Andy Abra has been playing Johnny Cash songs for as long as he can remember.

An accomplished guitarist and singer from the Hunter Valley in NSW, Andy has graced the stage with the likes of Bill Chambers, Kasey Chambers, William Crighton and Harry Hookey from one end of NSW to the other. His musical influences is a who’s who of the country, americana and folk world including Old Crow Medicine Show, John Prine, and of course Johnny Cash.

Andy has recently recorded an album of original tracks and 2022 is looking like being a big year for Andy Abra and the Big River Band! 

Hold on to your seats folks – it’s going to be a wild ride with The Majishans!   

This is the story of an almost famous band whose manager offers them a breakthrough gig in Nashville. All they have to do is get on a private plane, take off from a deserted airstrip at night, and fly to Nashville, Tennessee…. What follows is an epic journey of survival, loss and transformation.  

Nashville is an amazing performance that fuses storytelling with original music. It’s a rock odyssey inspired by Middle Eastern riffs, swampy Delta blues, trance and the kind of smoky, guitar-fuelled journeys of the Deep South.  

The Lairs concern themselves with roots music across a variety of genres, predominantly 50s rock and roll/rockabilly with a healthy dose of 40s swing and a considerable tip of the hat to Jamaican rock steady. They are passionate about real music, performed by real people, for other people (presumably real) to dance to.   

Dougie Bull (bass), Andrew Wallace (sax) Todd Johnston (snare/trouble) and Marty Burke (guitar) formed the band back in 2004 while holidaying in Ireland, where, horrified by the cost of their copious Guinness consumption, yet unable to stop, they put together a dynamic busking show and began working hard in order to stay on holidays.    

From there the band became an international touring act and, to be brief, much hi-jinks ensued…  

After a couple of years of enforced hiatus due to the members being geographically dispersed The Lairs are now all back in town and back in the rock and roll business. They’re doing a few select gigs about the place. They don’t make bands like this anymore; to miss them would be a grave error of judgement.