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NEW KAHVAS JUTE DVD/CD "THEN AGAIN" NOW AVAILABLE Through WARNER MUSIC VIDEO.
The new Kahvas Jute live DVD Entitled "Then Again" is out now on the Warner Music label. It comes with a bonus 12-track audio CD entitled "The Quickening." The CD contains 6 new songs recorded in the studio, as well as live versions of the same songs, recorded at the Basement.
WIDE OPEN 2006 CD NOW AVAILABLE. The re-mastered 1970 Kahvas Jute album "Wide Open" is also out now on the Aztec Music label and features 5 new bonus live recordings, with a triple fold out cover and an 18-page booklet.
PLANET ALLIANCE CD NOW AVAILABLE. Dennis recently engineered the recording of Bob Daisley's bass parts for two tracks on a new album called PLANET ALLIANCE for Swedish label Roastinghouse, featuring top heavy metal musicians. The 2 songs featuring Bob were also written by Bob, Dennis and fellow Kahvas Jute guitarist Tim Gaze.
KAHVAS JUTE have recently recorded a live concert DVD at the Basement in Sydney. The band played some songs from their Wide Open album and some new material from their upcoming studio album. The lineup is original members Dennis Wilson, Tim Gaze and Bob Daisley, with new drummer Mark Marriott. Old friend Jimmy Barnes also joined the band on stage for one number. Dennis and Bob are mixing the sound track now.
Review
of "Ain't It Strange" from The Drum Media, by Michael Smith.
Dennis Wilson, Aint It Strange, Ridge.
Great tune, track 4, Now I'm Back, great groove and rather apt as it happens. It's been far too long between drinks but guitarist, singer and songwriter Dennis Wilson, whose CV goes back to the 70's with Kahvas Jute and later Chariot, one of Australia's most tasteful and understated "guitar heroes" and certainly the most unsung, is back with a little something he's cooked up with a couple of likeminded friends who are similarly based up in the Northern Rivers, Byron Bay area. And what a pleasure it is to hear the supple, sinuous bass playing of Greg Lyon once again, once part of the engine room of Australia's most successful fusion outfit Crossfire and now lecturing at Southern Cross University. Add the churning Hammond of keyboards player Alan Park and you've got a great slice of contemporary rock groove, which isn't a million miles from thje legacy of those early years without sounding dated. That's the thing about the "survivors", players like Wilson and Kevin Borich and Tim Gaze. These are players that started because they were intoxicated by the music that was igniting their generation and they've just pursued that fascination irrespective of its fashionability or commercial viability. It's always been about the music, and you're welcome along for the ride. In that sense of course, there's nothing particularly "cutting edge" or "boundary- busting" about Ain't It Strange. It's all about three guys getting together and making the music that comes from their collective heart and soul. It's inevitably blues based for the most part, delivered without frills yet refined, polished yet passionate. Quite simply, they're good at what they do and are having a bit of fun with it. Inevitably, if you're living in regional NSW, your music is going to reflect something of the more laid back lifestyle around you, but this is blues rock, and there's still plenty of bite in Wilson's playing.
Review of "Ain't It Strange" from the Northern Star Newspaper.
Fans of blues guitar will want to get hold of a copy of Dennis Wilson's Ain't It Strange (Ridge). These original tunes are the real, raw deal and go well with beer and bourbon. Wilson's vocals have a gravelly, bluesy goodness that carries the vibe of the songs life love and land really well. And he's a local, too!
Review of "Ain't It Strange," on Ridge, written by Chris Spencer, Moonlight Publishing, author of "The Who's Who of Australian Rock" for Collectormania magazine. Used with permission.
Title: "Stranger things have happened."
Dennis Wilson has been regarded as one of Australia's premier guitarists.
Yet his recorded output since has done little to extend the reputation
he earnt playing with progressive seventies' rock band Kahvas Jute.
Unlike other guitarists such as Kevin Borich or Mal Eastick, Wilson rarely
tours outside his home in northern NSW, he is hardly a household name.
This new album may change that perception.
Kahvas Jute's album
remains one of the most collectable Australian records, being sought after
by Australian and European collectors.
A couple of years ago the album was fetching $500 and subsequently it
has been re-issued on CD by Festival, which I believe stemmed some of
the interest in the album by international collectors.
Unlike other records, the Kahvas Jute album, titled Wide Open, is collectable
for being rare and musically good. Described as an English-sounding record,
the album featured two talented guitarists in Tim Gaze and Wilson.
The latter's subsequent recording has been very sparse, with only one
album of original material being issued in late 1980.
That album, Walking On Thin Ice, had more American influences and ironically
saw Wilson playing less guitar for which he was well known.
Which leads us to his first official release on his own label in almost
25 years. Apparently, Wilson has been making demos during that time but
this album is the first to reach a wider market.
The first three songs
are as strong as any material I've heard from any artist in the past few
years. They're killers and should be heard on your radio dial and preferably
in your CD player.
The title track is probably the stronger of the three. The guitar playing
is understated, which makes the listener appreciate the playing even more
- there's not this attempt to impress the listener with how fast or how
flash the playing is.
It's subtle, melodic, languid ... Wilson makes the playing seem so effortless.
And you just wish it could go on forever. The song is embellished with
the Hammond organ which is another bonus.
Watch Your Step picks up the pace a bit, sort of a boogie rootsy shuffle,
and sees Wilson playing lap steel guitar. Track three of the triumvirate
will probably become Wilson's most definitive work.
This time it's because of the lyrical content. The fuzzy guitar work is
great but it's deliberately overshadowed by the thrust of the song - the
plight of the farmer facing drought, ruin and the possibility of being
forced off his land.
The chorus suggests a more positive outlook but to me the arrangement
and dirty guitar playing hints at something more sinister.
Other songs explore different genres; Now I'm Back is upbeat and has some
jazz overtones, while Blues One is the first of the two instrumentals
and written in a blues mould.
The other instrumental, Into the Deep, is a more raggy, blues-based jaunt
which juxtaposes some of the other material on this album very well. One
Too Many Teardrops is a bit countryish, perhaps country blues?
Interestingly, Wilson has not utilised a drummer on this album. He's assisted
by Greg Lyon on bass and Alan Park on keyboards. Wilson's voice is not
distinctive, but he's able to carry the songs on this album with conviction.
Nonetheless, the album is a welcome return for Wilson and I'm hoping he's
got some more material like some of the great songs on this production.
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New CD launch was on Friday June 4th at the Mullumbimby Hotel, in Mullumbimby, Northern Rivers NSW. Dennis (acoustic and electric guitar and vocals) and the band, Greg Lyon (bass), Alan Park (keyboards) and Dave Sanders (drums), played all of the tracks from the new "ain't it strange" CD to a very appreciative audience. A good night, wonderful crowd, and the band was cookin' from the first song onwards. Great vibes, and a good time was had by all!
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Dennis has been doing some live acoustic shows with Swiss blues harp maestro Pfuri Baldenweg. Recently they have been joined by guitarist Rick Fenn, from top British band 10CC, and Greg Lyon on bass.
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The CD "ain't it strange" has been picked up by some regional radio stations in Australia. Some comments:
"Great songs , Great playing....in a perfect world it would be a hit...I have listed the CD as preferred listening on my Amrap page...go to www.amrap.org and follow the links." (Tony Jaggers, EAR FM Mojos and Jellyrolls).
"Tomorrow
night I'll be playing 'Turn to stone' , as well as Kahvas Jute of course
!!
Congratulations on a great album." (Garry Dalton 3WAY FM).