Will Kepa

R&B/Reggae /Acoustic Solo

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Will Kepa is a Torres Strait Islander multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and producer based in Cairns, Far North Queensland and has been on the professional music scene for the past decade. After learning to play the guitar in 1998, he enrolled in the Indigenous Music Program at the local TAFE College in 2000. Graduating a few years later with a Diploma in Music, Will has become one of the most sought after musicians in the area, as well as interstate.

Will has performed with the likes of Johnos Blues Band, Phil Emmanuel, One Drop Reggae, the Briscoe Sisters, Wilma Reading, David Hudson, Kamerunga, Tribe Of Jubal, and Seaman Dan on a regular basis. His skills have taken him to many of the major festivals around the country, such as the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, The Dreaming Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, The National Folk Festival, The Fairbridge Festival of World and Folk Music, Bellingen Global Carnival, Womadelaide Sounds of the Planet, on more than one occasion, and also, many smaller festivals such as Mackay Global Groove Carnival, Maldon Folk Festival, Wintermoon Festival and more. Aside from all those performances, he has also had the opportunity to perform at the Cairns Ukulele Festival with Los Angeles based, Grammy Award winning artist Daniel Ho, and YouTube born, ukulele star Jason Arimoto. He is currently touring with Cairns based, folk-twist band Kamerunga and will be performing at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, in July 2011. He has also toured internationally with the Torres Strait Dance and Cultural Group Ariw Poenipan in American Samoa for the Festival of Pacific Arts, and also for special shows for the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii (Manoa), and toured with Tribe Of Jubal to Papua New Guinea.

Wills professional career also involves audio engineering and he has worked at the Womadelaide Festival, Festival Melbourne during the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Will also works for a local production company, which has him working as a Sound Engineer at regular festivals throughout the year. These have included the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival, Wallaby Creek Festival, Yungaburra/Tablelands Folk Festival, Undara Country Rock and Blues, Opera in the Outback, ReggaeTown World Music Festival, Cairns Buskers Festival, and many more events in and around Cairns.

Having the required musical and audio engineering skills and also vital knowledge about the music industry, Will has also been able to assume the role of a dance coordinator. He has been contracted by Arts Queensland for three years for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) and he has also toured with the Badu Island Aibai Dancers to the Australasian World Music Expo (AWME) in Melbourne. As well he is also the manager of the Kulkal Baba Saibai Island Dancers, presenting their show at CIAF 2009 and AWME 2010.

Will has also provided assistance and consultation to the Reggae Town World Music Festival organizers and directors, and for many other local festivals. But it is his skills in the recording studio that have kept Will very busy over the past few years, as a session musician, music director, audio engineer and producer. Will has played on a countless number of albums, EPs, radio and TV commercials, and film scores and documentaries, as a drummer, percussionist, bassist, guitarist, pianist and backing vocalist, as well as writing and arranging music for a particular brief.

Will has produced and co-produced many albums including: Zennith Boyz, Patrick Levi, Cygnet Repu, Seaman Dan and Arts Queenslands Listen Up emerging artists compilation CD. He has also been involved extensively with an audit of Torres Strait Islander music and dance, a recording and filming project spanning the past 5 years. CDs/DVDs have been produced for 6 communities in the Torres Strait region and 1 for the Northern Peninsula Area. These unique projects have given Will the chance to increase his skills as an audio engineer and producer, by being guided and mentored by ARIA award winning producers and fellow colleagues Dr Karl Neuenfeldt and Nigel Pegrum. A radio documentary about these projects has just been broadcast on 'Into The Music' by ABC Radio National and can be found online by searching for - 'Between Tides' on the ABC Radio National website.

Another story about Will and his upcoming debut album has been aired by ABC Radio FNQ, and can be found online by searching for: 'Side Man Will Kepa takes centre stage with solo disc'. Further more, Will has and continues to collaborate with major organisations such as Arts Queensland, Australia Council for the Arts, National Film and Sound Archive, State Library of Queensland, National Library of Australia, Torres Strait Regional Authority and Central Queensland University on various recording/archival and performing projects.

Will Kepa
For booking or enquiries please contact Will Kepa
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Set list
1. Breezin
2. Waitin in Vain
3. Dock Of The Bay
4. Stuck On You
5. Smooth Operator
6. Bring It On Home
7. Wonderful World
8. Cupid
9. Only Sixteen
10. Sunny
11. Just My Imagination
12. Fly/Yilul
13. Aint No Sunshine
14. Way E
15. Taba Naba
16. Nibe Nibe
17. New Kid In Town
18. Chain Gang
19. Bright Side Of The Road
20. Sweet You
21. My Girl
22. Save The Last Dance For Me
23. I Love Your Way
24. Just The Two Of Us
25. All Night Long
26. You Are The Sun
27. Sharing The Night Together
28. Talk It Over
29. Layla
30. Dirty Lowdown/Rock With You
31. The Joker
32. Steal My Kisses/I Want You Back
33. Shake You Down
34. 3 Little Birds
35. Stir It Up
36. Nothing Can Change This Love
37. Stand By Me
38. Ill Be Your Baby Tonight
39. Revolution
40. Easy
41. Why Georgia Why
42. Body Is A Wonderland
43. Dont Worry Be Happy
44. Get It On/Spiritual Healing
45. Better Be Home Soon
46. Dreadlock Holiday
47. How Sweet It Is
48. Lover Lover
49. Your Song
50. You To Me Are Everything
51. Man In The Mirror
52. Time After Time
53. Give Me The Night

Influences
FIrst of all, Stevie Wonder is still a musical Genious!! Steely Dan, The Eagles, Micheal Jacksons Off the Wall, Boyz II Men, The Neville Brothers, Fugees, Toni Toni Tone, Arrested Development, Al Green, Alicia Keys, Allan Jackson Lucky Dube, Bob Marley, UB40, Katchafire, Morgan Heritage, Hillsong, Kirk Franklin, Planet Shakers, Maxwell, Damien Marley, Alpha Blondie Beres Hammond, Gregory Abott, Gregory Isaacs, Toots and the Maytals, John Mayer, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Bone Thugz, UB40, Aussie Crawl, Aretha Franklin, Ben Harper, Chris Tomlin, Cold Chiesel, TLC, Lenny Kravitz, Tracy Chapman Norah Jones, Third World, The Eagles, Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye, R Kelly, Chris Brown, System of a Down, Master Sony, Corrine Bailey Rae, The Commodores, Crowded House, Donny Hathaway- Is the Greatest Singer in the world!!! and too many more...... Just about everything you can name!!!
Gig Highlights
Johnos Blues Band- Bassist, 3 Years full time
Jan Preston- Bassist,Johnos Blues Bar
Phil Emmanuel- Bassist, Johnos Blues Bar
Seaman Dan- Cape York Tour, Laura Cultural Festival, Bellingen Global Fest, House Hula Party at The Tanks (Cairns) National Folk Festival(07,09), Port Fairy Folk Festival, Kulture Karnival, Big Talk One Fire (Cairns 08), Mackay Global Festival, and featured on album recordings
Briscoe Sisters Storyplace Art Exhibition (Brisbane), Live Recorded Concert at The Tanks, Womadelaide Global Festival, Laura Dance and Cultural Festival
Jodie Cockatoo-Creed Storyplace Art Exhibition (Brisbane)
Lance OChin Budyari Festival (2000 Sydney Olympics Indigenous Festival)
Bunna Lawrie (Coloured Stone)- Kuranda Ampitheatre, Rita Mills Benefit Concert
Drewz (Andrew Namok)- Up Tempo Festival Cairns
Dreadsound (Sound and Lighting Company)- Laura Dance and Cultural Festival (01,02,03, 05,07,09), Naidoc Cairns (, Yungaburra Folk Festival, Seaman Dan Cape York Tour, Kuranda Reggae Festival, ReggaeTown (Tjapukai), Parramatta Cultural Festival, Opera In The Outback, Food Wine and Jazz Festival, Wallaby Creek Festival, Outback Rock and Blues Fest
Nhulunbuy/Gove (East Arnhemland)- Naidoc Ball Celebration (07) Live band Performance
Big Cactus (Backline Stage Crew)- Womadelaide Festival, Federation Square (Melbourne) Commonwealth Games 2006
One Drop Reggae Kuranda Reggae Festival, Naidoc at Warrama Farm, Festival Cairns, Rita Mills Benefit Concert, Yungaburra Folk Festival, Bob Marley Soul Shake Down Party, Residency at Johnos Blues Bar for 3 years, Supported major international reggae acts such as Lucky Dube, Third World and UB40
Torres Strait Regional Authority- Engineer, Producer, Music Director, Musician on TSI recording/inventory project- On location remote area recordings-Yam Island, Warraber Island, Mabiuag Island, Badu Island.
Patrick Levi Recording Project- Music Director/Co-Producer/Session Musician.
Music Workshops, Lockhart River Aboriginal Community- 3 times a year, since 2005.
Arts Queensland FNQ Emerging Indigenous artist, compilation CD, Recording Project- Engineer/ Producer/ Session Musician
David Dow Johnos Blues Bar, Cairns Casino, Recording Engineer on Arts Queensland Project
Tribe Of Jubal- Mackay Global Groove Carnival, Bellingen Global Festival, CD Recording Yungaburra Folk Fest, Karnack Playhouse, Bellingen Global Fest, Port Fairy Fest, Byron Bay Blues and Roots Fest and Album launch at Cairns Civic Theatre
Big Talk One Fire- Performance with Seaman Dan
Australian Delegation- (Australia Council for the Arts) Festival Of Pacific Arts-American Samoa, Performing with- Getano Bann and Dewayne Everette-Smith
Australian World Music Expo 2008- (Melbourne) Producer/Director of Badu Island Dance Troupe Abai Cultural Group

Community Work- Living Waters Church, Shakinah Dance Team end of year production, and Carol by Candlelight (Music Director and Co-ordinator) Civic Theatre- Cairns. (07,08)
Kamerunga- Woodford Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Yungaburra Folk Festival
Cygnet Repu- Torres Strait Islander Singer/Songwriter. Producer and Music Director, Session Musician, CD Recording Project
National Sound and Film Archive- Accompany Music for the Screening of silent film- Pearl of the South Seas at National Folk Festival- Canberra (09).
National Folklore Conference- (National Library of Australia) (09). Topic-Assembling a Sacred Soundscape: Choosing Repertoire for Torres Strait Islander Community CDs/DVDs
Traditional Music Recording- Darnley Island, Torres Strait (09)- State Library
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