Drive-By Truckers The Unraveling Ato Records by Chris Familton Over nearly quarter of a century, Drive-By Truckers have slowly established themselves as one of the great American bands of modern times. Harnessing the grit and swagger of alt-country and embracing and challenging the notion of being a Southern rock band, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and … Continue reading
Brisbane songwriter Mardi Lumsden has released this wonderful new folk single, ‘Heading Home’, the third to come from her debut album Hiatus. The song hits a soulful groove courtesy of the Hammond organ and her restrained voice with its sweet, soft, sleepy tones and blurred edges. According to Lumsden, “‘Heading Home’ is the feeling you … Continue reading
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters has announced her new album The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury, will be released on May 15, 2020 on Scarlet Letter Records. The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey NewburyTracklist:1. The Sailor2. She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye3. Just Dropped … Continue reading
FANNY LUMSDEN WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL THAT SHE COULD FIND SOLACE IN Fanny Lumsden’s third country-folk album, Fallow, sees her exploring new musical terrain and dealing with the loss of loved ones and the joy of bringing new life into the world. As she explains to Chris Familton, it’s an album that represents possibility … Continue reading
Portland indie Americana group Patina have just released their new (3rd) album Hard Luck Sound and ‘All I Ever Had’ is a great example of the line they walk through folk and country music like a contemporary version of The Band or a less rambunctious Houndmouth. They’ve got a great handle on not overplaying their … Continue reading
Last month, Nashville-based Ron Pope released his new LP Bone Structure, a 15-track set of songs that are presented in both subtle and overt form as a collective letter to his young daughter. Pope seems to have had in interesting and at times challenging life to-date, as an impoverished child of teenaged parents to broken-hearted New … Continue reading
Last year we featured ‘To Dream Again‘, a song from San Francisco-based Eric Long which caught our ear with its stripped back folk sound and his weathered voice. ‘Bluebird’ comes from his new 2020 album Looking Up and shows a warmer, more detailed sound, draped in a melodic vocal and some wonderful pedal steel and fiddle. On first … Continue reading
“The neighbourhood is stuck on pause, I can see no cars, street lamps hung like a VCR” Sam Newton released his most recent album, Stare Into The Dark, in 2018 but it’s proven to have a wonderful shelf-life across live shows, both solo and with his band, and now the wonderful new video clip for … Continue reading
LOOKING TO THE PAST Folk singer, country troubadour and roots aficionado Pokey LaFarge had a bumper year in 2013 that included a new album on Jack White’s record label and a calendar overflowing with live shows and TV appearances. On the eve of his first Australian tour LaFarge talks with Chris Familton about his formative … Continue reading
August Knight gets bare and desolate on this stripped back take on his song ‘Arizona Rain’. Though minimal in its musical dressage, it still sounds lush within its high and lonesome pedal-steel draped sound. Over all of that, Knight hits the sweet spot between heartache and simple lyrical impact. “Arizona rain bring me an angel, … Continue reading
The enigmatically named Secret Emchy Society from Oakland has a new track out which races along on a quick-shuffle, honky tonk heartbeat as Cindy Emch barrels out the song with high spirits and playful verve. Emch has been named by the Huffington Post as the ‘First Lady of Queer Country’ and No Depression christened her “Equal … Continue reading
Vickers Lee Cunningham is coming your way from Houston, TX with his sweet, swingin’ honky tonk sound. Smooth pedal steel and a healthy dose of twang are the backdrop for his laidback drawl as he sings about making your own luck in the game of love and life. Continue reading
BETWEEN THE PAGES As any righteous fan and music nerd will attest, biographies and autobiographies of their favourite artists and albums are an invaluable insight into the life and creative journey of a songwriter. Even in this day and age of smorgasbord information access via the internet, an in-depth and well-researched book by a writer … Continue reading
River Tramps are a Floridian and Texan duo based in Nashville who have recently released their debut single ‘Mare And The Maiden’. Adam Cohen and Nikole Martine have a fine way with country folk phrasing, both old-timey in its western feel but also contemporary in the production sheen. The allowance of space in the song … Continue reading
Simple exquisite melodies are the winning hand on this song from Brooklyn’s Late Cambrian. There’s a touch of George Harrison, the tenets of power-pop in a stripped-back setting and a psychedelic country-tinged wander through psych pop. All in all it’s a wonderful track that buried itself in our short term memory when we first heard … Continue reading
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