Sharon Brooks
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Established. Jan 01, 1998 | SELF
Music
Press
“There wilL be a lot of dancing and crowd participation and stage tricks too,” warns lead guitarist Tom Combes. “If you look at me you will see some for sure – but not all my tricks are very good for personal health and safety, so it’s lucky that I have public liability insurance.” The Brisbane based funksters have seen a multitude of line-up changes over the last five years, but are looking forward to showcasing the talent of new lead singer, Sharon Brooks. “You can expect to see a lot of our old and new originals being played and some covers that we really like too, like Stevie Wonder and that sort of stuff. Sharon’s from Barbados and because of her background we’re doing a lot of soul/ funk stuff, which is exciting because she’s really got the vocals to back it up and — because of her background — the experiences to really make it authentic.” Regular local residencies led to an appearance at the 2011 Caloundra Music Festival, before Pocketlove followed up with the release of their debut EP, ‘Reload’, in 2012. “After that, we signed up lead singer Luke Kennedy and started recording a few things with him, but then he got signed up to ‘The Voice’ and came second. He used one of our originals as the original that he released and it got up to number four on the iTunes charts, was on national TV and was sung for Ricky Martin about a week before the finals!” According to Tom, seeing their song performed on national television was a career highlight. “We wrote that song with Luke and we sort of knew that if he did well that it would be good for the band, and it was nice that he was able to support us back and say ‘this is a song that I wrote with these guys’. The song went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy it – you are against a lot of competition so it’s great.” Pocketlove are in the process of recording a new single, which they hope will turn into an EP towards the end of the year. “There’s some nu-soul kind of stuff happening but we don’t think about what we’re trying to sound like, we just kind of do it! Of course it makes it easier if you are trying to imitate someone, but when you do the sort of originals that we tend to do, you kind of have to follow a path and see where it goes, you know? It can lead to anything!” It’s high energy when the band play live, something that the groovers at Wunder Bar are sure to experience. “When we get excited… we get excited. Sharon sometimes gets people up from the crowd and has a dance off with them. She engages the crowd a lot and everyone enjoys it — if you get people involved they enjoy the music more.” The band simply likes things that make you dance, really. “We enjoy all the old funky stuff. Even when we rehearse we - Harriet Gladhill
Funky business
>> The Funkn Soul festival gets into the groove again
The second annual Funkn Soul festival kicks into high gear tonight, Sept. 1, and promises fans of the good groove 10 days of DJs, live performances and some interesting special events, all designed to satisfy body and especially soul. A co-production of Gotsoul, Global NTT and Mixart Studios, Funkn Soul is the only music event in Canada dedicated to the best in funk and soul music. Through a mixture of classic funk, old-school and soul-driven house music, from here and abroad, the festival strives to showcase a broad spectrum of groove music.
After a successful maiden voyage in ’04, the event turns it up a notch this year with a truly impressive line-up, beginning with multitalented New York DJ, producer, musician and remixer Osunlade at Jello tonight. Osunlade has worked with the likes of Patti Labelle, India.Arie and Musiq, but is best known for his jazzy, soulful house sets.
Among the artists sharing the spotlight with Osunlade is local favourite and internationally known DJ Jojo Flores. A driving force behind soul music in Montreal, Flores has spent the last 20 years bringing his soulful sounds to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His Gotsoul production company is one of the festival’s producers.
Barbadian-born songstress S.H.A.R.(O).N. is one of the artists taking the stage at Jello on Sept. 2, promising to bring some island flavour to the proceedings. Highlights on Sept. 3 include the first of two festival appearances by Montreal mainstay Christian Pronovost, at Stereo, and Canadian soul singer Shane Philips at Jello.
Sept. 4 sees Louie Vega, one of the innovators of house, in the spotlight at Club1234 with his signature freeflowing DJ set. Along with partner Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez, “Little” Louie Vega took the art of remixing to a new level, almost single-handedly taking the underground dance scene into the mainstream.
The same night also sees a host of local DJ favourites take centre stage, including Alain Vinet at 1234 and Eddie Lewis and Professor Groove at Jello. Meanwhile, B.C.’s DJ Czech, founder of Canada’s longest-running club night, Soul Kitchen, gets the crowd jumping at Living.
London-born Nigerian singer/songwriter/producer Siji brings his own brand of African-tinged soul music to Jello on Sept. 8. Nigerian instrumentation flavours his ’70s-influenced soul style, making for a unique blend of musical traditions.
The live collective God Made Me Funky bring the full force of the funk to Jello the following night, guaranteeing a show like no other. This diverse array of Toronto-based performers includes vocalists, rappers and a wide spread of musicians, all intent on keeping the funk alive and well in the new millennium.
The festival comes to a blazing finale on Saturday, Sept. 10, with a funk-inspired fashion show, followed by a night of artists that includes Californian percussionist Daniel Moreno. The jazz/funk/soul musician takes the festival to its grand finale, along with a host of local talent including DJs Moka, Karl and Kobal.
For more info, go to www.funknsoulfest.com
» Gerard Dee
- MONTREAL MIRROR 09-01-05
http://www.souljoint.com/Article475.html - SOULJOINT.COM
TORONTO - March 6, 2001 - A little Barbados sun shines at the Bamboo Club on March 28th, when Toronto based soul chanteuse Sharon Brooks brings her sweet melodies to the club for one night. Concertgoers will be treated to selections from her debut album, A Taste Of Life as well as several new compositions. Included in the line up will be a premiere performance of the song Woman, a song colored with deep feelings of Africa. The night will be funky, soulful and spotlight the beautiful vibe of Sharon.
- The Publicity Group
TORONTO - A transplant from Barbados, Sharon Brooks is a welcome addition to Canada's roster of stunning female vocalists. Brooks classifies her album, "A Taste of Life", as a hybrid - incorporating jazz, blues, funk and everything else. Despite her admonition that difficulties in the industry stem from the fact that"...these days it's all about the dollar", Brooks keeps at it. The labels and radio stations can keep their dollars - I'll take Sharon's voice any day.
Tony Djukic - Tony Djukic, FW MAGAZINE, Issue 26 "The Art Of Living"
Discography
Discography:
2001 - A Taste Of Life
2005 - Defining Me (EP)
Movie Soundtrack:
Silent Men
Online tracks:
www.reverbnation.com/sharon
www.myspace.com/sharonbrooks
www.cdbaby.com/brookssharon
www.audiostreet.net/sharonbrooks
Sharon's voice can also be heard on the following:
The Voodoo Monx (The Voodoo Monx)
The Free Oxygen Band (FUNKOSYNTHESIS)
La Confrerie
Michelle Sweeney (This Time)...
and so many more...
Photos
Bio
Canada’s Tina Turner! This is what comes to mind when one thinks of this Barbadian born, Canadian raised and now Australia based singer/songwriter. Sharon Brooks has wowed audiences worldwide with her charisma, on stage personality, vocal presence, oh and don’t forget the legs!. She has represented her country as Miss Barbados, worked in studio with Motown legend Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, performed live back vocals for Deborah Cox, Jonas, Omar and Martha Wash and continues to be one of the fastest growing underground names in Montreal.
Her step into music professionally, began at 16 working as a back vocalist with the popular Caribbean band Spice & Company. After touring with them for nine months, Sharon Brooks completed a degree in Mass Communications and went on to tour with John King & Jegna. It was with this group she gained the experiences of working with acts like Beres Hammond, Machael Montano, The Mighty Sparrow and more.
Juggling her music and modeling, Sharon joined her designer Wayne Smith to win The National Ambassador titles in 1995, and then went on to represent her country as Miss Barbados in the 1995 Miss Carival Competition in St. Vincent.
In 98, the persistent musician moved to Toronto, where she was fortunate to immediately work as a lead vocalist with “Collective Selective” a Jazz, group led by Henry Heillig, one of Toronto’s leading jazz/blues musicians. She also began work as a session singer, recording commercials and vocals for other artists. This led to her fronting an R&B cover band “Motor City” which eventually brought her to living and working in Beijing, China. It was her life in China which inspired her first album “A Taste of Life”, and this is when she began being compared to artists like Sade, and Minnie Ripperton.
Returning to Toronto, Sharon recruited the services of well known producer and musician Andrew Craig, as well as Henry Heillig to realise her dream. Armed with Toronto’s best musicians, including Rich Brown, Adrian Eccleston, Mark McClean, Neil Brathwaite and more, “A Taste of Life” was brought to form. The album is indeed a reflective masterpiece, encompassing Sharon’s love of Jazz, Blues, R&B, World Music and Gospel. For more information, visit http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brookssharon .
Sharon Brooks then moved to Montreal and embedded herself within the industry, becoming one of Montreal's most sought after vocalists, performers and writers. Her endeavours led her to DNA Productions in Montreal, where she began co-writing her second album with producer David A Sturton. Together the two completed her sophomore EP “Defining Me”, which also includes collaborations with James DeSalvio of Bran Van 3000, Liquid also of Bran Van, Ghislain Brind Amour(Planet Studios, Montreal), Jude Prophet & Patrice Agboutu (All Good Music), and Jean Leloup(LeClerc).
Sharon then began working closely with Canadian Multi-Musician performing group KALMUNITY Vibes Collective. In the summer of 2005, Sharon’s gospel track "Follow You" from her first album was selected for the Montreal Mass Choir's debut DVD recording. She also had the honour of performing with the choir at The Metropolis, one of Montreal's largest and well known venues. Her fierce on stage persona, has led to her performing a hosts of festivals including Barbados On The Water Festival in Toronto with The Everything Irie Jazz Ensemble, Musique Du Monde Festival, Montreal, The Funk N Soul Festival, Montreal, Tremblant Music Festival, Maximum Blues Festival and Diverscite, Montreal performing alongside Crystal Waters, and Francofolies Festival with Le Confrerie. In fall of 2008, the dedicated musician also produced a track featuring 30 of Montreal’s top artists and musicians. The project called “Shine” is dedicated to providing music targeted to aim funds for worthy causes.
Sharon has also performed as a back vocalist for European sensation and UMA Winner Omar and grammy nominated pop superstar Martha Wash, Deborah Cox and Jonas. Her track Outside & Inside produced by G&F Productions, was recently picked up for the My Jazzy Soul compilation released in the US. She was also added to the Press Play and Walk Away Compilation where her track Secrets is becoming increasingly popular on Southern US stations.
After wrapping up tour of Morocco, Sharon then moved to Australia where she immediately started winning the Aussies over. She performed at the famous Caloundra Music Festival and Mitchell Creek Rock and Blues festival to name and few, and in 2012 she joined Brisbane powerhouse funk band PocketLove as the lead singer. The group has since been invited to perform at the world reknowned Woodford Festival and in 2015 released two new singles which are already taking Aussie airwaves by storm.
Band Members
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