Mia Dyson
Encyclopedia
Mia Dyson is an Australia
n singer, songwriter
, and guitarist
. She shot to fame with her 2003 album Cold Water
and her subsequent follow-up album, Parking Lots
, which won "Best Blues & Roots album" at the 2005 ARIA Awards
.
When queried by the Sydney Morning Herald on how she went from a settled family life, in the Victorian beachside resort town of Torquay to playing and singing blues and roots music she responded by saying:
Mia's father is prominent Australian guitar builder and blues guitarist Jim Dyson.
Following the 2003 release of Cold Water
Mia went into a continuous touring schedule both in Australia and overseas. Taking in major festivals such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
, West Coast Blues & Roots Festival
, Falls Festival
, Womadelaide
, NXNE in Canada and The Edinburgh Festival
in Scotland.
2005 saw the release of her second album Parking Lots
which resulted in Mia being nominated for "Best Female Artist" and "Best Blues & Roots album" at that year's ARIA Awards
, for which she won the "Best Blues & Roots album" award.
The following year, 2006 Mia toured the USA and Canada, joined Frank Zappa
's band The Mothers of Invention
on stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
, and supported Ani Di Franco in New York's Central Park
. Also in 2006, Dyson was invited by Deborah Conway
to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs. With Dyson and Conway were Melinda Schneider
, Kate Miller-Heidke
and Ella Hooper
.
In 2007, Mia supported Eric Clapton
during his Australian tour in February to sellout crowds. She also had a guest appearance on Australian hip hop artist Urthboy's second album The Signal.
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 singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. She shot to fame with her 2003 album Cold Water
Cold Water (album)
Cold Water is the debut album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released in May 2003.Cold Water highlights Mia Dyson's song writing and musicianship and the dynamic collaboration between Mia, Dean Addison and Carl Pannuzzo...
and her subsequent follow-up album, Parking Lots
Parking Lots (album)
Parking Lots is the second album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released on 11 April 2005. The first single off the album was "Roll Me Out"...
, which won "Best Blues & Roots album" at the 2005 ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 2005
The 19th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 23 October 2005 at the Sydney Superdome at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the previous year's innovation of televising the awards on Sunday evening...
.
When queried by the Sydney Morning Herald on how she went from a settled family life, in the Victorian beachside resort town of Torquay to playing and singing blues and roots music she responded by saying:
"I don't know either, it's a testament to the power of music and how that whole childhood of being played what I consider incredible music seeped into my bloodstream. My parents were always playing the records of Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, everything. Torquay is devoid of any artistic pursuits and had I only had that culture I'm sure I would not be playing music. I might have had more luck with the alcohol if I'd been left to the surfing culture."
"I went through my early teenage Nirvana, Pearl Jam obsessions and then I came back to the roots of this stuff and picked up the guitar. And I knew how to play these songs that I'd never learnt because I'd heard them so many times as a kid."
Mia's father is prominent Australian guitar builder and blues guitarist Jim Dyson.
"I guess now people are impressed how lucky I am to have a dad who makes such beautiful instruments," Dyson says. But as a child she was unaware of their potential. "It was only, 'Oh, don't they look beautiful' when he finished one," she says. "It was only around 16, 17, when I was able to think about the sounds and the different sounds I could get out of the guitars, the amps and pedals, that I got excited." Sydney Morning Herald
Following the 2003 release of Cold Water
Cold Water (album)
Cold Water is the debut album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released in May 2003.Cold Water highlights Mia Dyson's song writing and musicianship and the dynamic collaboration between Mia, Dean Addison and Carl Pannuzzo...
Mia went into a continuous touring schedule both in Australia and overseas. Taking in major festivals such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
The East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, West Coast Blues & Roots Festival
West Coast Blues & Roots Festival
The West Coast Blues 'n' Roots Festival is an annual music festival held in Fremantle, Western Australia. It features many blues and roots performers, both international and local.-History:...
, Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
, Womadelaide
WOMADelaide
WOMADelaide is an annual world music and dance festival, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia as part of the WOMAD series of music festivals. WOMAD events are a showcase of different sorts of music, arts and dance. They encourage people to experience the music of...
, NXNE in Canada and The Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
in Scotland.
2005 saw the release of her second album Parking Lots
Parking Lots (album)
Parking Lots is the second album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released on 11 April 2005. The first single off the album was "Roll Me Out"...
which resulted in Mia being nominated for "Best Female Artist" and "Best Blues & Roots album" at that year's ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 2005
The 19th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 23 October 2005 at the Sydney Superdome at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the previous year's innovation of televising the awards on Sunday evening...
, for which she won the "Best Blues & Roots album" award.
The following year, 2006 Mia toured the USA and Canada, joined 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...
's band The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
on stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Winnipeg Folk Festival
The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a summer folk music festival held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It features a variety of folk artists from all around the world, as well as a number of local folk performers....
, and supported Ani Di Franco in New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Also in 2006, Dyson was invited by Deborah Conway
Deborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs. With Dyson and Conway were Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider is an Australian country music performer and the daughter of yodeler Mary Schneider. Schneider performed with her mother on the album The Magic of Yodeling at the age of eight. She studied dance as a child and made her acting debut on the popular Australian drama A Country...
, Kate Miller-Heidke
Kate Miller-Heidke
Kate Miller-Heidke is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Although classically trained, she has followed a career in alternative pop music. She is signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the UK.-Career:...
and Ella Hooper
Ella Hooper
Ella Keighery Hooper is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter. Hooper is the lead singer of Killing Heidi, which she has fronted, with her older brother Jesse Hooper, since its formation in 1996...
.
In 2007, Mia supported Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
during his Australian tour in February to sellout crowds. She also had a guest appearance on Australian hip hop artist Urthboy's second album The Signal.
Albums
- Cold WaterCold Water (album)Cold Water is the debut album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released in May 2003.Cold Water highlights Mia Dyson's song writing and musicianship and the dynamic collaboration between Mia, Dean Addison and Carl Pannuzzo...
Black Door Records/MGM DistributionMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
(May 2003) - Parking LotsParking Lots (album)Parking Lots is the second album from Australian blues and roots singer Mia Dyson and was released on 11 April 2005. The first single off the album was "Roll Me Out"...
Black Door Records/MGM DistributionMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
(April 2005) - Struck Down
Black Door Records/MGM DistributionMGM DistributionMGM Distribution is the largest independent distributor of Australian music and music related merchandise and was established in April 1998 by Sebastian Chase....
(August 2007)
Compilations
- Australian Blues Project - "Rock Me Baby"
- noise: Future of Music - "Precious Thing" ABC Music (October 2003)
- Triple J Blues, Roots and Beyond - "Lonely" ABC Music (July 2004)
- Look Both Ways - "Lonely" Mana Soundtracks (July 2005)
- Like a Version 2 - "Can't Let Go" ABC Music (2006)