Rai Thistlethwayte
| Rai Thistlethwayte | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 19, 1980 Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 2001—present |
| Known for | Lead singer and primary songwriter in Thirsty Merc |
Rai Thistlethwayte (born 19 April 1980 in Sydney) is an Australian rock, pop and jazz musician and songwriter. Rai is an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist. He is the lead singer and primary songwriter in the Australian pop rock band Thirsty Merc. Since 2004, Thirsty Merc have released a string of hits in the Australian Music Charts including "In The Summertime", "Someday, Someday", "20 Good Reasons", "Those Eyes", "Emancipate Myself", "Wasting Time," "My Completeness", "When The Weather Is Fine", "The Hard Way", "Homesick", "Mousetrap Heart", "Tommy And Krista" and "All My Life". He is currently based in Los Angeles. As a solo artist, Rai performs under the name 'Sun Rai.'
Rai grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a musical family. He started learning from his mother, a classical piano teacher, before his fifth birthday. His father, Ian, is a language teacher and a bass player and guitarist who played bass in a Sydney-based band called 'The Plebs', which formed under the name 'The Centaurs' in Sydney in 1963.
In his early teens, Rai listened to classic rock and early metal, then blues and jazz. He started writing songs around the age of 15. After finishing high school in 1997 he was awarded a scholarship to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he commenced a Bachelor of Music in jazz piano in 1998.
Some of his early musical influences are listed as The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Deep Purple, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Iron Maiden, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Claude Debussy.
After a year at the Sydney Conservatorium, Rai came to the attention of, and signed with Columbia/Sony in the USA. He released one single, Give a Smile to the Planet, which was released in Australia in mid 2000 and peaked just under the top 40 and completed an album, which was released as a promo but was eventually shelved. This particular label relationship appeared not to have flourished, but ended amicably.
In 2002 Rai formed Australian rock group Thirsty Merc and was subsequently signed by Warner Music Australia after their self funded release of their EP First Work. Thirsty Merc subsequently released three successful albums, their self-titled debut Thirsty Merc, which sold 2 x platinum in Australia and received 4 ARIA Award nominations, and Sideshows that has reached Platinum status. Thirsty Merc released their third studio album in June 2010 Mousetrap Heart with the title track as the first single, and the hit 'Tommy And Krista' and 'All My Life' being released as singles. Rai and the band's live performances are known for their high energy and strong musicianship. The 'Mousetrap Heart' era led the band to numerous tours, the largest being an extensive, multi city and regional tour of Australia and New Zealand. This tour was called the 'Rock Your Socks Off Tour' and ended in mid November 2011.
...
Wikipedia