Hi everyone in Aussie and abroad.....I wanted to take the time to formally introduce to the Australian Chapter and all of JPFolk to a great friend of mine who is new to the community, but certainly not to our plight!...
I am so very proud of my friend and I really wanted to share some fantastic News with you all.
John is A Scottish songwriter now living in Australia has just been announced as the WINNER of the prestigious 2005 Australian National Songwriting Contest - rock category.(Encompasses rock/metal/indie).
His Melodies and writing style are as lovely as the nature of the man himself and I really reccommend anyone looking to hear some fantastic Independant Music to mosey on over to his official Website
www.johnharleyweston.com I am including Johns recent Press Release that has given him a great deal of exposure Nationally across Australia!.....Well done John....I'm real proud to know you, but then......... I always was!!!!
See my 'Signiture ' is correct! 'wink'
Peace and Love
Kitana
PRESS RELEASE:
A Scottish songwriter now living in Australia is the winner of the
prestigious 2005 Australian National Songwriting Contest - rock category.
(Encompasses rock/metal/indie).
John Harley Weston was born in Glasgow and grew up in Stewarton, Ayrshire.
His first taste of success was in the early 90¹s as lead singer and
co-writer with the Scottish group Frontier, signed to Polygram Records.
During that time he worked with some of the cream of the Music Industry,
including Gary Katz (legendary Steeley Dan producer), Ian Kewley (Paul
Young¹s M.D.) as well as members of Paul McCartney¹s band. Frontier also
supported Glasgow bands Wet Wet Wet (UK stadium tour of 92) and Gun.
After Frontier split late 92 John Harley (as he was then known) performed as
a solo artist supporting acts such as Duran Duran, Indigo Girls, Carol Laula
etc. He then began working with other Glasgow musicians (John Harley and The
Pack). The Pack shuffled and finally split around 96. In 97 John decided
he'd head off to Australia for a change of scenery.
Still believing in the music he created he continued to write and play live
regularly. In 99 he wrote a song for the huge Aussie Rules football team The
Brisbane Lions. (Released via Festival/Mushroom Records).
He was lucky enough to 'fall in to a job' In the Film Industry and has
worked for several years as an Art Dept Coordinator on many U.S. and
Australian television shows such as The Lost World Series and feature films
such as George Of The Jungle 2. He was Action Vehicle Office Coordinator on
The Great Raid (due to be released this year starring Benjamin Bratt).
In 2004 Weston finally released his first solo independent album ¹Hope
Harbour¹. (About time too). In one short year the first track on the album
'Last Days Of Summer' has become an award winning song and the future is now
looking very bright for John Harley Weston's album sales. The song contest
is among the toughest in the Australasian region.
The winning song was actually co-written with U.S. based drummer/guitarist
Tony Beard (Go West, Paul McCartney, Hall and Oates, Jeff Beck) during
John's flying visit to New York in 1992. In a basement garage in up state
New York they got together and gave birth to a buster of a summer rock
anthem. 'Lyrically it's essence is about living in the moment. Summer
doesn't last forever. It's a snapshot of my youth', Weston recalls. The song
has an instantly recognisable and modern grab you by the scruff of the neck
roots/rock electric guitar intro and according to Rave Magazine (Aust) John
Harley Weston's vocals are reminiscent of 'Paul Rodgers on Free's All Right
Now'.
Weston's album is guitar based rock with a solid backbone of blues and
roots. With a couple of well placed acoustic tracks it's a very easy album
to nod your head to. The full band sound is refined but not overly produced,
almost retro. Much more than a straight-ahead rock singer this man has a lot
of soul and weaves elements of rock, pop, blues and country together in to a
classic package. This is a world-class vocalist and songwriter able to
quench any musical thirst. Some of the boys he worked with back in Glasgow
appear on a track on the album. (Donny Little, Chris Thomas, Rupert Black,
George Lundy. The message from Australia is - send John an email). By far
the biggest Glasgow influence (apart from John) is the co-producer Sandy
Jones from Wishaw. Jones has worked with many groups including Wet Wet Wet.
So what does John Harley Weston have to say about this accolade from his
Australian peers?
Looking up from BBQing some prawns he takes a swig of his Castlemaine XXXX
and says 'If I'd known it was going to be this hard being a songwriter I'd
have been an astronaut. Mind you, with both jobs you've got your head in the
clouds for a large majority of the time, you shoot for the stars and you
also get to view the universe from a different perspective so I suppose
they're not that dissimilar. The only difference is that the rocket to
stardom is a bit slower than the rocket to the moon. Right now, I'm enjoying
this ride through musical orbit and I won't be touching down for quite some
time'.
Weston will be travelling to Sydney to the very special Australian
Songwriters Association Gala Awards Night to perform his winning song in
from of the movers and shakers of the Australian music industry including
artist managers, publishers, radio pluggers, ARIA and APRA representatives
and many more.
A request from the office of JHW - any stories, pieces, paragraphs,
interviews and radio play you can offer would be great. If you don't have a
copy of the song/album please contact John direct. If you would like an mp3
emailed to you let us know. There's a soundbyte of 'Last Days Of Summer'
available at
http://www.johnharleyweston.com/soundbytes.html John is currently being featured on Triple J's Unearthed online (major rock
station in Oz) online
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/unearthed/bands/7295.htm The album 'Hope Harbour' is available on the website
www.johnharleyweston.com All songs now listed with
www.taxi.com and cdbaby.com and will be avail for
digital download soon.
Best
John Harley Weston
0412 977 087
07 5545 3825
PO BOX 350
Nth Tamborine
Tamborine Mountain
www.johnharleyweston.com (WEB)
info@johnharleyweston.com (EMAIL)
------------------
Those that try....Succeed!
[This message has been edited by Kitana (edited 05-14-2005).]
