New Album: Island Vibration
Release Date: February 2011
Isaac / Universal Music
House of Shem hail from Aotearoa, New Zealand and like many legendary reggae groups this band is built around the classic harmony trio format. At the helm is Carl Perkins, a man with over thirty years experience writing and playing reggae music. As a former member of “‘AOTEAROA REGGAE BAND’ ”DREAD” HERBS” MANA” and “THE TWELVE TRIBES BAND NZ” amongst others, Carl’s musical credentials are impeccable.
Joining Carl up front are two of his sons, Te Omeka and Isaiah, who not only provide harmonies, and play keyboards, are both lead vocalist, writers and composers in their own right, It is this blood link and Whanau “family” bond that renders the sound of their combined voices as something really extraordinary. Each of the three has their own distinct song writing style and voice, effectively giving the band three different lead singers. The harmonies are sublime and the precision of their ensemble performance is phenomenal. For their new album Island Vibration, up and coming artist, Karl Thomas also joins the Perkins Whanau“family” with his song writing at the same time providing another unique voice for the band.
Credit must also go to the rhythm section – certainly one of the tightest you are ever likely to hear down in the South Pacific, with Kaya Webster who is a “one-drop” prodigy, having played drums for the Twelve Tribes of Israel Band NZ from the age of 8yrs old, and from Porirua on bass guitar comes Alma Rei, a reggae veteran from the 70”s who hails from one of the 1st reggae bands in Aotearoa NZ “CHAOS”. Rounding out the sound of the eight-piece powerhouse is the exceptionally gifted guitarist Roy Venkataraman – a seasoned veteran himself who toured and played with The Wailers band for a number of years.
The long awaited second album “Island Vibration” recorded in 2010 at Auckland’s Roundhead studios. The band enlisted the engineering expertise of longtime friend of the Perkins Whanau the Legendary Errol Brown who is renowned for recording and mixed albums with Bob Marley & The Wailers, Rita Marley, Burning Spear, Third World and many more. The album was then mixed at Bob Marley’s own Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica by Errol Brown. The guest artists on the new album are: Spencer Fusimalohi a founding member of the first Aotearoa NZ Polynesian reggae band “HERBS”. Spencer plays lead guitar one of the tracks “Island Vibration”, he will also be joining the band on their album release tour. Koro Ben Tawhiti, a well respected Maori entertainer plays steel guitar also on the track “Island Vibration”. Mr. Peihana Tahapehi, a longtime friend and multi-instrumentalist, play’s lead guitar on tracks “Move along together” & “Not gonna Run“. Ruia Aperahama one of Aotearoa’s most talented Morehu artists, a te reo Maori song writer, composer, entertainer, musician , features strongly on the te reo Maori track “Tahuri mai Ra” Ruia also plays saxophone on “Brighter Day” and will continue to feature on tour and in the studio with House of Shem.
To date, four House of Shem songs have featured on the best-selling Conscious Roots compilations (with combined sales in excess of 30,000 units) and in May of 2008 their debut album, Keep Rising was released. The album was an exceptionally strong opening statement from the group and with each of the family members splitting the composition credits evenly it neatly demonstrates the bands musical range and diversity of styles.
Over the last couple of years the band has extensively toured New Zealand and abroad, including Ragamuffin Australia 2010 playing alongside STEEL PULSE, LAUREN HILL, SLY & ROBBIE, Shaggy and more. They have become a regular fixture at annual NZ festivals such as Ragamuffin, Soundsplash, Parihaka Peace Festival, One Love, Parachute Fest, Tribal Pride, Rhythm & Vines, Nga Puhi fest, Phat 08, Big Day Out. They are in high demand in New Caledonia, The Pacific Islands and Australia thus becoming regular tour destinations, they have also forged a loyal fan base not just in the main centers, but also in the smaller rural communities.
April 2009 saw their debut album Keep Rising distributed via Shock in Australia, The Pacific and Hawaii.
The House of Shem live experience is an unforgettable occasion – a rare mixture of power and beauty. This band’s incredible tightness, heavenly harmonies, conscious lyrics and blend of traditional and contemporary reggae styles will leave you spellbound.
For more information, please contact:
Matt Offord - Matt@isaacpromotions.com
PH: (09) 360 0270 / 021 244 2627