About to start the nationwide ‘Skippin Stones’ tour in support of the single of the same name, Charles Wall — aka Bobby Alu — is treating audiences to island soul, Afro rhythms and smooth melodies.
The fun-loving party track waxes nostalgic memories of long summer days gone-by as Bobby delivers coastal vibe goods. ‘Skippin Stones’ is just one of many breezy tunes featured on Bobby’s last album, ‘Take It Slow’, that peaked at#2 on the iTunes Australian World Music charts. The single has since been re-released on 7” vinyl, much to Bobby’s delight. “I love it,” he says. “I just love the sound. I get a kick out of vintage styles and vibes. Everything’s so quick and technology driven these days, it’s good to hear some old school sounds.”
In the second half of last year Bobby was busy playing and recording drums for co-collaborator Xavier Rudd, completing tours in both Australia and North America. “It [was] so different. There are similar things like preshow and post show, but Xav has been such a big part of the Australian roots music scene for the last decade, which has spread internationally through to America and Europe, and just recently South Africa where he sold out 5,000 capacity venues. The word spread.”
After that tour, Byron Bay became a sanctuary for the soulful singer. “It's a great relaxing place and the move came at the right time. After the world tour with Xav I went on an Australian tour with my band so it was a good seven, eight months of moving around which took its toll. Then I moved to Byron and took some time off to dig with the whole summer vibe,” he says.
Showcasing his deft handling of songwriting and multi-instrumentation, the stage-hungry singer, along with his band, is bringing groovy back. “Everything just made sense with this new tour. The song was called ‘Skippin Stones’ and we're pretty much like a skipping stone through the states. Last week we were in the hills, then we flew to Manly in Sydney, then back to Byron and now I'm in Melbourne rehearsing for a show tonight and tomorrow, and then I'm off to WA next Thursday.”
Written by Sam Allen-Ankins
Bobby Alu performs with Xavier Rudd:
Fri Mar 14 + Sun Mar 16 — Blue Mountains Folk Festival, NSW
Sat Mar 15 — The Melbourne Zoo Twilight Series
Skippin Stones tour dates:
Fri Feb 21 - Mojos Bar, Fremantle
Sat Feb 22 - Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, WA
Sun Feb 23 - Clancy's Fish Pub, Dunsborough, WA
Thu Feb 27 - Prince of Wales Hotel, Bunbury, WA
Fri Feb 28 - Indi Bar, Scarborough, WA
Sat Mar 1 & Sun Mar 2 - Nannup Festival, Nannup, WA
Sat Mar 8 & Sun Mar 9 - Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy, VIC
Fri Mar 28 - The Joynt, South Brisbane, QLD
Sat Mar 29 - The Sol Bar, Maroochydore, QLD
