alanna and Alicia
News Article from the Bendigo Weekly November 10th 2006
September 15th
Our CD launch was just fantastic - the venue was packed with standing room only. A big thank you to everyone who came along to support us.
Alanna has reached the final of the Darebin Songwriters’ Competition and will present her song along with the other finalists. Come along and support her and see a great free concert and witness the suspensefilled judging! - 24th September, Darebin Music Feast Songwriters’ Festival at Northcote Town Hall West Wing (entry via Westbourne Grove) at 2.00 pm. Ph: 9481 9500
Love Alanna and Alicia
August 27th
For everyone who has witnessed a new song find its wings in one of our bedrooms, or been lovely enough to ask, "So when are you going to release your first album?", the answer is very soon. On the Friday 8th of September, at 8pm we are holding the official Melbourne launch of our independent debut album, "Funny She's So Much Like Me", at the Wesley Anne, 250 High St, Northcote, as part of the Darebin Music Festival. Funky blues and roots acoustic duo Tom Tuena and Adam Pallozzi will be supporting us, and our guitarist, Khristian Mizzi will treat us to some of his beautiful solo songs, (the night just wouldn’t be complete without a wistful rendition of "Wishing"!) We are excited to be a part of the Darbebin Music Festival and to relish other local music and lap up the festival energy. The Wesley Anne is a romantic, warm space complete with candles, crimson velvet curtains and an open fire place. It seems the perfect place to have our Cd launch as we were given our first residency there a couple of years ago when it was called Ruckers and ran by Theo who believed in our music.
So come and help us celebrate a creative project that has been years in the making... I still can’t quite believe that everything is complete and our little baby is ready to be kicked out of the nest and into the world...
Thanks to all who have supported our gigs, most recently the Artery, Bar 303, the Idgaff Bar and the Golden Vine... hope to catch you all at the launch, or another gig soon.
Love Alanna and Alicia
News Article from the Bendigo Advertiser April 29th 2006
April 29th 2006
Hello to you all!
I'm sure those of you who went will agree - the Basin Festival was lovely, intimate and non commercial; reminiscent of how folk festivals used to be. Feeling a little bit under the weather after Amy's housewarming party, we started the day slowly with a Devonshire tea on the grass, listening to some folky bands that made me think of lying on a blanket up amongst the rocks as a little girl at the Maldon Folk Festival with the fam.
Then it was time for Khristian to flaunt one of his beautiful love songs in the song competition as we set up in the pub across the road for our gig. We began with a few piano songs, and then a few more, then we received a message that Khristian would be delayed and it was time to inform the audience that we could have an extremely happy, or rather disappointed, guitarist walk through the door at any second. Then, just as we began a piano version of February Day, in walked Khristian with a beaming smile, carrying a brand new, handcrafted guitar! After raptuous applause and hugs and kisses, whilst we were still playing February Day, he quickly tuned up and played an amazing solo without missing a beat. He managed to 'Pied Piper' most of the Basin festival goers over to pack out the Acorn on Forest, for our gig, which was, after all the excitement, giddy and glorious.
This was followed by more blues and folk and then dancing tipsily to a remarkably good Frank Sinatra impersonater.
We met a lovely man there called Dave Hoskin who is currently playing our music on his radio program called Folk Works which is on Wednesday nights from 5 to 7pm 3MDR FM 97.1 so keep an ear out for it. Dave is arranging a gig for us at the Selby Folk Club and we're looking forward to playing some more venues in the Dandenongs.
As for our residency - no one can stay in the most Comfortable Chair forever (we have been sitting in it every Tuesday since January!) and so it seems that the time has come for us to get up, brace ourselves, go into the big wide world and get some gigs in new and exciting places... we'll keep you informed....
The next adventure for us is the country launch of our album Funny She's So Much Like Me in Bendigo where Alicia and I grew up... should be nostalgic watching our past come out of the woodwork to hear a few tunes - grade one teachers, the dentist, highschool crushes, can't wait... Hope to see some of you there at the Golden Vine where we had our very first performances, and as sixteen year olds, opened for The Waifs.
"Thankyou everyone for your continued support and lovely emails."
Love, Alanna and Alicia
March 21st, 2006
Hey! Guess what? We’ve done it! We have finally finished our independent debut album ‘Funny she’s so much like me’. Our precious newborn came off the press at the eleventh hour before the Port Fairy Folk Festival, where we played four fantastic gigs on the fringe stages (but not without a little drama)...Driving down to Port Fairy we took a wrong turn and, like our album, nearly didn’t make the deadline. With seconds to spare we ran straight from the car to the stage. But nothing could not stop us all having an amazing weekend of music, ocean swims, wine, dancing and maniacal laughter all the way home. So thanks to all of you who came to our gigs - we loved meeting old and new friends.
Another high point of the festival for us was our newly acquired guitarist, Khristian Mizzi, winning a guitar in the Fiddlers Green open stage competition for his solo work. Yep, he’s with us. In 1998 Alicia won a Maton guitar at the festival for Best New Talent, and Alanna and Alicia have both had several songs reach the finals of the Lawson Patterson Songwriting competition - so next year it’s Amy’s turn.
After our last gig at Folkworx on Monday morning, it was back to Melbourne for our weekly Tuesday night residency at the Comfortable Chair in Lygon St, East Brunswick (just across the road from the Quarry). Coming straight from Port Fairy we were all feeling just a bit too comfortable even for the Comfortable Chair! It was a delirious gig with so many inhouse band jokes that I doubt anyone (even our most devoted fans) could’ve understood us. But come down and have a drink with us on a Tuesday night –we promise not to do that again.
Watch this space for upcoming gigs, band news, especially details confirming our CD launch, which we will most likely be having at the Northcote Social Club some time in May. Very exciting! We would love to see you all there!
Our country launch in our home town of Bendigo will be at the Golden Vine on the corner of King St and Myrtle St, Bendigo on April 30th.
And write to us – we love getting letters... and watch this website grow with us... this new world of cyberspace is a strange phenomenon indeed for two little luddites with their heads full of music.
Love to all, Alanna and Alicia.
