The Mourners

This band started over 20 years ago! Wrote a lot of great songs, played a heap of shows, including support to international acts Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack ("y'all look like y'sound real good anyhow"), Climax Blues Band, Dr. Feelgood to name but a few. Things were going so well they broke up, then reformed, released an EP, broke up again. The Mourners had a large and loyal fanbase, a string of enthusiastic but hapless managers and the odd imaginative publicist, but never conspired to stay together long enough to land that killer blow!

This time around The Mourners have written and produced a beautiful sounding full length CD of which they're extremely proud (scheduled for release Dec '09), a reinvigorated line up has breathed fresh life and enthusiasm into the project, and finally the band is sounding like they're realising their full potential as writers, musicians and artists.

The songs reflect the band's experiences: love, loss, social displacement and commentary, bad jokes and sarcasm, long road trips and theft, bizarre personal and world politics. The musicianship and arrangements are tight and punchy, soulful and hooky, rich and rewarding.

The guitar and rhythm section are central to the sound of this band belying some of the band's early influences without sounding the least bit dated or derivative: The Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, Bad Company, Freddie King, Rory Gallagher, and the more recent releases of artists such as Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy and Boz Scaggs, including Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, James Hunter and Daniel Lanois.

This music is driven by a collaboration between the singer songwriter and the band, the artist and the musician, the idealist and the dreamer. The shows are purely and simply about the music, and the feeling that the music brings to us all. Originally named as a lament and a musical commentary The Mourners now consider that they are celebrating rediscovered musical diversity, passion and artistic expression. At a festival near you soon. Back on top.