Mia Dyson

Mia Dyson
Born	1981
Origin	Torquay, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Blues & Roots
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Backdoor Records MGM Distribution
Website	Mia Dyson Official Site

Mia Dyson (born 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She shot to fame with her 2003 album Cold Water and her subsequent follow-up album, Parking Lots, which won "Best Blues & Roots album" at the 2005 ARIA Awards.

When queried by the Sydney Morning Herald on how she went from a settled family life, in the Victorian beachside resort town of Torquay to playing and singing blues and roots music she responded by saying:

"I don't know either, it's a testament to the power of music and how that whole childhood of being played what I consider incredible music seeped into my bloodstream. My parents were always playing the records of Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, everything. Torquay is devoid of any artistic pursuits and had I only had that culture I'm sure I would not be playing music. I might have had more luck with the alcohol if I'd been left to the surfing culture."

"I went through my early teenage Nirvana, Pearl Jam obsessions and then I came back to the roots of this stuff and picked up the guitar. And I knew how to play these songs that I'd never learnt because I'd heard them so many times as a kid."

Mia's father is prominent Australian guitar builder and blues guitarist Jim Dyson.

"I guess now people are impressed how lucky I am to have a dad who makes such beautiful instruments," Dyson says. But as a child she was unaware of their potential. "It was only, 'Oh, don't they look beautiful' when he finished one," she says. "It was only around 16, 17, when I was able to think about the sounds and the different sounds I could get out of the guitars, the amps and pedals, that I got excited." Sydney Morning Herald

Following the 2003 release of Cold Water Mia went into a continuous touring schedule both in Australia and overseas. Taking in major festivals such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, West Coast Blues & Roots Festival, Falls Festival, Womadelaide, NXNE in Canada and The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

2005 saw the release of her second album Parking Lots which resulted in Mia being nominated for "Best Female Artist" and "Best Blues & Roots album" at that year's ARIA Awards, for which she won the "Best Blues & Roots album" award.

The following year, 2006 Mia toured the USA and Canada, joined Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention on stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and supported Ani Di Franco in New York's Central Park. Also in 2006, Dyson was invited by Deborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs.^[1] With Dyson and Conway were Melinda Schneider, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ella Hooper.^[2]

In 2007, Mia supported Eric Clapton during his Australian tour in February to sellout crowds. She also had a guest appearance on Australian hip hop artist Urthboy's second album The Signal.

Discography

Albums

• Cold Water
  Black Door Records/MGM Distribution
  (May 2003)
• Parking Lots
  Black Door Records/MGM Distribution
  (April 2005)
• Struck Down
  Black Door Records/MGM Distribution
  (August 2007)

Compilations

• Australian Blues Project - "Rock Me Baby"
• noise: Future of Music - "Precious Thing" ABC Music (October 2003)
• Triple J Blues, Roots and Beyond - "Lonely" ABC Music (July 2004)
• Look Both Ways - "Lonely" Mana Soundtracks (July 2005)
• Like a Version 2 - "Can't Let Go" ABC Music (2006)

References

1. ^ Elliott, Tim (19 August 2008). "Lady's Night at the Beckoning Microphone". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/ladys-night-at-the-beckoning-microphone/2008/08/18/1218911561072.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
2. ^ "Broad 2006". Broad Festival. http://www.broadfestival.com/broad_2006.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 

External links

• Official website
• Mia Dyson MySpace website
• Mia Dyson podcast included in Australian Music Podcast feed

Persondata
Name	Dyson, Mia
Alternative names
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Date of birth	1981
Place of birth
Date of death
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