Bohjass Players

"one of the most talked about bands in the Melbourne Improv Scene. Formed by Tim Pledger, Bohjass has consistently thrilled audiences with their pursuit of a new musical ground that combines highly emotional yet complex expressionistic composed music with free blowing sections; A wildly diverse mixture of textures that shape the soundscapes where Bohjass play."

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/netfest/artists/bohjass.htm

Timothy Pledger is a Melbourne based composer, musician and film artist who composes acoustic, electric, electronic and orchestral works using a diverse range of forms and materials from highly minimalistic and personal to expressive and extreme emotional structures. Timothy is deeply involved in the tonal and emotional aspects of rhythmic harmony as they move against each other in blocks and waves of sound.
His musical, filmic and written works are concerned with the landscape of the culture and politics of the environment they are created within, and are therefore personal indictments or appraisals of certain aspects of society.

http:///www.myspace.com/timothypledger
http://www.myspace.com/timpledger

Flautist Belinda Woods is emersed in the Melbourne Improvised music scene. Performing regularly with ensembles such as Bohjass, Lo-Res and the Sunwrae Ensemble. A current PhD candidate at the VCA and finalist in the 2011 APRA Professional Development Awards, Belinda explores the use of texture and contour within her compositions and improvisations to paint scenes of rich complexity, focusing on the acoustic nature of her instrument. Belina also extends her abilities towards the composed music of the 20th and 21st centuries, the structure and innovation of which she draws into her own improvising and composition.

Artistic director of the Make It Up Club from 1993 – 2007, and Project Manager for the 2010/11 Click Clack Project through Jolt Arts, Belinda has played a major role in supporting and enhancing the development of the local music scene, uniting the works of professional musicians with those of emerging artists and underprivelaged individuals.

http://www.myspace.com/metremaid
www.myspace.com/lo-resolution

Michael Portley (1970) hails from Brisbane where he studied painting at Queenslands University of Technology under the tuition of William Robinson. During his time in Brisbane Michael also developed his musical technique on the drums in various genres and formed Dada metal outfit Dhatura Orchestra. The recording of their self titled album received national airplay and led to performances alongside bands such as INXS, Regurgitator and Powderfinger in some of the finest venues in QLD. Since moving to Melbourne in 1998 he has been performing in various improvisational ensembles and projects including Bohjass (1999), Ju Ju and Oskar and Bebra. Michael also enjoys performing in makeshift line-ups at Melbourne's own Make It Up Club and at other improvisation events.

http://www.members.iinet.net.au/~portley/

"Louise Goh is an exciting new talent. Her skills on the piano and keyboard and are much in-demand and she has been part of the Melbourne music scene for several years, having graduated from the VCA in 2009, where she studied under the likes of Tony Gould, Andrea Keller, Mark Fitzgibbon, Joe Chindamo and many others. She has performed at a range of venues in and around Melbourne, including the Northcote Social Club, Bar 303, the Toff in Town, Bar Open, the Wesley Anne, the Rainbow Hotel, the Edinburgh Castle, Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, the Paris Cat, and the Brunswick Green. Festival appearances include performances at the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival, the Darebin Music Feast High Vibes Festival, the Eltham Jazz Festival, and the Quiet Music Festival. She has also performed on several live-to-air broadcasts on 3mbs fm as part of the “Live at the Convent” series. She has been fortunate to have worked with some of Melbourne’s finest musicians and currently plays with various groups, including the experimental jazz ensemble "Bohjass", world music group "The Shala Ensemble", long-running corporate band "Reflections Of" and local singer-songwriters "Susy Blue" and "Emma Tonkin". She is also working with bassist Adam Spiegl and drummer Adam Coad in an exciting new jazz trio project called "LAA!" to showcase her original tunes.

http://www.myspace.com/louisegoh

Tom Fryer has, over the last 30 years, developed a unique musical language and an idiosyncratic guitar style; playing screaming electric guitar and coaxing irritating noises out of his sampler via a self-built and highly modified MIDI guitar. His principal areas of work are improvisation and composition, microtonality, sampling and signal processing, and ethnomusicology. Tom is a respected guitarist, in particular known for his dynamic improvisations and unorthodox playing.

http://www.myspace.com/tomfryerband