The Carpenters Redux?

They may not have the gleaming smiles and clean cut look as Karen and Richard that stood out so much from the crowd in the 70's rock era but they do come with their own unique style of music and, as such, deserve a serious look and listen. Having personally lived in Sydney where this band was formed, I discovered their music proably before many of the Aussies did as they were featured in an interview on a local Sydney AM News show I watched. From that time they did not appear in the bigger part of the news in Sydney until a year later where they played in many of the outdoor music Festivals in town like Big Day Out. I knew from the first time I heard there music they had great potential. Since then, they have progressively grown in their popularity on the Australian front. Now, they are hitting the ground running on thier North American introduction this year. They have been featured on several blogs this past month and have played with such great talents as Brett Dennen, The Magic Numbers, David Gray, and Newton Faulkner in sold out shows. They are currently touring here in the US and have just added another show in LA at the Troubadour in April. Here is a few samplea for you to preview of their work: “Mango Tree”. "Hollywood".

Recently they came to Portland Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom opening for another favorite of mine from the bay area, Brett Dennen. This was their third appearance now in the States. They were not a bit nervous and a whole lot laid back as the Aussies seem to portray. This brother and sister duo exude that raw talent that just can't wait to be heard and experienced from their northwesterly mates. Here’s a video I took of them at the Crystal a few weeks ago. Check out the multi-talented Julia as she sings, dances, plays the horns, and the audiences response in a song off thier latest EP, A Book Like This “Private Lawns”. I would say it was a very “challenging” Portland audience that night as even with the star act, Brett Dennen, they were talking over the music as if they had come to see each other rather than the bands ( a very atypical experience at the Crystal).

INdy x

mp3's: Private Lawns
Mango Tree
Wasted
myspace/official