Guitar Man- Dustin Bookatz

Musician- Dustin Bookatz

Dustin Bookatz is born on March 4, 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1987 he and his parents leave South Africa and move to Sydney, Australia in search of a peaceful life. Dustin spends his formative years there until his mid-twenties. His hobbies in his youth are illustrating and painting. At the age of thirteen he meets the bass guitar for the very first time and this sets up the beginning of another artistic expression �" the sound. His playing career begins in high school where he plays in school bands. Together with the other members of the band Flying Model Rockets he starts playing around Sydney’s pub rock scenes. In a short time, he is asked to join the post-punk outfit ‘Dead In Two Weeks’.

He plays in and around the Sydney soul music scene with the likes of Rob Edwards, Darryl Beaton and Beau Golden before joining his own band, The Big Bang Theory. He collaborates with several electronic producers including Drae Leighton, James McKenna and Nick LaRosa.

2007 is the year when Dustin joins WIM. The band records its debut LP in Los Angeles with Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music, INXS). Being signed to Modular Records, the band plays tours around Australia and the USA. Dustin and WIM are seen playing with bands such as Other Lives, Casio Kids, Kirin J Callinan and The Preatures.

The tours includes sold-out shows at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, Lincoln Hall in Chicago and a host of festivals including the Sundance Film festival in Park City, Utah - as well as South By Southwest, CMJ, Culture Collide and The St. Jerome's Laneway Festival.

Dustin is now residing in New York City. He has recently finished work with his friend and collaborator Hero Fisher on his debut LP. The LP was produced by the UK’s Brad Spence and Charlie Russel (Jamiroquai, Alt-J, Morrissey).

Dustin is working on his solo material, while playing bass on various artists’ and producers’ work. He is now developing a range of clothing inspired by his illustrations.