Alabama 3 are a British band mixing rock, dance, blues, country, and gospel styles, founded in Brixton, London, in 1995. The group achieved international fame when the producers of hit TV series The Sopranos chose their track "Woke Up This Morning" for the show's opening credits. The band, Larry Love (vocals), Aurora Dawn (vocals), Rock Freebase (guitar), and Harpo Strangelove (harmonica) are particularly notable for their fusion of styles, lyrics full of ironic intent, their deliberately humorous personas, and their outrageous live performances.
Music
If you have never experienced punk poet John Cooper Clarke, here is your chance! Clarke shot to fame in the era of The Sex Pistols, The Fall, Joy Division etc. More recently, his poems have inspired The Arctic Monkeys.
The Drab Doo-Riffs are an Auckland five piece known for their rambunctious, high energy live shows, featuring ex-SuperGroover Karl Steven. With three EPs under their belt, these five rock and roll vagabonds have honed their surf’n’roll sound to perfection. “A Fistful of Doo-Riffs” eight track EP is out now. “This record has it all, cross breeding 50s rock’n’roll, 60s surf bands and 70s punk into an unashamedly nostalgic hybrid that makes you want to laugh and dance at the same time.” –Grant Smithies, The Sunday Star Times
The Immigrants are a powerhouse four piece based in Nelson New Zealand, performing an always intriguing and energetic mix of country rock classics and twisted originals to adoring audiences everywhere.
From perverse takes on 80’s electro classics, to respectful reinterpretations of the earliest rock and roll tracks, The Immigrants have developed a reputation for an always entertaining set, packed brimful with songs you know you’ve heard, but never in a way you’d expect - this band keeps you guessing and dancing in equal measure. If you’re a fan of Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, the Black Keys and Dolly Parton, you’ll LOVE these guys.
Grant Smithies (currently Music Editor for the Sunday Star Times) has played DJ support sets with Salmonella Dub, Che Fu, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Katchafire, Trinity Roots and UK dub legend Mad Professor, among others, and also headlined key Nelson dance events including The Sitting Room and the infamous Free House vinyl singles night, 'Seven Inches Of Pleasure' As a journalist, Grant has written extensively on music, travel and popular culture over the last fifteen years, with his work having appeared in most major magazines and newspapers in New Zealand and in overseas publications such as URB
Out of the swamps of Louisiana by way of the Oklahoma dustbowl and Carnaby St., The Ukes of Hazard are a unique blend of suave incompetence and dexterous intent all presented on the smallish, four stringed phenomenon that is the ukulele. Ron Kjestrup and Terry Telford are The Ukes of Hazard