Darwin musician Eddie Obara – aka Black Can Clan – will release a limited edition version of his debut album, ‘Delusions of Grandeur’.

The launch gig – which Obara promises to be one of the album launches of the year” – will be held at Darwin venue Happy Yess, from 10pm, Saturday November 5, 2011.

Eddie says that the “15-track CD has been in the making for 36 years”, with it “taking just over a year to record” at the Charles Darwin University Casuarina campus studios, where Obara is enrolled in his second year as a VET music student.

Since finishing the first pass of the album in April 2011, Obara has continued to write and record, swiftly released another set of songs ‘The Chocolate Milk EP’ on Bandcamp soon after, in May.

Weighing up his options later in the year – and with ambitions of touring in the Territory and interstate festivals in 2012 – Eddie decided to merge tracks from the EP, the Delusions of Grandeur album and his entry into the Northern Territory’s 2011  Anthem Competition,  Territory, into the one 15-track recording.

He then re-mastered all of the tracks and hey presto! The new limited edition version of Delusions of Grandeur is born!

Eddie has also put together a 6-piece band for the Delusions of Grandeur special release.

Black Can Clan is Eddie on guitar and lead vocals, Dave Wise (lead guitar), Steve-o Lees (bass), Chris Ganambarr (drums), Angus Robertson (accordian) and Eddie’e cousin Gavin “Buss” Coehn on congas and other percussion.

Their first gig was at the CDU Creative Industries end-of-year exhibition on October 28, 2011. “Our lecturer Cal Williams said it was a ‘crackin’ gig!’ ” laughed Eddie when interviewed, “we rocked it! Eddie also said it was an enjoyable gig because he was able to devote himself just to singing, with someone else on guitar duties for a change!

With a powerful voice that resembles that of Cat Stevens and TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Eddie agrees the band’s sound is “eclectic,” with the music crossing the genres of rock, funk, folk, reggae, country and world music.

At Saturday’s launch Black Can Clan will be supported by the late George R.’s family band My Boys Are Good Boys from Elcho Island, and “legendary local Larrakia songstress” June Mills and her band Yalakin Batji.

• Visit the Music NT Forum for the gig details.
• Read another interview with Eddie Obara here.
• Visit Bandcamp to download The Chocolate Milk EP
• ‘Like’ Black Can Clan page on Facebook.
• Contact Eddie Obara to find out how to get a copy of the Delusions of Grandeur limited edition CD! Email him at edwardobara@yahoo.com.au

Words: Megan Spencer. Source: Steve-o Lees, Eddie Obara. Thanks to Eddie for the quotes and info!