This Northern Rivers band is cooking live Blues, Rockabilly and Skiffle music on the Northern NSW circuit like crazy!
They are the winners of the BLUES SONG OF THE YEAR at the North Coast Entertainment Industry Association Awards night, held on 30th April 2008. They had 2 songs in the final list of 3 going for the “Dolphin” award on the night.
The band was formed by Pete Hurcombe in 2005 as an outlet for the styles of music closest to his own passions, being prewar blues slide guitar players from the 20’s & 30’s and the hard electric edge of the 50’s Blues styles based on Muddy Waters & Howlin Wolf with a twist of the magic of the Rockabilly legends from the same period like Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis & others.
The band started gathering momentum from their first outdoors gigs in 2005. They were being offered regular work by many venues & festivals, playing some 270 shows in their first two & a half years since formation.
Right now the band has their new award winning CD out that is selling well at their shows & receiving air play on regional FM radio stations in NSW & blues radio shows in Brisbane. The year has flown for this award winning band. Along with playing the regular venues they have shared the stage at several boutique village festivals with the up & coming young guns including “Chase the Sun”, “Hussy Hicks” & “Marshall & the Fro.” The Hillbillies style of roots music is very much alive & well with new fans, young & old being gathered at all gigs played.
Just a bit about the players: -
Scrubby Pete Hurcombe, plays white-hot guitar & vocals, he has been playing various tunings on guitars since he was a kid, & as a result he is a great slide guitar exponent. He is the alchemist of the band & has played many festivals, & shows, selling his soul too often to remember, only for the love of roots music.
He has played everywhere from Sydney to Coolangatta, Birdsville & Oodnadatta via the Simpson Desert to Fitroy Crossing, Derby & Broom, & up north to Bamaga at Cape York, but he still loves the chance to play live music.
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Izzy Foreal, front man, Vocalist & Bass player from the Legendary Zarsoff Brothers Band joined the Hillbillies after the passing of Rollin D Gale & contributed his well honed skills to the line up. You can look him up on the web in many places!
Izzy has now moved on, heading South down to the big river, to help out with the Clarence River entertainment.
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Stretch McUrly (some times know as Michael Dick) has now taken over bass & additional vocal duties riding on his big blonde slap bass. Stretch is a gifted musician & has played with many successful entertainers including blues singer Kerri Simpson, harmonica player & vocalist Chris Wilson, Ross Hanaford, Kate Cebrano & Vica & Linda Bull. He recorded with Jimmy Little on his award winning Yorta Yorta Man album.
Overseas he has played with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis & English band leader Jack Parnell. He also playes with Mick Conway's National Junk Band & plays T chest bass with The Old Spice Boys.
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Peter Jaggle, Director of DrumOz Percussion Solutions, obviously plays percussion on just about anything! He has composed film soundtracks for the ABC and NZBC, conducted workshops all over Australasia, & internationally & has played with John English, John Williamson, John Farhnam & Dionne Warwick to name a few Johns. He has played on stage and television in NZ, UK & Europe. He founded Young Drums School of Percussion, which has performed all over the Capitals of Oz & at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland. PJ’s teaching methods have been endorsed and supported by most of the biggest names in percussion. Including:- Zildjian, PREMiER, SABIAN, MEINL, Mapex, TOCA, and ECO.
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Individually & together these guys have performed at many Australian music festivals including East Coast Blues & Roots at Byron, Tanawah Blues Festival, Maleny-Woodford Folk Festival, Bellingen Jazz, Blues on Broadbeach, Art, Food & Jazz at Kingscliff Beach, Wintersun Rockabilly & Rock n Roll Festival & more.
The Hillbilly Blues Bandits write much of their material but draw from a wealth of ideas dating back to the start of the 1900’s. Influences can be detected from the likes of Big Joe Williams, Memphis Minnie, Charley Patton, Kokomo Arnold, Willie Johnson, Tampa Red, & contemporaries like Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf & many more. In the Rockabilly field, influences come from Carl Perkins, Elvis, Jerry Lee, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Burnett & more.
The Bandits are alive & well and their award winning CD is available at all gigs they play.
For further enquiries contact Peter by phone or fax on 0266 779371 or mobile on 0437 086784.
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