Andrew Kidman

The Windy Hills - Cars from Andrew Kidman on Vimeo.

First band lost 1989. Darren Gover, AK and Kye Fitzgerald. We used to rehearse at Terry’s house on Saturday mornings when he was down working at the HB office (ex Guns & Ammo wearhouse on Waterloo Street). Often we’d go overtime, Terry would come home, walk into the room and say, “That will be enough of that.”

A few weeks after the fact, Terry asked us if we’d like to record some music for the film he was working on. It turned out the recordings we did were with the legendary Tim Gaze from Taman Shud. I’ve worked on and off with Tim ever since. Matt Corby recently recorded Tim’s brilliant song First Things First from Morning of the Earth for re-imagined CD that was set free in January 2014 — I guess it’s easy when you start off with a great song! The Windy Hills, covered Shud’s Sea The Swells for the same release.  In the pix that’s Gazey in the background with the pony tail twidling with some reel knobs…

Union Pool Brooklyn. Acoustic set with Jessie Gold. Followed by a Litmus screening. Thanks Tyler, Chris, Tara and Mike M. Couldn’t have done it with out ya!

http://thewindyhills.tumblr.com

In an attempt to lure punters out to our shows this weekend in Byron and Coolangatta I made this shocking artwork for the newspapers. Hopefully it resonates with you and we see you at the shows! The Buddah Bar - Friday 1st July Byron Bay and The Cooly Hotel - Saturday 2nd July, showtime 8pm. We’ll be featuring cuts from the new record and projections from Lost in The Ether and Patrick’s Trefz’s Idiosyncrasies. Aaron Bishop will be playing support.

Songs From The Ether is a live music and surf film experience curated by Andrew Kidman. It features live music from his band The Windy Hills teamed with projections from his latest film ‘Lost In The Ether’ and the new film from Patrick Trefz’z: ‘Idiosyncrasies’.

Following on from the success of Last Hope in the live format – the production travelling across the world and drawing large crowds at the Powerhouse in Brisbane, The Perth International Arts Festival and New York’s Surf Fim Festival - Kidman and his band The Windy Hills have reconvened to create a similar experience for his new film.

The Windy Hills (featuring Kidman, Joe Jones, Paul Brewer and Jay Kruegner) formed originally as The Brown Birds From Windy Hills, with soundtracking these films in a live setting their uniting passion. Following a string of Kidman’s solo albums, the band’s first record Three Sails To The Wind was released in 2007 before Kidman’s recent filmic project the Last Hope took flight. In January of this year they released the album Friend From Another Star (the single “She was a girl” could be a flipside to Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side said the Sydney Morning Herald). And “Friend From Another Star will no doubt win scores of friends in 2011 with its eerie, yet euphoric sound that’s bound to stand up to repeat listens. In a nutter, this is spinifex surf music at its optimum and most pure level played out by a band who knows how to get into the zone, ‘Road Block’ being arguably one of the first grand Oz tracks of the new decade” - Nick Argyriou, Rhythms Magazine

Kidman’s own home, nestled on a rural property on the North Coast of NSW, would provide a backdrop for the conception of their second album. Recorded in a small studio in nearby Mullumbimby, Friend from Another Star is more muscular & varied – some songs wilder, some cleaner, some soft with acoustics and warm with Americana. While not directly inspired by the ocean, it possesses a similar fluidity and escapist quality that echo the band’s shared passion and connection with the sea.

Call it a surf night, a music improv night… call it what you will, Songs From The Ether shows the ocean and surfing in a mesmerising light, with live soundscapes and visuals to disappear to. Kidman & band will tour the production across Australia’s east coast this June & July.

SONGS FROM THE ETHER TOUR
JUNE, 2011

Wednesday 1st – The Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Tickets from venue website | http://www.brassmonkey.com.au/ | Ph 02 9544 3844

Thursday 2nd – The Heritage Hotel, Thirroul
Tickets from venue website | http://www.heritagehotel.com.au/  | Ph 02 4284 5884

Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th, The Boatshed, Manly
Tickets from Heritage Surf Shop| http://www.heritagesurfaustralia.com/  | Ph 02 9977 7623

Sunday 5th, The Vanguard, Newtown
Tickets from venue website | http://www.thevanguard.com.au/ | Ph 02 9550 3666

JULY, 2011
Friday 1st, The Buddah Bar, Byron Bay
Tickets from the band’s website http://www.byronbaybrewery.com.au/

Saturday 2nd, The Coolangatta Hotel, Surfers Paradise
Tickets from venue website | http://www.thecoolyhotel.com.au/  | Ph 07 55 896 888

Friday 8th, The Noosa Surf Club, Noosa
Tickets from Solace Surf, Noosa | Ph 07 54470 2606

Saturday 16th, The Powerhouse Museum, Brisbane
Tickets from band’s website | http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

*Tickets on sale Friday May 13th

Press & Label enquiries to Brooke Salisbury & Aaron Curnow at Spunk Records
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone 02 9908 0751

In the spirit of Nick Drake and his parents dubbing his home recordings to cassette tape for people who loved his music. It’s a wonderful piece of work on a wonderful musician.

Click this link to listen now.