A blues-rock outfit from Tasmania, The Sheyana Band possess a swagger direct from America's Deep South and the kind of musicianship you'd expect to find in a Mississippi Delta dive bar.
Led by London-born, Tasmanian-based singer-songwriter Sheyana (who brings her soulful Celtic/ Sri Lankan storyteller instincts to the band), The Sheyana Band have scored a number of national and international awards including the 2018 Chris Wilson Award for Emerging Act Of The Year from the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society.
They've also shared stages with the likes of Mark Seymour & The Undertow, Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks, Joe Camelleri & The Black Sorrows, Deborah Conway, Hoodoo Gurus, Neil Finn, Meg Mac, Superjesus, Mojo Juju, Gang Of Youths, Diesel, Renee Geyer, The Angels, Kevin Borich, Ian Moss, Bill Chambers and Fanny Lumsden – a resume that speaks for itself.
Joined by respected guitarist/ vocalist Wayne Rand, seasoned, rock solid bassist Dan Jeffrey, and the mighty Leigh Hill on drums and vocals, together The Sheyana Band deliver passion, powerhouse vocals and brilliant musicianship.
The title single of their 2023 EP 'Ricochet', the band recently travelled to Sri Lanka – where they have charted on radio station Yes FM (which principally plays contemporary hit music) in 2015 and 2023 – to film a music video for the song amongst a number of live shows in Colombo.
The song was originally inspired by the death of two close friends. "'Ricochet' is a tribute to our dear friends Rick Bindon and Anne Ponsonby, who lost their lives during COVID. "Both our mates were amazing artists and it's an honour to feature their artwork on our 'Ricochet' EP," Sheyana says.
"Inspiration for the name of the song 'Ricochet' came from my wild and wonderful friend Rick who used to call me Shey. We bounced off each other. His name was Rick and my name was Shey - 'ricochet'.
"I wanted to write a song in memory of Rick, who I shared some unforgettable memories with. So it was fitting that Dan, who had lost his close friend Anne, had come up with a really cool hook riff he described as 'Black Crowes meets Rolling Stones'.
"From the moment we heard it, the band loved it! We wrote the song over the phone, exchanging lines and riffs, and it wasn't long before 'Ricochet' had taken shape and grown into our epic theme song."
With country, southern rock tones oozing through the speakers, 'Ricochet' harkens back to that classic '70s rock & roll sound, the delicious groove wrapping itself around you as the searing guitar licks seal the deal as you boot-scootin boogie across the dance floor.
Today, scenestr is amped to premiere the 'Ricochet' music video, which was directed by Anil Balasuriya at Infinity Studios in Colombo (Sri Lanka). You better have your heel taps, pivots and grapevine moves ready.
"We flew into Sri Lanka straight into the eye of a heavy monsoon and it kept on raining," shares Sheyana. "We were invited to Colombo for a run of sold-out shows and to make a film clip during our Victory Lion tour [in 2024].
"Having done our fair share of performing and making film clips, we soon realised that in Sri Lanka, things were different, time was altered, air was humid, food was hot and everything was a beautiful mission.
"Travelling to and from the film shoot with guitars, gear and outfits onboard, without getting lost and wet was an adventure to say the least. Negotiating tuk tuks and speaking the Sri Lankan language was even more of a matter!
"Filming and performing the 'Ricochet' music clip in Sri Lanka in the hot, wet heat, with little understanding of the language was a real challenge for the band, being unacclimatised Tasmanians fresh from cool North West Tassie! We embraced it together! What a wonderful cultural experience!"
It's not the first time The Sheyana Band has collaborated with Anil Balasuriya. "Having worked with Sheyana before on similar projects, I was really looking forward to this time around mostly because this time we were shooting a video with the entire band," Anil says.
"Sheyana had sent me the single in advance and I really enjoyed listening to it, I have always been a big fan of Sheyana's writing. Also this time was extra special as we got the band down for a tour of Colombo where they had live gigs in a number of clubs, which were all sell out shows.
"The music went down amazingly well with the local crowds and it was a great experience having them here in Sri Lanka. When it came to the video, I wanted to keep it just a little bit raw, so we took them into this beautiful studio and shot the footage and I think it came out just perfectly! Great song, great video and special band."
The Sheyana Band play Penguin 150 Street Party Celebration (Tasmania) on 25 October, Rockin' By The River (Tasmania) on 15 February and Longley International Hotel (Hobart) on 22 March.
