Biography

Andorra (formed in 2003) are Joel Beasant- lead singer, Greg Penkow- bass, Eric Bellingham- lead guitar, Steve Barrett-drums, & Matthew Campbell- keys.

The band is known for it's political activism through music, including the 'Rock the Block' festival in the Indigenous suburb of Redfern, Sydney, in May 2006, which assisted in the foundation of a children's dance studio.

Andorra have also organised 'Rock Against the Free Trade Agreement' show, in 2004, and other events promoting social action through music. lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/ imc-sydney-content/2004-August/001801.html

Television

Featured on Australian Broadcasting Service

Television Sydney

SBS- Special broadcasting Service Australia

Foxtel

Local and international airplay

Played in Argentina, Ireland, PNG, New Zealand and in Australia on JJJ, 2RRR, 3RRR, FBI Radio, 2SER, 2SSR, BluFM, 8CCC, 3CR, 2RRR, FBI, Gulf FM SA, Huon FM, i98FM etc

Podcasts

Including:

http://ratbagradio.blogspot.com/2006/03/blather-13.html

http://ratbagradio.blogspot.com/2006/03/blather-12.html

Discography

’06 Eat the Beets EP

’06 Baxter EP and DVD and video

’05 Live at The Cat Vol II (track)

‘04 Boom Boom/Bling Bling EP

’04 Morgue Age EP and video

‘03 One person per sun EP

Australian and international press

South Sydney Herald 05/06/06

Wave Magazine 01/06/06

Inner-City News 23/05/06

Brag Magazine 10/05/06

Metro (SMH) 05/05/06

Spectrum 04/05/06

Drum Media 02/05/06

Diario Andorra 20/04/06

Inner-City Courier 14/02/06

Performances 2006

‘Rock the Block’- Redfern;

Addison Rd Community Centre- Marrickville;

Cat & Fiddle;

Vic on the Park;

Harp Hotel;

Hopetoun;

Metro Theatre;

The Marquee;

Arncliffe;

Annandale Hotel

2005

Vic on the Park 2/11

Hopetoun 22/08

Harp 15/10

Cat & Fiddle 19/06

Harp 15/09

The Marquee 21/04

Metro 09/05

Arncliffe 15/04

Annandale 24/02

Quotes from other musos about the band

Kev Carmody: “ Andorra captures an original sound. Now more than ever music in this genre needs to be exposed to assist public awareness in this consumer, globalised context."
kevcarmody.com.au

Dave Graney: "Good on you for "Baxter". There is so much disengagement from these horrible events that are happening in our name.”
www.thedavegraneyshow.com

John Schumann- ex-Redgum sends us a "Best of luck with your project. It deserves to do well. Well done."
www.schumann.com.au/john/index.html

Peter Garrett- ex-Midnight Oil encourages us to "Go for it!"
www.petergarrett.com.au

The Herd: "Well done on a good coupla of songs."
elefanytraks.com.au

Sally Dastey: - ex Tiddas
“ Grouse and so rockin’.”
sallydastey.com.au

Diario Andorra 20/04/06

Dijous, 20 de abril de 2006



They have never stepped on Andorra but decided three years ago to baptize their rock group with the name of the Principality. Andorra The Band is an Australian group and their reason for picking the same was, at first, because ‘It sounded good’ and because the word is very familiar to many Australians, although they do not know that it is the name of a country. In addition, the word often leads to people thinking it means something else, according to Joel Beasant, leader of the group. "Often our band’s name is confused with Endora, the grandmother on Bewitched, or also with Angora, a type of rabbit, and, even with Endor, where the Ewoks lived in Return of the Jedi.
After baptizing the group with the name of Andorra, the restlessness was born to them to know more details the country. "For us, who we live on the largest island in the world, surrounded by 30,000 kilometres of the ocean, the idea of Andorra is a mystery", Beasant says. Between the information which they have been able to successfully obtain on the Principality they know there are a lot of Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. In addition, whenever the country is featured on the television, like at Eurovision, friends call them and say: "Eh, that you are in tele again" As far as its musical style, Andorra The Band performs a variety of styles between rock and pop. " Some people compare to us with The Doors, The Smiths and the Australian group Midnight Oil", says the leader the group. Andorra has been played widely on radio in Australia, as well as in Ireland and Argentina and now they are looking for the opportunity to come to Andorra , from whence they got their name.
JOAN A. GUERRERO

South Sydney Herald

Friday 16, June 2006.
South Sydney Herald

norrie mAy-welby (additions from Joel Beasant)

Again putting the lie to The Block being a hopeless place best knocked down (to allow lucrative development possibilities for rich corporations), the Rock The Block event held on Saturday May 6th was a resounding community success, enjoyed by local residents, visitors and those who came especially for the day. All afternoon, a large happy crowd of around seven hundred people enjoyed each others’ company on the space at The Block, the land owned by the Aboriginal Housing Company, with top quality live entertainment by locals and visitors,and films showing at the adjacent Redfern Community Centre.

Local identity Ningana was on hand to make sure everyone was hooked up, showing the volunteers where the bands were and so on,and had an impressive go at rap dancing and rapping. There were also impromptu performances by Bart Willoughby (of No Fixed Address), and Richard Green accompanied by children singing contemporary nursery rhymes in Aboriginal language. Everyone was upstaged by those kids, knee-high
to a grasshopper, twirling around upside down with the entire rap dance moves, then busting it deadly on the mike with some killer rhymes.

Other performers on the day included rock group Andorra (whose lead singer Joel was a main instigator and organiser of the day), Wire MC, Ozi Batla (from The Herd),eclectic folk act Shimmer, pop violinist Gisele Scales, Indigenous hip-hop artists Tribal Ashes and Munkimuk, Jesse Morris and the Project, local rock stalwarts The Urban Guerillas, and Melbourne act Combat Wombat, who were so inspired by the idea of Rock The Block that they’ve organised a tour of NSW as a result.

The event raised funds for a new dance studio for children at the Eloura Tony Mundine Gym. Mick Mundine, of the Aboriginal Housing Company, says the community is looking forward to another event in October, which will be a kids’day, featuring performances from children learning at the dance studio.

Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney Morning Herald FEEDBACK 07/05/06
ROCK THE BLOCK
James White
Rock the Block showed that it is possible to have 700 people on the lawn in Redfern's Block, black and white people of all walks sharing the afternoon sun and the open space. It had a fabulous line-up of great acts, organised by Andorra. Each brought a message of unity and celebration of the good in people - a welcome relief from the media obsession in finding villains and exposing evil this and evil that.

It works when you have music that relates to the issue of the day, especially when the issue is working together for the kids in Redfern.

James White

I Dream of Johnny

The band has also recently written the score and lead-singer, Joel Beasant, wrote and produced the musical 'I Dream of Johnny'.
The play is a riotous musical combining 60's psychedelia, Gilbert and Sullivan type songs, dance routines and guest appearances from mythical gods as it steers its protagonists- namely John Howard and Tony Abbott, towards retribution for their policies on refugees and industrial relations.

www.artshub.com.au/ahau1/news/news.asp?Id=86207

Relevent weblinks

http://www.smh.com.au/news/gig-reviews/rock-the-block/2006/05/05/1146335896305.html?page=2

ratbagradio.blogspot.com/2006/ 03/blather-13-joel-beasant-plus-satires.html

www.clickcaster.com/podcast/view/31495

workers.labor.net.au/292/news95_activ.html

thepodlounge.com/listfeed.php?feed=12532

www.mua.org.au/events/347_20051026.html

lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/ imc-sydney-content/2004-August/001815.html

lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/ imc-sydney-content/2004-August/001801.html

www.squatspace.com/blog/

www.nswrecon.com/news/ news_files/recweek_calendar2006.doc

www.ahc.org.au/news/news.html

www.podcast.net/show/75907

ratbagradio.blogspot.com/ 2006_03_01_ratbagradio_archive.html

www.podfeed.net/category_item.asp?id=4479

archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/ marxism/2006w09/msg00244.htm

www.podcastdirectory.com/search/ keyword.php?search=Art News&page=58 -

www.hotkey.net.au/~anakey/ Firstbreath/Launch/speechv.html

odeo.com/channel/33413/view

ratbagradio.forumsplace.com/ archive/o_t__t_14__the-blather-12.html

ilx.wh3rd.net/thread.php?msgid=3795346

www.sydney247.com.au/show_event.asp?event_id=12984

www.melbournestage.com.au/2006/03/

www.broadwayaustralia.com/oldernews.htm

2004

12 Sydney shows.
Two E.P’s.
Radio Australia-wide & internationally.
No.10 on MP3.com