The Alcohotlicks are a Sydney based band formend in the later part of 2002 featuring 1st & 2nd place winners at the 07' Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, National Jazz Awards, Aaron Flower and Ben Hauptmann. The instrumentation of the band is unique comprising of two electric guitars and drummer, Evan Mannell. The first two years were spent writing and performing in the local Sydney Jazz scene. The Alcohotlicks have written over thirty compositions for the band and have released two self produced live recordings. The Alcohotlicks will be releasing their first studio album entitled 'You,You' (Jazzgroove Records) on the 29th of Oct at The Basement in Sydney, 31st of Oct in Brisbane at the Powerhouse with other capital cities TBA. In late 07' The Alcohotlicks were commissioned by ABC classic FM to record a feature for Jazztrack with Mal Stanley. Performance highlights include: the Jazz:Now festival - Sydney Opera House 04, Stonington Jazz festival - Melbourne 05, and they featured at the 07' Wangarratta Festival of Jazz: 'Sydney's Alcohotlicks also made the most of its unusual line-up, which teamed two electric guitars (Ben Hauptmann and Aaron Flower) with Evan Mannell's ferocious drumming. Not much room for subtlety here. Mostly, they disguised their tightly focused rapport with lashings of grunge-rock grit.' source:(http://www.wangaratta-jazz.org.au/docs/programme.php
?reviews)
From late 2005 The Alcohotlicks began featuring artists in their live performances, which most recently included incorporating Cesar and Steve Marin, both leading exponents of traditional South American music. Other featured artists include:
ARIA and Mo. award winner James Muller ‘I believe Evan, Ben and Aaron have created music that is not only fresh and brilliant, but uniquely Australian.’
Art Orcehstra of Australia guitarist and composer Carl Dewhurst ‘(I) believe TheAlcohotlicks to be one of most original and captivating groups in Australia today.’
Melbourne based National Jazz Award winner Steve Magnusson ‘Their compositional approach, architecture and arrangements are unique to their sound.’
Arne Hanna Composer (The Honourable Wally Norman, New York Times Critic's Pick 03’) ‘I am firmly of the opinion that the Alcohotlicks are the finest, most inventive musical group working within the jazz idiom in Sydney.’
John Shand wrote “...Flower, Hauptmann and Mannell may just be on to something rather wonderfull.†(Sydney Morning Herald)
live @ The Factory Theatre
Buddy ol Pal live @ The Vanguard
Funky Shuffolk live @ The Vanguard
Hot In Hell live @ The Sando
