Bio

Payola combine the minor keys of classic soul music and the grit, swagger, and inventiveness of epic rock'n'roll, perfectly bridging the gap in volume & sweat between Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin and early Prince.

Their live performances epitomize the sexually charged revues of Ike and Tina Turner with the charisma and feel good nature of Sly and The Family Stone. Ms Sophia's wild 'fro and honey laden tones are the perfect foil for Solomon Cole's primal electric. All this anchored by the weight of a barreling rhythm section makes Payola's mission clear, to have you hung from the rafters, your feet moving in rapid succession and taking you where you need to go.

In 2005 they released their debut album Gone To Ground via Jayrem Records and established themselves locally as a veritable point of difference amid the local climate. It reached American college radio, Canadian and Australian radio and its first single Every Little Step was included in American independent film Dead In Love. Following on from that, NZ's premiere digital-download store Amplifier placed their 2007 EP Dirt and Stars in the Top 20 releases of that year . The title track from the EP was featured in series 4, episodes 5 & 7 of the highly popular local drama Outrageous Fortune and episodes 9 & 12 contained further tracks.

Riccardo Bell of The Rock FM recently stated, "Payola just had that bit extra, that little something different; their song Oscillator just sounds like it should be on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack"

Well who can argue with that?'

Dirt and Stars is a genre-hopping mix of Parliament styled sci-fi funk fused with alt-country gospel tunes and furious guitar fueled metal soul all wrapped up in a sound so live and vital it'll pin you to the back wall, steal your cigarettes and waltz off with whoever you had your eye on.

In 2008 they have been busy playing various rock festivals including opening the very large 2008 Homegrown Festival in Wellington (NZ) as chosen by the Rock FM.

Payola are revitalizing a stale rock scene with enough fire power, theatrics and punch that they truly can become the beacon for a whole new generation of music lovers bored of a world wide market saturated with mediocre guitar acts, teen garage bands and indie blur and deliver Rock n Roll as it was always meant to inspire.

Band Members:
Solomon Cole (vocals)
Lee Catlin-Rickenbacker (guitar)
Sophia Tupuola (vocals, keyboards)
Simon McDowell (Drums)

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