Friday afternoon was buzzing with the excitement of the glorious weekend ahead, with most of us looking forward to kicking back and chillaxing after another crappy work week. Luckily, the Casual Projects Album Launch at ANU was set to kick off at 8pm, and would prove a perfect opportunity to boogie and shake off the stress. The ingredients for a good night were as follows: Add the Andi and George Band and local duo D’Opus and Roshambo to fellow Canberra residents Casual Projects. Mix well and blend with strings, horns and soulful vocals, compliment with a dash of reggae and African funk and top off with hip hop. Voila; we have a top night in store, all care of talent a la ACT.
The Andi and George band – with its colossal 13 members – offered an eclectic mix of African, funk, soul, reggae and samba (just to name a few!) to its delighted audience who couldn’t help but tap their feet and get down to the irresistible vibe. That many people on one stage normally spells disaster, if not just some space issues, but each and every instrument was justified in its own right, individually and as a unified sound. Their vibe is contagious and insatiable, they simply make you want to get down and party! D’opus and Roshambo gave their usual tight set, with the talented scratchings of D’opus providing the backdrop for Ro’s precise lyrical delivery. A particular favourite included a sample from Mario Bros… best game ever! They served to amp up the audience beautifully in preparation for the Casual Projects set, which certainly was the highlight of the evening.
The lads have been together for several years now, and are currently enjoying some well deserved air play with their track ‘Move Along’. The new album comes off the back of their film clip for this track, and the Projects train does not show any signs of slowing. Their feel gets people bouncing and sure as hell doesn’t fit into the boring category by any means – there is just enough consistency to make for a settled and well paced set, but enough variety to keep listeners enthralled. Here’s hoping their new album is as much of a hit nationally as it is with their local fans.
The main thing that is worth noting here, and I’ve said it before (and I’ll say it again), is that this is straight up unadulterated LOCAL talent. And I’m pretty sure that people are starting to recognise that there is plenty more where that came from. I can only urge people to get out as much as you can and support this talent, for us as well as the musicians have much to gain from this process. The three acts that performed over the night each brought something totally different to the table, but the one thing they all have in common is their passion for music, a commitment to their local scene, and most importantly respect and love for the fans. Hopefully, this process is only just gaining momentum. From what I’ve seen of late, the only way is up from here on.
