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Warumpi Band
Warumpi is the name of a honey-ant dreaming site near the Aboriginal settlement of Papunya, 250 km west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. In 1983, the Warumpi Band released the first-ever rock tune in an Aboriginal language (Luritja) – “Jailanguru Pakamu”. The following year they released their debut album Big Name No Blankets, […]
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Saltwater Band
Deadly Vibe Issue 110 April 2006 A Royal Occasion Saltwater Band says “Nhämirri nhe”* to Her Majesty the Queen. STORY: The fellas from Saltwater Band from Elcho Island were invited by the Prime Minister to open the procession in a special service at Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral for Queen Elizabeth II while she was visiting […]
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Mandawuy Yunupingu
Deadly Vibe Issue 93 November 2004 Surprise for music legend When Yothu Yindi frontman, Mandawuy Yunupingu, was announced the winner of the inaugural Jimmy Little Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, no one was more surprised than Mandawuy himself. He was actually heading out of the Opera House Concert Hall […]
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Dark Seed
Dark Seed consists of Matt Griffin (lead singer and rhythm guitar), Anthony Green (lead guitar), Jason Maling (bass) and Richard Lockwood (drums). They come from Armidale and have been playing together since high school. Dark Seed’s music is best described as grunge rock, pure and hard. Think Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins or even AC/DC on […]
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Amunda
Amunda formed in Alice Springs in 1995. Their name is derived from the Arremte word for Alice Springs ” Mbantua. Their current line up is Paul Ah Chee on vocals, electric and acoustic guitar; Stanley Satour on vocals and bass; and Nic Guggisberg on drums, vocals, and acoustic slide guitar The band first travelled interstate […]
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The Donovan’s
Deadly Vibe Issue 93 November 2004 A family affair The Donovans have been playing together for longer than they can remember. Ask them when their fist gig was, and you’ll prompt some communal head-scratching. But they do remember what their first gig was like, as Michael can tell you. “It was a Fire Brigade ball […]
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Letterstick Band
Deadly Sounds Band of the Year 2001: Letterstick Band Hailing from the remote coastal community of Maningrida in the Northern Territory, Letterstick Band are part of the small An-Barra clan. The band get their name from one of the most remarkable tools in Aboriginal culture – the ‘message stick’ or ‘letterstick.’ This is a piece […]
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Ltyentye Apurte Band
The desert/surf rock sounds of the Ltyentye Apurte Band (pronounced ‘Ginga Porta’) come live and direct from Arrernte country in central Australia. (also known as’Santa Teresa Band’) Ltyentye Apurte is the East Arrernte name for Santa Teresa, an Aboriginal community 80 km southeast of Alice Springs that is home to around 500 people. Band members […]
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George Rrurrambu
Deadly Vibe Issue 97 March 2005 A Little Respect He’s from the bush and he’s proud ” George Rrurrambu gets the message out. Talking to George Rrurrambu, you get a sense that you are in the presence of a powerful wisdom ” a man who appears to hold a deep understanding of the mysteries of […]
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Liz Cavanagh
Liz Cavanagh is a Melbourne-based singer studying music at the Victorian College of the Arts. She also happens to be the first Aboriginal person to be accepted into the music school. Focusing her studies around jazz, Liz blends many different styles of music, including Aboriginal sounds, to come up with something quite unique. “I try […]
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North Tanami Band
A Lajamanu Kind Of Summer What has this summer got in stall for the North Tanami Band ? We spoke with Rex Patterson from the band to find out. This well-respected Northern Territory band comes from Lajamanu, 800kms north-west of Alice Springs. The band is made up of Rex, and his two sons Zack and […]
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Frances Williams
Frances Williams comes from Bundaberg in Queensland. She has always had a deep appreciation of music and is proud of her Aboriginal-Fijian heritage. This is clearly portrayed in her fantastic debut EP, Frances Williams. Frances has worked with some of Australia’s foremost artists including David Bridie, Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter, Vika and Linda, and Tiddas. […]
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NoKTuRNL
How fantastically well are these guys rockin’? NoKTuRNL have so much to say and all the energy in the country to get their message across and get it across LouD! The boys have toured with Spiderbait, supported Powderfinger and Regurgitator, and one of their songs featured in the AFI award-winning film Radiance. NoKTuRNL first came […]
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The Guilty Party
Pleading Guilty En route from Moree to Sydney to perform at this year’s Survival concert are Steven Swan, Donna Faulkner, Damien Smith, Shane Roberts and Dean Jenkins, aka The Guilty Party. This five-piece band, formed back in 1998 when they were all attending Courallie High School in Moree together. Their music has been influenced by […]
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Coloured Stone
After 20 long years and seven albums, Coloured Stone stand proud as the longest surviving Aboriginal band in Australia. Bunna Lawrie and the boys have probably seen more of this country than any other band, too, performing in major cities and remote communities alike, often camping out in the scrub after shows. Coloured Stone formed […]
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Glenn Skuthorpe
Deadly Vibe Issue 95 January 2005 Restless soul After dropping his debut album Out of the Darkness back in 2001, Glenn Skuthorpe has spent most of the past two years on the road. Out of the Darkness introduced Glenn’s distinct musical style and received a strong response, with extensive airplay of his single Cradle to […]
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