australia – EllaThought

Band: Tim Wheatley & @CrookedSaint

Today on The Spotlight, we have Australian artist Tim Wheatley! Born in Melbourne, Australia, he grew up in a family that was involved in music in one way or another. “My old man was a musician, and there was never a shortage of instruments lying around the house to kill some time on,” Tim said. Growing up in Australia, he always thought that the music had “quite a unique sound.” “Why that is I’m not exactly certain,” Tim said. “But I think it has a lot to do with the tyranny of distance. We take the music from places like the US and other parts of the world and put our own spin on it.”

Band: @Villainettes

Written by Brittany Shawnté

More spotlights to come as we end the summer (is it me or has Summer 2014 FLOWN by?)! Today on The Spotlight, we have Villainettes, hailing from Melbourne, Australia (one of my favorite places in the world, for good reason! Check out my somewhat embarrassing yet fun blog on my experience a few years back).

The band recently came together in 2013, said to be born “amidst the ashes of three totally diverse bands.” Through friendships and professional connections, Villainettes were born! Vocalist and guitarist Michael Lindquist had begun to write, focused on some of his own personal life events, which helped to shape the band and their sound.

Australian Pop/Rock Artist: @TravisMusic

Written by Brittany Shawnté

I absolutely love how many international artists I have had the opportunity to feature on The Spotlight this year! It’s always cool to feature people outside of the U.S. to give you all a little taste of what the outside world really has to offer. It’s also allowed me to talk with a lot of awesome people! Getting back into the swing of things after all of these vacations and whatnot, so I have even more in the works!

Today, we have Australian pop/rock artistTravis Caudle! Travis admitted that he fell in love with music at a really young age. “Dad was always into stereo systems in a big way and buying the latest records and Mum plays piano, so it was always around,” he said, even recalling his first concert experience at the toddler level! “I clearly remember being at a Neil Diamond concert in Perth, Western Australia where I’m from, when I was two or three and wondering why he had red, green and blue hair (the lights!!!). Mum and Dad must not have been able to find a babysitter that night!” he joked.