Crooked Saint & Ashleigh Mannix Tour Together

Crooked Saint and Ashleigh Mannix are joining forces for one big tour of the East Coast.

Crooked Saint, the musical alter ego of Tim Wheatley, is hitting the road to support his current A-side single “Hot & Heavy/Outta Sight, Outta Mind.” After spending a recent trip in France writing more songs, he’s itching to get back in front of local audiences.

Ashleigh isn’t even 25 yet, but she’s earning some series respect for her blend of folk, rockabilly, and blues. She’s currently promoting her recent EP From the City, the first in a three-part set of EPs celebrating the locations that inspire her.

Crooked Saint and Ashleigh Mannix will visit almost 25 venues in the eastern states’ capitals and key regional centres through October and November. Here are all the places you can hear these talented Aussies play.

12 October 2012 – Western Port Hotel, Westernport
13 October 2012 – Baby Black Café, Bacchus Marsh
17 October 2012 – Lizotte’s, Kincumber
18 October 2012 – Front Gallery & Café, Canberra
19 October 2012 – Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba
20 October 2012 – Heritage Hotel, Wollongong
24 October 2012 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
25 October 2012 – Old Manly Boatshed, Manly
26 October 2012 – The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills
27 October 2012 – Sydney Blues & Roots Festival, Windsor
1 November 2012 – Railway Friendly Bar, Byron Bay
2 November 2012 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba
3 November 2012 – Armidale Club, Armidale
4 November 2012 – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
8 November 2012 –Café Le Monde, Noosa Heads
9 November 2012 – Bon Amici, Toowoomba
10 November 2012 – The Loft, Gold Coast
11 November 2012 – Ric’s Bar, Brisbane
15 November 2012 – The Empress Hotel, Melbourne (Crooked Saint only)
16 November 2012 – Bended Elbow, Geelong (Crooked Saint only)
17 November 2012 – Pure Pop Records, St.Kilda (Crooked Saint only)
20 November 2012 – Café Lounge, Surry Hills (Crooked Saint only)
22 November 2012 – The Grand Junction, Maitland (Crooked Saint only)

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Watch Ashleigh Mannix’s Amazing Cover of "Hallelujah" from Billabong’s Design for Humanity

You might remember me mentioning last month’s Billabong Design for Humanity event, a celebration of music, fashion, and art all for a good cause.

The night featured some top notch Australian entertainment including The Cassette Kids and DJ outfit Bag Raiders, but one of the standouts was young singer songwriter Ashleigh Mannix. You could have heard a pin drop as she opened the show with a stripped back version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” She performed to a backdrop of SurfAid International’s inspiring work with the people of the Mentawai Islands. It served as a poignant reminder why events like this are so important.

If you missed the event you can catch Ashleigh’s breathtaking performance here!

Next Big Thing: Ashleigh Mannix

Canberra’s Ashleigh Mannix is set for big things after catching the eye of Billabong. The mega surfing label has sponsored the talented teen, allowing her to record her debut EP.

The sponsorship deal has taken Ashleigh to surfing events in Ireland, Hawaii, France, England and Spain. Recently she also performed at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championship at Narrabeen.

Sure she looks great in Billabong’s clothes, but there’s more to Ashleigh than a pretty face.

“I write all my own stuff,” she told The Sunday Telegraph. “I’ve never really known how to classify it, but it can be folky, then poppy with a tinge of country.”

I’m really impressed by her impassioned acoustic tracks. I highly recommend taking a listen to the songs on Ashleigh’s MySpace page. After giving them a spin, I’m hungry for more.

Image source: Winam @ Flickr