Opensouls
Encyclopedia
Opensouls are a New Zealand
band and were formed in 2001. After releasing numerous vinyl EPs, the band released their critically acclaimed debut album Kaleidoscope which impressed reviewers and fans alike. While this album draws inspiration from soul
, reggae
, jazz
& blues
styles, their next album, Standing In The Rain, was made with the intent to reflect the sound and feeling of a particular musical era: late-50s, early-60s British and American R'n'B
. Opensouls are now regarded as one of Aotearoa
's premier groups.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
band and were formed in 2001. After releasing numerous vinyl EPs, the band released their critically acclaimed debut album Kaleidoscope which impressed reviewers and fans alike. While this album draws inspiration from soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
& 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...
styles, their next album, Standing In The Rain, was made with the intent to reflect the sound and feeling of a particular musical era: late-50s, early-60s British and American R'n'B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. Opensouls are now regarded as one of Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
's premier groups.
Band members
- Bjorn Petersen – vocals
- Tyra Hammond – Vocals
- Jeremy Toy - Guitar/MPC
- Julien Dyne – Drums
- Chip Mathews – Bass
- Steph Brown - Keys
- Scott Towers - Saxophone
- Isaac Aesili - Trumpet
- Harlin Davey - Turntables
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | NZ Top 40 Albums Chart | Copies Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Kaleidoscope | From The Crate | 29 | |
| 2009 | Standing in the Rain | From the Crate | 8 | |
Awards and nominations
- Kaleidoscope was nominated for the Best Urban/Hip Hop album at the 2006 New Zealand Music AwardsNew Zealand Music AwardsThe New Zealand Music Awards show, is a major annual New Zealand music event where musical acts and singers are awarded each year. It has occurred every year since 1965 to outstanding New Zealand musicians and groups....
. - 'What Do You Do?’ claimed the best hip-hop song at the 2006 BNetBNETBNET was an online magazine dedicated to issues of business management.It was owned by CBS Interactive and was a part of its business portfolio alongside ZDNet, TechRepublic, SmartPlanet before it was folded into CBS MoneyWatch, a sister personal finance site that was launched on April 6, 2009.BNET...
awards.
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/opensoulsspace
- http://www.amplifier.co.nz/news/48313/opensouls-celebrate-with-a-special-few-live-shows.html
- http://www.opensouls.co.nz/
- http://www.voxy.co.nz/entertainment/opensouls-latest-album-gets-little-help-their-friends/5/22517
- http://www.muzic.net.nz/charts/a53235/opensouls.html