.gif)
Bomba (band)
Encyclopedia
Bomba are an Australia
n funk
and reggae
band from Melbourne
. Led by Maltese-Australian Nicky Bomba
, they are renowned internationally for their "energetic live shows and passionate performances", although they are more popular at home. They have released four albums, the latest of which is Bomba Vs. Laroz. They also feature on the CD Stir Music
with the track "Hold Your Ground".
on guitar, theremin
, percussion and vocals; his brother Michael Caruana on keyboards
, percussion and vocals; Paul Coyle on trumpet
, trombone
, flugelhorn
, percussion and vocals; Dorian West on bass guitar, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitar, theremin, percussion and vocals; Pete Mitchell on tenor and baritone saxophone, guitar, percussion and vocals; and George Servanis on drums
, percussion and vocals. The group released Population in 2000. Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll
described the album as "delightfully eclectic, bridging the previously unrelated gap between reggae and big band music". Their second album, Solar Plexus, appeared on Transmitter Records in 2002. It was followed in 2005 by their third album, Learn to Breathe.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Led by Maltese-Australian Nicky Bomba
Nicky Bomba
Nicholas Caruana aka Nicky Bomba is an Australian musician and singer. He is the frontman of his band Bomba as well as the drummer and percussionist of John Butler Trio and has also performed with several other artists. He is also a solo artist.-Biography:Bomba's family migrated to Australia late...
, they are renowned internationally for their "energetic live shows and passionate performances", although they are more popular at home. They have released four albums, the latest of which is Bomba Vs. Laroz. They also feature on the CD Stir Music
Stir Music
Stir Music was founded in 1995 as a subsidiary of Prize Performance, Inc., a Connecticut based promotional marketing/fulfillment business owned by Robert Kowalski. Stir Music was established as a production and management company turned record label with the goal of promoting the music of Simon...
with the track "Hold Your Ground".
History
Bomba formed in 1999 in Melbourne, with Nicky BombaNicky Bomba
Nicholas Caruana aka Nicky Bomba is an Australian musician and singer. He is the frontman of his band Bomba as well as the drummer and percussionist of John Butler Trio and has also performed with several other artists. He is also a solo artist.-Biography:Bomba's family migrated to Australia late...
on guitar, theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
, percussion and vocals; his brother Michael Caruana on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussion and vocals; Paul Coyle on trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, percussion and vocals; Dorian West on bass guitar, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitar, theremin, percussion and vocals; Pete Mitchell on tenor and baritone saxophone, guitar, percussion and vocals; and George Servanis on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion and vocals. The group released Population in 2000. Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll
Ed Nimmervoll
Edward Francis "Ed" Nimmervoll is an Australian rock music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock magazines Go-Set and Juke both as a journalist and as an editor...
described the album as "delightfully eclectic, bridging the previously unrelated gap between reggae and big band music". Their second album, Solar Plexus, appeared on Transmitter Records in 2002. It was followed in 2005 by their third album, Learn to Breathe.
Touring
- In 2002 undertook national tour, 'Rocksteady Tour', with Joe CamilleriJoe CamilleriJoseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...
and George RrurrambuGeorge RrurrambuGeorge Burarrwanga , known in life as George Rrurrambu, was a Yolngu man from Elcho Island in Arnhem Land. He was an icon of Aboriginal rock music, and was most well known as the charismatic frontman of the Warumpi Band.... - In 2002 undertook European Tour (Holland, Germany, Malta) with George Rrurrambu including workshops and festival performances. (International Pathways Grant)
- Voted Best Band at Queenscliff Music FestivalQueenscliff Music FestivalQueenscliff Music Festival is a live music festival held in the town of Queenscliff, located on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. The festival began in 1997 and is held annually on the last weekend of November.- External links :* * *...
in 2003 - Performed on National Festival Circuit (Fairbridge FestivalFairbridge FestivalFairbridge Festival of World and Folk Music is Western Australia’s most popular family camping festival which takes place annually in April. It is a friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, self-contained bushland site at Fairbridge...
, East Coast Blues & Roots Music FestivalEast Coast Blues & Roots Music FestivalThe East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, Queenscliff Music FestivalQueenscliff Music FestivalQueenscliff Music Festival is a live music festival held in the town of Queenscliff, located on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. The festival began in 1997 and is held annually on the last weekend of November.- External links :* * *...
, Port Fairy Folk FestivalPort Fairy Folk FestivalThe Port Fairy Folk Festival is a popular annual four-day music festival based in the historic fishing village of Port Fairy in Victoria, Australia....
, Apollo Bay Music Festival, Woodford Folk FestivalWoodford Folk FestivalThe Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia....
, Spiegeltent, Adelaide Fringe FestivalAdelaide Fringe FestivalThe Adelaide Fringe Festival is an arts festival held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The event is the Southern Hemisphere's largest arts event and the second-largest fringe festival in the world, second in size only to the Edinburgh Fringe...
, Melbourne International Arts FestivalMelbourne International Arts FestivalMelbourne Festival is a celebration of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, outdoor and free events held for 17 days each October in a number of venues across Melbourne, Australia.-History:...
(along with Michael FrantiMichael FrantiMichael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
and Spearhead and Roachford), Kalgoolie, Falls FestivalFalls FestivalThe Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December... - Bomba songs appear on TV; NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, Home and AwayHome and AwayHome and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
and Secret Life of Us - Toured Nationally as support to John Butler TrioJohn Butler TrioThe John Butler Trio are an eclectic roots and jam band from Australia led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. They formed in Fremantle in 1998 with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass guitar...
- Opened the 2004 Adelaide Fringe Festival 2004
- In 2004 headlined the Apollo Bay Music Festival, Narooma Great Southern Blues and Rockabilly Festival and performed at the first official Reggae SunsplashReggae SunsplashReggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival...
in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... - National Australian tour to promote Learn to Breathe with Dereb as support
- Toured nationally in support of UB40UB40UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
- In 2005 the band performed at BluesfestEast Coast Blues & Roots Music FestivalThe East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
, Pyramid Rock FestivalPyramid Rock FestivalThe Pyramid Rock Festival is a New Year's Eve camp-out rock music festival at Pyramid Rock, Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.Beginning in 2004, it runs over two nights with two stages - the Main Stage, and the Pharaoh's Annex...
, Queenscliff Music Festival and Apollo Bay festival - Undertook a tour of the UK Tour with Dereb Desalegn including performance at WOMAD UK
- Performed at Federation SquareFederation SquareFederation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
on New Years Eve - Undertook a tour of New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
.. Kanaky Music exploration - Undertook national tour for TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
logging protest song "Hold Your Ground"
The band
Bomba contains 6 members. They are:- Nicky BombaNicky BombaNicholas Caruana aka Nicky Bomba is an Australian musician and singer. He is the frontman of his band Bomba as well as the drummer and percussionist of John Butler Trio and has also performed with several other artists. He is also a solo artist.-Biography:Bomba's family migrated to Australia late...
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, ThereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
, Percussion and vocals - Paul Coyle: TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, FlugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, percussion and vocals - Dorian West: Bass, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Guitar, Theremin, percussion and vocals
- Pete Mitchell: Tenor, Baritone Saxophone, Guitar, percussion and vocals
- George Servanis: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion and vocals - Michael Caruana: keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussion and vocals
Albums
- Population - Mushroom Music (BOMB04) (9 April 2000)
- Solar Plexus - Transmitter Records (TRFIG123) (1 February 2002)
- Learn to Breathe - Transmitter Records (TRCAQ777) (21 March 2005)
- Bomba Vs. Laroz - Transmitter Records (TRLAR7001) (4 September 2006)