We will be sharing the main stage with well known reggae funk band Sol Nation on their come back to the stage, Ajak Kwai from Sudan, Musiki Manjaro and folk singer-songwriter Beth George.

There will be more to the festival than music alone, with back-to-back dance, craft and cooking workshops, cuisine from all around the globe, rides and children’s entertainment and a spectacular fireworks finale.
All for a gold coin donation!

And if you can’t make it to Clayton South, tune in to 88.3 Southern FM, which will stream the event live across the weekend and online at southernfm.com.au

More info: http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=168

She was touring her debut album, ‘Degrees of Freedom’ (2009) but also did some clever covers of her favourite artists (there is a very nice version of ’50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ by Paul Simon).

The set delivered mostly an easy Jazz-Funk feel which reminded me a lot of Jamie Cullum‘s performance in Paris in 2007. In the room were many fans and followers, and Alana’s talkative and fun approach to the audience made that an enjoyable and friendly experience.
She was performing with 5 other musicians, including 3 horns (trombone/trumpet/sax) which funked all the way up and down, from soft backings to hard hitting swings…
As a side not, it is worth saying that the Bass player was probably one of the best I have heard since I moved to Melbourne!

She will be playing again the 6th of May at the Cat and you will definitely find me there, provided I am not playing myself that night.

The album itself, which I knew a little from her Myspace page, is the sum of her experience exploring various styles from rock to funk, and seems to have been well received and reviewed in the past months.
Her lyrics are an invitation to the voyage and take the listener to random experiences she went trough (loved ‘The Radio Man‘ and ‘Alex Alexander‘).

Degrees Of Freedom by Alana Bruce

Buy it now on iTunes!

With time (and a slight dose of motivation) it should also host free downloads of music files from either our performances or some recordings.

This website (at the moment) functions extremely well in new internet browsers, and poorly to not at all in older browsers. We hate caveats, but there it is. So if things clearly aren’t displaying properly, that is probably why.

As always, feedback is cherished, and we want to thank every one of you who has showed up to our gigs so far.