Andrea Soler

reverbnation.com

2010-05-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

Reverbnation.com

2010-05-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Latest news from me...

2010-05-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

Hello to everyone, including all my new friends from the North Coast gigs!
It's been a pretty busy month so far. Some exciting news for you is that I have a new band! I feel really blessed to be jamming with such talented musicians. After squeezing some jam packed rehearsals in we played our first gig together at The Buddha Bar in Byron Bay on 15th May. If you want to see a snippet of the night here's 'Dragonfly'.

Shay, Freyja, me and Simon.

The very talented Freyja on Keys, Shay on Drums/Percussion, and Simon on Bass.

We are really looking forward to playing our next gig which will be this Saturday at the D'Alliance Festival at 3pm on the Maestro Stage (bring your dancing shoes!). This part of the event is free, but for about $20 you can get a ticket for the evening program which will inlclude A French Butler Called Smith, and a theatrical production called 'Phoenix The Wanderer'.

The other exciting news is....
Earth On An Axis is now available through any good record shop in Australia thanks to MGM Distribution. If you haven't got a copy, you can also hop onto Itunes and download tracks from anywhere in the world!

Our gig at The Stone & Wood Brewery was really great. I've never played on a stage which was also a fridge door surrounded by beer vats. And I've never had a gig where people have taken me seriously when I say "I want to see some dancing on tables now!"

These gals went off!

So did Jake and Scott from A French Butler Called Smith, and Darren Shaw from UK who played on the night.

Big thanks to Jamie & Rick and the boys at the Stone & Wood, who invited us to play at their yearly shin dig, and for brewing a mighty good beer!

And the next week...

We played an intimate set at Unplugged in The Basement. Thanks to all who came down! The very talented Jake on Bass and Scotty on Ukelele + Trumpet.

Upcoming gigs :
D'Alliance Festival this Saturday May 29th. 3 pm on the Maestro Stage.

Sheoak Shack, Fingal. Saturday 5th June from 6pm.

Surfers Paradise Festival, Caville Mall. Monday 14th June 3pm.

Upfront Club, Maleny. Saturday June 19th, 7pm.

Peregian Originals, Peregian. Sunday 20th June, 2pm.

If you would like to know any more info please visit

www.myspace.com/andreasoler

Hope to catch you at another gig soon....

love and good vibes!

Andrea xxx

pics by www.openeyeimagesonline.com

this pic taken by Rachael Brady

Tha National Folk Festival and more..

2010-04-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

So dear friends, the first part of the 'Earth On An Axis' tour is over.. Apart from feeling like I just want to do it all again, I'm a little scared to check my carbon footprint this time as I've been back to sydney 3 times in the last month! Last weekend I flew down and supported one of my favourite bands: Tinpan Orange at The Vanguard in Newtown and The Brass Monkey in Cronulla. They are incredible to watch on stage.

Jules, Emily, me, Alex and Jesse after a big night at The Vanguard.

Playing at The Heritage Hotel in Bulli, Wollongong

At the start of April we drove down to Canberra to head to The National Folk Festival. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at the variety of music. I think a good sign for this festival is meeting people who have been coming for 22 years in a row, and they're only 23 years old!The first night we got there we headed straight to the session bar, which basically consists of people sitting around playing tunes (mainly trad folk) on fiddles, accordians, bodrans, etc. It's a focal point of this festival, which is why so many return year after year. Simon Watts and me playing at the Flute and Fiddle Stage at the National Folk Festival.

I played at the Flute and Fiddle stage which is located in the thick of it all. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and receptiveness of the audience. Big thank you to the talented Simon Watts who accompanied me on violin. I also put my name down for the Motown song competition, but completely forgot about it until arriving at the festival. Luckily I had a dream where Marvin Gaye came to me and told me I was his love child from the 70's. It was my saving grace, as I sang 'How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You' in front or 2000 people. That'll teach me! Simon Watts and me playing at The Marquee stage, National Folk Festival 2010.

I also got to meet two of my heroes. One is my all time fave female singer: Sally Dastey from the beautiful Tiddas sisters. I saw her backstage as she was about to go on. So I ran up to her and told her how much her music has meant to me over the years, we had a good laugh. You can check out some of her tunes here.

The beautiful Sally Dastey and me.

My other hero is The National festival fave, the one and only instrumental beat boxing guru: Mal Webb. What a guy! I got a copy of his album 'Dodgy' in the post the other day. His sense of humour and melodies are so unique, and watching him live is mind boggling. The song of Mal's I have always loved is 'Two and a Dog'. It's the classic song for all emerging artists to listen to!

Mal and me.

Other acts I truly enjoyed were: Eddie Reader, Les Barker (a Welsh comedian/ poet), Nick and Liesl, Rafa Godoy, Rapskallion, The Whitetop mountaineers and Fabio Chivhanda and the Jive Masters.

Heading north after the festival I stopped in and played at the Nowra Tea Club. A great little venue with a garden stage setting and nice locals. Then I went on to do two shows with The Lucky Wonders at The Heritage Hotel in Bulli and Gearins Hotel in Katooma. The Blue Mountains crowd were out in full force, so thank you for coming out and supporting us! We had such a great time. I can't wait to come back again. I'll be uploading videos of the tour so far to youtube very soon, so stay tuned.
The gypsy troupe at Gearins, Katoomba. Photo by Rachael Brady.

Thank you to all the local radio stations who have been spinning the album. Especially to Bay FM in Byron Bay and Shoalhaven FM. And for anyone who is keen to get a copy of the album, it will be coming soon to Itunes through MGM Distibution. Stay tuned!

Upcoming gigs:

Brews and Bar Chords @ The Stone and Wood Brewery, Byron Bay, Saturday May 7th, 8pm.

Unplugged at the Basement @ the Gold Coast Arts Centre, Thursday May 13th, 8pm

Buddha Bar with Full band + Support Saturday May 15th

I'm also going to give away a copy of Earth On An axis which comes in a hand made fabric bag!

Just hop on here and become a fan. The first person to message me will get a copy sent to them

Featured on www.frankie.com.au

2010-03-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

I've just been featured on www.frankie.com.au
I am so glad that they like my tunes. Big thanks to the wonderful Sara Hingle who did the lovely intricate illustration on the cover. Come and have a peek!

Tales From a Gypsy Traveller

2010-03-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Hi to my friends I've met on my musical journey so far,

Last night was the second gig of the Earth On An Axis album launch tour, and what a special night! There's nothing lke playing in a little old wooden church in a town so small you can blink and drive through it at the same time. Indeed I'm talking about Uki in Northern NSW, the closest village to the infamous Wollumbin, or Mt Warning as it's most popularly known. This little church has something special about it. Maybe it's got to do with the Minister, John Tynan who open mindedly holds the space for community events and concerts. (Although he did say he was a little worried when he saw that the photo in the newspaper advertising my gig had a photo of me with my legs in the air! Not very church-like I guess!)

Thanks to those who came to the UKI Church gig as you made it very special!

But, I realised something very important last night, that to make a wonderful gig there are many different factors involved: Receptive audience, beautiful surroundings, ambiance, and a sense of humour. Last night seemed to have it all. Thank you for coming and celebrating with me. Thank you to Natalie Weir and Abbie for opening up the night with your gorgeous harmonies and delicate guitar plucking. Thank you to Richard Bell for the great sound and bass playing, Murray Kyle and Jason Ure for coming up and jamming on the last few numbers.

For those who didn't make it down here's a few pics of inside the church:

Nat and Abbie warming up the beautiful room, thanks girls!

Lisa and her Cello added a gorgeous sound to my songs.

The Minister John Tynan brought a touch of magic to the night, thanks for the space John!

The Uki Church is up there with the nicest venues I've played music in, especially for the acoustics.

All photos by: www.openeyeimagesonline.com

The week leading up to the gig I went on Byron Bay's one and only Bay FM last Tusday and featured on Richard Bell's show called Audio Chocolate. I'll be uploading the interview soon so watch this space. If you want to tune in to this show go to www.bayfm.org every Tuesday at 12 noon. Rich has a great taste in music and is always playing emerging artists from all corners of the globe. I did take some photos but you think I could retrieve them from my phone? NO!

So another busy week ahead and Tuesday night we're packing up the van again, this time heading to Canberra for The National Folk Festival. I am very excited about playing this high quality festival, but also a bit worried because I entered myself into a comedy Motown singing competition. I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do, and like most things leave it to the last minute!Stay tuned on this one!

Thanks again for joining my Tales From A Gypsy Traveller, and for those interested in purchasing my new album you can do so 'here'

May the sun always shine in your heart.

Andrea. xxx

Album review by Zikannuaire

2010-03-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

I've been lucky enough to have been reviewed by Miss Lucy from a French website called Zikannuaire.

ANDREA SOLER – Earth on an axis…

Mise en ligne le 27/02/2010 - (Lu 239 fois)



Il y a quelque chose de rayonnant chez cette jeune et jolie chanteuse australienne qui a déjà parcouru une partie de la planète avec sa guitare. De son long séjour en Angleterre est né cet album enregistré dans les mythiques studios ABBEY ROAD à Londres où les Beatles passèrent tant d’heures à mettre en boîte leurs chefs d’œuvre dans les années 60. Quatre décennies plus tard, Andrea y laisse à son tour son empreinte et y immortalise une chanson dédiée à Paris où elle passa quelques temps à chanter dans les bars de Montmartre. C’est donc en français qu’elle signe ce titre savoureux « Paris, je t’aime » qui évoque nos plaisirs culinaires et ces personnages au parfum de Chanel que l’on croise au coin d’une rue pavée. Un petit air d’accordéon vient souligner son délicieux accent. Pour ce premier album, Andrea Soler nous invite à une danse autour de la terre, une roulade espiègle dans les fleurs des champs…Sa musique est pure, simple et magnifique, folk et acoustique. Les violons et sa guitare sèche sont comme un vent doux qui souffle à nos oreilles. Mais au delà de la musique, les mots ont aussi leur importance, comme autant de messages semés aux quatre vents. La chanson « Earth on an Axis » évoque sa terre natale australienne et les conditions de vie du peuple indigène. Amoureuse du français, elle n’hésite pas à mélanger sa langue maternelle au français sur « How many angels ». Andrea, c’est un sourire, un rayon de soleil qui vient s’infiltrer dans le cœur. Des mots qui évoquent la lune, l’envol des dragons, la beauté du monde et les voyages…Des airs qui nous donnent envie de fouler le sol d’un pas plus léger et de nous laisser porter par cette voix chaude. Andrea est un elfe qui nous murmure des mélodies teintées de magie, reflets d’une âme magnifique qui offre à la vie son plus beau sourire. Sortie le 12 mars 2010 en indépendant

Album Launch Tour Dates Announced!

2010-02-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Album Launch Tour Dates....

The Blue Mountains Music Festival
Saturday 13th March 3pm at the Carrington Ballroom
Sunday 14th March 12pm at The Clarendon

The Uki Church, Uki.
Saturday 27th March 8pm

The National Folk Festival, Canberra
1st - 5th April

The Tea Club, Nowra
8th April 7pm.

Heritage Hotel, Bulli
9th April 8pm

Hotel Gearins, Katoomba
10th April 8pm

Buddha Bar, Byron Bay
15th May

D'Alliance Festival
29th May

Playing at The Clarendon

2009-11-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

The Studio Sessions.... cont.

2009-10-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

It's so important to me to feel relaxed and at home when I'm doing a studio session, almost as if I'm in my own lounge room. Big Al who is the owner/producer at the Sonic Kitchen Studios was so great to work with, and creates a chilled vibe which gives the space for creativity to flow.

The musicians who sessioned on 'Earth On An Axis' gave so much of their heart and soul, and together we created an album that I'm really excited about.

I'm looking at releasing early 2010. Will keep you posted.
Andrea.

Me on my trusty old nylon....

Big Al on his Gibson Twin Neck

Big Al on his Fretless Eko Bass.

Dan Baker working his magic on Pedal Steel.

Dan Baker on Pedal Steel.

'Dragonfly' the Film Clip Part 2

2009-10-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

I never realised how much goes into shooting a video clip. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this video possible, including all the musicians, Stephanie from IssTV, VOID for the warehouse + frames,Caro and Andre, the gypsy dancers, the horses from the New Forest, the Parisian shadow walkers, and of course Valeria, who made all the props and was so great to work with. She is a visionary and a great director! We are all looking forward to seeing the end result, which will coincide with the release of my debut album 'Earth On An Axis' early 2010.

IssTV came down and interviewed Valeria and myself on location down at the Branksome Chine forest gardens. If you wanna check it out, click on this link: IssTV.

Valeria looking for the right angle.

Gypsies in the forest...........

James Pinnock, Big Al and Dan Baker.

Live on BBC Radio Solent

2009-08-30T01:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I made a little appearance on Sally Taylor's Show.
Lee Cuff joined me on Cello, and I really enjoyed playing some of my more intimate ballad style tracks, 'Swirl Me Around' and 'The Flowers'.

As I was leaving, and saying goodbye to Sally, we had a bit of a giggle. We talked about the show from last year when Sally came to my campsite at Larmer Tree Festival and we did a live to air interview/ song from my camper van. It was all going well, until the cultural worlds collided....
In Australia 'thong' means the thing you put on your foot. Well in England it means a g-string.
So live on air, as Goba is getting out of the van, and Sally greets him saying "Good morning Goba, are you going to join us out here"... to which he replied "Hang on, I've just to get my thongs on!!."
Just one of those moments in time...
I have enjoyed popping onto Sally's show a few times now, and appreciate her support for my music. Thanks also to Geoff McQueen who is her new producer, who insultingly quoted one of my songs as "Kasabian meets Metallica meets Jay-Z" ..... what's the world coming to, eh?

If you would like to hear the show again, CLICK HERE. and look for Sally On Saturday...

Dragonfly in a Film Clip!

2009-08-12T01:27:00.000-07:00

Valeria is a creative film maker who approached me to do a film clip for a song of mine called 'Dragonfly'. We met up at a cafe, and chatted about ideas for the clip. She has by this stage listened to the song a few times. I explained to her that I wrote Dragonfly when I was living in Paris, in my tiny little appartment on the 6th floor, staring out to 'La Tour Eiffel'. I also expressed that it was a song about the frustrations of being a travelling musician, and the highs and lows of trying to find my way.

The next time we met for a coffee, Valeria had a whole story line worked out.
"We are going to build your little appartment in Paris." she exclaimed. Since that day,Valeria
has spent hours making a model of the Eiffel Tower, posters, and designing the set for the film clip to Dragonfly. Last week was the first day of filming, so here are a few snippets below.

Carolina and Valeria setting up the appartment scene.

Valeria and Stephanie discuss the light of the 'moon'
shining on the Eiffel Tower.

Sitting in my 6th floor appartment.

I even hung up a bit of washing in between takes.

Blowing away in the wind. (try standing like that for 40 mins!)

Part Two coming soon.....

Musical moments...

2009-08-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

The music world is a small world indeed....
Last year, we played The Social at The Larmer Tree Festival, and jammed with a few other musicians that jumped up on stage with us. Firstly there was Phil Wilcox on accordian, who, (little did we know) was a trained opera singer as well! He learnt to play the accordian at a young age and is truly a brilliant player. It was so much fun jamming with Phil, I asked him to feature on a couple of tracks on my album.

Phil Wilcox on Accordian

Omer Makessa on Mbira.

I thought I first saw Omer playing with his band Mankala at The Square and Compass pub about 2 months ago. When Omer came down to the studio from Bristol for a session a few weeks ago, we all kept thinking where do we know each other from. It wasn't until later on in the day, Omer exclaimed "Oh, I know you guys! I jammed on stage with you at The Larmer Tree Festival last year!" We all had a good laugh about that. A small world, for sure!

Lee Cuff on Cello.

Lee is a well-known instrumentalist throughout the Bournemouth region and has played with many of the local bands down here. The cello is one of my favourite instruments, and Lee has brought out some very rich tones and textures in my songs. Especially in 'Come Back Home' and 'Swirl Me Around'.

.....The album is really starting to take some shape now. I have really enjoyed working with such talented and easy going musicians. More pics to be added soon!

The Sonic Kitchen Studios

2009-08-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure of working alongside Big Al, who produced my EP 'Better In The Sunshine' mid last year, and is currently producing my first album.
These past few months 'The Sonic Kitchen Studios' in Poole, UK have become my second home.
Al is a source of musical inspiration to me, someone I feel understands my music and where I'm coming from, which is vital in any creative/recording situation...I'd now like to share some history about this talented guitarist/bassist/sound engineer/producer!

Al's Background
Alan (Big Al) Hill formed the Original Sonic Kitchen Studio way back in 1988 with his Brother Dave in Al’s Kitchen. Their first studio was setup in the loft apartment of a Victorian House in Blackheath, South East London. "For about the first year or so, we were writing/producing/mixing some great Acid House and early Techno tracks, then my brother Dave became the mighty "Pure Plastic" label and is to this day regarded as one of the true Godfathers of modern Techno music", says Al.

Big Al was signed up as the now legendary "Mind Over Rhythm", and through producing In-House for Pinnacle & Zomba he secured all of his Mastering with Abbey Road Studios, a strong and fruitful relationship that still continues to this day.
Now based in Poole, Dorset, Big Al is responsible for producing Andrea Soler’s debut EP ‘Better In The Sunshine’, a project he says, ”Is just the tip of the iceberg” for the fresh and inspiring Australian songstress.

The EP was mastered at Abbey Road by Big Al’s good friend Sean Magee, with Al recalling of the time they met, “I first met Sean after a few days working at Abbey Road Studios for Pinnacle/Zomba. Nick Webb was working with me and said, ‘You have to meet Sean from room six Al, he's a bit weird, you'd get along amazingly well.” “I honestly can’t remember even how long ago it was, but from then until now Sean and I have been Soul Brothers. His Mastering/Engineering capabilities are just world class.”

Big Al is a larger than life character with music running deep in his veins, and one would be hard pressed to find a more soulful and passionate musician/producer.

He has a wealth of experience in the Music Industry encompassing Live and Studio Engineering, Production, Writing, Arranging, Session Guitar and Bass Guitar, Keyboards etc. As a Producer/Musician he's worked with such names as Jack DeJohnette (Miles Davis, The Ripple Effect) John and Ben Surman, The Baker Brothers, to name just a few!
Al defines Andrea's music as "Picturesque, atmospheric and thought provoking", and after their first successful collaboration he is extremely excited about getting her debut album underway.

Live @ Larmer Tree on the BBC.

2009-07-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that Sally Taylor (Radio Solent) and Johnny Walker from BBC Radio 2 would join my band...especially at eight o clock in the morning! I turned up at the Social Tent where I found Sally with bongos in hand, and Johnny walker warming up on the tambourine. I was then asked to open up The Larmer Tree Show by announcing they were both in my band.. It was such a fun time!
Here's a photo of Johnny, myself and Sally. I'll be posting the full podcast really soon.
I really enjoyed Larmer Tree. Apart from battling the rain and mud there was some fantastic music. Highlights for me was Rokia Traoré and The Dodge Brothers.
Something else I loved about this festival was all the divine food stalls and finding funky recycled clothes in the Oxfam charity shop.
I also played a slot at The Arc Stage with Elephant Talk. It was quite packed in the tent but it would have been nice to see more dancing! Over all it was a great time with good friends and doing an open mic spot with my little beat boxing mate, Zaq was a load of laughs! Might see you there again next year...

New website up and running!

2009-07-21T16:28:00.001-07:00

Hurray! The long awaited website is here!
Many thanks to Kyleigh who designed and built this beautiful website...
I hope you all enjoy the scrolling through the site....thanks to goba for the wicked pics!

check out www.kyleigh.co.uk

So much to do, so little time!

2009-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching the rain fall down the window pane, drinking a cup of tea....
It's summer in England!

I've just played the Larmer Tree Festival, and am right now in the middle of recording my debut album, making a new website, and doing a film clip!!

hang on..one thing at a time!.....

I have returned to the UK work with an amazing producer Alan 'Big Al' Hill from The Sonic Kitchen Studios on my debut album- 'Earth On An Axis'. It's going to be a collection of songs I have written over the past few years and have collaborated with some wonderful musicians who have added many textures and colours to my songs. I am incredibly excited to be independently releasing it later this year when I return to Australia.

I'm also cracking the champagne for the new website layout! Many many thanks to the brains behind it: Kyleigh and many thanks to the fantastic www.gobadirt.com for the great photos!

I've also have Valeria, a film maker creating a quirky film clip for my song 'Dragonfly' in the next month, so I will keep you posted about this mysterious project...and will launch it on youtube.

In the meantime, if you want to hear a funny interview direct from the Larmer Tree Festival with BBC's Sally Taylor and Johnny Walker and myself...just pop on the link below!

Happy Days,
A x