Blue Shaddy

Plus, the word of mouth on their amazing live show saw Blue Shaddy gain invitations to most of the major music festivals on offer. Early 2008, and that attention is set to grow further, with Blue Shaddy releasing 'BURY MY GHOST' – their fourth album and best yet. With multi instrumentalist and band member Arun Satgunasingam in the producer’s seat, the aim was to capture the raw, infectious energy and exuberance that is synonymous with Blue Shaddy. Combine that with the unique mix of world drumming and percussion, groove laden bass, acoustic and lapslide guitars, rhythmic harmonica and heartfelt vocals and the result is a true reflection of the exciting Blue Shaddy sound.
'BURY MY GHOST' offers a full and varied soundscape. The big wide open groove of the title track, the intimate vocals and guitar work of ‘Out of Place’, the grind of ‘Freedom’ (featuring Arun on Chicken Box) and an exceptional remix of ‘Wagtail’ are fine examples of what Blue Shaddy can deliver. Blue Shaddy went back to their roots to record Bury My Ghost. Spending time in the old farmhouse where Sandy, Belly and Jim McClelland grew up proved to set the perfect scene and added to the atmosphere. The one metre thick stone walls of the old farmhouse combined with the quiet isolation of the vast country landscape worked its magic on the album.
“Bury my Ghost took us in many new directions” says Jim.
“We really tried to push the boundaries and at the same time not lose our musical roots”.
'BURY MY GHOST' certainly achieved all that and then some.
The first single for the album is ‘West Australian Sun.’
'BURY MY GHOST' is available in all good record Stores now, distributed through MGM.
www.blueshaddy.com
About Blue Shaddy-
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Jim McClelland, his brother Belly (harmonica) and Sandra (bass guitarist and wife of Jim) were born and bred in WA’s remote wheat belt – a harshly beautiful environment complete with dust and flies, but with not a lot else to do but focus on their shared love of music. When you listen to Blue Shaddy’s songs you get a strong sense of where these three come from and it is very much apparent that their heart still lies in their country roots. Arunachala (known simply as Arun) Satgunasingam grew up in Kuala Lumpur, immersed in the sights and sounds of cultural and religious family events, where he would soak up the South Indian rhythms and street beats in a childhood that led him to end up studying at the Conservatorium of Music in Perth, studying contemporary percussion and Latin jazz. Arun has played for artists of the calibre of Michael Franti, Jeff Martin, and acclaimed London beat maker Mark De Clive Lowe. A chance meeting with Jim McClelland at a local music store in Perth led to Arun filling in for an absent Sandy at a few low-key acoustic gigs. A friendship started, and from this point, Jim and Arun began to craft a new sound for Blue Shaddy – one that infused world beats and contemporary percussion into the Shaddy’s existing blues/ roots sound. After a couple of years with this line-up and an album later, friend and fellow percussionist Kanchana Karunaratna was invited to add essential percussive elements to the band. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Kanchana is an exponent of traditional Sri Lankan Folk music. Kanchana has contributed towards promoting traditional Sri Lankan drumming and dancing in Perth as a teacher and choreographer. In 2006 Kanchana promoted a sold out international tour of Sri Lankan folk artists called Rhythms of Sri Lanka. Since relocating to Australia Kanchana has expanded his repertoire by learning West African and Afro Cuban percussion under Melbourne based Master Percussionist Ray Pereira. Kanchana and Arun share a common knowledge and passion for the rhythms of their ancestors and present day influences. Their talents bring an unmistakable and essential ingredient to the Blue Shaddy sound. The end result of this combination of musicians is something very special.
Festival highlights:
West Coast Blues and Roots Festival, 2005/2006/2007
East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, 2007
Woodford Folk Festival2007
SOCO Cargo2007
Blues on Broadbeach 2007
The Australian Blues Awards 2007
Bridgetown Blues Festival consecutively for the past 6 years
UBLUES blues/roots & soul Festival, Singapore 2002 & 2003
Vintage Blues and Roots Festival, Albany (2005,2006,2007)
The Mordialloc Festival Melbourne 2006,
The Whale shark Festival, Exmouth 2006.
To date Blue Shaddy have three albums independently released and are receiving national airplay on Triple J.
For further information and contact [email protected] / www.myspace.com/blueshaddy
Management Contact
Cole Bishop Management
Email: [email protected]
Media Contact
Annie Johnsson Publicity
Email: [email protected]
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