MEDIA RELEASE Monday, 20 August 2012 For immediate release Oz Island finds Better Life with Too Solid release WITH the heritage of some of Australia’s most recognised musicians, Oz Island is set to find a Better Life with the release of its debut album next month. With mentors and family lineage including Saltwater Band and Mark Bin Baker (Mary G), the north Australian men making up Oz Island are taking their music to the world in a reggae message. Already having shared the stage with the likes of Christine Anu, Troy Cassar-Daley and Last Kinection, the band is on the precipice of greatness. Ranging in age between 30 and 19, each Oz Island member is a trained musician through Abmusic either having graduated from or finishing a Diploma in Music. Shy front man Japeth James has family from Maningrida and across Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, including sharing blood with members of the Saltwater Band, which launched Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s solo career. He has the same quiet manner as his famous family, until you get him in front of a microphone where his seductive and smooth voice comes alive. Guitarist, Fabian Cox started honing his skills as a boy, watching his dad and Mark Bin Baker (aka Mary G) in their band in the suburbs of Perth in the 90s. “Being chosen for the TOO SOLID recording deal has made been a huge step up for us in our careers and our confidence in our music,” 30-year-old Fabian said. “We love our reggae, the music is so upbeat that you can’t help but have hope, which is why I think it is popular in many communities. “We put our own spin on Australian reggae; we see our music as saltwater reggae, so it’s more Pacific Island style than ska or desert reggae. With songs like the title track of the album, Better Life; a prayer for a better life, to Perfect Love that pays tribute to the heady effects of falling in love and the language track, Gorrngunya (pronounced gord-a-neen-yah), that makes a statement on the debilitating effects of marijuana on men, this is an album that really flows. Fabian grew up in Perth but his family is from Beagle Bay and right across the Kimberley like his nephew, Geoffrey James who travelled from the north of Western Australia to Perth for music study. Geoffrey James grew up influenced by the likes of local indigenous bands like Scrap Metal, Footprince and Silhouette. His family say he was so keen to play music as a child that he would practice guitar in his grandmother’s closet. He formed his first band when he was 14 and has been playing in groups since. The boys founded Oz Island at Abmusic College in Perth where they found a common interest in making music and song writing. While there was country music in the blood as well, reggae was the favoured style for all of them. Each of the band members grew up around reggae and list the likes of iconic Kimberley power rock/reggae band Footprince, South Africa’s Lucky Dube (pronounced doo-beh), and England’s Steel Pulse as influences. The album will be distributed by MGM and Skinnyfish as the second annual TOO SOLID Records Indigenous Album, following Deadly-Award-nominated recipient, John Bennett, in 2011. Award-winning singer/songwriter John Bennett has enjoyed a swag of awards and nominations since receiving the recording deal last year, putting the label on the map as one to watch for the next “big” thing. Oz Island’s debut album, Better Life, will be released nationally on iTunes and in stores on Monday, 8 October 2012. Ends… PHOTO CAPTION: Oz Island band members (from left) Fabian Cox, Japeth James, Patrick Laurel and Geoffrey James are ready for the release of their debut reggae album Better Life on 8 October. For more information and interviews: Emily Murphy Publicist Oz Island [email protected] 0438 866 020 Background links: http://www.abmusic.org.au/ http://www.toosolid.com.au/too-solid-records_1.html Twitter: @Oz_Island MySpace Reverbnation Website: www.ozisland.com.au Facebook .