Sforzando (band)
Encyclopedia
Sforzando are a band from Melbourne, Australia
who describe themselves as a "8-piece pirate orchestra" (fans usually refer to them simply as a "pirate band"). Their musical style combines elements of punk
, Western Europe
an folk music
and sea shanties
to create "a soundscape for the ocean", and there is notable Irish and Balkan influences on their sound. Current line-up of the band is:
Sforzando is a word used in musical notation to indicate that the following note should be played loudly, and the band chose this name to match their loud, frenetic punk rock style. (For more on sforzando and other musical terms, see Dynamics (music)
.)
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...
who describe themselves as a "8-piece pirate orchestra" (fans usually refer to them simply as a "pirate band"). Their musical style combines elements of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and sea shanties
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
to create "a soundscape for the ocean", and there is notable Irish and Balkan influences on their sound. Current line-up of the band is:
- Quincy Hall (vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) - Raju Sharma (percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
) - Scott Jansen (violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
) - Paul Tierney (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 ....
) - Dave O'Reilly (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...
) - Ben Tarpey (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Sharon Ryan (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...
) - Wez Rowe (keyboards), (accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
)
Sforzando is a word used in musical notation to indicate that the following note should be played loudly, and the band chose this name to match their loud, frenetic punk rock style. (For more on sforzando and other musical terms, see Dynamics (music)
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
.)
Discography
- We Sail Away (Mabuhay Records, 1997)
- Midnight at the Lighthouse (πR8, 1999; live at Port Fairy Folk Festival)
- Hideous Sea Creatures (Sound Vault, 2004)
- SFZ.ep (Sforzando, 2005)