Zoe Elliot
Steve Henderson
Rich Fowler
Mick Peaker & the ' not so usual' Suspects
Zoe Elliot is a singer songwriter who is renowned for her fresh, charismatic and emotional performances. Her music ranges from fun and rhythmic to soulful, reflective and quirky. Her voice has a unique melting tone, however there is plenty of voice for her bigger bluesy songs. She captivates you with melodic, insightful, heart reaching story telling painted with imagery. Expect to be inspired, provoked and encouraged.
"..sad in the most beautiful way,... incredibly engaging, ..engrossing, ... performed with absolute honesty.." - Iva Davies of Icehouse, Oct, 2009, at The Peninsula's Got Talent
"You are incredible, it made me cry. .. I was gripped, the lyrics are beautiful,.. so inspiring. You have the voice of an angel..." Rebecca Gibney Oct, 2009, at The Peninsula's Got Talent .
"Zoe Elliot is one of those natural talents who comes along once a decade. Her easy sultry style, slow sexy smile, the vocal and instrumentation to back it up. ... Her voice is captivating and pure. She glides from pop to folk with ease. This young, vibrant, beautiful songstress has the voice of an angel. Her skills on acoustic guitar are breathtaking." - Shashona McCall, Indie Showcase, www.indieshowcase.net Nov, 2010
"Her new album, Precipitate, presents more of the poignant songwriting that we've come to expect from this thoughtful and intelligent artist." - Rod Bennett, Entertainment Editor, Manly Daily, Oct, 2010
Zoe has opened for Dragon, played alongside Declan O'Rouke, and won the 2010 Australians Songwriters Conference Song Contest (Adult Contemporary and Grand Winner), 2GO Annual Acoustic Awards (2010) and the SongsAlive Showcase (2009). She peforms regularly around Sydney at venues like The Manly Fig, The Basement, Manly Jazz Festival, The Manly Food & Wine Festival, World Food Festival, The Shack, Fairlight Folk, Lizotte's (Kincumber and Dee Why), Beachfolk, The Old Manly Boatshed, Fair Trade Festival, International Women's Day Festival, The Sands and Harbord Hotel.
www.ZoeElliot.Com
www.myspace.com/zoeelliot
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Zoe-Elliot/87718110641
Steve is an accomplished guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and is currently the Ensemble co-ordinator at the Australian Istitute of Music.
Contemporary Artist - Singer Actor Musician
Performed all over Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia & U.S.
Creatively responsible for over 35 shows and 25 recordings in the last 15 years, with shows like the Buddy Holly Story and Angels off broadway to top 10 commercial hit songs in Brunei!
Amongst other things his company: THE ARTS REFINERY has a showcase for a film-musical he penned coming up in June here in Sydney and is working on his latest album: Music Man.
There is something real about Michael’s songs which capture a genuine sense of the struggles between love and love lost, between faith and doubt, with something new to discover in each listen. They are all outstanding musicians in their own right, bringing a fresh dynamic to their blend of rock/folk, with just a twist of country, along with a bunch of plain good fun, foot stomping, rocking blues!
The Usual Suspects have been regulars in the Manly area over the years, playing at the Old Manly Boatshed, The Manly Fig, Manly World Food Markets and Saturdays at Sunset. Michael's most recent work is an EP of 6 songs recorded with, “The Usual Suspects” which will be available on the night.
Gary Ricketts was the bass player (and a bloody good one at that!) for The Usual Suspects, so we, along with Rich, Hendo, Zoe and all from the Fig, wanted to pay tribute to Gary by putting on this event to celebrate his memory. Proceeds from the evening will go to his wife Andrea and kids Josh, Zac and Holly.
This will most probably be our last gig as The Usual Suspects, so we’d like to thank everyone for your support over the last few years, and also for helping to support the Ricketts Family.