Biography
West Oz favourite Andrew Winton combines a range of lap slide guitars, including the 7-string Wintonbeast, with infectious rhythms & melodic vocals. An engaging live presence on a journey through blues, roots & folk (with gospel & jazz influences), Andrew is known for his stunning slide, on-stage warmth & humour, quirky lyrics & storytelling. This multi-award winning artist with a rapidly growing national & international reputation has released three solo albums and has just completed a successful five month 80 date tour to launch his latest album ‘Surface Tension’. www.andrewwinton.com
UPCOMING & PAST GIGS
* Can be viewed at www.myspace.com/andrewwintonmusic - this is the most up to date gig listing at the moment. Currently not listing gigs on the Sonicbids site. When hew website launches mid 2009 this will be rectified!
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
* nominated for two West Australian Music Industry awards (WAMi) in 2009 for Best Guitarist and for Best Blues & Roots Act
* Just completed 5 months national tour over 80 shows all over Australia many sold out with great reviews of the new album read them at the sonicbids site
* supports for Jeff Lang, Mamadou Diabate, Lior, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Mama Kin, Lucky Oceans, Anne McCue, Nick Barker, Josh Pyke, Ash Grunwald, Geoff Achison, Ian Moss
* Performed A Day On the Green in Nov 08 with Hoodoo Gurus, Thirsty Merc, Mark Seymour
* top 10 Australian Songwriters Association awards 2008 Rock/Indie Category
* Finalist MusicOZ Awards 2008 World/Folk category
* finalist International Songwriting Competition 2007 in Blues Category
* nominated for West Australian Music Industry (WAMI) award 2008 Best Guitarist
* nominated for WAMI 2007 Best Blues/Roots Act
* invited to perform SxSW music festival Texas 2007
* tour of US/Canada 2007 including performances SxSW, Canadian Music Week (Toronto)
*Aussie BBQ @ SxSW 07 sharing the stage with Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, Beasts of Bourbon, Airbourne
*recently contacted by John Mayall (UK) who is performing Andrew's song 'Number's Down' live & plans to record it
* national tour 06 promoting successful release 'The Decompression Chamber'
* Winner Australian Songwriters Association best song in Folk/Acoustic category 06
* Winner Australian Songwriters Association best live performance @ the awards night 06
* finalist MusicOZ awards instrumental category 06
FESTIVAL APPEARANCES (AUSTRALIA)
Cygnet Folk Festival (TAS) 09
Australian Blues Music Festival 09
Acoustica Festival (Sydney) 09
Newstead Live! Music Festival 09
Tamworth Country Music Festival 09 (including daily performances at Andrew Clermont's infamous Supper Club!)
Perth International Arts Festival (Great Southern) Playmakers Series 09
WAMI (West Australian Music Industry) Festival 09, 08, 07
Blue Mountains Festival of Folk, Blues & Roots 08, 06
Maldon Folk Festival 08
Big Sky Readers & Writers Festival 08
Geraldton Guitar Festival 08
Woodford Folk Festival 08 (with Five Point Turn) 07
Fairbridge Folk Festival last 7 years
Bridgetown Blues Festival last 7 years
Blues on Broadbeach 07
National Folk Festival 07, 06
Harboursound Festival Albany 08
West Coast Blues & Roots Festival 07
Illawarra Folk Festival 07
Nannup Music Festival 09, 07, 05, 04
Coastfest 06
Port Fairy Folk Festival 04
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT ANDREW?
"...he is a sublime stylist who is aware of the masters and can play effortlessly in a wide range of acoustic styles...[Surface Tension] is an album of great gentleness and sensitivity." Sydney Morning Herald
"Winton's beauty is the clarity of his playing. It's uncluttered, easy to get your head around and a joy to listen to as the music dances to the warm enthusiasm of his lyrics...a local release with world-class potential." The West Australian
"great gig on Friday night.....hopefully, Andrew enjoyed playing as much as the audience enjoyed hearing it. Just as a "by the way"....I've been involved with the running of Selby for about 15 years now and seen many, many fantastic acts....but Friday was the 1st time that I've seen an Artist get a standing ovation at the end of the night.......very cool." D. Miller (Selby Folk Club)
"Winton's music is a vague cross between John Butler and Harry Manx. However, Winton is a wizard on the lap-steel, particularly the 'Wintonbeast'...and it's his mastery of this instrument and the way in which he applies it, that lifts him clear of labels..." Rhythms Magazine
"Andrew Winton's Surface Tension is Summer. It is Ash Grunwald meets Josh Pyke on their way to a John Butler gig...Winton plays an impressive array of instruments from lap steel to banjo...as an album it is cohesive yet sonically diverse enough to keep you engaged." Rave Magazine
"The Wintons finished their flawed gig to roars of applause, and the CD-signing queue was one of the festival’s longest." The Canberra Times
"The first thing you should know about Andrew Winton is that he's a seriously good guitarist...In company with some of Australia's finest singer-songwriters, most notably Jeff Lang, Winton uses a blues base for many of his creations, slipping into jazz grooves, even gospel mode, here and there." Rhythms Magazine
"On his third CD...Winton shows off his complex rhythmic sense. Though it would be tempting to release an album of nothing but hot licks, Winton actually reveals himself to be an excellent songwriter." Vintage Guitar Magazine (USA)
"Rarely have I seen someone's musical vision and ability grow as rapidly as his has in the past few years." Lucky Oceans, Daily Planet ABC Radio National
"I'm sitting here on a Sunday morning simply overwhelmed by The Decompression Chamber! It is immediately one of my favourite albums of 2006 and I'm only up to track 3! Lyrically strong and melodically rich, Andrew's playing is superb, the arrangements are stunning, the production outstanding. What more could anyone want?" John Carver, PBSfm Melbourne
"Good lap steel players can sound exceptional, which brings us to Andrew Winton...strong, thoughtful, reflective, sometimes quirky, and often insightful stories of life and living." Australian Songwriters Association
"In a relatively short space of time Andrew has significantly raised the bar in the Australian acoustic music scene. A consummate guitarist, singer and songwriter he is an equally engaging and humorous entertainer with a great gift for generating a warm and relaxed atmosphere at his shows." Rod Vervest, Director Perth International Arts Festival Great Southern/Harboursound Festival Albany
"I have followed Andrew's career over a number of years, and have booked him several times to perform...he has consistently been one of our most popular performers, more than holding his own in the company of major Australian and international acts." Steve Barnes, Artistic Director, Fairbridge Festival
"I was quickly impressed by Andrew and his team's professionalism and work ethic...noticed that Andrew was really the surprise hit of the Aussie contingent that played (SxSW)..this has something to do with marketing, but it also obviously says alot about Andrew as an artist. His skill and passion, as well as considerable song-craft were evident and broke through much of the noise at the event." Tony George AUSTRADE, Australian Music Office
"The stage came alive to the sounds of Andrew Winton - a local lad who is both an accomplished guitarist and poetic songwriter. He's got a Ben Harper feel to him with a rootsy, gospel-type sound, and plays a cool string lap/guitar/bass called the Wintonbeast. Standout songs...were Number's Down and Lucky Boy, and, as unknown as they were to the crowd, he was strangely captivating in a poetically hypnotic way. It was a fabulous start to the day..his set seemed way too short." Xpress Mag (A Day on the Green review 2008)
"Winton demonstrated his diversity at the CD launch...His set included an edgy Ben Harper-style funk in A Perfect Time, a dark, rambling blues style in Let You In, and a sweeter pop tune, Too Hard Again, which has been picked up by radio stations around the country. Winton's display of musical expertise, combined with his talent for storytelling, kept the audience rapt....Guitar solos were melodically well-spaced and always rhythmically interesting. Winton's lyrics (poetry is probably a more accurate term) are profound, with a salty, dryly humourous edge." The West Australian
ANDREW'S MUSICAL STORY
Andrew grew up listening to Deep Purple, Kiss, Frank Zappa and Johnny Cash, and started his musical life as a drummer. In his late teens he moved on to electric guitar, playing in bands and completing a degree in jazz at the Conservatorium of Music in Perth Western Australia. Andrew played guitar for a few years with Adam Brand (Australian Golden Guitar repeat winner at the Country Music Awards), and then went on to have local success in 3Ph a quirky funk-rock band which won Western Australia's Next Big Thing competition in 1997. After being invited to play drums with top Perth old-timey blues band, Tin Dog, Andrew was exposed further to the world of blues, roots and folk music. After seeing UK musician Rory McLeod perform in 2002, Andrew was inspired to take the solo songwriting road and began his sucessful transition to dobro and other lap style guitars, which are now his passion. He recorded his first solo album in 2003 with only 8 months of dobro playing under his belt! Predominantly self-taught, with a few masterclasses from Lucky Oceans thrown in for good measure, Andrew is now recognised as one of Australia's talented slide guitar players. He is also known for his eclectic mix of styles and songs, lyrics that are thought provoking, his humour and storytelling on stage, and his dynamic vocal range that has earned comparisons with Sting, Steely Dan and Harry Manx. Andrew is a musician truly doing it for the love of it, what you see is what you get. Partner Karen on vocals and percussion, adding beautiful harmonies and layers sometimes accompanies Andrew on stage. Paul Novosel on drums often performs live with Andrew to form the dynamic Andrew Winton Duo.
Instrumentation
Andrew Winton - vocals, lap steel, dobro, wintonbeast 7-string lap guitar/bass, acoustic guitar, stompbox
Andrew usually performs solo but may appear at times with extra line-up including:
Karen Winton - vocals, percussion
Paul Novosel - drums, vocals
Discography
Surface Tension (2009) distributed by MGM Australia, order from website www.andrewwinton.com
2 Instructional Lap Slide Guitar DVDs (with heaps of live footage) available from www.andrewwinton.com
The Decompression Chamber LP (2006) - distributed by MGM Australia, can be ordered through most record stores and also available on iTunes, receives airplay on ABC Radio National & Local Radio, Triple J, PBSfm Melbourne, and local radio around Australia
Can't Slow Down EP mostly live (2004) - available from 78 Records and Mills Records in Perth Western Australia, or direct from www.andrewwinton.com
Barrel O Monkeys LP (2003) - available from Basement Disc Melbourne, 78 Records or Mills Records in Perth Western Australia, or direct from www.andrewwinton.com
Whalebone Longboard Surf Classic DVD Soundtrack (2004)
ALSO VISIT www.andrewwinton.com FOR CD ORDERS
Links
| http://www.andrewwinton.com |
| Andrew Winton youtube |
| Andrew Winton myspace |
| Andrew Winton website |