SOL NATION
Biography
Take a large melting pot, fill half way with Reggae, add a dash of East
Timorese folk song, a punch of Cuban Salsa, a sprinkle of Latin dance, 3
parts Afro-Beat, 2 parts tropical island rhythm, a sprinkle of Brazilian Samba,
fill with funk and stir!
Infectious rhythm, worldly lyrics and impassioned musicianship are just the
beginning for any Sol Nation performance. From Lisbon to Cairns, Dili to Port
Louis, Sol Nation draws upon a wealth of international musical culture to
bring you a melting pot of reggae, samba, funk, salsa, East Timorese
folksong and African dance music.
Sol Nation is the product of Melbourne’s communal musical scene – at its
heart lies the reggae experience of Paulo Almeida (The Dili Allstars), the rock
charisma of Colin Badger (Painters and Dockers), and the fiery ardor of
songstress Deline Briscoe (The Briscoe Sisters). East Timorese vocalist
Almeida is the voice of Sol Nation, soaring and weaving through the music in
a mixture of English, Portuguese and Tetum, a product of his life experience
living in several different countries during his homeland’s occupation by
Indonesia. “The band is more than the sum of its parts, though,” says
Almeida. “It’s about having a good time, having a dance, and enjoying the
global mixture of music that we’ve found here in Melbourne.”
After the EP was snapped up by MGM (Planet company) label, Sol Nation
took to the stage at many festivals around the country including the St Kilda
Festival, Reggaetown Festival (Cairns), the Sydney Road Street Party, the
Canberra Multicultural festival, the Australasian World Music Expo, Woodford
Folk fest not to mention near-constant tours of NSW, QLD, SA and Victoria,
gaining numerous fans wherever they went. Sol Nation also had the pleasure
of bringing in the New Year on the floating stage at Darling Harbour, as well
as returning to help celebrate Australia Day in 2011.
Also in December 2011 the band was invited to tour Noumea (New
Caledonia) as part of the Esprit Live concerts where they launched their
single ‘Every Reason’. All combined, Sol Nation has created one of the most
exuberant, colorful, intoxicating and exciting live shows in Australia.
Enjoy the Sol!