With members from Ukraine, Hungary, Brazil and Australia, high energy Gypsy band Lolo Lovina draw influences from across Eastern Europe and Latin America.
The bulk of the band’s lyrics are in Rromani, the language of the gypsies. It is from this language that the band derives their name, which means "Red Beer".
The band features Rromani singer Sarah Bedak-Rockliffe, violinist Jess Randall (The Crooked Fiddle Band), bassist Rodrigo Salgado from Brasilia, Ukrainian accordionist Leonid Beshei, guitarist David Carr, and Matthew Baistow on tenor banjo. Sydney born singer Sarah Bedák-Rockliffe fronts the band with a truly captivating voice.
Surrounded with Gypsy music from an early age, as she comes from a Hungarian Rromani family (her grandfather was a well-known Gypsy violinist from Budapest who played with Roby Lakatos’ father, The Bobe Gaspar Erno Orchestra & Sandor Lakatos). Rapid-fire, whirl-wind violinist Jess Randall has featured in many festivals across Australia both with Lolo Lovina & her own outfit, the Crooked Fiddle Band.
Romanian accordionist Leonid Beshlei grew up in Bukovina and has played gypsy music & jazz across the Europe & USSR, as well as performing in philharmonic and folkloric orchestras in Ukraine and Moldova.
Kooky Fandango is a six piece funk/jazz band born following a jam at the Old Canberra Inn. Kooky Fandango prides itself on being a little like the special of the day.
No two performances are alike. Kooky Fandango Performs orignal and covers in Funk, Swing, soul, latin and blues styles.......
Members of KF have perfromed alongside or as support acts for Bob Barnard, Don Burrow, Ross Irwin, George Golla, Glen Terry, Jonno Zilber and K.C and the Sunshine band and Meatloaf........
The band has also played countless pubs gigs and supports with acts like Lior, The Kill Devil Hills, Conway Savage (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds), The Angels, Lloyd Spiegel, Maurice Frawley & the Yard Hands, King Curly, Gina Villalobos (USA) and Mad Violet (Canada).
Since the release of their debut album, The Man Without a Bag, in late 2007, relentless gigging has earned this folk-country extravaganza a reputation for fine songwriting and explosive live shows, particularly in their hometown of Fremantle.
Their song Love Machine, described by Brisbane's Time Off Magazine as“An hilarious five-minute rambling about sexual escapades all over town. And while that may sound horribly cheesy, it refuses to be reduced to such ground due to Walshe's lyrical wit,” earned a WAMI Song of the Year Nomination and still receives generous airplay on radio stations around the country and ravenous requests at gigs.
Over the past 12 months The Folk Machine performed at the WAMI Festival in Perth and have shared stages with many of the country's major roots acts such as Wagons, Tinpan Orange, The Kill Devil Hills, The Huckleberry Swedes, Khancoban, Downhills Home, Clinkerfield, and The Handsome Young Strangers among others in various parts of the country.
They're also looking forward to shows with Don Walker (Cold Chisel), Paul Greene and Ramblin' Van Walker in coming months. And with the imminent national release of their single (Pockets Full of Gold / Miss Whisky) in October and subsequent East and West Coast Tours in November, things are heating up.
Spawned from the fiery pits of Melbourne, cutting their teeth in the underground theatre scene and with the taste of blood on their lips, 8 piece ensemble The Barons of Tang bastardize mainly traditional gypsy and tango feels to inappropriate perfection. With accordion, double bass, saxophone and tuba to name just a few, the outfit create what they call ‘gypsy death-core’. The catchy tunes and punk ethos all tie together to mean one thing…dancing is inevitable!
The Wedded Bliss is a labour of love for singer/songwriter Randall-Blair. The band places its faith in the holy trinity of music – blues, country & jazz – and delivers it in an intimate & acoustic setting.
The band has also played countless pubs gigs and supports with acts like Lior, The Kill Devil Hills, Conway Savage (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds), The Angels, Lloyd Spiegel, Maurice Frawley & the Yard Hands, King Curly, Gina Villalobos (USA) and Mad Violet (Canada).
