Paulo Almeida- Vocals
Deline Briscoe- Backing Vocals
Colin Badger- Lead Guitar
Gerald Frederic- Keyboards
Daniel Golding- Bass Guitar
Tim Stewart- Drums
Daniel Mrocki- Percussion
ALL BOOKINGS CONTACT
Buzz Thompson
(03) 5289-7480
buzzthompson@bigpond.com
or solnation@gmail.com
School PERFORMANCES & WORKSHOPS
contact PAN EVENTS
www.culturalinfusion.com
Take a large melting pot, fill it half way with Reggae, add a dash of East Timorese folk song, a punch of Cuban Salsa, a sprinkle of Latin dance, 3 parts Afro-Beat, 2 parts tropical island rhythm, a sprinkle of Brazilian Samba, fill with funk and stir. Let it settle and taste...Sol Nation!
SOL NATION is more than a band, it’s a meeting of nations and cultures - East Timorese, Indigenous and Australian. Sol Nation embodies Melbourne’s multiculturalism and is a living testament to what can be achieved through music - bridging cultures, languages and borders.
East Timorese vocalist Paulo Almeida is the voice of Sol Nation, soaring and weaving through the music in a mixture of languages, a product of his life experience living in several different countries during his homeland’s occupation by Indonesia. Languages include English, Portuguese and his mother tongue Tetum. Paulo is supported by the very gifted Indigenous songstress Deline Briscoe, whose rich voice and deep musicality magnify the stories and messages told through Sol Nation’s music.
To perform their music live, Sol Nation have brought together a Seven piece mixing superb musicianship with a charismatic stage presence that creates an exuberant, colourful and exciting live show. Stylistically the music draws its influences from Indigenous and Jamaican reggae, traditional East Timorese folksong, African dance music and hiphop. The band has used music to highlight the problems faced by the people of East Timor, and to push for International justice on their behalf. With a strong global conscience and a commitment to presenting high energy and infectious music to audiences around the world, Sol Nation is a unique Australian musical experience.
Sol Nation’s self titled EP OUT NOW thru MGM (Planet Company)..For more info and purchase email solnation@gmail.com
EP REVIEW'S
Written by Bruno de Paiva
GLOBAL THUNDA NETWORK
Thursday, 13 August 2009
I love writing and I love music. I’ll tell you one thing I don’t love though, dancing. I can’t do it and I can’t stand it, but with Sol Nation I can’t help but to get up and jump around in sync with the beats.
A harmonious combination of Reggae and Latin style music, Sol Nation epitomises one of those typical mood uplifting summer albums, one of those you put on the speakers when you have a good group of friends over on a balmy weekend evening.
The songs on the albums bare quite a similarity to each other, but there are only five songs, so it doesn’t get boring nor does it get repetitive. One will be quick to notice that English is not the only language to be used on the album, Portuguese is also widely used.
While obviously it would be good for the non-Porko speakers to be able to understand what’s being said, trust me it’s not really all that necessary. The language barrier does not stop you from getting on your feet, letting yourself go with the overwhelmingly positive vibes and having some good times as a result of Sol Nation.
Written by Stephen Bisset
THE DWARF
Friday 11 September 2009
If there’s one thing Cat Empire proved, it’s that there is an audience for big, brassy party bands in Australia. The latest band to pick up on this cue is Melbourne’s Sol Nation. The septet’s debut EP brings together an eclectic yet competent mix of reggae, calypso, hip-hop, salsa and African dance music for a joyous and celebratory whole.
The EP’s opener Good Times is a good ol’ backbeat Jamaican reggae number and that ‘choppier than a butchers sideburns’ hook will have even the most jaded music geek tapping their foot in appreciation.
Forca, another standout, exudes calypso charm and would go perfect with a couple of lively Mojitos on a Sunday afternoon. Hey Mister, for my money, is the best on the EP; a kind of Latin-mambo keyboard extravaganza that both Tito Puente AND Herb Alpert would be proud of.
The band are let down somewhat by the production however, with the deep groove of the bass, so essential in this type of music often lost under various upstrokes and keyboard riffs. The energy and passion, that I’m sure comes across tenfold on stage, is still there though making this a solid debut EP, Sol Nation definitely come across as more of a live act than a recording band.
Listening to the EP, this reviewer could just imagine Sol Nation pumping out an energetic, cool set at the Byron Bay Beach Hotel on a Sunday arvo. That said, this debut EP is still a pretty solid release that is sure to get more than a few heads nodding and feet tapping.
hello to you all .Little buckley lifted to another level last week .Thank you for being a part of the gathering small yes but the love is huge. We thank you from our heart and look forward to meeting you all again .Beautiful souls you are ...xxx
Thank you very much for the Link Up & Sharing Your Music
Nice to meet you through cyberlink!
Keep up the Great Work!
Wishes you All the Best in 2009!
Enjoy your Week!
lotsa fun meeting ya all in cairns, lookin forward to the adelaide show- hows this for dedication am gonna make the fri show my going away party for my america/canada trip.. still the ed castle.. really shoulda gone somewhere better like the crown and sceptre!!! ;-) x
Noelani here (Vtribe Manager), met you in Cairns around the pool, Hey I enjoyed your set at the festival!! what a day we really enjoyed ourselves, relaxing in Sydney today feeling pretty wrecked actually lol head back up to Brissy Thursday to do 2 more gigs in Brissy and Byron
Stay in touch and let us know when you head Sydney ways. We are planning on hitting Melbourne later this year.
