Music By The Sea to Welcome The Company, 2 Feb

In early January Music By The Sea Festival 2015 brought some of the world's best musicians to bay side Sandgate. Now, at the pinnacle of the Australian acoustic music scene, cutting edge bluegrass band The Company is set to launch the monthly concert series at Sandgate Town Hall on Saturday 7 February.

Boasting bluegrass champions on guitar, fiddle and banjo, the outfit's virtuosity is born of a passion for high energy original and traditional acoustic music that has been described as crisp, melodic and soulful.

Band member Jamie Clark, a CMAA Bluegrass Flatpicking Champion described by Rolling Stone Magazine as "a cracking good guitarist" said, "The music is built on innovation and is a melting pot of styles, yet has strong ties to deeper, much older traditions that many people instinctively recognise. It has a deep spiritual basis, relating to gospel music of all hues, yet some of its major figures were legendary hell-raisers. There is something for everyone."

Also worth a boast, seventh generation fiddler George Jackson has added the much coveted Colorado Rocky Grass Banjo Contest First Prize to his growing collection of awards and honours. "I love The Company's unique voice within the bluegrass genre. Each member spends a lot of time writing and arranging our own music for the band and its an exciting experience to be a part of. We all bring our own different backgrounds to the process and what we've come up with is pure enjoyment on stage and off," he said.

Adding flavour to the mix, mandolin and fiddle player Mick Patrick claims his music career was shaped growing up in a family band playing bush dances in north Queensland. Mick plays a 170 year old violin of French origin, an Aussie mandolin, and has a National Folk Festival 'Declan Affley' Award under his belt.

Complementing the foursome, Norwegian born Markus Karlsen is one of the most highly sought after session bassists in the country, and along with the other lads, also does vocals. He adds, " Our music derives from the American tradition of bluegrass, but our sound and storytelling is from Queensland."

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