April Maze |
Tony Williams |
Wisemans Circus |
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| The April Maze consists of the quirky and charming indie darlings Todd and Sivan. The husband and wife duo joined forces 7 years ago in a share house in Melbourne then embraced the wandering minstrel natures of their folk forebears, living out of their ’76 kombi whilst touring throughout Australia, New Zealand, UK and Canada and sharing their music.
Their musical roamings have seen them play over 35 festivals, 20 folk clubs and 850 shows in conjunction with the release of three EPs and two albums. In November 2012, their album ‘TWO’ shot into Spotify’s Top 100 most popular new releases. Skilfully balanced harmonies gently unfold the narratives, with the soulful richness of Sivan’s voice, reminiscent of Cass Elliot, complemented by Todd’s intense, warm tone. The stripped back acoustic sound of Todd’s guitar and banjo mingles with Sivan’s breathtakingly beautiful cello parts. They are unashamed story tellers, providing insight into the inspirations of their songs with humorous candour at their live gigs whilst lovingly jeering each other on. The couple perform with smiles and sincerity but also “an originality that is exciting and inspiring to experience live…with their rich, human vocals, between two people the live show has an amazingly full and deep sound” as the AU Review observed. Australian review site Timber and Steel has given similar praise, believing that the group’s music “moves you and seeps deep in to your soul, staying with you for days and weeks to come”. |
Tony has earned his living writing and playing music for the last thirty years which is testament to the quality of what he does. An accomplished piano player (classically trained) he is also adept on the guitar. He sings with a passion for his music. As one critic remarked "he not only has a great voice …he sings with sincerity". And it is this sincerity and belief in what he sings that sets Williams apart.
His song writing is diverse incorporating such influences as Sting, Dylan and Van Morrison. His music is grounded in melody and always tied to the essence of the lyric of which he has deft control. His songs are intelligent but still retain an emotive quality that beguiles the listener. You’ll find yourself humming the tunes long after you’ve heard them. Tony has won a number of awards for his song writing over the years including The Phillipines International Song awards in 1996, and the ASA songwriters award in 2005. He has released a number of albums in Australia and overseas. In 1992 his song ‘Fierce’ from the album Glass Canoe went to number two nationally in South Africa and ‘She Heals Me’ went to number one on the adult contemporary charts in Johannesburg . In 1995 he released a solo album Precious Cargo. As creator , writer and founding member of vocal , comedy group ‘The BBQ Kings’ he received an ARIA nomination for best comedy album for ‘Tales from the Grill’ in 2009. In 2010 the covers album ‘Piano Legends’ was released. The album is a beautiful blend of songs by piano greats from Elton John through to Stevie Wonder and Tom Waits. The album is Williams singing and accompanying himself on a grand piano. The whole album of thirteen songs was recorded in just one afternoon. In 2011 Williams recorded and produced his album called ‘For What it’s Worth’. It is a great blend of acoustic material with Williams on piano and guitar and arranged with double bass, blues harp, percussion and steel and electric guitar. His voice is as good as it’s ever been and seems to mature with age like a good wine. |
The Wisemans Circus is a 4 piece Sydney (NSW, Australia) based Blues / Southern Rock / Soul band. The original tunes reflect the "Delta Blues" and "Southern Rock". The Wisemans Circus is available for Festivals, Pubs, Event & Support opportunities.
The Band Features: Influences |
manly village church, 4 west promenade, manly || 9905 7215 || info@TheManlyFig.org || www.myspace.com/TheManlyFig