Saturday, August 18, 2012, 3:00 PM
SummerStage
Central Park, New York, NY
FREE!
Produced in association with FAMA, sponsored by The Australian International Cultural Council, and supported by MAMBO, with assistance from QANTAS and the Australian Consulate in New York.
Headliners, and winners of Australia’s Triple J Unearthed competition – an initiative for discovering the best new Australian musical talent – Husky bring us a love for classic pop, rich harmonies, and artful songwriting. Their music is transporting and ethereal, full of haunting lyrics, rolling rhythms and delicate layers of sound. Husky travel to New York after a run of sold out shows in Australia, and major supports for the likes of Devandra Banhart and Gotye.
Founded by siblings George, Amy and Emma Sheppard, Queensland’s alternative pop band Sheppard perform with a desire to artistically and creatively express their take on the world and to engage the youth that live within it. With colourful melodies and an original style, they have amassed a strong international following and are constantly developing their local presence, bringing freshness to the international music scene with their alternative indie/pop sound and youthful vulnerability.
Oli Chang and Jack Milas started making music together as the High Highs in Sydney, Australia, while working at the same music production company. The band became an underground sensation, and has given rise to popular confusion about where they should be pigeonholed, not to mention a broad and varied list of published comparisons likening them to Simon & Garfunkel, because of their very quiet singer-song writing approach but with an occasional borderline-psychedelic sound or an ambient Hall & Oates. The bands brand of music includes tracks of sparse, ineffable beauty, featuring exquisite falsetto harmonies, an extraordinary blend of acoustic-guitar textures and synthesized atmospherics. At once ancient and modern, intimate and otherworldly, High Highs is so uniquely spellbinding, it’s sure to establish the young trio as pack leaders among 2012’s new breed.
George Byrne is a Sydney born singer-songwriter, MTV composer, and photographer. Described my MOJO UK as “Pink Floyd Americana by way of the Antipodes” it’s doubtlessly melodic and high quality. Byrne released his first EP, Iron Skies in 2006, and his debut record Foreign Water in 2009 in Australia, the UK and the USA. After touring with Jason Molina, Washington, Ben Lee, Alex Lloyd, Tori Amos and others, Byrne decided to move to Los Angeles. His latest studio offering (the self titled George Byrne), features collaborations with The Cardinals (Ryan Adams) and The Motels and is out now through MTV USA on iTunes.
From her roots in Australia’s hip-hop and Latin music scene, Maya Jupiter established herself as the country’s foremost female hip-hop artist, MC and presenter of Triple J’s Hip Hop show. With an ARIA nominated album under her belt, producer and presenter credits on national music network Channel V, and an official Artistic Ambassador title for the Australian Government’s anti-violence youth campaign ‘The Line’, Jupiter hit the ground running. In 2011, she opened for Aloe Blacc on his European tour hitting 37 cities and 13 countries as well as a North American tour playing 15 cities. She recently toured Australia with Pez and 360 on the ‘Change it For The Better Tour’, and has just released her second solo album with performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego
Australia based DJ and musician, Ashley Feraude shares his passion for house, disco and soul through residencies and regular spots in premier lounges and nightclubs throughout the country. Feraude’s gift for picking the right tracks, building a set for any occasion and connecting with audiences propelled him to work with a number of famed Australian artists as well as become well known as a musical tastemaker. Feraude will be accompanied by trumpet player extraordinaire, Jonty Hall.
This special celebration of music will be joined by the amazing live art of KID Zoom, a celebrated artist leading the new generation of street artists entering the world of stage and bridging the gap between street and gallery.