January 7, 2000
Men at Work began its life early in 1979. It was a natural birth, coming from the joining together of the acoustic duo of Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, with drummer Jerry Speiser and sax/flute player Greg Ham. They played initially at informal jam sessions on a Saturday afternoon at the Grace Darling Hotel in Melbourne. All the members had known each other for a number of years, but in '79 they found themselves with a common musical ground-, a desire to form a band playing exciting original music that would also be fun. Colin and Ron already had a core of great songs that they played acoustically, and these became the basis of the first band sets. 

After a couple of months of playing at the Cricketers Arms Hotel in Melbourne, Men at Work decided to include a fifth member, bass player John Rees. The band played every Thursday night at the Cricketers for over a year, by the end of which they had established a dedicated following of fans who spread the word around town. By the end of 1980 Men at Work were in a position where they could sell out almost any venue in Melbourne, without even having a single song on radio. When the band was signed by C.B.S. and released "Who Can It Be Now". the fuse was well and truly lit.

In 1982, after considerable success in Australia with two No. 1 singles and a No. 1 album, Men at Work headed overseas. When they arrived in the US, primarily to do the support for Fleetwood Mac's tour, the first single had just entered the charts somewhere in the 60's. By the time the band left to return home "Who Can It Be Now" was No.1 on Billboard, the Club shows had queues around the block, and there was definitely a feeling in the air that something special was happening.

1983 was the year that the world woke up to the Men, and there didn't seem to be a culture or a country that hadn't taken "Down Under" to its collective heart. From Austria to Zimbabwe, this tongue-in-cheek anthem worked its magic, breaking records along the way. 15 weeks at No.1 in the US for both the album and single, No. 1 at the same time on both sides of the Atlantic again for album and single, and so on. To continue the earlier analogy, if the fuse was lit at the end 1980, in 1983 the bomb had well and truly exploded and still the noise was not dying down. 

Hard on the heels of the debut "Business As Usual" came the second album, "Cargo", recorded in Australia during the middle of '82 (using the same producer, Peter Mclan). Cargo's release was delayed by the enormous continuing success of "Business" overseas. The band was caught in an enviable dilemma, to release a third and possibly fourth single from the first album which would keep it well up in the charts for months to come, or to release the new album and single while it was still fresh. The Men chose to do the latter, because they were keen to introduce the new songs to the public, especially from the point of view of the live shows. So "Dr Heckyll and Mr Jive" came out and went Top 10, followed by "Overkill" which peaked at No.3 and "its A Mistake", which got to No.6. Within a 12 month period the band had five Top 10 singles!

1983 was also the most intensive year of live performances the band had experienced, with tours of Australia, UK and Europe, Japan, and two tours of the US and Canada. Some of the highlights amongst many, were the performance at the '83 US Festival in front of 300,000 people, which was broadcast via satellite live to the U.S.S.R., a wild show at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow where thousands of maniac Scots welcomed home a prodigal son. and winning the Grammy for best new band.

Apart from the live shows, Men at Work had also established a significant presence on television, in particular on the brand new 24 hour music channel. MTV. From the first interview in '82 (which was also one of MTV's earliest) through a series of humorous, unpredictable and always entertaining clips, the personality of the band shone out, and in a sense became an intrinsic part of the new format.

By the end of '83 both Men at Work and the world, were ready for a break from each other. Early '84 also saw the departure of John and Jerry, whilst Colin took time out to produce an album for a friend's band, Greg played with his girlfriend in a good-time R&B band, and Ron partied in the danger of his own home. 

Xmas '84 found them back at work in the studio recording and producing "Two Hearts", which was followed in '85 by tours of Australia, Japan, Europe and the Caribbean, including an exciting performance at the Montreux Pop Festival in Switzerland. By the time the band went into hibernation at the end of '85, total record sales were in excess of 12 million.

Since then, Colin and Greg have pursued their respective solo careers, but have always kept in contact. with Greg occasionally sitting in at some of Colin's shows to play a couple of Men at Work songs, a situation that invariably brought the question from fans of "When are you guys going to put the band back on the road?" The answer was always "sometime" but there were commitments for both members that kept that dream just a bit out of reach every time the situation arose.

Colin's solo recordings and live tours had established him as an individual talent to be reckoned with. From 1986's "Looking For Jack", through "Wayfaring Sons" (1990) and the purely acoustic "Peaks & Valleys" (1991), "Topanga" (1994) up to his current album "Transcendental Highway", he has demonstrated a depth of songwriting and lyrical skill that has won a new generation of fans, and shown a voice that just seems to get better and better

Colin has also, when his musical career allowed the time, continued his acting and has appeared in major Australian films including "Wills And Burke", "Raw Silk", "Georgia" (with Judy Davis), "Cosi", "Heaven's Burning" and "The Craic". As well, he wrote the title track for Universal Picture's "Gold Diggers". 

Greg has maintained a constant musical presence in Australia, initially performing with R&B combo "Relax With Max" and later with the Comedy Cabaret band "Miss Dorothy and the Endless Love Machine". As well, he has pursued a Film/TV career with performances (and music credits) in Australian cult film "Pandemonium" and the US/Australian co-production "Backstage" (with Laura Branigan). On the TV side, he has been Musical Director for three ABC series; the children's program "Oz Kids", the Comedy shows, "While You're Down There" and "Something Hot Before Bed", as well as writing themes for a number of national advertising campaigns.

Perhaps it was a special alignment of the planets, or maybe it was the number of offers and requests for tours and performances that came in. Whatever the reason, Colin and Greg decided that it is time to wake Men at Work from its slumber, to bring those great songs back to the live stage and above all have some fun in a world where music seems to be taking itself way too seriously. It's time.

Cecilia Noël Burns Up the Music Scene Her Way with Steamy "Salsoul"

June 7,2000
The tension builds before she ever sets foot on stage. Chairs are shuffled as men angle for a better seat. Women unfasten an extra button, knowing how hot this club will be before the night is over. Waitresses hustle to get their drinks served before they too get caught up in the show. And everywhere, the whispers. Isn't that Bette Midler? Jimmy Smits and Paul Rodriguez sitting by David Crosby? Dr. Dre, Al Jarreau and Maurice White are struggling to find seats, while Sinbad and Brian Setzer are squeezed in the very back. But where you sit and who you are doesn't matter anymore. Because the lights are dimmed, the music's starting, and the audience goes wild. The woman they've been waiting for has just come on stage, and Cecilia Noël is about to set the night on fire. The back-up singers soar with their edgy harmonies, and the ten-piece band riffs with the endless energy of a powerful beat, but every eye in the house is on Noël. She's fevered and flamboyant, she's exotic and erotic, but mostly she's an incandescent star.

She's been called the Latin Tina Turner, been compared to Janis Joplin and she's even been likened to Bjork, but there has never really been anyone like Cecilia Noël. Even her style of music is as original as her talent. With its powerful blend of African, Latin and Motor City rhythms performed against a pulsating beat pulled together by Noël's stunning vocal stylings, her music has earned its own category--SalSoul.

Critics fall all over themselves trying to describe her unique gifts. Her "performance is an exciting live celebration of life that should be a must-see," hails one writer. The L.A. Times lauds her work as "nearly flawless" and calls her music "arguably the most potent sound to emerge in years."

It's no surprise that Noël should be able to command a stage, since she's a direct descendant of Cacique-Sacha, one of the last chiefs of the Incan Empire. Her great-aunt, Rafaela de la Pasión, was celebrated as the Mother Teresa of Peru, and will likely be her country's next Saint. But it's her mother that Noël credits most for her success. Even while pursuing her own career as designer for a prestigious ballet troupe, Noël's mother encouraged her daughter to develop her talents. By the time Noël was five, she was working as a regular contributor to a children's magazine. Three years later, she was starring in "El Tio Johnny," a popular Peruvian television series. She spent her adolescence studying music, including violin, piano and conducting at top music schools in Argentina and Germany before returning to Peru to be the singer for a 22-piece big band.

Stan Getz caught her performance one night, and urged her to pursue a career in the United States. With his support, Noël moved to New York, where she added dance and acting lessons, and briefly worked as a go-go dancer to pay for them. But even in New York's competitive atmosphere, Noël's talents stood out. She was soon working as a studio singer, performing jingles for companies like the Gap, Coca-Cola and Sergio Valente, and establishing herself as a Broadway performer. She even briefly toured as a dancer for the teen sensation Menudo. But her artistic gifts pushed her to the forefront again, leading to a regular stint at the Rainbow Room where she performed a blend of big band standards and Brazilian jazz favorites.

Her then-husband Tristan Imboden, the superstar drummer for the group Chicago, encouraged her to develop her songwriting skills, as did Hilton Rosenthal, the legendary producer of Johnny Clegg and Savuka, and one of the producers on Paul Simon's "Graceland" album. Rosenthal brought her to Los Angeles where her compositions became as acclaimed as her performances. She was soon writing with such top talents as Glen Ballard, Desmond Child, Junior Vasquez and Sheila E, and adapting Spanish or Portuguese lyrics for the likes of Carole King, Kenny Loggins and Billie Myers.

It's in her performances with the Wild Clams that Noël can finally bring it all together. The writing, the performing, the music that is like nothing that's ever been heard before. From the moment she formed the 14-piece band, they've been a smash success, performing everywhere from the Playboy Jazz Festival to their latest high voltage outing on "Vibe." Musicians clamor not only to watch Cecilia Noël and the Wild Clams, but also to perform with them. Audiences can expect to see Toni Basil performing as a back-up singer and playing the "güiro," or Sheila E. on percussion on any given night. But whoever is performing, Noël is still at the helm, and very proud to be the only woman who conducts her own band.

Noël continues to push her talents in every direction. She voices characters on the "Rugrats," "Santo Bugito" and HBO's "Spice City," and continues to perform on commercials for such companies as Miller Beer. But whether she's singing, acting, composing or conducting, audiences have already proclaimed Cecilia Noël the undisputed Queen of SalSoul.

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