Sahara CyberStars Bio
Ireland
Sahara CyberStars is the Irish Australian singer/songwriter duo Trish and Dave Long who migrated to Australia in 1987. Before meeting in 1984 they had individually produced a rich body of live work on the Dublin music scene. After joining forces they soon began a songwriting collaboration which has blossomed over the years resulting in several recordings, countless live performances in theatres and festivals along with ‘live to air’ on many radio and TV shows.
No 1 Hits New York
Since the release of their recordings, reviewers have placed Sahara’s music under the ‘eclectic’ umbrella due to it’s variance in styles. When Sahara released their first CD ‘Vision’ back in 1997 the current trend was themed CDs in one music genre. However Trish and Dave did not subscribe to this ideal having always written from inspiration believing there must be freedom to be truly creative. Surprisingly this eclectic album ‘Vision’ received great reviews and it wasn’t long before other songwriters described themselves as eclectic.
Sahara ‘Vision’ brought Trish and Dave into the international spotlight when in 1997 they submitted their track ‘Make My Day’ to the first Internet music charts ‘SoundClick’ operating out of New York. Within a week their song was voted No.1 worldwide and stayed in that position for four consecutive weeks. This was so unusual it made the ABC TV evening news Australia wide dubbing Trish and Dave ‘CyberStars’. A good moment for a couple of migrant musicians working in offices and renting a small unit! Not quite sure what to do next, Trish and Dave decided to hire a small theatre in St. Kilda Melbourne and produce their ‘CyberStars in Concert’ on July 4th 1998. To their amazement it was a total sellout.
Malthouse Theatre Melbourne Live Webcast for New York City Another nudge arrived, again from New York, in the guise of an email requesting a video of a live Sahara performance for a new video streaming website called CelticTV. Sahara had a video of the ‘CyberStars’ concert courtesy of a radio presenter in the audience that night, however it was only on a personal video camera and was lacking the quality needed at the time. Sahara decided to hire the Beckett Theatre at The Malthouse in Melbourne and staged ‘Sahara Live @ The Malthouse’ on September 4th 1999. The video became a favourite and was broadcast on several occasions. Through persuasion from various sources Sahara was talked into releasing part of the live concert on the CD ‘Sahara Live @ The Malthouse’ . This received critical acclaim and ratings of three and a half stars in major publications.
Touring A‘what next’ phase resulted in Sahara bringing their concert interstate. Trish and Dave self-employed once again with their ageing car laden with instruments, basic sound equipment and a couple of spotlights. With car engine number two under the bonnet, thousands of kilometres and as many life lessons travelling through glaring sun-drenched drought-ridden outback towns, to rain-drenched flooded coastal towns, leaves one with many a tale to tell. All of this provided the inspiration for Sahara’s next CD ‘A New Beginning’ which was recorded in their home studio between tours.
Change of plans Sahara toured ‘A New Beginning’ which was a great success running for a couple of years with bookings well into 2007. However the long road came to an abrupt halt in December 2006. Unlike the car which had it’s guts replaced we were unable to do the same for Dave. A chronic illness turned critical. Dave was at death’s door and we almost lost him on more than one occasion. It was an enormous effort to save him. Surviving emergency life saving surgery and subsequent complications including sepsis, Dave proved his mental strength and bravery. It was a particularly tough period in Trish and Dave’s lives however through it all they managed to keep writing and recording.
Sahara CyberStars Recordings Sahara CyberStars have released six albums and eight singles to date. Please visit our online store for further information.
