2018 saw Bowen receive a People's Choice nomination for Live Voice of the Year at the National Live Music Awards up against the likes of Harry James Angus (Cat Empire) and Amy Shark, where he performed one of his songs, 'Warmth of You' (co-written with and released by Brandon Robert Young), at the NLMA Gala event in Brisbane with Australian music icon, Katie Noonan.
During the next 18 months, Bowen embarked on U.S., U.K. & Australian tours with his sister, Clare Bowen, playing alongside The Striking Matches (USA) and Imogen Clark, as well as a national tour with Sam Buckingham supported by The Australian Council for the Arts. He received a top 40 placement out of over 3,500 entries in the Vanda & Young songwriting competition 2 years running in 2018/19 for his songs 'Anchor' & 'Sing' and after becoming a Cancer Council ambassador following his personal battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2015, he was awarded Cancer Council NSW High Profile Ambassador of the Year in 2019.
In years past, Bowen has released several EP's, made multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry (USA) and has written songs for several US and Australian TV series', including 'Nashville' (US), 'Instinct' (US) and Channel 7's, 'Winners & Losers'. Bowen has also written songs for Virgin Mobile Australia and Cancer Council. Bowen has shared the stage and studio with an incredible league of artists including The Milk Carton Kids, The Striking Matches, Colin Linden, Clare Bowen, Brandon Robert Young, Charles Esten, Katie Noonan, Ben Abraham, Jon Hume and Morgan Evans. His latest single 'The Greatest Thing' was produced by Grammy nominated artist and producer Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids. It was undertaken during COVID-19 isolation between continents from home studios around the world. It was written as a surprise for his wife Christina as part of their wedding speeches when they got married in October of last year.
Following a successful appearance as a Finalist on The Voice Australia last year and with a debut album in the pipes for 2020, Bowen is one to watch in the months ahead.
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www.timothyjamesbowen.com
As well as bossa novas – beyond the famous Girl from Ipanema - you'll hear other styles of music from Brazil, like intricate choro, irresistible sambas and much more. Whether a beautiful ballad or an up tempo tune, Loretta's joyous and lyrical sensitivity and Anna's rhythmic guitar and sensual voice make for a performance not to be missed.
Anna first fell in love with bossa nova as a child, and in 2010 she packed up her guitar and headed for Rio de Janeiro to deepen her understanding of the music. She has performed internationally - including Malaysia, the UK and Brazil – and is known for her collaborations with some of Australia's best world/jazz musicians in ensembles such as the Afro Latin Moods Quartet (with guitarist Guy Strazz) and the five-piece Gorgeous Songs from Brazil & Beyond, with which she produced two albums.
www.annasalleh.com
Loretta is an Australian Arts Council Grant recipient and founding member of gypsy swing group Spyglass Gypsies and co-director of jazz/Portuguese music fusion band Alma Orquestra. She also co-leads a unique duo with Mark Isaacs called Some of Two Parts and performs with various jazz ensembles, including the Divergence Jazz Orchestra and Pharos (formerly known as the Sydney Women's Jazz Collective), and has toured with ARIA-award winning world-music group Mara.
www.australianjazzrealbook.com/artists/loretta-palmeiro
Both Anna and Loretta play together in the band SERAFINA! (with guitarist Gino Pengue and percussionist Jess Ciampa)
The band has taken the stage with Zydeco legends Rockin' Dopsie and Terrance Simien in the past. Both of these giants of the deep south have praised the band for capturing a true Zydeco sound that has an Australian kick and flavour. This is something that we are very proud of.
The band's earthy blend of traditional Cajun, Blues and Swamp music produce a sound that is Psycho Zydeco. Driving washboard, drums, guitar, sax and the odd industrial sized triangle, combine with some amazing accordion playing that will make you feel so good you will want to grab a washboard and get up on stage and start scraping with the boys.
Cajun and Zydeco music were spawned from the melting pot of cultures that is New Orleans and Louisiana. When French speaking Acadians were exiled from Canada in the 18th century, many settled in Louisiana alongside the local Native American Indians, African slaves and European colonists already living in the region. They became known as Cajuns and their folk music became influenced by the surrounding cultures. Originally the button squeeze-box, fiddle, whistles, triangle and washboard were used until a man by the name of Clifton Chenier in the 1940s strapped on a full size piano accordion and backed himself with a red hot blues band.
The original band is still together:
Stefan Sernek: Vocals, Accordion and Bass.
Gregg Hatton: Vocals, Guitar, Washboard and Triangle.
Christopher Wilson: Vocals, Saxophone, Washboard and Triangle.
Gene Gill: Drums