About the Musicians

Nature Trail  is a combination of musicians from the Townsville region, who have a common love for playing creative music inspired by connections with the Natural Energy of the Ocean & Earth. We draw the roots of our material from contemporary Afro-Latin and Afro-reggae styles, Cuban and Caribbean grooves, Indian Fusion plus modern jazz-funk.

However, we unashamedly mix these influences with a good dose of North-Queensland tropical energy to give the unique Nature Trail sound - music for all people, created by all the members of the band!

Here is some more information on the individual musicians which make up the band.

Michelle White

Shell sings lead vocals, dances, and plays guitar and percussion. She performed with Yidaki Didge & Dance in Sydney during 1995-6, and toured Miami, New York and Washington DC in 1999 dancing and promoting her documentary film , A Sacred Celebration. She made her recording debut in 2002 with the duo Azia, and is currently studying medicine at JCU in Townsville.

Dave King

Dave plays Bass and acoustic guitar. He began playing guitar and bass 17 years ago and was classically trained through his teenage years. He has played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass in various Townsville bands including Hootah, Axis Mundi, Hoolhan Gaia, KASAMA!, and Claire King and the Jargon. He has also played and recorded with Lamine Bangoura in Etoiles D'Afrique.

Gray Ruttiman

Gray plays Djembe, Congas, Bongos, and percussion. He has played in The Tumbadoras, KASAMA!, and also played and recorded with Lamine Bangoura in Etoiles D'Afrique. He also currently plays with Magnetic Island bands Babylon by Barge and Sweet Thing.

Matt Hill

Matt plays keyboards. He began playing piano at age 8, drums at 15 and guitar at 18. He studied with fusion guitarists Carl Orr and Jim Kelly at SCU in Lismore, and completed a degree in Contemporary Music there in 1997. He switched to keyboards in 1998 and has recently played with Melbourne band Amphibian and recorded 3 CD's with that group.

Lisa Jacka

Lisa has opted to stay mysterious, but she plays flute.......beautifully!

Andy Lewis

Andy plays drum-kit, hand-drums, and percussion. He started playing hand drums in 1985, and then drum kit in 1992. He has played with NQ bands Hoolhan Gaia, Kilgore Trout, Pachooka, Black Magique, I&I Pacific Reggae, Hootah, The Vacant Lot, The Rogues, KASAMA!, The Tumbadoras, and Etoiles D'Afrique, as well as working in duo's with Dave Williamson, Mohamed Lamine Bangoura (Baraka Adiya), Ruth Apelt, and Sean Forrester. He was the President of the JCU Musicians Club during 1996, and was President of the Magnetic Island Musicians Club Inc from 2000-2002. He worked with a number of different Island artists to record the Magnetic Original Music CD in 2000.

Michelle Dyer

Mish plays creature-filled Nepalese and Indian flutes, and groovy percussion. She began studying classical flute at 13 and has collected various eclectic wind instruments on her adventures through India and SE Asia. She plays them all from the heart and without any care for proper technique!

Mike Emslie

Mike plays rhythm guitar and bass. He started playing in 1992, and picked up the bass in '95. He has played with Townsville bands Kilgore Trout, Hootah, Patchooka, Claire King and the Jargon, and also has extensive PA & sound engineering skills.

Ant Backer

Ant plays bass and acoustic guitar, and sings. He has played bass with Townsville bands Axis Mundi  and Grandmas Toolbox, and is also a widely respected solo artist.

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