You'll recognise his voice from the Bondi Rescue theme song and now the man himself will be in town.
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Rai Thistlethwayte of Thirsty Merc will be at Bowral Bowling Club on Saturday February 13.
While COVID may have put gigs to a holt in 2020, 2021 is shaping up to be a busier year for Rai.
"I've been going nuts just trying to organise this new busy part of the next phase - lots of gigs coming up," he said.
"It's been a really weird year but it's looking up. Things are looking up, borders are opening up and gigs are coming back.
"Last year was a shocker. I lost of a bunch of work, a bunch of income, had to get my head around all the changes and it was pretty stressful, to be honest.
"I know so many musos who were going through the same kind of a rollercoaster, and it wasn't just musos. It was everyone. It was just a hard time."
The 'San Francisco Streets' and '20 Good Reasons' crooner will perform hits new and old.
"I will play stuff from my old catalogue and a bunch of new stuff," he said.
"The new stuff has a lot of soul and groove to it. Before I was a songwriter in the Pop/Rock world, I was a keyboard player that learnt piano from my mum.
"The music goes back to a bit more songwriting around the keyboard, so it's a pretty cool thing because it's something I've studied really heavily.
"When I write in that style, I can do a lot more improvising - I can chop and change and get a lot more audience involvement.
"It's a different type of storytelling and experience when you play songs from that kind of aspect. It's got a depth to it, it's more intimate.
"It's an interesting experience."
Fans of Thirsty Merc will be pleased to know that Rai will also play some Thirsty Merc tunes.
As for Rai's favourite song to perform, he said it depends on what he plays on the night.
"As to what the favourite is - I don't know," he said.
"People have their favourites that may be on the radio but to be honest I love playing the hit songs I've had and I love playing obscure stuff and things that I've just written.
"There is a song that I like playing, it's San Francisco Street, and that's a song I wrote seven to eight years ago and uploaded to YouTube.
"I just recorded it at a mates house in Las Angeles, he had a studio there. I went in there one day, thought nothing of it, put it online and it's had 43 million views.
"I don't even know why or how but I've been playing that. The song has had a life of its own."
An accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist, Rai credits his mum for his musical talent.
His school teacher mum, who was pregnant at the time with his older brother, was approached by someone and asked her to teach music.
"She ended up teaching this girl from when she was 5 years old, to when she was in year 12.
"By the time the student was in year 12, I was in my early teens and my mum had taught me a whole bunch of piano.
"She had built up a staple of music students that would walk through the side gate after school, so I knew all the music there and it influenced me in a big way.
"She was a strict teacher but now that I look back on it, that is something that you need when you trying to provide some structure.
"I'll forever be grateful for that."
Rai and his band Thirsty Merc have been nominated for APRA Song of The Year in 2008 for hit song '20 Good Reasons' and has been nominated for five ARIA awards.
Thirsty Merc, has sold over 250,000 albums in Australia and has
Since 2002, Thirsty Merc has released 4 studio albums, a string of hits in the Australian Music Charts, and have sold more than 250,000 albums.
Rai was taught to play the piano by his mother from the age of 4. He started writing songs around the age of 15. After finishing high school he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he commenced a Bachelor of Music in jazz
Aside from his work in Rock and Pop, Rai performs as a solo artist, based around his love of Jazz, Soul, and Groove music. He has released 4 solo EPs and has toured Australia and the U.S. since 2012.
Some of his notable collaborations have been with ARIA award-winning guitarist James Muller, Trumpeter James Morrison, and Grammy Nominated U.S. jazz bassist Christian McBride (Sting, Wynton Marsalis band).
You can catch Rai at Bowral Bowling Club on February 13. Tickets are limited and can be purchased via moshtix.
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
