The MAP Project
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The MAP Project

Caloundra, Queensland, Australia | SELF

Caloundra, Queensland, Australia | SELF
Band R&B Soul

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"MAP Project @ Upfront Club, Maleny 18/09/09"

It’s official. The Sunshine Coast is creating its own genre of music that is truly reflective of the laid-back vibe of sun, surf and inspirational scenery. And one band that truly captures the essence of this unique coastal sound is Massey Smith’s MAP Project.
On Friday night the MAP Project played at the Upfront Club in Maleny. The stage at the Upfront is only a small platform in the corner of the cafe and was filled to maximum capacity on Friday night as four members of MAPP crammed into the tiny space. Despite its size, the Upfront has a really friendly, inviting atmosphere and hosts some amazing local musical acts that are always well worth checking out.

Massey did a few numbers solo on acoustic guitar before inviting fellow MAP’ers to join him on stage and the three half hour sets were divided into some solo performance, a few covers and the full band, albeit with a much smaller drum kit, for the rest of the gig. During this time MAPP played all the tracks from their latest album The MAP Project: Chapter One – Massey.

Introducing the track “Antz” Massey explained the song is about sometimes feeling like an ant in an anthill, but that he’d recently welcomed his new baby girl into the world, so that made everything OK. A hilarious fusion of Mustang Sally with 50 Cent’s In Da Club proved a real treat with the crowd and showcased Masseys’ rapping talents brilliantly.

Massey Smith is the brains behind the MAP Project and the writer of the band’s extensive and unique original repertoire. Originally from NZ he moved to Oz when he was four years old but still strongly maintains his roots to the influential Kiwi music scene citing Kora and Sublime as strong influences. Massey met fellow band member drummer Chris Anderson “Ando” at Caloundra High School where they played in a band together. Since then they have been playing acoustic duo sets for the past five years at gigs around the coast. The MAP Project is the next step in the evolution of this union with the addition of Jack the Ripper on bass guitar and Rob McErvale on electric guitar providing some extra bump and grunt to the band.

Describing the MAP Project’s sound is quite a challenge - it’s such a blend of styles -its funky soul, boppy dub reggae meets hip-hop with overtones of jazz. The playing is smooth, the lyrics are soulful and the vibe is friendly and fun. Massey describes the sound as “soul fusion – a fusion of all music projected with soul”.

Chatting to the band members between sets was a great chance to garner some inside info on what and who the MAP Project is about. Hailing from all across the Sunshine Coast the guys speak eloquently of their motivation and desire to see the coast’s music scene recognised as a hothouse of natural talent that they think is inspired by this unique location. - Lisa Mora


Discography

Ablum Title
Chapter 1 - MASSEY
Available for purchase on itunes, napster, reverbnation, myspace and more. 10 tracks

Photos

Bio

The M.A.P.P (Massey, Ando, Phil Project) is a group on a journey to perfection. With a laid back approach to breaking away from the norm and really stepping outside the box, the band comprises of not only the musicians, but all of the humble souls, supporters and inspirations they connect with along the way. The brains behind the music being the naturally gifted Massey Smith, with his lyrics ranging from expressing love for his family, to losing himself in his own emotions and all the way through to sticking it to 'the man'. This coupled with the soul and personality of both Chris Anderson and Phil Roach form the solid core of The MAP Project that you will see getting around the Sunshine Coast and QLD at present. With the plan to spread their message to Oz and the rest of the world, The MAP Project is a must see act.