8 Ball Aitken performs uniquely Far North Queenslandic country, blues & roots anthems -- contemporary honk, stomp, Aussie swamp tunes played on a big slide guitar. This is a raw sound from the deep north, straight out of the Mareeba Delta, all steamy and bouncing off the remnants of extinct volcanoes, booming through the canefields. 8 Ball rolls into your personal soundtrack, packing wild wet tropics cowboy songs from the roadside, original roots music with balls.
The past year has seen 8 Ball Aitken touring and receiving radio airplay in USA, Japan and Fiji. 8 Ball’s authentic brand of swamp music has been on Australia airwaves including Triple J, ABC Radio Regional, Radio National and other stations around Australia. He’s gotten commercial radio airplay on stations such as 98.9FM, HOT-FM, & 2TM, as well as in Bundaberg, Cairns, and internationally in other countries such Belgium and Macedonia. 8 Ball’s music video for single ‘Sagas & Dramas’ has also been seen around Australia on ABC’s RAGE program.
8 Ball has gigged around Australia, at major festivals, clubs, pubs and special events. Highlights include the Byron Bay Blues Festival, Japanoz Festival (Japan), Woodford Folk Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australian National Blues Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Melbourne Fringe Festival, YAGUBI Festival, Valley Fiesta, Mackay Festival of the Arts, Victoria’s Earthbeat Festival, and the Gympie Muster. Brisbane shows include the Zoo, QPAC, the Powerhouse, the Troubadour, the Waterloo, the Jubilee, the Shamrock, Ric’s, & the Globe.
8 Ball released his newest album, ODD BALL IN (2006). He’s also released a solo acoustic album, BEHIND THE 8 BALL (2004). In the past year, 8 Ball has received grants funding from John Butler’s JB Seed initiative, which gave him the resources to study pedal steel guitar with Michel Rose in Sydney. Other grant support has come from Arts Queensland, Brisbane City Council, and Youth Arts Queensland. He runs a range of original roots/blues festivals, concerts, and events each year.
If you want all the steamy heat, the intensity, and the wild spontaneity of the real Australia, 8 Ball Aitken is authentic -- a real-deal Aussie outback character who rattles the roof, stomps the planks, and gets his audiences whooping and hollering along in a frenzy of pure exuberance. You can forget your troubles, just for one night -- the thrill is tangible.
www.8ballaitken.com
www.myspace.com/8ballaitken
|
|
Contact Artist
Add to Profile
Add to station