Betty Means Business is a highly-strung harmony trio from the plucking edge of Melbourne's exploding ukulele underworld.
They met on a street corner in Coburg in winter '05. Imagine their surprise to discover a) they were each carrying a ukulele and b) their voices entwined into effortless three-part harmony at every bend in the road.
Today their repertoire comprises a swag of bitter/sweet original songs spiced with cunningly rearranged popular tunes, from smoky jazz smoochers of the '20s and '30s to disco classics and new romantic jewels of the '70s and '80s.
Betty France, Michael Dwyer and Robert Stephens have decades of experience in theatre, performance and too many musical avenues to recall, from solo singer-songwriter shenanigans to pop, folk, roots and rock'n'roll combos spanning every state and territory of Australia. Except Queensland.
As Betty Means Business they seek to distil the essence of their craft to a potent minimalism that they like to call "four strings and the truth".
With skilful arrangements, impeccable harmonies and dexterous digits they weave a unique and compelling sound that defies the simplicity of their tools to conjure a wide spectrum of emotions.
Sweet, rockin', poignant and occasionally a bit silly, Betty Means Business is a band with big dreams and small things in front of them.
