SONG LOUNGE – MON 18th APRIL

April’s Song Lounge, held at The Ellington Jazz Club in Perth, is possibly our most eclectic yet.  Billie Rogers is a rootsie, bluesie, rocky singer, Helen Shanahan is all about the lyrics and melody, Matt Allen is soul funk with a strong RnB vibe, and Michael Swann a storytelling delight…Four singers take to the stage in April following March’s sell out show!  All singers on the program are rising stars under the age of 25 and boasting considerable maturing and experience, despite their young ages.  Come on down to hear a very diverse and exciting evening!

Song Lounge April features:

Billie Rogers

Billie Rogers is an up and coming Perth based singer/songwriter who has been blowing  audiences away with her angelic voice and her swag of beautiful, self penned songs.  Being the daughter of well-known W.A. musician Bill Rogers, who has played with such Australian music royalty as Cold Chisel and Dragon, Billie has enjoyed a childhood exposed to an eclectic mix of blues, country, reggae, soul and rock. It is little wonder then that Billie decided to arm herself with guitar, harmonica and pen, and create her own unique songs. She has since developed her own brand of soulful country music which has been likened to that of Norah Jones or Emmy-Lou Harris. Her solid musical education clearly shows in the choice of covers she mixes into her set list, from artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Nina Simone.

Helen Shanahan
www.helenshanahan.com

For the past 3 years Helen Shanahan has been honing her confidence and skills in the Perth pub and festival circuit, while studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Last year saw her support ‘The Basement Birds’ whose members include Josh Pyke, Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans) and Steve Parkin -along with being nominated for Song of the Year in the ‘love’ category. Helen’s songs ride the joys and sorrows of love and life and draw the listener into an articulate and heartfelt world of story, melody and guitar.

Matt Allen
www.myspace.com/mattallen1986

Matt Allen was one of the first students to graduate from the Bachelor of Contemporary Music at “The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts”. But not only did he graduate with flying colours, he received the award for “Most Outstanding Contemporary Music Student” for 2010. Matt is a regular performer on the local music scene and has entertained in a number of Perth’s leading bands. from smooth jazz to soulful funk, Matt can do it all. In 2010, Matt released his debut album “Over” at the Ellington Jazz Club to a sold out crowd. This album was written, produced, engineered and mixed by Matt and he plans to pursue this project heavily in the live scene in the coming months.

Michael Swann
www.michaelswannmusic.com

Michael has an accomplished musical history, playing in groups that has seen him t

our with Neil Finn,the Australian Chamber Orchestra and share the stage with various bands including Birds of Tokyo and Regurgitator.