Six bush bands will bash in Alice

 
South East Desert Metal are among six bands, including four from The Centre, picked to perform in the 2018 Bush Bands Bash at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station in September.
 
Billed as “the most isolated metal band in the world” they come from Santa Teresa, south-east of Alice Springs.
 
The band, pictured at top in 2015, initiated the Rain Maker Music Festival in that year to launch their debut album.
 
The event in Santa Teresa was attended by over 500 people, including Australian TV presenter Adam Hills. The concert was recorded and broadcast in the UK, according to a media release from Music NT.
 
It says the legendary Barkly Drifters are boasting some serious musical talent and family lineage.
 
“The Barkly Drifters take the tradition of fusing country blues and rock to tell tales and stories of the Barkly Tablelands through vivid, compelling lyrics and music that reflects the landscape and towns that inspired it,” says the release.
 
“Currently recording their debut album with Winanjjikari Music Centre, Barkly Drifters have already enjoyed success within the Barkly music scene and beyond. The Barkly Drifters have built a strong following from the characters and communities whom their songs resonate the strongest with.”
 
Their sophomore album will be released in the third quarter of 2018 and is destined to catapult the band to new heights!
 
The Simpson Desert Band started out with a young Titjikala locals Kenneth Hayes, Darren Wilyuka, Llyod Wilyuka and Leroy Wilyuka watching the Tapatjatjaka Band playing their own original music and thinking ‘maybe we should get some young fellas together and start doing that’.
 
“Darren started writing songs with charcoal on a piece of cardboard while he was still in school and recruited a few other young fellas to the band. The Simpson Desert Band is well known by surrounding communities and is often asked to perform far from Titjikala.”
 
Formed in 2014 in Yuendumu, Coloured Rainbow are a slow-jam reggae band with elements of rhythm and blues and rock, heavily influenced by Lucky Dube.
 
The five-piece band are dedicated to their craft, rehearsing weekly at PAW Studio in their hometown. In 2015 they took out top place at three Battle of the Bands events; Yuendumu, Finke Desert Race and Lajamanu.
 
The money from their winnings was distributed amongst band members and injected into further endeavours, like touring and merchandise.
 
The Coloured Rainbow live experience has drawn in fans across the Western Desert and further south, creating a great positive buzz and word of mouth that precedes their arrival.
 
Ripple Effect Band are an all women band coming from Maningrida in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
 
The band reflects the multilingual nature of Maningrida, singing in their languages of Ndjébbana, Na-kara, Burarra and Kune.
 
Hailing from an area where both ceremonial and more contemporary musical forms have been almost entirely the domain of men, these women are forging new ways of musical performance as composing, playing instruments and forming their own band.
 
The Ripple Effect women have a vibrancy and excitement that is not to be missed as they share their stories and culture through the universal language of music.
 
Mimili Yanku Band is a collective of experienced musicians and songwriters from Mimili Community.
 
The band frequently plays shows in the community which are often put on and run entirely by the band members. Mimili Warpa Studio is a constant meeting and practice space for the Mimili Yanku Band.
 
Various band members have recently been involved in a recording session run by UBK out at West Boar near Fregon. During this overnight stay the track “Mimili” written by Harry Shannon was recorded and produced.
 
The second track submitted “wati kutju” was recorded at a home studio in Mimili and they look forward to showcasing some of their recent work at the 2018 Bush Bands Bash.