1.Growing Up

The time when I actually became musically aware was when I was about ten years old.

I was going through my dad’s record and tape collection and found a soundtrack tape from the 1966 The Good, The Bad And The Ugly movie – it’s a non-lyrical piece and it really stood out to me as being so different. It’s got like a Spanish marching-type theme with flute and surf guitar sounds along with soaring trumpet lines.

2.Inspirations

Locally, Jeff Lang is one of my favourite musicians– he is a remarkable and inventive guitar player, a wonderful songwriter and a consummate performer. I’ve always had love for AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and more recently Bob Marley and Fat Freddy’s Drop. Actually, AC/DC was the first band I ever saw live back when I was 16. Man, what an experience!

3.Your Band

We are a five-piece from Tasmania. We gots Katy Humphries on electric violin and sax, Jai Larkman on tubs, Miles Bender on keys, Kilty Salter on bass and myself on guitars and main vox. We all met and are connected through our love of creating, playing and sharing music together.

4.The Music You Make

The Embers are a contemporary roots-rock band incorporating reggae, rock, folk, calypso and dance themes into our music. We recently released our debut album, Bright, which was produced by Nicky Bomba (Melbourne Ska Orchestra, John Butler Trio and Bomba) and engineered by Robin Mai (John Butler Trio, Augie March and The Cruel Sea). Our live shows are energetic and up-tempo with an emphasis on musical variation and dance grooves.

5.Music, Right Here, Right Now

From what I see, the national scene looks like it’s doing great! The Tassie scene is really healthy at the moment with heaps of amazing original bands, and importantly, plenty of venues and people supporting the music. I think one of the biggest obstacles for bands is existing in a digital era – sure, there are some networking and marketing benefits, but not many people are buying hard copy CDs or electronic copies anymore, streaming technology is taking over and the musicians are way at the bottom of the feeding chain.

Bright is out now independently, and you can catch The Embers at theCaptain Cook Hotel onFriday September 25 and theAnnandale Hotel onSaturday September 26, with Messily Dressed.

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