Neo-noir singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway has remained a true original ever since his early days with LA’s Wall Of Voodoo. Crafting an impressive and highly respected body of work in his solo career, Ridgway will play his first ever Australian shows this month, starting with the opening date of his tour at Sydney’s The Basement.
Raised in Los Angeles, Ridgway began his love affair with South-western gothic 30 years ago as frontman and co-founder of vanguard art-punks Wall of Voodoo, a band originally formed with the intention of scoring low-budget horror flicks. Wall of Voodoo’s first album Dark Continent sounded unlike anything else – merging film soundtrack music, electronics, western mythology and Ridgway’s highly stylized, cinematic narratives influenced by science fiction, film noir, and the ironies inside the American Dream.
The follow up, Ridgway’s last with the band, Call of the West produced a bona fide Australian Top 40 bona fide hit in “Mexican Radio”. Post breakup, Ridgway embarked on a popular solo career and continued melding his dark and twisted musical songwriting style with his interest in cinematic music styles resulting in comparisons to such iconic artists as Johnny Cash and Tom Waits.
A mad scientist of sound and vision, Ridgway has kept himself busy, releasing a staggering 12 albums including, most recently, Mr. Trouble, which has been described by Art Forum as “Probably the most compelling portrait of American social life to appear on a rock ‘n’ roll record since Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.”
Ridgway will be joined on his first Australian tour in over 15 years with long time cohorts Pietra Wexstun on keyboards, melodica and vocals, and Rick King on guitar, bass and vocals and Bruce Zelesnik on drums and percussion.
Expect a thoroughly entertaining evening with one of America’s greatest songwriters and storytellers as Ridgway draws on his impressive deep catalogue from his classic solo albums with songs such as ‘Camouflage’, ‘The Big Heat’, ‘Don’t Box Me In’ and ‘Drive She Said’ as well as seminal Wall of Voodoo favourites such as ‘Lost Weekend’, ‘Mexican Radio’, ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Call of the West’.
“World domination is not in my plans. I’m content to build my own little empire of the ants.” – Stan Ridgway
Stan Ridgway 2013 Australian Tour Dates
Proudly supported by Triple R, SPA and Noise11
Thu 16th – Sydney – Basement
Fri 17th – Sydney – Factory Theatre
Sat 18th – Melbourne – Corner Hotel
Sun 19th – Melbourne – Caravan Club
Tickets are only $49 + bf and are available from metropolistouring.com or the venues.
There are a limited number of VIP Meet and Greet Packages available for Factory Theatre and
Corner Hotel.
