The Novellas are a 5-piece hailing from the Bega Valley, home of cheese, open skies and pristine beaches, a fertile backdrop in which to ferment our bittersweet songs inspired by contemporary works of fiction from Australia and beyond. Sparse & atmospheric, The Novellas paint in song the evocations of the printed word and celebrate the emotional power of storytelling.
The Novellas concept was born when singer/songwriter Myoung Jae Yi used his book reading hangovers as raw material for his songwriting contributions to the Candelo Songwriters Club headed by Phil Moriarty of The Gadflys. This quickly developed into a burning desire to spread the word about authors such as Michelle de Kretser, Carrie Tiffany and Dave Eggers, to name but a few.
The original lineup consisted of Myoung Jae Yi on guitar, bassist Josh Becker and his Jazz school alumna Anna Martin on drums. This 3-piece formed the core of The Novellas soon to be released EP "Songs from Fiction Pt 1" with the youthful chanteuse Cellestine Janiola adding her vocal flourishes. The EP was recorded at Pirate Studios by Lime Spiders and The Saints guitarist Dave Sparks.
Following the recording and with the addition of pianist Andrew Gray (frontman for The Jonathon Richman Experience), The Novellas were invited to perform at the 2017 Candelo Village Festival. Noted Australian actors Patrick Dickson and Tracy Mann have joined The Novellas in their live shows, reading excerpts from the books that have inspired the songs.
