The Truth (Australian band)
Encyclopedia
The Truth were a funk
band
from Melbourne
, Australia
, active from 1993 to 1997.
Their final lineup was Nicky Bomba
(drums
), Michael Caruana (keyboards
), Mick Girasole (bass
), Tony Kopa (vocals) and Geoff Wells (guitar
s).
around Melbourne, and from the songs "My Heavy Friend" and "Secrets" receiving airplay on radio station
, Triple J
.
Touring their self titled first album
, The Truth, produced by Jim Hilbun, the band had no traditional bass player. Bass lines were provided by Michael (funkmeister) Caruana on keyboards. For the band's second album Headspace, Girasole was added on bass and the band re-branded as simply Truth.
The band broke up toward the end of 1997.
Bomba went on to form the band Bomba
, for whom Caruana played keyboards, as well as joining the John Butler Trio for their upcoming album in 2009. Wells went on to play as a session musician
for Daryl Braithwaite
, Tina Arena
and John Farnham
. Farnham recorded
one of Wells' songs, "The Way" on his album 33. "The Way" was track 4 on The Truth.
Kopa is now a permanent fixture with Jon Stevens
when he plays his solo
shows. Kopa also appeared on Stevens' The Works album as part of the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series. He also appears on a semi-regular basis with Black Dogs
.
The Truth returned to the stage in 2003 for a one off gig at The Espy in St Kilda
.
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
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...
, Australia
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...
, active from 1993 to 1997.
Their final lineup was 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...
(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 ....
), Michael Caruana (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...
), Mick Girasole (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Tony Kopa (vocals) and Geoff Wells (guitar
Guitar
The 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...
s).
Biography
The band gained popularity through solid giggingConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
around Melbourne, and from the songs "My Heavy Friend" and "Secrets" receiving airplay on radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
.
Touring their self titled first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, The Truth, produced by Jim Hilbun, the band had no traditional bass player. Bass lines were provided by Michael (funkmeister) Caruana on keyboards. For the band's second album Headspace, Girasole was added on bass and the band re-branded as simply Truth.
The band broke up toward the end of 1997.
Bomba went on to form the band Bomba
Bomba (band)
Bomba are an Australian 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...
, for whom Caruana played keyboards, as well as joining the John Butler Trio for their upcoming album in 2009. Wells went on to play as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
for Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite is an Australian pop singer. Best known as the lead vocalist of Sherbet, Braithwaite has also sustained a successful solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including the No...
, Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
and John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
. Farnham recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
one of Wells' songs, "The Way" on his album 33. "The Way" was track 4 on The Truth.
Kopa is now a permanent fixture with Jon Stevens
Jon Stevens
Jon Stevens is a New Zealand-born singer of Maori descent, now an Australian citizen. Stevens is the brother of New Zealand Idol judge Frankie Stevens....
when he plays his solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
shows. Kopa also appeared on Stevens' The Works album as part of the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series. He also appears on a semi-regular basis with Black Dogs
Black Dogs
Black Dogs is a 1992 novel by the Booker Prize-winning British author Ian McEwan.-Summary:The novel concerns the aftermath of the Nazi era in Europe, and how the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s affected those who once saw Communism as a way forward for society...
.
The Truth returned to the stage in 2003 for a one off gig at The Espy in St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
.
Singles
- "Secrets" (1993)
- "My Heavy Friend" (1993)
- "Can't Help It" (1994)
- "Let's Stay Together" (1995)
- "Spirit Of Man" (1995)
- "Shine" (1997)