The Bondi Cigars: Get Down.

The Bondi Cigars launch Down In The Valley at The Healer on Thursday and the Villa Noosa Hotel on Saturday.

Roots ‘n’ R&B music isn’t perceived as being the most commercially viable of musical genres. Major labels are inclined to overlook such bands when building their artist rosters, and radio stations and venues favour a safer bet. Australian roots and R&B artists are at a further disadvantage, having to compete with established overseas acts signed to bigger labels, picked up by the majors in this country, achieving a distribution and promotion most local roots labels and independents couldn’t hope to emulate.

But in such an unpromising landscape there is one band that thrives despite the difficulties. The Bondi Cigars, playing a gorgeous amalgam of R&B, blues and roots music, somehow manage to play around 150 gigs a year. While other bands bemoan the lack of market, media support and gigs, The Bondi Cigars are out there creating market, generating media coverage and consequently filling gigs.

Part of the reason is that The Bondi Cigars have enjoyed a line-up stability, which has proved elusive to other bands. Founding members Shane Pacey (vocals and lead guitar) and Allan Britton (bass), until recently were joined by Eben Hale (guitar) and Andrew Vainauskas (drums). Andrew has just left to pursue greener pastures, being replaced by Frank Corby.

As Allan explains: “Andrew’s gone to uni this year and taking his place is a man called Frank Corby. Frank’s from Boston, Massachusetts and came out to Australia about ten years ago. He’s played with various bands here including the great Gangajang, he’s done a stint with them. He’s a feel player and also he’s pretty spontaneous. He goes with what’s happening on stage. He’s just a different player to Andy. Frank’s also a really easygoing guy, easy to get along with.”

The Bondi Cigars are on tour to launch the latest addition to their prodigious catalogue, Down In The Valley, a double live CD recorded at The Healer over two nights towards the end of last year. As well as material drawn from their previous studio releases there are a few tasty treats for fans.

“There were a few songs that hadn’t been recorded before, one of them being the Bob Dylan song that we do, Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright. Also versions of songs that we recorded but we didn’t have Eben and Andy playing on them.”

Mercy was the last studio album recorded by the Cigars and was released in 1998 to wide critical acclaim. Hopefully we should see them back in the studio before too much longer to record the new line-up.

Allan concurs: “We’ve got a bit of new material that we’ll be playing. We’ll probably be recording that material in a couple of months and try and get another album out before the end of the year.”