The Dorothy-Jane Band
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The Dorothy-Jane Band

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"Bill Quinn writing at theriotact.com"

One of the best voices i have ever heard coupled with some excellent guitar work and sensational blues harp. ... the Karismakatz absolutely bluesed the place to not so much a standstill as a heaving morass of clapping and cheering and even a bit of sing-a-long ... totally blown away by DJ’s sublime singing and her amazing blues harp ... whatever you do, you absolutely must see DJ and the Karismakatz. - Artsound FM92.7


"Geoff Pegler"

Sassy and sultry blues done oh so well. - Bluesbeat


"Russ Lawrence"

Spirit on the Rise chronicles a very personal at times a very private emotional journey and while this CD certainly takes you to some dark places and provokes plenty of contemplation on the part of the listener, it is a tribute to DJ's fighting spirit. - Canberra Blues Society


"Bill Arnett"

“Since her return to the stage, DJ Gosper is performing with a passion that knows no tomorrow."

- The Folkus Room


"John Williams"

DJ Gosper and Christo Carlsen hail from Canberra. They have collaborated on this fine CD which shows off their well honed song writing talents, their excellent musicianship (Christo on guitar and DJ on blues harp) and DJ’s amazing vocal abilities. The combining of these three elements makes for a CD which is well worth a listen. The songs are meaningful and heartfelt. Both performers have a real ‘feel’ for their music which raises this CD above the ordinary. I enjoyed the whole CD but some tracks stand out. My favorite was ‘My Mother Was Right’ about the kindness people show to people suffering from adversity. I found it thoughtful and uplifting. In the same vein is ‘Shiny’ which is DJ’s moving tribute to her mother. The CD is worth owning for these two tracks alone. I also enjoyed ‘Burn, Baby, Burn’ about a life out of control and ‘Tell and Show’ about keeping some things to yourself until you are ready to reveal them. In a different style is ‘Animal (Take Me Home)’. DJ has a change in vocal style and plays great blues harp on this interesting track. In ‘Weekend People’ the vocal is sung by Christo. It is a fine track about the frenetic pace people try to keep up at weekends. ‘Lousy Beers’ is about a bitter mother paying out on an absentee father and is a powerful track. ‘Just For a Moment’ and ‘Forty Winks’ both show DJ’s considerable vocal ability coupled with Christo’s sensitive guitar playing and are both the sort of thing I like to listen to late at night with a port or Muscat. Beautiful music indeed. DJ’s blues harp playing is one of the main features of the whole CD as it is coupled with Christo’s excellent guitar work. They create a wonderful sound together. These two fine musicians have combined to create a memorable CD which any fan of the blues would like to have in their collection. I can recommend it.

- Trad & Now Magazine


"Ross Mortimer"

DJ Gosper, harp/vocals/songwriting and Christo Carlsen, guitars, have produced a very interesting album that is going to be hard for anyone to pigeon hole (so I won’t try!!) ... Both are highly regarded for their blues playing in the Canberra scene and not although standard blues this album certainly covers the blues’ most important ingredient, feel. 14 original tracks covering over an hour of material traverses through style’s, genres, rhythms, grooves even sparseness! Lyrics and music combine to paint a picture of places, events and people with travel through the mystic, even some free association? These are songs about real things, born from experience, both true and imagined, love, pain, joy, sex, cars, family, mortality, spirit, drugs and psychology to name but a few. When it does all this it doesn’t need to be pigeon holed as it will mean so many things to so many people. - Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society


"Dom Melano"

DJ Gosper showed us that as well as being a great blues singer, she is one of the hottest harp players around…
Dom Melano, 2007 - Canberra Blues Society - Canberra Blues Society


"Al Hensley"

"Not only is she a convincing songwriter, but Canberra’s DJ Gosper is a remarkably talented singer and blues harp player."

"...Gosper’s backing quintet displays a high level of musicianship at every turn..."

"...guitarist Christo Carlsen evokes the moody blues of Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green".

"...Gosper’s blues is a platform where she connects with her audience, lightheartedly baring her soul without any pretentiousness." - Rhythms


"Guy Gibson"

"DJ is one of Australia's best harmonica players and has the voice of a blues diva!" - The Merry Muse


"Terry Iredale"

"Just recieved your newy,and yep! You got me this time. You really showed off your songwriting/voc's skill, and the bloody "Tin Sandwich", Sensational.. You really have done a job on this album. There's 8 tracks at least that I will use on my programs, even one I'll use on my "Rock show". - HOTFM VIC


Discography

2003: Ask Any Woman (The Blues Cowgirls)
2007: Glory Box (DJ Gosper)
2008: Spirit on the Rise (KarismaKatz)
2009: Hot Flush Blues (DJ Gosper)
2010: Jazz (KarismaKatz)
2011: The Driver's Seat (DeeJay & the Hot Flush Blues Band)
2012: EP: Stick Around (DeeJay Gosper)
2013: Woman on the Run (The Dorothy-Jane Band)

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Bio

Dorothy-Jane is an Australian singer, songwriter and harmonica player. She wrote her first song at age 7 and has continued to write since then.

At school she got into trouble for singing too loudly and too deeply in choir performances, so for a long time she didn’t sing in public.

Although she studied classical and contemporary piano for 11 years she only plays piano at home, using it and guitar, as tools for writing her songs.

She fell helplessly and hopelessly in love with the harmonica 20 years ago. This was the impetus for her to begin performing in public.

From 1995 to 2006 she played with local blues and roots bands for many years, including the Van Veen Band and vocal trio, The Blues Cowgirls and DJ & the KarismaKatz.

Just as her musical career was gaining momentum, Dorothy-Jane was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Whilst recovering from heavy-duty treatment, and still using the band name KarismaKatz, DJ became a full-time musician and settled into a solid musical partnership with guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, Chris Carlsen. KarismaKatz released 2 independent albums “Spirit on the Rise” in 2008 and “JAZZ” in 2010. “Burn Baby Burn”, one of the 14 original songs on “Spirit on the Rise” was awarded ‘Best Blues Song’ by the Canberra Blues Society.

Chris Carlsen also played in 2009 solo release, “Hot Flush Blues”. This album was recognised with the following Canberra Blues Society awards: ‘Best Blues Album’; ‘Female Blues Vocalist’ and ‘Best Blues song’, Baby Rose (co-written with DJ’s sister, Lynnie Gosper).

In 2011 and fronting a new lineup, Dorothy-Jane and her band released a new album, The Driver’s Seat, and an EP “Stick Around” and toured Australia (and a short stint in Fiji) for 18 months, during which time Dorothy-Jane became a Vocal Finalist in the 2012 Australian Blues Music 'Chain' Awards and Winner 2012 Best Jazz/Blues Artist in the inaugural Music ACT Music Awards "MAMA's".

The Dorothy-Jane Band is set to release their latest album, “Woman on the Run”, in August 2013.

Dorothy-Jane has collaborated and toured “Gals Got The Blues” with Ali Penney and Fiona Boyes.
She has also performed “Soul Sisters Sing” with Pearl Noire. She is also in a duo with Ali Penney - Divine Devilles!
Occasionally she performs her stage show “Hits Without Tits” for breast cancer support groups.
2012: Winner 2012 Best Jazz/Blues Artist in the inaugural Music ACT Music Awards "MAMA's".