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From the sunny city of Dunedin come the revolutionary, liberating, funky, reggae influenced stylings of The Taliband. Their multiple-genre-per-song policy ensures that the music will take you on a magical journey through slow, jamming dub to hitting near metal heaviness at its peaks. This could go any one of a thousand ways… Like a crossroads of a thousand possibilities dissipating into a heavenly melodic flute solo, which then decides to skank into a bopping ska beat, which rolls into a hard rock build up with punky overtones, which could go anywhere once again. These are to name only a few of the wide selection of genres that an audience should expect to experience at a Taliband show. It is important to note that dancing shoes should be worn at all times to prevent unwanted lack of party. The boys know a thing or two about partying, and like to ensure that all the ladies in the audience have ample opportunity to shake their booties where appropriate.

The most important thing when causing gyrations of hips is the rhythm. For this, The Taliband harness the beat-tastic talents of Sam Bennett on drums with deep down rumbling assistance from Nic (Rolly) Roland on Bass. Melting faces with the power of his wailing, speaking Peter Frampton Talk Box is Blair MacDonald, who takes the seat of lead axe. On keys is CP Moore, who likes to harness the power of the Mo to bust out immense synth bass lines from his Roland AX-7 Keytar. This comes in entirely handy when the band feel the need to synth the place up with the German Techno song, which actually starts with a little smooth liquid drum n bass and moves through heavier, grinding D’n’B to the pinnacle, where CP often climbs to the top of the highest thing he can find, rips his shirt off and drops the most ass-shakin’est techno groove you’ll have heard since Berlin 1996. Over the top of these powerful riffs come melody lines and hooks that are stuck in your head for months from the master of the spontaneous jam, Eamonn Deverall on Tenor and Baritone Saxophone, as well as Flute and Percussion. Filling in the sound with an ever-present up-strum and lyrics that are all about having a good time is Oli Cameron, whose live energy and dulcet tones add to the maelstrom of excitement and musical experimentation with genuinely dancerific results.

Joining The Taliband on half of their Nation-wide tour this summer will be a truly amazing trumpeter named Ben O’Sullivan, who has played with the band on several occasions prior, resulting in some mind-blowing collaborations with Eamonn on Baritone Sax at such gigs as the Dunedin Winter Solstice, playing in the sleet and snow up 3 Mile Hill at 4:00am to an amping (but slightly cold) crowd. The Summer Tour that the band has organised will start on the 30th of November in Wanganui, and run through to mid-January ending back in the south after touching base in all the main centres and some smaller towns along the way. The band will play 17 shows in total, playing New Years Eve at The Canaan Downs Festival. The tour is to promote The Taliband’s debut album “Monkey & the Stick” which was released in September 2007. The album captures the live energy of the band and shows the many facets of their music that make The Taliband such an entertaining band. Monkey & the Stick is in stores now, and you can hear some tracks from it on the player above. If you want a copy send us a message with your address and we'll send one to you for $25.

Be sure to see The Taliband playing live this summer all over the country, a Taliband show is a sight (and a sound) not to be missed.

AND - Check out our video "fivefour", below. It's a showcase of our last summer tour... The most fun to be had with 6 dudes (and of course, various babes) in a van.