Letterstick take their name from one of the most remarkable tools in Aboriginal culture, the ‘message’ or ‘letterstick’. This is a piece of wood with a single or set of messages carved into it, which could then be handed down from father to son or from place to place. They are still used to pass on knowledge between clans today.

The Letterstick Band are from the small An-Barra Clan on the coast near Maningrida in Northeast Arnhem Land. They occasionally leave their home to play in Darwin and the surrounding communities and have built a large faithful following over many years of live shows in their region as their touring circuit continues to grow. They rocked at the famous Barunga Festival in 1997, then played in Sydney at Survival in 1998. 1999 saw them in Queensland at Laura Festival and a short tour of Melbourne. More recently the band have wowed audiences at the 2000 Adelaide Festival and a 2001 tour of Perth plus local Northern Territory festival appearances. It is still a rare occasion that the band does leave its top end home so consider yourself privileged if you do manage to catch them live.

Letterstick feature in the 1999 ABC TV special Saltwater Rock, (billed as featuring the 4 tenors) an outdoor concert filmed live in Darwin. One of the songs from this joint performance closes their album in fine celebration of the sharing of music. Letterstick also have songs on various compilation albums such as the brilliant Meinmuk, which uncovered so many previously unrecorded top end bands. They also have a song on CAAMA’s Strong Culture traditional language album and share the Demurru Hits album with fellow legends from Maningrida – Sunrize Band. It was their stand out contributions to Meinmuk, (produced by Chris Thompson of JJJ and Allen Murphy), that brought them to the attention of a wider audience and a demand for a solo album. When you hear their album, An Barra Clan, you’ll know why!

Their solo album, An Barra Clan is a thirteen track gem which mixes reggae and rock music with traditional singing, clapstick and didgeridoo. It presents a strikingly original sound, highlighted by the most unusual vocals and rare language. Every song has been worked up over years of live performances to be the best version possible. These musicians truly understand the technique of focusing on the mesmerising quality of their vocals by leaving plenty of space within the music.

BAND MEMBERS

Colin Maxwell - Voxs/Rythm Guitar

David Maxwell - Drums

Terence Wilson - Acoustic Guitar/Voxs

Tim Wilson - Keyboards/Voxs/Guitar

Roly Milak - Bass

The vocal styles of the brothers are similar allowing great interchanging of vocals and harmonies within songs.

ALBUMS RELEASED

Diyama 2003

An-Barra Clan 2004