Andrew Winton
Encyclopedia
Andrew Winton is an independent, solo, Australia
n musician
, combining acoustic guitar, lap slide, dobro and seven-string lap guitar/bass (the Wintonbeast), with hollers and stomps to provide an engaging and authentic performance.
Winton's sound has been likened to a cross between Ben Harper
, Sting, Kelly-Joe Phelps and Harry Manx
. His performances are driven by infectious rhythms, stunning slide, bluesy vocals, quirky lyrics and storytelling.
Winton currently lives in Perth
with Karen (his wife, manager and percusionist/vocalist), and their three children.
He is brother to famed Australian author Tim Winton
and has a sister, Sharyn O'Neill, who is the current Director General of the West Australian Department of Education and Training.
Winton also works part time as a high-school chaplain in Perth
.
, Kiss
, Frank Zappa
and Johnny Cash
, and started his musical life as a drummer. In his late teens he moved on to electric guitar, playing in bands and completing a Degree in Jazz at the Conservatorium of Music in Perth Western Australia. Andrew played guitar for a few years in Perth band Hodad City with Adam Bruno who was to later become Adam Brand
(Multi CMA Golden Guitar Award winner), and then went on to have local success in 3Ph, a quirky funk-rock band with bandmates Stephen Kelly (bass/vox) and Paul Novosel (drums/vox) which won Western Australia's The Next Big Thing
competition in 1997. The band however disbanded a short time later when Novosel ('99) and Kelly ('01) moved to the east coast to do session work. After being invited to play drums with top Perth old-timey blues band Tin Dog, Andrew was exposed further to the world of blues
, roots
and folk music
. After seeing UK musician Rory McLeod perform in 2002, Andrew was inspired to take the solo songwriting road and began his successful transition to dobro and other lap style guitars, which are now his passion. He recorded his first solo album in 2003 with only 8 months of dobro playing under his belt. Predominantly self-taught, with a few masterclasses from Lucky Oceans thrown in for good measure, Andrew is now recognised as one of Australia's talented slide guitar players. He is also known for his eclectic mix of styles and songs, lyrics that are thought provoking, his humour and storytelling on stage, and his dynamic vocal range that has earned comparisons with Sting, Steely Dan
and Harry Manx
. Andrew is a musician truly doing it for the love of it, what you see is what you get.
Winton was a feature artist on ABC Radio National's Music Deli program, and placed in the top 10 in the instrumental category of the MusicOz awards.
In 2007, Winton was nominated for a WAMi West Australian Music Industry Awards
for best Blues/Roots Artist, again in 2008 for best Guitarist, and in 2009 received two nominations for best Guitarist and best Blues & Roots act. His third album The Decompression Chamber received critical acclaim.
Winton has performed at many festivals including National Folk Festival
, Australian Blues Music Festival, Fairbridge Festival
, Woodford Folk Festival
, Nannup Music Festival
, A Day On The Green Tamworth Country Music Festival
, and South by Southwest Festival.
For the first four months of 2009, Andrew and Paul toured most of Australia to promote Andrew's fourth studio release Surface Tension. They can also be seen performing regularly around Perth and the southwest region. The duo are credited for inaugurating the Blues on the Verandah Sunday session at the Settler's Tavern in Margaret River and have since performed there regularly with their dynamic semi-acoustic performances.
The Decompression Chamber - album released February 2006
Can't Slow Down - mostly live EP (2005) (out of print)
Barrel O Monkeys – album (2004)
Whalebone Surf Classic – DVD soundtrack (2004)
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, combining acoustic guitar, lap slide, dobro and seven-string lap guitar/bass (the Wintonbeast), with hollers and stomps to provide an engaging and authentic performance.
Winton's sound has been likened to a cross between Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
, Sting, Kelly-Joe Phelps and Harry Manx
Harry Manx
Harry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. He was born in the Isle of Man where he spent his childhood and now lives on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada....
. His performances are driven by infectious rhythms, stunning slide, bluesy vocals, quirky lyrics and storytelling.
Winton currently lives in Perth
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
with Karen (his wife, manager and percusionist/vocalist), and their three children.
He is brother to famed Australian author Tim Winton
Tim Winton
Timothy John "Tim" Winton , is an Australian novelist and short story writer.-Life:Winton was born in Perth, Western Australia, but moved at a young age to the regional city of Albany....
and has a sister, Sharyn O'Neill, who is the current Director General of the West Australian Department of Education and Training.
Winton also works part time as a high-school chaplain in Perth
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Musical career
Andrew grew up listening to Deep PurpleDeep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and started his musical life as a drummer. In his late teens he moved on to electric guitar, playing in bands and completing a Degree in Jazz at the Conservatorium of Music in Perth Western Australia. Andrew played guitar for a few years in Perth band Hodad City with Adam Bruno who was to later become Adam Brand
Adam Brand
Adam Brand is an Australian musician who sings country music. Active since 1997, he has released seven studio albums and thirteen singles. His first three albums are all certified platinum in Australia...
(Multi CMA Golden Guitar Award winner), and then went on to have local success in 3Ph, a quirky funk-rock band with bandmates Stephen Kelly (bass/vox) and Paul Novosel (drums/vox) which won Western Australia's The Next Big Thing
The Next Big Thing
The Next Big Thing was a radio series produced at WNYC in New York City, and syndicated nationally in the U.S. by Public Radio International. It was offered nationally after the success of PRI's Chicago-based This American Life, which it somewhat resembles; one distinction is that TNBT is more...
competition in 1997. The band however disbanded a short time later when Novosel ('99) and Kelly ('01) moved to the east coast to do session work. After being invited to play drums with top Perth old-timey blues band Tin Dog, Andrew was exposed further to the world of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, roots
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. After seeing UK musician Rory McLeod perform in 2002, Andrew was inspired to take the solo songwriting road and began his successful transition to dobro and other lap style guitars, which are now his passion. He recorded his first solo album in 2003 with only 8 months of dobro playing under his belt. Predominantly self-taught, with a few masterclasses from Lucky Oceans thrown in for good measure, Andrew is now recognised as one of Australia's talented slide guitar players. He is also known for his eclectic mix of styles and songs, lyrics that are thought provoking, his humour and storytelling on stage, and his dynamic vocal range that has earned comparisons with Sting, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
and Harry Manx
Harry Manx
Harry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. He was born in the Isle of Man where he spent his childhood and now lives on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada....
. Andrew is a musician truly doing it for the love of it, what you see is what you get.
Awards
2006 saw Winton tour Australia for three months, play at numerous festivals, events and radio broadcasts, and take out first place in the Folk/Acoustic category of the Australian Songwriter's Association awards for his song Lucky Boy (as well as the award for best live performance at the awards night).Winton was a feature artist on ABC Radio National's Music Deli program, and placed in the top 10 in the instrumental category of the MusicOz awards.
In 2007, Winton was nominated for a WAMi West Australian Music Industry Awards
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
for best Blues/Roots Artist, again in 2008 for best Guitarist, and in 2009 received two nominations for best Guitarist and best Blues & Roots act. His third album The Decompression Chamber received critical acclaim.
Live
Partner Karen on vocals and percussion, adding beautiful harmonies and layers, sometimes accompanies Andrew on stage. Since about March 2007, Andrew has been more regularly seen accompanied by flamboyant percussionist and longtime friend Paul Novosel on percussion/vox for most live performances. This lineup is often billed as the Andrew Winton Duo.Winton has performed at many festivals including National Folk Festival
National Folk Festival
The National Folk Festival is the name of several festivals that celebrate the folk music of a particular nation.*The Touring National Folk Festival in the US National Folk Festival...
, Australian Blues Music Festival, Fairbridge Festival
Fairbridge Festival
Fairbridge Festival of World and Folk Music is Western Australia’s most popular family camping festival which takes place annually in April. It is a friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, self-contained bushland site at Fairbridge...
, Woodford Folk Festival
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia....
, Nannup Music Festival
Nannup Music Festival
The Nannup Music Festival is a live performance music festival showcasing primarily folk music, but also other styles...
, A Day On The Green Tamworth Country Music Festival
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia and is a celebration of Australian country music culture and heritage. The festival lasts for two weeks during late January and during this period the city of Tamworth comes alive, with...
, and South by Southwest Festival.
For the first four months of 2009, Andrew and Paul toured most of Australia to promote Andrew's fourth studio release Surface Tension. They can also be seen performing regularly around Perth and the southwest region. The duo are credited for inaugurating the Blues on the Verandah Sunday session at the Settler's Tavern in Margaret River and have since performed there regularly with their dynamic semi-acoustic performances.
Albums
Surface Tension - album released January 2009The Decompression Chamber - album released February 2006
Can't Slow Down - mostly live EP (2005) (out of print)
Barrel O Monkeys – album (2004)
Whalebone Surf Classic – DVD soundtrack (2004)