Tonight The Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier will feature “Australia Rocks the Pier”. Performers will include Ben Lee, Brother and Ry Cuming. As always, the shows are free and begin at 7pm.
Here is a pretty funny video of Ben Lee singing “Ben Lee” by the Ataris:
From The Twilight Dance Series:
Ben Lee has been living as a working musician for over half of his lifetime. From the age of 14, he has stayed grounded and spiritually focused,
with a quintessential niceness stemming from his Sydney-bred roots that has never faded. Ben Lee’s musical career began in 1993 with the band Noise Addict. The band came to the attention of Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys’ Mike D., who released their recordings in the United States.
Ben has dedicated his current and seventh studio recording to Venus, the Goddess of Love and Beauty. A bold move for a man, but Ben recognizes that the strongest feminine qualities “such as compassion, nurturing, creativity, spontaneity, intuition, playfulness, tenderness and warmth…are qualities that we all, men and women, need to cultivate.” The strong message layered within The Rebirth of Venus, one of truly recognizing the splendor of femininity, is incredibly significant for Lee. A portion of the proceeds made from the album will be donated to FINCA, a microfinance campaign providing work assistance for women in third-world countries.
Aside from the honor of winning four ARIA Awards (Australia’s equivalent to the Grammy), Ben has started to make regular appearances with symphony orchestras throughout Australia singing hits such as “Catch My Disease,” “Cigarettes Will Kill You,” “We’re All In This Together” and more. And one last very important thing: Ben was nominated as PETA’s World’s Sexiest Vegetarian!
Brother
Fusing signature vocals and guitar with the deep pulse of the didgeridoo, the soaring highs of the bagpipes, and tribal percussion, Brother is wholly original. The band’s powerhouse live performances are an energetic celebration, captivating and engaging the audience with their blend of Celtic and Australian Rock with indigenous instruments, traditional garb and style.
Angus, a founding member of Brother, arrived with his brothers Hamish and Fergus over a decade ago in Los Angeles, coming from their home in Bathurst, Australia. Here they busked at Venice Beach, the Hollywood Bowl and Universal Studios. Since those days, Brother has evolved its trademark sound through touring extensively in the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Egypt and their native Australia. They have released 12 albums on their own Rhubarb Records label, selling more CDs in the U.S. than any other independent Australian act and leading Brother to be cited as a role model within the independent scene. www.brothermusic.com
Ry Cuming
Born in Angourie, a small Far North coastal Australian town on Woodford Island, Ry Cuming grew up with a surfboard under one arm and his Dad’s record collection under the other. From the first time he stood on a surfboard at age 3 and held his first guitar at 5, Ry has simply followed the natural path ahead of him. It has taken him to far-off places, riding unfamiliar ocean breaks and singing in his alternately sandy tenor and captivating falsetto along the way.
Ry Cuming’s music has garnered him two Australian Dolphin Awards for Best Pop Song and Best New Artist, placements on NBC’s Extra and MTV’s Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, a spotlight in Vogue, and a musical appearance alongside Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett in the movie Hoot-all before the release of his eponymously titled debut album. www.rycuming.com
