Artists

Led by The Tanuki Lounge’s head Producer and Engineer of 15 years PaulieB in partnership with Bassist and Arranger extraordinaire Owen ‘OJ” Newcomb, our team are literally a bunch of heavyweights, all well known for their work with some of Australia’s top artists. Our people have an abundance of top level recording, arranging and performing experience and we draw from a pool of talent that includes members of The Whitlams, John Butler Trio, Bernard Fanning, The Beautiful Girls, George, Ash Grunwald, Xavier Rudd, Afro Dizzi Act, Bobby Alu, Band of Frequencies, Andrea Kirwin, THUMP etc

Producers / Engineers

Paulie B [lord_tanuki_himself]

Head Engineer / Producer

OJ Newcomb [eco_tone]

Engineer / Arranger / Producer

Guest Producers / Engineers / Composers / Arrangers

Malcolm Prendeville

Engineer / Producer

Steve Newcomb

Composer / Arranger / Pianist

Session Musicians

Bass

Drums

That’s the theme of 2018 for Byron Bay singer, ukulele strummer and drummer Bobby Alu. It’s been a long-time personal and musical mission for the tropical ambassador, too.

Amidst smooth harmonies, rhythms inspired by a strong family lineage of Polynesian performance, and unassuming grooves that work a gradual, smile- inducing high through even a casual listener, Bobby Alu tunes have a way of sneaking into the subconscious and taking up residence. Every now and then, one will pop up as a toe-tapping reminder to take it slow, enjoy the ride. It’s the curator of calm’s way – deliver island-time vibes with gentle optimism rather than forceful instruction, and encourage the type of reflection best achieved in a hammock. Though it’s not all palm trees and daydreams – there’s a robust energy in Alu’s mastery of traditional Samoan log drums, and a vitality to his songwriting that nods to world, roots and pop intelligence.

Sharing a well-nurtured and lengthy musical connection with producer and multi-instrumentalist tour buddy Paulie Bromley (The Beautiful Girls, george), Alu’s recorded and live presence has been boosted from a range of creative alliances. Having dedicated his world-class percussion skills to touring internationally with Xavier Rudd over the past five years, it was time for the equatorial folk of Bobby Alu to chart its own dedicated course again. Following the exploratory self-titled debut (triple j Roots ‘n All top 10 album of 2010), the clear stylistic intention of 2013’s Take It Slow, and the cruisey attitude of 2015’s Bay Sessions EP, 2018 sees Alu back in the studio. As usual, he’ll be observing the ebb and flow of life and locking into his tried and always true grooves, though with the fire that comes from holding a 20,000 strong crowd captive with your beats, as well as the care that can only come from serenading your nearest and dearest by a coastal camp fire, with an instrument handed down from your mother.

“Bay Sessions is a beautiful collection of uplifting and diverse instrumentals and solicitous lyrics. Bobby’s approach to music encourages individuals to embrace their quirks and pure individualism, it’s not very often that music makes you feel so positive about yourself these days, but Alu does a fantastic job of making you smile and high-five yourself.”

Website

https://bobbyalu.com/

Recordings

Balcony TV
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZkjRupjk0iaff7ame7kZc

Terepai Chalmers Richmond was born on 21 February 1971 to a Scottish father and a Cook Island mother who ran a restaurant in Sydney. He started drumming in his parents’ Polynesian show band at the age of six, with his sister Jennifer dancing, where he performed several shows every week until finishing school at eighteen. After finishing school, he joined Sydney soul/funk outfit Bellydance and another well established funk band Swoop. He was the founding drummer and percussionist of acid jazz group, Directions in Groove(dig) formed in Sydney in 1991.The original dig line-up featured keyboardist and vocalist Scott Saunders, saxophonist Rick Robertson, guitarist Tim Rollinson, bassist Alex Hewetson and Richmond as drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist. He contributed song writing to all five dig albums including two live recordings.With Saunders and Samuel Dixon, Richmond went on to form Multiball (1995). Inspired by an encounter with The Roots, Multiball toured extensively and released a self-titled album before bassist Sam Dixon relocated to London. Terepai joined rock band The Whitlams in September 1999 for the release of Love This City, for which he recorded drums. Since then, Terepai has toured and written with the Whitlams.

Richmond has also written and toured for reggae band King Tide, funk veterans Professor Groove and the Booty Affair. As a session drummer, he is regarded as one of the best in Australia. He has worked freelance for other artists including Savage Garden, SoulDecision, Max Sharam, Guy Sebastian, Delta Goodrem, Trevor Guthrie and Hawksley Workman.

Richmond has surfed since the age of eleven, and was once titled “King of the Island” (Shark Island). He has featured in numerous surfing movies including Life Like Liquid (Billabong) alongside Dave Rastovich, “2230” & “Square” to mention a few. He was a team surfer for Mambo in the 1990s. He won numerous surfing titles through the 1980s and 1990s before pursuing a less competitive path. Today, Terepai is renowned for his tube riding skills and can often be found hunting big waves with his eldest son “Tainui” in his local area South of Sydney. Photos of him have been published in surfing literature around the globe.

Richmond and Dixon provided the rhythm section for television and film composer, Stephen Rae’s debut solo music album, Feet Lift Off the Ground(2004). He toured extensively with Missy Higgins, both in Australia and the United States, from 2006 to 2010. He has appeared on many Australian and American television shows including “Letterman”, “Earth Hour” and “Where I Stood” at the 2007 ARIA Awards. He has also recorded and toured extensively with Guy Sebastian and label mate Delta Goodrem.

Youtube

https://youtu.be/3jtuJcRGWLU

Recordings

The Whitlams
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fczAptz6g62e12F9LxYI6

Keys

Anthony Aggs

Synthesizers, Piano & Programing

Andrew Szumowski

Organ, Rhodes & Synthesizers

Peter G

Synthesizers, Clavinet & Rhodes

Marnix Van Bruggen

Piano & Synthesizers

Red Young

Composer / Arranger / Hammond Organ / Pianist

Guitar

Playing the blues is never as simple as it seems. It’s a balancing act between virtuosity and feel, rawness and finesse. Many try, but few seem to nail it like DAVE ORR. At the heart of his music is that unmistakably raw blues guitar. It’s the sound of late night whiskey bars, of musicians stretching themselves and just letting loose.

It’s a scene that Dave knows better than most as he has become nothing less than a fixture of the Brisbane music scene over the past decade. A legend even that has shared more stages with more artists than even he could remember.

Rewind a few years and Dave was cutting his teeth performing with the kind of all out fusion acts Brisbane seems so good at producing – rock, pop, ska, funk it was all in there. His breakthrough came with power pop trio Numbers Radio – a band that scored national airplay through triplej and a growing live following drawn to the bands ability to pen whip smart pop tunes and play them live like nothing else.

In his heart though, Dave has always been a blues man and he has relished years of late nights rocking up to small bars with his beat up Gibson and losing himself in music. Despite playing just about any style you could name over the years, he has always found a home with Bluesy guitar driven Americana, and it’s a sound he has nailed on his forthcoming debut solo release, due out early 2017. Johnny Winter, Gary Clarke Junior, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Peter Green…it’s music as mothers milk for Dave.

Dave’s reputation as a peerless guitar player has also seen Dave tour Europe and North America as a session musician. And it was while he was camped out in a friends 1950s caravan near Austin, Texas that the new songs started to really take shape. From acoustic picking to blistering solos, the songs not only showcase his jawdropping guitar work, but songwriting smarts earned from years making music.

First tastes of the new record is first single ‘Champagne’, anchored by a slinky Al Green feel the song is blues magic helped in part by the Dave’s handpicked line up of players including Mark Henman on drums (Afro Dizi Act, Bernard Fanning, Numbers Radio), Chris Pearson on bass (Washington, Jimmy Barnes), and local Hammond organ whiz Lachy Doley. And now comes

Rockin’, real, and impossible to resist Dave Orr may be one of the country’s most experience players – with his best yet to come.