Men at Work

Men At Work were born in Melbourne, Australia in the middle of 1979. The band went on to become a globally successful Grammy winning, multi-platinum selling act, during the early 80’s.

The original band however came apart relatively quickly and had disintegrated by 1985. Colin Hay and Greg Ham responded to demand and toured many parts of the world as Men At Work from 1996 into the 2000’s. Sadly, Greg Ham passed away in 2012.

Founding member Colin Hay has developed a solo career over the last 35 years, writing, recording, and touring extensively throughout the world as a solo artist. He is presently part of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band.

Since 2019, he has also toured and played under the Men At Work banner with his LA based group of musicians, where he plays an exclusively Men At Work set, including all the hits and dearly loved songs which have clearly stood the test of time.

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Toad the Wet Sprocket

Any music fan who grew up in the ‘90s, before the rise of streaming platforms, will tell you that when a record store clerk made a music recommendation, you took it seriously. Often, well-studied music nerds, these unsung tastemakers had their finger on the pulse of lesser-known, excellent bands. So it speaks volumes that many of Toad the Wet Sprocket’s earliest champions were record store clerks who put the Santa Barbara quartet’s early albums into unsuspecting listeners’ hands, convincing them to overlook their unusual band name and give them a shot, perhaps comparing them to R.E.M.

And that’s all it took. Lead singer Glen Phillips’ heartfelt, introspective lyrics expressed in his deep, buttery croon backed by the earnest instrumentation, catchy melodies and vocal harmonies of guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning and drummer Randy Guss had fans hooked from the outset. Toad’s debut album, Bread & Circus, recorded DIY-style in a tract home for a meager $600 and released independently in 1988, was raw and unvarnished but clearly captured Toad’s magic as a band. The record caught the attention of major label Columbia Records, which re-released it unchanged the following year. Columbia also put out Toad’s acclaimed sophomore album, Pale, which the band recorded in Los Angeles while they were shopping for record labels, in 1990 — also in its original form at the band’s insistence. Although Pale may not have been a huge commercial success, it was a critical one, revered by journalists, with AllMusic recently raving, “Its exquisite songs mope without wallowing… Pale is early Toad at its old-soul peak.”

Shonen Knife

Since their pure DIY beginnings in 1981, Osaka, Japan’s Shonen Knife have been building a faithful following of music enthusiasts and the alternative rock elite. Their relentless journey secured the band’s place as one of the pioneer ambassadors of Japanese rock music and culture on the international stage.

The band features original members (and sisters) Naoko on Vocals and Guitar, Atsuko on Bass and Vocals and introduces their newest member, Risa, on Drums and Vocals. 

In 2019 the trio charges ahead towards their 4th decade of international touring and recording with their 19th  studio release “Sweet Candy Power” on Good Charamel Records in North America and Europe.

Naoko describes the “Sweet Candy Power” album: “This album is homage to my favorite 1960’s and 1970’s rock music. Also I put all of enjoyment, entertainment, joyful and delightful from me into songs. Inspired by my experience during tours and my daily life, I wrote lyrics with fun and a little bit of ironical viewpoint. I hope people get happy through this album. “Sweet Candy Power” features 10 brand new songs including the fist single/video “Dizzy” and the title track “Sweet Candy Power”.

Shonen Knife continued to tour worldwide, sharing the stage with bands such as Nirvana, Redd Kross and Sonic Youth offering performances at London’s All Tomorrow’s Party, Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, Fuji Rock Festival, Pop Montreal and Lollapalooza. In support of their newest release the girls will be touring in Europe in May/June including Primavera Sound and are in the throes of planning a 2019 North American tour this FALL.