With a sound that’s described as “B.B. King sharing a Scotch with Booker T”, what Evan Whetter & Erica Graf set out to create was a contemporary Australian act that was steeped in the blues, credible and relevant. Just a few short years later, with a swag of awards under their belt, a body of work that boasts four albums, an EP and numerous festival appearances around the country, although still emerging, they’re well on their way to achieving just that.
The critically acclaimed South Australian band Lazy Eye released their debut album in 2013. On the back of copious kilometres of regional touring they were proud to take home “Album Of The Year” at the SA Blues & Roots awards. Referred to as “blues but with a twist” by a prominent festival booker, what Lazy Eye offer is something out of the ordinary from other touring acts. “We definitely approach the music differently. Not just because of where we’re from geographically and in time, but because of our instrumentation”. Whetter, the main song writer and frontman explains, “we wanted to bring the hammond organ to the front sonically. The organ trio is common in soul jazz but we heard these sounds in a more gritty way”. Accompanied by Erica Graf, a pioneer among female guitarists strutting the blues and drummer Mario Mario, award winning musician in his own right, the three have forged a voice of their own and made history becoming the first South Australian Artists to be awarded “Group Of The Year” at the 2015 Australian Blues Music Awards. The same year they won the inaugural Adelaide Roots & Blues Association’s “Memphis Blues Challenge” and in 2016 became the first band to represent South Australia at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, U.S.A. Following the competition Lazy Eye appeared at the fabled B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street.
Back on home soil the band headed into the studio and recorded their fourth full length offering “Pocket The Black”. On release the live album was named “Blues Album of 2016” by the Adelaide Roots & Blues Association and following a successful national tour nominated for “Best Album” at the 2017 Australian Blues Music Awards.
