Josh Rawiri

After six years' pursuing a career as a solo artist, folk-blues singer-songwriter Josh Rawiri is enjoying life in a band.

Josh Rawiri and the Moroccan Knights started out as a one-off for a project in his home town of Portland, Victoria, but the bandmates - Rawiri, drummer Hayden Joyce and guitarist Kris McDonald - enjoyed it so much they have kept it going and are now touring up the east coast and making plans to record an EP.

"I was approached by a friend who wanted to do a soundtrack to a film he was making - he wanted some surf rock with a blues sound," Rawiri says.



"He knew my solo music and said, 'it would be great if you could get that rocky band sound together', so I approached some friends in Portland and they were both keen, after a bit of convincing.

"We just jammed and came up with a few songs and gave that to my friend who used it for his film - it's for the bodyboarding magazine Riptide, they put it out with the December issue.

"When we were practising and writing songs for the film we decided we'd like to go on tour as well, have a holiday and surf trip while we were doing it."

One advantage of being in a band is it makes those long road trips a little less lonely.

"Yeah definitely," Rawiri says. "We've been having some good conversations in the tour bus and listening to each other's music and having a laugh."

Rawiri has also been enjoying the creative side of playing in a band.

"It's really good and just such a change from my solo stuff," he says. "It's a new adventure and the response we've had since getting together has been really positive.

"There's a lot more energy with two other musicians who are into the rock'n'roll music, so I think it's a great outlet to just let myself be a bit loose. I feel that I can express myself a bit more through the music.

"Rather than just sitting there and playing your acoustic guitar and doing your show by yourself, you can fall back on the other musicians as well.

"We all bring different influences to the band which makes it even more diverse."


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The new band's sound blends Rawiri's blues background with the rock influences of Joyce and McDonald. The band members have even invented their own genre to describe that sound, says Rawiri.

"Because we are from down in the far south of Australia in Victoria we decided that 'deep south surf rock' was a good genre to brand ourselves under," he says.

"We like songs from bands like Canned Heat and Jimi Hendrix and the Strokes, and that really raw, southern sound. " - Illawarra Mercury

Capping what has been a hugely successful launch tour, Portland’s Josh Rawiri is warming up for his solo shows in Torquay and Queenscliff this weekend.

Hitting venues up and down the south-east coast with his band on board, audiences have been soaking up the deep-roots rock and gritty, soulful blues sounds of his latest album, Molecular Teleportation, released October 7.

“It’s been going really well, we’ve done Sydney, NSW’s south coast, inland gigs in Bega and Braidwood, and the trip down to Melbourne with support act Red Whyte was really successful,” said Rawiri.

A record crowd of 600 in his home town of Portland saw audiences enjoy surf imagery projected across the walls while taking in what has been referred to as the soundtrack to a sun-soaked summer.

“Saturday night in Portland was awesome, it was really great to have the support and play a local gig. I like to transfer a positive message to people through my music, and just want people to enjoy the gigs.”

To complement his successful launch tour, Rawiri’s Molecular Teleportation has also received national acclaim as album of the week on ABC North QLD and Darwin, and wide airplay on Triple J’s Roots ‘n All program. The debut film clip ‘Feel good’ took out three Australian film awards and single ‘Follow the road’ reached number two on AMRAPS Great Southern Charts.

Master of harmonica, slide guitar, lap steel guitar and electric, Rawiri’s voice is soft but penetrating, projecting a cruisy but thoughtful, balanced sound, you’ll want more of.

To catch Rawiri’s final show, head to the Torquay Hotel on Friday, tickets $10 available on the door, where you can also get your hands on the new album, followed by a sold out gig at The Blues Train in Queenscliff on Saturday night.

For a taste of his sound or to find out more head to Josh Rawiri’s website - Surf Coast Times

The first thing, which strikes you about musician Josh Rawiri is his physical presence. At 6’8” and 108 kg’s he is not a small human. His uncle and father both played rugby for the under 18 All-Blacks and at a glance it’s not difficult to imagine Josh tearing into a ruck or scrum. “ People always said I should be into footy but I learnt pretty early on that you can’t strum a guitar with stubbed fingers, so I stuck with music and surfing instead.”

Josh’s imposing stature belies a sensitive, artistic soul. His music combines rapturous, slide-guitar riffs with versatile vocals, to produce everything from girthy power ballads to drifting melodies. Josh’s style is distinctive, but if you’re looking for other performers to associate him with, you could think in terms of a gutsy hybrid of Ben Harper and Ash Grunwald. The rootsy mix of folk and rock recently featured on the soundtrack to the Tracks DVD, Prime Zero, and Josh, who lives in Coastal Victoria, readily admits that surfing is an important part of his creative process. “ I find it clears my mind to a point where I can channel my inspirational thoughts.”

Although Josh claims that folk-rock is still at the core of his sound, he’s eager to talk about the other styles he has embraced with his latest album. “ I have Declan Kelly on drums, a wrapper from L.A. on certain tracks and then strings from the Sydney Symphony orchestra on others.” Invariably, on the eclectic album, each track has the feel of a newly unwrapped surprise. The album, “Molecular Teleportation” [also the name of the title track] reflects Josh’s esoteric goals for the release. “It’s about being able to transport the sound into a vibrational code that would reach everyone.”
Although at ease discussing his music on an abstract level, Josh wants no part of the naval-gazing snobbery that sometimes affects artists linked to the Indie scene. He chuckles when I mention one of his press photos, which features him riding a horse along a beach, looking every bit like someone auditioning for a bush-ranger role in a movie.

“ The Indie scene’s really hard to crack and everyone’s really cool, almost too cool. We thought we’d try and get a bit of air-play on the country radio stations and hope that a bit of it flows over into the other genres.”

As he gears up for his next tour, which starts in late September, Josh is still having fun. “ I just had a microphone attached to the old P.A. system on my bus.” Josh jams a couple of riffs and at the other end of the phone I hear the music reverberate through a tour vehicle that just turned magic bus.

Josh is lucky enough to have his partner, Marina handling the paperwork and PR, which includes scheduling for his upcoming tour and the marketing the new album. This frees him up to concentrate on the tunes and still play dad to his two kids Ravi [3] and Saskia [2]. For now, both parents are focused on Josh’s music.

“ All the money always goes back into my music. I guess that’s the way it will have to be until I achieve a certain level of notoriety and lots of people start coming to my concerts. I don’t mind because the lifestyle is such a good thing – being able to cruise around and play your music, meet different people all the time and getting inspired by different places, you go to. So long as you’ve got enough money to be getting by and supporting your family, that’s the main thing I think.”

One senses Josh Rawiri is on the cusp of something much bigger, but for now the one time chef is just happy to be making a living from the guitar he slings over his shoulder and a voice, which has that rare quality of making you feel like you’re hearing something profound.

Check below for tour dates. Josh’s album, Mollecular Teleportation will be available from the 7th October. See below for his upcoming tour dates. - TRACKS MAGAZINE

With Steel guitar, multiple acoustics and didges, Josh Rawiri is likeky to be grouped with the likes of Xavier Rudd and Ash Grunwald. But to write him off as 'just another one' would be to sell this 6"8 giant of musical talent far too short. - Tracks Magazine

Josh Rawiri's new album ‘Molecular Teleportation’ has come to fruition after a year of creative collaboration with a team of Australia’s leading musicians and producers, showcasing Josh’s evolution as a contemporary Australian musician.

The ?rst single "Feel Good” received immediate airplay on Rage, Channel V and MusicMAX, taking out silver in three Australian Film awards for the music ?lm category.

“Feel Good” is a great introduction for this singer / song writer with a very bright future”. - Drew Michel, Program Manager & Music Director: MAX

“War On Religion” is the second single off the forthcoming album and represents the grass roots end of Josh’s sound with a vivid message of ‘strength in numbers‘.

“All I need is a harmonica and a ?re listening to Josh and I am set - nice work.” - Rosie Beaton, triple j
- THE AU REVIEW

Josh Rawiri (pictured) tours a lot. And I mean a lot! He plays in major venues in the big cities and in smaller ones in small towns all over this wide, insulated land.

He’s been flogging his album If You Need Love and has sold thousands of copies just at his gigs alone. The singleShe’ll Love You, has been doing especially well on radio around the country.

Live, he plays solo with a range of guitars – slide, electric, dobro – as well as some percussion and harmonica. His music incorporates blues, reggae, soul, rock and roots. Which means he doesn’t play Bach, I guess.

Josh is a young man on a mission. He has a lot of energy for his musical passions and has been inspired by artists he has performed with.

“I have been lucky to play with some awesome artists like Ash Grunwald, Josh Pyke, The Beautiful Girls, Anatoli Torjinski and Mick Hart, who have supported and inspired me further along my musical journey,” Josh said.

Josh will perform at the Uni Toga Night at SCU in Lismore next Thursday, February 25, from 9pm; and at the Ballina RSL Club on Friday, February 26, from 8pm.
- The Northern Rivers Echo

16/Jun/2009

A BLEND of reggae, blues, soul, acoustic, roots, rock and the ‘totally experimental’ is how 24-year-old Josh Rawiri describes his musical style.

The Victoria-based artist will perform at Clancy’s fish pub this weekend as part of his national debut tour.

Rawiri is touring throughout June and July to promote his new album If you need Love'and will perform at coastal venues, festivals and community events.

Rawiri’s manager Marina Torjinski said his love of the land and surf, its raw beauty and essence, inspired smooth melodies, deep fluid base lines and strong original structures in his music.

“Josh has mastered a handful of guitars – slide, electric, dobro – and further enriches his music with percussive beats, harmonica and original loops,” she said.

Rawiri will perform from 8pm onwards on Saturday night.
- Melville Times

Queensland is back on Rawiri’s radar this week, though it wasn’t too long since he was lasthere. It’s hardly surprising to hear of his return given his love of both our live music andmeteorological environment.“It’s really good to get out of the cold weather and water of Victoria and catch up with the crewup north. There’s something about the sunshine and good music that puts you in a goodheadspace.”So why is it that he attacks his touring with such vigour, playing so many shows night afternight?“I feel really comfortable with my performances, in tune and on a good vibe when I’m playing alot,” he explains. “It’s also awesome to be revisiting familiar places and exploring more nooksand crannies.”The touring is all on the back of Rawiri’s debut longplayer If You Need Love, which has beendoing good things for the artist since he released it earlier this year.“I’m really happy with how far it’s come,” he says. “Hearing my songs on the radio, gettingpositive feedback from listeners and musicians I respect and selling lots of copies keeps mewanting to produce more albums.”1 / 2
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Josh RawiriWhen it comes to his live performance, don’t expect too much to be premeditated – it’s notreally Rawiri’s kind of deal.“I’m a big one for spontaneous activity,” he tells. “I don’t even like to expect what I’m going toplay myself. It’s what keeps me interested in playing – not knowing what’s coming next, justbeing present in the moment and appreciating the experience.”WHO: Josh RawiriWHAT: If You Need Love (MGM)WHERE & WHEN: The Joynt Thursday Nov 12, Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Monday Nov162 / 2 - timeoff mag

A couple of years ago we caught up with Portland based singer / songwriter Josh Rawiri out the back of a cafe in Portland. His debut album If you need love had not long been released and he was busy gigging around the country.

In 2011 he's about to release his second album - a more focussed affair produced by Joe Lewis from Triple J and featuring the work of some string players from the Sydney Symphony amongst others.

He's also about to launch his second video for his new single War on Religion. His first filmclip for Feel Good received airplay on Rage along with other video shows and featured some amazing body art created by his partner Marina.

The new album Molecular Teleportation is due to be released later this year.

In this interview Josh talks more about creating the new album and film clip, and also plays a live acoustic version of War on Religion.
- ABC SW VICTORIA - Jeremy Lee

FORMER CHEF JOSH RAWIRI HAS A SECRET INGREDIENT. The eco-warbler talks to James Gallagher, next page.

PLEASE SEE EPK IMAGES FOR FULL ARTICLE (Its a whole spread) - Port Macquarie news

Josh Rawiri has just released his exciting new single 'feel good' and is backing it up with a host of local shows. Josh has also just released his new video clip, which is a display of music, body art and stunning scenery - the clip has been screening on rage, MAX TV and Channel V! Josh's single is receiving national airplay (and locally with ABC Northern NSW and BAYFM). Thursday at the 'Byron Bay Brewery'. - The Byron Shire Echo

Josh Rawiri, right, is one of the countries fastest rising stars in the independent music scene. His virtuosity and advanced musical prowess demand a bigger stage and a wider audience. Josh’s relentless touring has provided him with the platform to fine tune his craft and he is ready for the next stage - to reach the wider public.
He is often described as a barefoot giant with a grace for the ages and a touch of the eccentric - a young Australian chef and body boarder turned singer-songwriter who is working hard to make his dreams a reality. He will play two shows on the coast, the first at Noosa Public Marina Today. - Sunshine Coast Daily