WOMAD

Andi & George Band

From Australia, Fiji

In three years, a modest acoustic roots/folk duo has grown into a 15-piece roots/reggae/funk/soul band bursting with a shared love of life and music. Singer/songwriters Andi (Andrea Kirwin, of Australian/Fijian heritage, from Townsville) and George Bishop (of Australian/Japanese heritage, from Nowra) met and started performing while studying in Canberra during 2006. When Andi took George home for two months in 2007, the source of Andi's gospel style of soul singing became clear (her mother is an indigenous Fijian Christian Minister) and George quickly embraced the happy island style of strumming. After returning to Canberra, they formed a band with many students at the Australian National University School of Music, including Matt Sykes (drums), Chris Pound (bass), Grahame Thompson (cello, guitar), Matt Lustri (guitar), Sophie Chapman (trombone), Mick Elderfield (saxophone), Reuben Lewis (trumpet), Lina Andonovska (flute) and vocalist Alice Cottee (who has also released her own EP, Goodbye Winter).

This inspired group has released two independent albums - The Andi and George Band, in September 2007, and the double album, Sun and Moon, in May 2008 - and bought a 36-seat bus to tour around Australia, performing at everything from festivals to fundraisers for protecting Old Growth Forests in Tasmania and the Bermagui/Tilba Tilba Region.


http://www.andiandgeorge.com/