The Rough Guide To Australian Aboriginal Music Various (Rough Guide, RGNET1207) In the past decade music made by Aboriginal artists has enjoyed unprecedented levels of success in Australia. Here is a representative sample of the rich diversity from country through folk to rock of the music which has been used as a vital artistic medium to explore important issues ranging from land rights and the stolen generations to colonial dispossession and racism.  read more »

Blue King Brown from Australia, will be touring North America when they bring their power packed live show to venues in August of 2008. Hard hitting Urban roots music in the truest sense, with dub, hip hop, afro beat, Latin and soul influences Blue King Brown, already a huge success in Australia and Japan, are now hitting US and Canadian soil armed with words and music that reflects the past, acknowledges the present and represents the future.
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Sea of Joy was made following the success of Evolution. The radical changes documented in Evolution had led to an era of surfing which was expressed by respect for nature & the natural forces which shape the surfers world. The wind, the waves, the sky, the sea. By living in harmony with these natural forces the surfer could find new meaning in his life, and could withdraw from much of the political chaos sweeping the world in the post Vietnam era.  read more »

For Toronto Music fans:

These guys, the Gundecha Brothers will be coming to Toronto May 24th as part of Small World Music's South Asian Music Series!

I've heard from a friend as well that they're absolutely mind-shattering live. I plan to be there, certainly.

Here's the onesheet from Small World Music

Saturday, May 24 @ 8:00
GUNDECHA BROTHERS  read more »

The Australian rock band AC/DC will tour the world in 2008 and 2009. The famous heavy metal band has a new album out in October and have over 50 concerts planned so far.

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AC/DC, the world famous Australian heavy metal band, will perform a massive world tour beginning this fall in the United States. The classic hard rock band is famous for such best selling albums as "Highway to Hell" and "Back in Black" and is currently plotting its first concert tour since 2001 to support their newest album "Black Ice." "Black Ice" will be sold exclusively at Walmart in the US and at acdc.

Ungambikkula

O Rastro do Canto (Azul, 2008)

Brazilian band Ungambikkula embraces global culture and spirituality in its latest album, O Rastro do Canto. The large ensemble based in Sao Paulo includes masterful multi-instrumentalists an superb vocalists. Their beautifully crafted melodies are an inspiring mix of Afro-Brazilian, Australian Aboriginal, Indian mantras, rock and classical sounds. While some pieces are tranquil and thoughtful, other passages have an epic nature with build ups that recall the golden era of progressive rock.
The current line-up is: Ana Luiza Guedes on violin and vocals; Du Marciano on  drums and percussion; Érica Manfredini on  cello and percussion; Estela Luzon on bass, vocals, didjeridu and zither; Letícia Rodrigues on  keyboards and vocals; Pavitra Shakti Shanka...

Bradford Kelly originally designed the Kelly electric guitar for the American guitar marker, Jackson Guitars. Bradford was the guitarist for the band Heaven, an Australian heavy metal group.

My favorite secret festival has come and gone once again, leaving me with new cultural impressions, a bit of puzzlement, and a lot of music and laughter ringing in my ears. The organizers of the Seattle International Childrens Festival arent trying to keep it a secret. In fact, they do a great job of spreading the word to area schools, which ship off shouting yellow busloads of kids, filling the theater seats with their noise and energy and fidgeting. Talking, twisting, and being shhed by teachers, the kids can seem a little ambivalent about what theyre doing here and what theyre about to see. Its exactly the focus on the kids, however, that tends to keep SICF secret. Most shows are held mid-day, when kids are in school and when adults generally toil instead of attending concerts and circus performances. But the festival will gladly sell tickets to those adults willing to pry themselves away from work for an hour or two of entertainment at the hands of some truly compelling global acts. I attended only two days of the seven-day festival, so theres much that I missed. Still, I was able to catch five shows (well, okay, four plus one repeat), four of which I enjoyed very much, and one of which failed to connect with me or most of the kids around me. First, the good.  read more »