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The Stillsons launch debut album Circus
With a dedicated following at their helm, Melbourne-based indie/folk group The Stillsons are preparing to launch their debut album – Circus.
The four-piece ensemble has risen from humble beginnings to emerge as one of the hottest young acts touring Melbourne’s live music circuit.
Their unique sound is a cocktail of traditional and contemporary influences, polished with the enchanting duel-vocals of lead guitarist Justin Bernasconi and drummer Cat Canteri.
The strong lead male/female dynamic is strengthened by the impeccable rhythm of lap-steel guitarist Ross Richards and the band’s newest member, bassist Jesse Mac.
Circus is a collection of eloquent narratives and intelligent harmonies written by Bernasconi and Canteri, who reflect on a range of personal and controversial issues.
The album’s first single Monday Morning is a light-hearted tribute to those lazy mornings as reality finally settles in.
Title track Circus, tells the story of an English girl travelling to Australia, determine to hold on to her previous life back home.
Bernasconi, who wrote the track, reflects heavily on personal experience, having moved from England four years ago.
“Australia is like a Circus compared to the dreariness of the UK, yet sometimes people feel the need to recreate their old lives, despite moving 12,000 miles away.â€
Their second single Charity and Ghosts (Where’s Your Mama Gone?) is an emotional depiction of 10 year old British ‘orphan’ who were taken from England in order to populate Australia in the 1930s.
Other album highlights include the raw Young Boy Blues, Why Don’t You Need It and Birds, the first track ever recorded by the band.
Circus is available April 9th 2009, courtesy of MGM/Green Distribution Media and will be available in all good music stores nationally and iTunes.
For more information contact:
Chris Bright
Publicist Email: [email protected]
Circus can be purchased on-line at waterfrontrecords.com and iTunes
Fell free to review selected tracks at triplejunearhted.com
http://www.waterfrontrecords.com/releases/releases.asp?Actio
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RHYTHMS MAGAZINE JUNE 2009
Led handsomely by lead Stillson Justin Bernasconi who has written and performed the bulk of the material as well as producing the breezy roots aesthetic of this wonderfully free flowing record, CIRCUS shines with a real energy and a twinkle in the instrumentation that shimmers throughout the half-hour duration. Bernasconi alternates the lead vocal between himself and drummer/ percussionist Cat Canteri effortlessly with the raspy melody of Bernasconi suited to the at times Joan Baez-esque folk delivery of Canteri.
With an array of instrumentation used in a manner that is understated - never drowning the songs in a downpour of overused horns and strings - Bernasconi and co including pianist/ keyboardist Samuel Boon and lap steel player Ross Richard go on off shuffling progression of ditties that ease an aching soul, such is the clean, soothing manner in which the songs are performed. 'Down The line' finds Canteri in blues/jazz lounge mode supported by a boom chicka boom rhythm with basic harmonica, glockenspiel and lap steel to drive this baby home.
If anything the record could have benefited from more vocal interplay between the leads, feeling Canteri potentially dominates once to often. 'Young Boy Blues' sees Bernasconi attempt to reverse the trend with a straight-down-the-line blues jam that morphs into the heartfelt 'Blue Tack' coupled with just the acoustic guitar, soft backing vocals and the always melancholy addition of the lap steel to provide the necessary twang. And then wait for the instrumental ukulele/ violin/ lap steel driven 'Birds' that has opening credits Deadwood theme music written all over it. This is a fine record.
NICK ARGYRIOU
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RAVE! Magazine Review - THE STILLSONS – "Circus"
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Image(Green Media/MGM)
More polished roots music from an urban centre
There’s actually no one called Stillson in this Melbourne four-piece. But they play like a family that’s travelled the country backroads of this nation for a while. The surprise is, they’ve only been around four or so years, assembled by a newly arrived immigrant from Britain, multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer Justin Bernasconi. His main foil in this band is drummer Cat Canteri whose sweeter vocal delivery adds a nice counter to his darker but still measured tone. They draw together strands of roots music – blues, folk, country – with instruments like lap steel, banjo ukulele, putting them in a similar category to Adelaide’s Audreys. There’s some mild-mannered country blues in Down The Line and more of an electric feel in Why Don’t You Need It?, not to mention a typical traditional blues crawl in Young Boy Blues. But the centrepiece of this album is Charity And Ghosts (Where’s Your Mama Gone) which cheekily slips in bits of The Middle Of The Road’s tacky 1971 hit Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, helping to disguise a more sombre tale of orphans transported to Australia for cheap labour. That alone is a mark of this band’s abilities.
BILL HOLDSWORTH
