Shogun Orchestra - New Zealand

The Orchestra is a supergroup of Wellington musicians, all of whom started their musical careers in the burgeoning local scene of the late 90's/ early 00's and many of whom have gone on to become familiar musical personalities. The band features Joe Lindsay on trombone and Toby Laing on trumpet, both of Fat Freddy's Drop; Chris Yeabsley on organ and his brother Dan on alto sax and Paul Hoskin on drums from Twinset and The Eggs; Justin "Firefly" Clarke on guitar, and Mexican import Adan Tijerina on congas.

Fusing afro-beat, calypso, jazz and Ethio-funk styles Johnson was particularly influenced by three months spent in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Many of the pieces Johnson has written have been inspired by his Haitian voyage, and the band plays several Haitian folk songs.

The band remains committed to the Haitian cause. After raising $3,500 in a fundraising concert in Wellington in February for the reconstruction of the Pye Poudre Cultural Centre in Port-Au-Prince, the band will be dedicating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their recently released album to the Haitian artistic community.