Asa Broomhall

Asa Broomhall, with his poignant songs of life and love knows how to work the crowd. He jovially taunted the hecklers, like it was part of a comedy routine. Highly entertaining and musically accomplished, Asa is every bit the polished performer. - Tsunami Magazine, May 04

Local roots luminary Asa Broomhall has evolved on every level with his third album Homemade, pushing both his musical and lyrical dexterity into new territory. Opening with a trifecta of feel-good, footstompin’ grooves in ‘Travel Tune’, ‘DBTY’, and the short yet irresistible ‘That Thing’, the tone is set early for a performance that’s both humbly laidback and powerhouse. On ‘Dark Clouds’ and ‘Teardrops Of India’ Broomhall demonstrates the impressive expansion of his songwriting palette - these deeply poignant ruminations on the failings of human nature clearly come from a different Broomhall than the one that released previous album Outside in 2004.
‘Wrapped In Blue’ is a charming acoustic slow-burner with a tasteful electric solo, but the album’s crowning moment comes with the beautiful ukulele tune ‘Dark Eyed Darling’. Broomhall plays the majority of Homemade’s instruments including banjo, mandolin, drums, as well as his customary, effervescent harmonica. Like all of Broomhall’s releases, Homemade was recorded live and produced and mixed by Broomhall himself. He even went ahead and did the album’s artwork as well - sterling!
- Time Off, Apr 07

“Asa Broomhall is a seasoned, dynamic performer. Peppered with long baritone notes that punch through his melodies, his blistering, bluesy, riff laden, acoustic songs incorporate a driving mix of harmonics, overtones and punishing rhythms. Asa’s tunes were tightly executed in a string-slapping, percussive manner. He closed with ‘Thinkin’ Bout You’, which is a coy, tongue in cheek musing on some of the finer points of self-interference, which has been getting some play on the J’s lately." - Tsunami Magazine, Mar 04

A barefoot Asa Broomhall ambles on stage with his band, and they instantly punch out blues chords that could outmuscle Arnie Schwarznegger. Inevitably, he is asked to turn the volume down after one song. In a voice that betrays his age, Broomhall both croons soulfully and rasps brashly. He then trades guitar for harmonica and struts the stage blowing a hip shakin’ boogie – another highlight! - Time Off, Oct 06

“His instrumental prowess is stunning, his lyrics sharp and cutting, presented in a clear vocal style that ranges from talking blues to melodic cadences.” - Rhythms Magazine, Jan 05

“One of South East Queensland’s best kept secrets, Broomhall is on the verge of a national breakthrough as this CD of well-crafted songs attests.” - Rhythms Magazine, Oct 09

It would be very easy to compare such an artist as Asa Broomhall to artists such as The John Butler Trio or The Waifs, and simply label him as Novo-Folk or Blues, but in doing so one would be dramatically under selling the music of a man who definitely has music in his soul. The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated in this self-produced first offering is absolutely breath-taking.

Recorded at various live music venues around Brisbane in late 2002, this self-titled EP is a splendid sample of Asa’s extraordinary stage act, which seems to please punters from many different walks of life. A self proclaimed Acoustic Roots Soloist, he lists Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and many others as strong influences in the formative years of his musical career. From the brilliant opener “Taxi Man,” to the laid back and cruisey “Cocaine” to the eclectic and kind of jazzy “What the hell is wrong with you?” there is a song to suit almost every mood.

The production is excellent also, especially considering the fact that all the songs were recorded live. Nothing is lacking in terms of quality of this recording, although personally I would have love to see this extended into a live album. Maybe next time.

With a brilliantly blended roots style of guitar playing, soaring voice, and song writing that would be the envy of many an aspiring roots artist, Asa Broomhall is definitely a man to hear and experience live, but if you don’t live near Brisbane, then this EP should more than satisfy you.
- Oz Music Project, Mar 03

Asa Broomhall plays the mean blues, its true; but lateral influences like Bruce Cockburn add lyrical depth to Asa's blues rock soundscapes. Asa's strengths lie in his balanced and multi-featured approach. He is a powerhouse guitarist, a fine blues harmonica player, he has developed his own vocal style, and his use of distortion and the stomp box add dimension to his performances. North America and particularly the Canadian music scene has had a strong impact on this outstanding Brisbane performer. - Jay C Rider, Jun 06

Asa is a star on the rise, and for all the right reasons. He has become a regular on the live scene, both solo and with his band, and now we have his latest collection of tunes, ‘Revelry Road’. Recorded (expertly, by brother Jacob) in the farmhouse where he grew up, Asa cuts loose on rockers like ‘Overnight Sensation’ and ’66 Gibson Atlas’, displaying serious guitar chops on the latter, the band groove through tracks like “that Old Car’ and ‘2nd Line Man’ but it is the slower numbers that stand head and shoulders above Asa’s peers. Songs such as ‘Whirlpool’ and ‘Speed of Life’ are amazing, goosebump inducing pieces that should thrust Asa into the spotlight. The centre-piece track, ‘Every Second Weekend’, is enhanced by the gorgeous ivory tinkling of local legend Brett Fowler and the haunting guitar of Jacob. Seek this album out – you will not be disappointed. - Scene Magazine, Aug 09

It would be very easy to compare such an artist as Asa Broomhall to artists such as The John Butler Trio or The Waifs, and simply label him as Novo-Folk or Blues, but in doing so one would be dramatically under selling the music of a man who definitely has music in his soul. The energy and enthusiasm demonstrated in this self-produced first offering is absolutely breath-taking.

Recorded at various live music venues around Brisbane in late 2002, this self-titled EP is a splendid sample of Asa’s extraordinary stage act, which seems to please punters from many different walks of life. A self proclaimed Acoustic Roots Soloist, he lists Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and many others as strong influences in the formative years of his musical career. From the brilliant opener “Taxi Man,” to the laid back and cruisey “Cocaine” to the eclectic and kind of jazzy “What the hell is wrong with you?” there is a song to suit almost every mood.

The production is excellent also, especially considering the fact that all the songs were recorded live. Nothing is lacking in terms of quality of this recording, although personally I would have love to see this extended into a live album. Maybe next time.

With a brilliantly blended roots style of guitar playing, soaring voice, and song writing that would be the envy of many an aspiring roots artist, Asa Broomhall is definitely a man to hear and experience live, but if you don’t live near Brisbane, then this EP should more than satisfy you.
- Oz Music Project, Mar 03