“A heavenly union of Greek lute and Australian post rock” - ***** The Guardian
Xylouris White, the duo of Dirty Three drummer Jim White and Cretan lute player George Xylouris will make their debut New Zealand performance with an exclusive show at Auckland’s, Great South Pacific Tuning Fork this March.
With a personal and musical history going back 25 years they formed four years ago, and have released two albums; Goats (2014) and Black Peak (2016). Both records were recorded predominately in New York and Crete with Guy Picciotto of Fugazi producing. Goats topped the Billboard World Music Chart, and Black Peak has been celebrated worldwide as a triumphant album.
“More and more, it seems the duo are inventing a new musical language, one based on deeply telepathic interplay and pure, transcendent abandon… some of the heaviest music you’ll hear in 2016.” – Aquarium Drunkard
Xylouris White have toured the world many times in their short history, and been hand selected to tour with Swans, Kurt Vile, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, PJ Harvey and Jonathan Richman, amongst others.
If the talents of singer and lute player George Xylouris seem otherworldly, even God-given, it is hardly surprising. To hear Xylouris play his long-necked laouto and sing songs of love and liberty in his passionate, distinctive voice, is to experience heritage at its finest; a tradition that hails from Crete, where Xylouris is a member of a clan long-regarded throughout Greece as musical royalty.
Xylouris’ sound has taken him around the world to festivals and concerts throughout Europe, North America and Australia. He splits his time between Melbourne, absorbing influences from the city’s thriving live rock scene, and in Crete, where he spends time teaching, playing in village communities continuing his family’s heritage.
Jim White first commanded international attention in the mid-1990s with the acclaimed Australian instrumental trio Dirty Three. Now the New York-based virtuoso is the go-to guy for alt-A-list vocalists with collaboration in mind. Those who’ve worked with him – and all those he’s mesmerised as he plays - testify to his deft way with a rhythm, a downbeat, a jazz-fuelled wig out. White formed a post-punk band Venom P. Stinger and has worked with artists such as Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Nina Nastasia, Cat Power, Smog and Nick Cave.
White’s intuitive beats and singular approach have created sparks in his collaborations with George Xylouris thus forming Xylouris White. When White is playing, he is right there, present in the most inspirational sense. Together and individually they are unique.
‘Both Born to the Form, a Couple of Continents and Major Traditions Apart’ …It’s good they’ve ended up together. Both are extraordinary musicians…It’s intense. joyous, rugged music.” – New York Time (Live Review)
“This transcendental folk, deconstructed by the volatile rhythms of rock demands to be danced to, and when the music hit the loud and fast end of the spectrum – an all out head-banging mosh” – Sydney Festival / The Guardian
TINY RUINS
Tiny Ruins is the moniker for Hollie Fullbrook’s musical output (in band or solo format). Traversing early influences of folk and blues, Tiny Ruins’ sound draws on ethereal and grungy soundscapes alike. Sometimes likened to Nick Drake, Mazzy Star or Nico, Fullbrook’s voice and guitar work evade cliché, making use of alternate tunings and self-styled fingerpicking. Lyrically one of a kind, stories are laced with a dark humour that is at times disarmingly confessional, at others, cryptic and philosophical.
Tiny Ruins’ debut Some Were Meant for Sea was released in 2011 and received critical praise for its minimalist approach and lyrical flair. The album was voted 2011’s “Album of the Year” by BBC World Service arts and culture programme ‘World of Music’ and was a finalist for New Zealand’s Taite Music Prize in 2012. Their second album, Brightly Painted One, was championed by the New York Times, NPR and David Lynch, and won “Best Alternative Album” at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2014.
Tiny Ruins have undertaken several international headlining tours, as well as opening for Calexico, Sharon Van Etten, Beach House, Joanna Newsom, Neil Finn, Ryan Adams and Leon Bridges.
Fullbrook recently collaborated with drummer Hamish Kilgour of The Clean on EP Hurtling Through which features two poems by W.B. Yeats set to music. And in 2016 released the David Lynch produced single Dream Wave.
Don’t miss this exquisite evening of music with the tantalising vocals and lyrics of Tiny Ruins followed by the intense musical duo of Xylouris White.
