Local band Ampersand has unveiled the date for their final single release, Talk Slow and poignant release party.
After four years, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast’s local funk family has spread their infectious brand of effortlessly improvised fusion across the globe.
They’ve saved the best for last with Talk Slow.
Ampersand’s reggae referencing, genre mixing product of a RADF grant and Yama Nui session is not slow at all.
The girls went back to the classics with this one; the lyrics telling the story of a girl playing hard to get when a guy asks her out at a bar, telling him to “talk slow” before he’ll get a chance.
Talk Slow pulls inspiration from classic reggae while melding those themes with Ampersand’s own smooth funk/pop fusion sound to make a musical tribute to their stylistic influences.
The lads went all out technically with Orlando’s funkiest drum work, Jarrod blending Rhodes, Upright and Organ and Jed’s most iconic bass riff… and Christian finally got his guitar solo.
After all this effort, the bittersweet truth is Talk Slow will be Ampersand’s final original release for the foreseeable future.
Acknowledging that, the Talk Slow launch party will be a celebration of the journey Ampersand has been on as a found family.
Hosted by The Presynct and featuring The Nouveau and Ella Joy on the lineup, doors will open at 7pm on the same day as the single release for an intimate and exuberant display of original music.
If that’s not reason enough to turn up, Thursday 23 January is the last time you can hear the classic Ampersand vocal duo live, as the show is also a farewell party for one of their singers.
Katie, one half of the dynamic vocal duo, will be moving to Sydney to pursue her performing arts career.
Isi, Orlando and Jarrod will carry on into 2025 with a renewed focus on gigs, reinvented sound and new team.
Ampersand intends to send Katie off in style and invites everyone to join them to celebrate the end of an era.
Co-written and arranged by the entire Ampersand team, Talk Slow features vocals, lyrics and melody by Katie Brown and Isi Semmler, keyboards and chords by Jarrod Tutbury, bass by Jed Green, drums and percussion by Orlando Hamilton-Craig and guitar by featured guest artist Doc Hamilton. Recorded, engineered and produced by Scott Mathison and Justin Tresidder at Yama Nui Studios and Mastered by Paul Blakey, this single’s recording was made possible by Noosa Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund.
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Noosa Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
Talk Slow will be available to stream on Spotify, iTunes and wherever you listen to your music from 12am Thursday 23 January.
Join Ampersand, The Nouveau and Ella Joy at The Presynct from 7pm Thursday 23 January. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. See The Presynct or Ampersand websites and socials.
Pre-save and song link: gyro.to/TalkSlow
Ticket link: tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/20f525a4-6294-4831-a1e2-6ba1c09bddf4
