The Audreys are an Australian

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

band which formed in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

by founding mainstay, Taasha Coates on lead vocals,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

. They have released four studio albums, '' Between Last Night and Us'' (February 2006), '' When the Flood Comes'' (April 2008), '' Sometimes the Stars'' (October 2010) and '' 'Til My Tears Roll Away'' (March 2014). Founding guitarist, Tristan Goodall, died on 2 July 2022, aged 48, of an unspecified illness.

Biography

2004–2005: Foundation and early years

A precursor to the Audreys started in Melbourne as a duo consisting of lead singer Taasha Coates and guitarist Tristan Goodall. Goodall had been a member of a band, the Milk, in Adelaide, from the early to mid-1990s. The pair had met in 1997 as university students in

. After finishing tertiary studies they moved to Melbourne where the duo played original pop songs and slowed-down cover versions of 1980s songs. An impromptu

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

with a bluegrass band at a winery in the

Macedon Ranges The Macedon Ranges is a region in Central Victoria, known for its expansive native forests, vibrant arts scene, thriving food and wine industries (including weekly farmers' markets) and natural attractions such as Hanging Rock and Mount Macedon. It ...

, in mid-2003 inspired them to change direction from pop to folk and blues. The duo moved back to Adelaide, where they formed the Audreys in 2004 and first performed in June of that year. The original line-up had Coates on lead vocals,

and

, Cameron Goodall on guitar, bass guitar and backing vocals, his brother Tristan Goodall on guitar and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

and Michael Green (a.k.a. Mikey G) on

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

and backing vocals. The group self-released a five-track extended play, ''You & Steve McQueen'' in 2005. It provided the singles, "Oh Honey" and "You & Steve McQueen". Australian musicologist,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, described their sound, "a tuneful blend of alt-country and folk rock that had parallels with other roots rock acts" specifying fellow Australians,

the Waifs The Waifs (originally styled as The WAiFS) are an Australian folk rock band formed in 1992 by sisters Vikki Thorn (harmonica, guitar, vocals) and Donna Simpson (musician), Donna Simpson (guitar, vocals) as well as Josh Cunningham (guitar, vocal ...

Claire Bowditch Clare Bowditch (born 1975) is an Australian musician, actress, radio presenter and business entrepreneur. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Bowditch won the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist and was nominated for a Logie Award for her work on ...

Angus & Julia Stone Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian folk and indie pop group, formed in 2006 by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone. Angus & Julia Stone have released five studio albums: ''A Book Like This'' (2007), '' Down the Way'' (2010), '' Angus ...

and

Mama Kin "Mama Kin" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, which appears on their 1973 self-titled debut album. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler. It was a staple of Aerosmith concerts and appeared on several live albums. Mus ...

2006–2009: ''Between Last Night and Us'' & ''When the Flood Comes''

The band's debut album '' Between Last Night and Us'' was released in February 2006, and featured the singles "Banjo & Violin", "Oh Honey" and "You and Steve McQueen". At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2006 The 20th annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Presenters on the night includ ...

, ''Between Last Night And Us'' won the

ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Blues and Roots Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recor ...

, and its songs were used as the soundtrack for the 2007

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

TV series, ''

Rain Shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

''. Their second album, '' When the Flood Comes'', was released in April 2008, and at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2008 The 22nd annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) took place on 19 October 2008. The nominees for all categories were announced on 10 September, while the winners of ...

it won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album. The album featured the single "Paradise City". Tracks "Small Things" and "Lay Me Down" have been included on movie and television program soundtracks both in Australia and the USA. "Small Things" was used as soundtrack music in the November 2010 episode of ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'', when

Steph Scully Stephanie "Steph" Scully (also Hoyland) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Carla Bonner. She made her first screen appearance during the episode that was broadcast on 20 October 1999. Following Bonner ...

was sentenced to 6 years in jail for the death of

Ringo Brown Ringo Brown is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Sam Clark. Clark was given the role after he entered and won a '' Dolly'' magazine competition. He made his first screen appearance during the episode b ...

. "Small Things" was also featured in an episode of the US series ''

One Tree Hill (TV series) ''One Tree Hill'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB. After the series' third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW, and from Sept ...

''. The band have appeared at Australian festivals such as Bluesfest, WOMADelaide, Groovin' the Moo, Tamworth, Queenscliff Music Festival, Bass in the Grass, A Day on the Green,

Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...

, Red Hill Harvest Festival,

Port Fairy Port Fairy (historically known as Belfast) is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the S ...

Folk Festival, The Great Escape, The

East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...

, Southbound, Mossvale Music Festival, Great Southern Blues & Rockabilly Festival, The

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...

and the

leg of the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...

in 2007. They have also toured overseas, including shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.

2010–2015: ''Sometimes the Stars'' & ''Til My Tears Roll Away''

Following the departure of Cameron Goodall and Michael Green, Taasha Coates and Tristan Goodall continued as a duo and recorded their third album. The album included work from Tim Rogers, jazz pianist

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky (born 27 September 1958) is an Australian pianist and composer. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Papu ...

, members of

Tripod A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...

, and Michael Barker of the

John Butler Trio The John Butler Trio are an Australian roots/rock band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler, an APRA and ARIA-award-winning musician. They formed in Fremantle in 1998 with Jason McGann on drums, Gavin Shoesmith on bass and John Butler on vo ...

. The duo once again worked under the guidance of producer, engineer and friend Shane O'Mara. In October 2010 The Audreys released their third album, titled '' Sometimes the Stars'', which debuted at #28 on the ARIA charts. Following the release of the album, The Audreys toured throughout Australia in October, November and December 2010. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2011 The 25th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2011 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fi ...

, the group won their third ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Album. In March 2012, a 3CD box set called ''Collected'' was released, featuring the first three studio albums. The digital version included seven bonus tracks, including the song "Train Wreck Blues", which was released as a single. In March 2014, the group released their fourth album '' 'Til My Tears Roll Away'', which peaked at number 32 on the ARIA Charts. The album was preceded by the lead single "My Darlin' Girl" in January 2014. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2014 The 28th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2014 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

, the band were again nominated for Best Blues and Roots Album.

2016–present: solo work

In 2016, Taasha Coates released her first solo record ''Taasha Coates and her Melancholy Sweethearts'' through

ABC Music ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and produced by fellow Australian, producer Shane Nicholson. The first single and video for the album was "This House Is Gonna Burn", a song about domestic violence. Overall the record has a harder edge than most of the material Taasha penned in her band The Audreys, though the artistic and thematic through lines are quite clear. Songs from the album are featured prominently in the ABC miniseries ''Pulse''. Taasha lives in the Adelaide Hills with her two children. Tristan resided in Brisbane, and The Audreys still play often around Australia. On 16 September 2021, the band announced via their

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page that Tristan Goodall had "retired permanently from playing and touring" but that Coates had "created a new line-up to continue what we started" with his blessing, with more details to be announced subsequently. In July 2022 the Audreys announced via their Facebook page that Tristan Goodall had died on 2 July 2022, aged 48. He had been too ill to tour for the previous two years. Coates declared, "I have to say goodbye to my dearest friend, my musical soulmate, and my grief is almost unbearable."

Members

The band members are: * Taasha Coates –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Current touring members: * Tom Kneebone – Acoustic and electric

* Flik Freeman – bass * Beej Barker –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Previous members: * Tristan Goodall – Acoustic and electric

* Shane O'Mara – electric

* Rick Plant – bass * Ben Wiesner-

* Michael Green –

lap steel The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional a ...

* Toby Lang –

* Lyndon Gray –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, vocals * Cameron Goodall –

s, mandocello * David Ross MacDonald –

* Grant Cummerford – bass * Brett Canning – bass, vocals * John (Bedge) Bedggood- keys,

, vocals

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

EPs

Singles

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style=text-align:center; ! Title ! Year ! Album , - ! scope="row" , "Oh Honey" , rowspan="2" , 2005 , rowspan="2" , ''You and Steve McQueen'' , - ! scope="row" , "You and Steve McQueen" , - ! scope="row" , "Banjo and Violin" , rowspan="2" , 2006 , rowspan="2" , 'Between Last Night and Us'' , - ! scope="row" , "Don't Change" , - ! scope="row" , "Small Things" , rowspan="2" , 2008 , rowspan="2" , 'When the Flood Comes'' , - ! scope="row" , "Paradise City" , - ! scope="row" , "Trouble Somehow" , rowspan="2" , 2010 , rowspan="3" , ''Sometimes the Stars'' , - ! scope="row" , "Sometimes the Stars" , - ! scope="row" , "Lonesome Valley" , 2011 , - ! scope="row" , "Track Wreck Blues" , 2012 , ''Collected'' , - ! scope="row" , "My Darlin' Girl" , rowspan="2" , 2014 , rowspan="2" , Til My Tears Roll Away'' , - ! scope="row" , "Baby Are You There?" , -

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. The Audreys have been nominated for four awards and have won three. , - ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, '' Between Last Night and Us'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, '' When the Flood Comes'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, '' Sometimes the Stars'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, '' 'Til My Tears Roll Away'' , Best Blues & Roots Album , , -

Fowler's Live Music Awards

The Fowler's Live Music Awards took place from 2012 to 2014 to "recognise success and achievement over the past 12 months ndcelebrate the great diversity of original live music" in South Australia. Since 2015 they're known as the

South Australian Music Awards The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary mu ...

. , - , 2012 , Audreys , Best Acoustic Artist , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Audreys, The Musical groups from Adelaide Australian folk music groups ARIA Award winners Female-fronted musical groups Musical groups established in 2004