By Lookout Staff

July 9, 2010 -- It will be a night of Australian music on Thursday at the Santa Monica Pier as the Twilight Dance Series presents “Australia Rocks the Pier!” The evening will include music from Ben Lee, Brother and Ry Cuming.

Lee is an ARIA Award- (Australian equivalent to the Grammy) winning indie-pop artist who has been in the music business since 1993 when he was 14 years old. The Sidney native’s current and seventh studio recording, “The Rebirth of Venus,” is dedicated to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.

“A bold move for a man, but Ben recognizes that the strongest feminine qualities ‘such as compassion, nurturing, creativity, spontaneity, intuition, playfulness, tenderness and warmth ... are qualities that we all, men and women, need to cultivate,” a statement on the Dance Series’ web site states. “The strong message layered within ‘The Rebirth of Venus,’ one of truly recognizing the splendor of femininity, is incredibly significant for Lee.”

Brother is a three-member group from Bathurst that has been performing original-sounding music in Los Angeles for more than a decade. Brother combines vocals and guitars with the sounds of the indigenous didgeridoo, bagpipes and tribal percussion.

“The band's powerhouse live performances are an energetic celebration, captivating and engaging the audience with their blend of Celtic and Australian Rock with indigenous instruments, traditional garb and style,” the concert’s web site states.

Cuming, who hails from the small coastal town of Angourie on Woodford Island, has performed with such prominent musicians as Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett. He grew up “with a surfboard under one arm and his dad's record collection under the other.”

“From the first time he stood on a surfboard at age 3 and held his first guitar at 5, Ry has simply followed the natural path ahead of him,” the web site states. “It has taken him to far-off places, riding unfamiliar ocean breaks and singing in his alternately sandy tenor and captivating falsetto along the way.”

The concert is free and will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Seating is not provided. Attendees can bring low beach chairs and blankets and sit on the pier deck or the beach. Dogs are allowed, but must be on a leash. For more information, go to www.santamonicapier.org.

For more information on the artists, go to www.rycuming.com, www.ben-lee.com and www.brothermusic.com.