Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Melbourne Ska Orchestra | |
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Melbourne Ska Orchestra performing at Northern Lights Festival Boréal in 2014. | |
Background information | |
Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
Genres | Ska, big band, reggae |
Years active | 2003-present |
Labels | FOUR FOUR |
Associated acts |
Bustamento Nicky Bomba John Butler Trio Mighty Duke & The Lords Ska Vendors Dr Hernadez |
Website |
melbourneskaorchestra |
Members |
Nicky Bomba Barry Deenick Rodrigo Pino Dorian West Antonio Milillo Michael Caruana Michael Havir Stephen Phillips George Servanis Dave Joseph Elvis Aljus Lennox Jordan Steven Montgomery Pat Powell Paul Coyle Patrick Cronin David Henry Sarah Heffernan Theodore Kazan Dean Hilson Justin Forster Robert Calvert Peter Mitchell Laurance Bongailas Anthony Hicks Sally Ford Peter Slipper Kynan Robinson Wally Maloney Michael Boase Jake Savona Cam Hassard Piers Gooding |
Melbourne Ska Orchestra are a ska band formed in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia. The group has up to 34 members, and is led by bandleader Nicky Bomba, formerly of the John Butler Trio. The band are signed to FOUR FOUR, an imprint of ABC Music.[1]
Background
"Drawing inspiration from the vast musical legends that have shaped the Ska genre, from the Jamaican movement through to UK Two Tone and the present day Latino Ska, Melbourne Ska Orchestra demonstrate a unique Australian vision with the exuberance and freewheeling colour of contemporary Ska. The outfit have crafted their sound with unexpected arrangements and seductive harmonies, powerful horns and foot-stomping drums." - Melbourne Ska Orchestra.
The eponymous Melbourne Ska Orchestra album was released to rave reviews in 2013 and picked up 2 ARIA nominations that year.[2]
The band have toured consistently for over a decade, including festival appearances at Bluesfest, Golden Plains, Vivid, Caloundra, Queenscliff and AWME. In addition to their highly visible presence on the Australian touring circuit, the band have built an impressive, ever-growing and dedicated overseas fan base.[3] The band sold out their debut London show, appeared on the bill for the iconic Glastonbury Festival and played a headline set to a crowd 50,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival during their 2014 tour.[4] The band has performed in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Turkey as well as appearing in television commercials in Australia and Japan.
The band released their second album Sierra Kilo Alpha in April 2016, embarking on a national tour to support it.[5]
Sierra Kilo Alpha won the 2016 ARIA Award for Best World Music Album.[6]
The band released a follow up to their acclaimed 2016 release called Saturn Return in late 2016. Saturn Return comprises a selection of songs from the same recording session as Sierra Kilo Alpha and was released on a rocket shaped USB drive.
In 2018, the band announced on their Facebook page that they would release one song every week for an entire year.
Discography
Albums
- Melbourne Ska Orchestra (2013)
- Sierra Kilo Alpha (April 2016)
- Saturn Return (2016)
Singles
- "The Best Things In Life Are Free" (13 November 2012)
- "Lygon Street Meltdown" (11 February 2013)
- "Get Smart" (2014)
- "Satellite" (14 September 2015)
- "Funkchunk!" (26 February 2016)
52 Fridays - One Year Of Ska
- Al Capone (Originally by Prince Buster) - 5 January 2018
- Botheration (Originally by Justin Hinds and the Dominoes) - 12 January 2018
- Carry Go Bring Come (Originally by Justin Hinds and the Dominoes) - 19 January 2018
- Confucius (Originally by The Skatalites) - 26 January 2018
- Feel Like Jumping (Originally by Marcia Griffiths) - 2 February 2018
- Frankenstein (Originally by Byron Lee and The Dragonaires) - 9 February 2018
- Man In The Street (Originally by The Skatalites, comp Don Drummond) - 16 February 2018
- A Message To You Rudy (Originally by Dandy Livingstone) - 23 February 2018
Awards
ARIA Awards
Melbourne Ska Orchestra has been nominated for four Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Music Awards, winning one in 2016.[7]
Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Nicky Bomba and Robin Mai - Melbourne Ska Orchestra | Engineer of The Year | Nominated |
2013 | Melbourne Ska Orchestra | Best Blues & Roots Album | Nominated |
2014 | Melbourne Ska Orchestra | Best Live Act | Nominated |
2016 | Sierra Kilo Alpha | Best World Music Album | Won |
The Age Music Victoria Awards
The band have won one The Age Music Victoria award.[8]
Year | Nominee/work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Melbourne Ska Orchestra | Best Global or Reggae Act | Won |
References
- ↑ "Melbourne Ska Orchestra sign to FOUR|FOUR record label - single released! - Melbourne Ska Orchestra". Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ↑ "Two ARIA Nominations for MSO!! - Melbourne Ska Orchestra". Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ↑ "Melbourne Ska Orchestra » Vivid LIVE 2015". vividlive.sydneyoperahouse.com. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
- ↑ DTan@sydneyoperahouse.com. "MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA WITH MOJO JUJU @ SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE". Vivid 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ↑ "Sierra-Kilo-Alpha Australian Tour! - Melbourne Ska Orchestra". Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ↑ The Music. "The Music - news website". The Music. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Two ARIA Nominations for MSO!! - Melbourne Ska Orchestra". Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
- ↑ "Music Victoria | 2013 Genre Awards". www.musicvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-02.