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The Dillion James Band
Independent release: www.dillionjames.com
Fresh sounds out of Brisbane with a new release from the Dillion James Band. Not a name that might easily spring to mind, the band consists of Dillion James up front as main vocalist as well playing organ, keyboards, percussion and guitar, Lenny Aitken on Didgeridoo and percussion, David Griffiths on bass and rhythm guitar, Norman Baquiran on guitar and vocals, David Gilbert tickling the ivories and clavinet and Michael Tonks on the pots ‘n pans.
“And what makes this so fresh”, I hear you eagerly enquire. The answer is that they have melded some solid blues and tasty reggae beats onto the one album. No, not together, that would be silly. But from one track to the next it flows, and I must add, very smoothly from one genre to another. At first it may seem an incongruous mix but the end result is akin to a live gig where you just want to party!
The band has been jamming at the Indiginarts Gallery in South Brisbane for the last two years entertaining the locals and generally having lots of fun. This comes across nicely in their studio recording. Seriousness does not overpower the good time vibe of their sound.
Dillion and Norman combine to pen some original material along with the use of a couple of classic reggae songs from Bob Marley and bluesy contributions from Taj Mahal, Joe Williams and Jerry Beach. All in all a great mix that is upbeat and alive.
Tone Baked Goodness is an independent release so it might take a bit of tracking down, but it’s well worth the effort.