Category: Sheppard

New Music Video: Sheppard ‘Smile’


Brisbane’s Sheppard are closing the year with a big Smile, having last week entered the US Billboard Hot 100 for the very first time just a week after collecting the ARIA for Best Group and being presented with quintuple platinum awards for their smash hit “Geronimo”. The band were also nominated for Best New Artist Breakthrough 2015 from influential US radio network SiriusXM, yet another indicator of their position on the edge of breaking through in a big way in the world’s biggest music market. 

To celebrate the end of a whirlwind 2014, the band is giving Australian fans the gift of their brand new video for their latest single “Smile”. Produced by Sydney production company The Precinct, the video takes in the journey of the band lost at sea with Amy discovering the man of her dreams and his crabs, Emma discovering her violent side and George competing with a toucan as most wooden actor. 


This year saw Sheppard spend seven weeks atop the ARIA singles chart, a performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and chart placements around the world including top 10 in Ireland, #1 in Italy, #3 in Austria, and #4 in Poland and top five in New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia and The Philippines. The band racked up over 700,000 Spotify plays per week and toured over fifteen countries including sold out hometown shows here at home.


What will 2015 bring?

New Music: Sheppard ‘Geronimo’

Brisbane band Sheppard are proud to announce their signing with historic British record label Decca Records (backed by Universal Music worldwide) – the original home of international icons such as The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones. 

The first Australian band ever to sign with Decca (which was founded in 1929), Sheppard are heading to North America next week to finalise the worldwide release of the new single “Geronimo” which is impacting radio around Australia now and debuted this week at #31 on iTunes. 

“The sense of history we feel being the first Australian band with a label like Decca with such a long and important tradition is really amazing,” said vocalistGeorge Sheppard, “The way we’ve been embraced by the Australian public over the last year has been fantastic and it feels that while this news is a culmination of many years of hard work, it really is the start for us.” 

The band will remain independent in Australia, (with Empire of Song / Chugg Music continuing to handle their releases) with Decca taking the reigns for the rest of the world.  Sheppard’s breakthrough single ‘Let Me Down Easy’ was one of 2013’s biggest local radio hits (Top 10 most played Australian single nationwide), selling near-double platinum figures since its release.  The band are looking forward to history repeating with latest single ‘Geronimo’; 


“Geronimo has already had so much great feedback from overseas,” saidGeorge Sheppard. “It is great to see radio jumping on board again here at home. It means so much to us that people are enjoying what we do.” 

In its first week at Australian radio, ‘Geronimo’ was added to programming on ten major stations, earning a place as #10 most added track at radio in Australia w/c March 17. 

On top of three upcoming US appearances in Portland, San Francisco andLos Angeles, Sheppard will also appear at MUSEXPO and the Worldwide Radio Summit in Los Angeles in April. The band will return to Australia in mid-April to support Michael Franti at his Sydney and Melbourne shows.

Exclusive Special Interview: Sheppard

theaussieword.com goes one on one with Amy Sheppard from Sheppard!

What can you tell our readers about you? How and where did it all begin? 
The Sheppard story actually begins in Papua New Guinea in the 90s! Long story short, 3 of us are siblings and we grew up in Port Moresby, PNG. I wanted to be a musician from a very young age and began singing and writing songs with our music teacher Buruka Tau. By the time I finished school, I was full steam ahead with my performing and writing. I wrote a song which called for a male vocal/harmony so I asked my brother George to record the parts. Since then, we have been writing, recording and performing with fellow members Emma Sheppard, Jay Bovino, Michael Butler and Dean Gordon.
 
What had you first interested in music? 
I think it was when I first found my dad’s old guitar in the storage room! I just thought it was the coolest thing. As the shy kid, music quickly became a way to express myself and stand out from the crowd. It felt special and confidence eventually followed. 


Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music? 
My biggest influence is Fleetwood Mac. Their harmonies just ooze into your soul. I’m also obsessed with the band “America”. I love music of legends, I mean, it’s timeless for a reason! We all have our own influences though, George’s being Coldplay and Jay’s being Elliot Smith. Ultimately, our influences mash together and form “Sheppard” sounding songs!  
Do you have any planned tours coming up?
We are planning to tour most of this year! We hope to make it back over to the USA, maybe New Zealand and definitely some charity shows in PNG. We will also be flying over to Bangkok to play the festival “Sonic Bang” with some big name artists. 

What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
Our biggest goal is to have a lasting career in music! We want our fans to continue to have access to our songs and live performances.

What can fans expect from you in the coming months?
A ton of shows, new music and more fun! We are also lucky enough to be featured in a Hollywood slasher called “Old 37”. We are the band in the party scene and they are using 4 of our tracks! It will be released later this year! 


Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far? 
It’s not secret that you have to put in hard work to be successful but you also have to be a good person! Nobody wants to work with someone with a bug head. Stay grounded, work hard, have fun! We have been fortunate enough to experience some very special moments some highlights which spring to mind include: Landing Chugg Entertainment as management, a world tour, appearance on Channel 9’s “Mornings”, PNG charity shows,  hitting #1 in the Aus Top 20.

Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Stevie Nicks, Chris Martin, Gotye, John Mayer! All the greats, musicians who have really pushed the boundaries and become legends for it. 

How would you best describe you and your music to your fans?
 It’s a bit like a beach party! I think growing up in PNG had an influence on us. Apparently we have “pacific harmonies”. We just want to incorporate a sense of fun with music which is genuine. 

What can you tell us about your latest album?Are there any new exciting projects in the works?
 Our latest release was our debut, self titled EP. The songs on the EP have a common theme of “Picking yourself up and dusting yourself off”. The songs often have somber lyrics which are contrasted with energetic, fun music. We are hoping to release another EP in the latter half of the year with some fresh hits! We hope to do another video clip or two as well! 

The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
We would be so grateful to have a lasting career in performing. In a few years we plan to have a solid fan base in Australia and overseas. We hope to continue writing and performing around the world, reppin’ Australia all the way!

Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
We are so lucky in Australia to have some incredible artists! Aussies know their music! Some of Sheppard’s favourites include: Birds of Tokyo, Lisa Mitchell, The Temper Trap, Gotye, Tame impala .All the good stuff!


The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye? 

At the moment we are feeling super lucky to be in the position we are. It’s a tough industry and we are ever so grateful for the opportunities we have been given. Social media is such a useful tool in reaching out to fans and sharing music. I love how anyone, anywhere has the ability to upload a song to social media and connect with fans or their favourite musician. We always try to reply to all our fans and its awesome having that one on one connection! 

Thank you for the interview! What can you leave fans of theaussieword.com with here today?
Thank you!! Be sure to head to our social media outlets to say hi!! We would love to chat! 

Website: www.wearesheppard.com
Facebook: facebook.com/wearesheppard 
Twitter: @wearesheppard 
Instagram: @wearesheppard

New Music: Sheppard ‘Let Me Down Easy’

CAUTION: Very catchy tune.
Brisbane pop 6-piece, Sheppard, have become one of 2013s breakout radio acts with sing-a-long hit “Let Me Down Easy” igniting airwaves around the country and are pleased to unveil a new video for the track. The band takes their song on the road this month with a string of shows.

Sheppard features siblings Amy, George and Emma Sheppard along with friends Jay Bovino, Michael Butler and Dean Gordon, together creating a unique mix of party atmosphere and good-time melody that is taking Australia by storm.

2012 saw the band on the road both at home and in the UK, USA, The Phillipines, South Africa, and even India where they played the NH7 Weekend festival in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Sheppard’s hit single, Let Me Down Easy debuted in the Australian top 50, becoming one of the biggest independent hits on Australian radio this decade, with adds across the Nova and Austereo networks. This follows on from the radio success story of the band in the USA, where they’ve had over 750 spins on commercial radio and cracking the top 100 on the CMJ charts. On their most recent US tour they sold out Crystal Ballroom (1500cap) in Portland, where the song was #1 most requested on Portland’s KNRK 94.7.

Sheppard have a series of local Australian shows from April to June, including a single tour for Let Me Down Easy and a Rock The Schools before they plan to once again grace overseas shores in the second half of 2013.

LET ME DOWN EASY TOUR

May 16: Yours and Owls- Wollongong NSW
May 17: Spectrum- Sydney NSW
May 18: The Beresford- Sydney NSW
May 22: Transit Bar- Canberra ACT
May 30: Golden Vine- Bendigo VIC
May 31: Karova Lounge- Ballarat VIC
June 1: Prince Bandroom – Melbourne VIC
June 6: Ding Dong Lounge- Melbourne VIC