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Inspired by the masters of rhythm and blues, the ecstasy and tragedy of love and the beauty and gothicism of the bible, The Holy Rollercoasters are soul, blues and jazz-worshipping Brisbanites. It shall be wild and you shall snap your fingers and wiggle your hips. And ye shall be healed.
Looking for a break from the blues after his second album release in 2016, local harmonica playin', finger snappin' Jimi Beavis teamed up with jazz reeds player Andrew Garton for a sojourn into soul.
Having previously arranged horns and playing bari sax with Beavis’ solo project, Garton was living in Melbourne, writing his masters in jazz composition and playing with Mojo Juju. Beavis had lyrics for this new project but few melodies whilst Garton had more music than he could deal with, so ideas started flying back and forth across the East coast. After Garton moved back to Brisbane in 2017, band members were recruited and rehearsals commenced, culminating in the release of the debut 7inch 'Out Jumped The Devil' b/w 'Set Me Free' which was soon followed up with the EP ‘Bathe’.
Their influences stretch from old gospel blues to the downhome Memphis cooking of Otis Redding, James Carr and anything out of Muscle Shoals: Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Charles Mingus, the organ wizardry of Dr. Lonnie Smith and the powerful modern soul of Charles Bradley, Amy Winehouse, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and the queen, Mavis Staples.
