Ryan Adams & The Unknown Band, Middle Kids @ Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (27.05.17) According to messages on his Instagram account, this was the last AU/NZ tour for Ryan Adams. For 15 years he’s sacrificed his mind and body and battle with Ménière’s disease to make the long flights down to this part of the world … Continue reading
If you can get past the self-deprecating cover with Smith as a leather-jacketed, sunglass-wearing and sax-tootin’ dude then you’ll find a whole range of styles on show. The songs are either Harry Nilsson-styled piano barroom tales, Jack White keening blues, Dylan-esque wordplay or loose-hip Stonesey rock ’n’ roll. It all adds up to a varied … Continue reading
Fallon Cush‘s Bee In Your Bonnet was a real highlight among the Australian album releases last year with their blend of power pop and country rock. They’ve backed it up with this new single ‘Long Shot’, the first taste of their forthcoming fourth album, which continues their love of chiming guitars and sweet melodies. Think … Continue reading
Here’s ‘High Is Not The Top’, the new heavy-plucking and trippily-picked acoustic song from Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It comes from their new LP Barefoot In The Head, out July 21st on Silver Arrow Records. Continue reading
Sydney-based singer/songwriter Steve Wernick has just released his debut full length solo album Love Is A Gamble (via RPM Records). Drawing from the rich history of folk, blues and country with a punk spirit, Wernick deals with pain and heartbreak across a dozen songs drawn from personal experience over a seven year period. Wernick’s history on … Continue reading
Chris Shiflett is a busy man, dividing himself between Foo Fighters duties, hosting his Walking The Floor podcast and working on his solo career. He’s increasingly immersed himself in country music and this, his third solo album, is his finest yet. He pulled together a master team including producer Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell), … Continue reading
Across these thirteen new songs, Sam Outlaw hits more consistent territory than he did on his debut album. The music is fuller and finds a greater synchronicity with his voice and the required sympathetic tones for his tales of affairs of the heart. Outlaw’s wordplay is in fine form, “trading looks and gossip over bottomless … Continue reading
On May 19th, Justin Bernasconi releases Barefoot Wonderland, his second and fine new album of folk guitar music that explores bluegrass, country, the American Primitive style, folk and the blues. It’s a wonderful blend of English and American styles and a showcase for his exemplary playing – full of colour, control and tone, mixed with strong … Continue reading
The latest single to come from Jen Mize’s fine Warnings & Wisdom LP (2016) is “Forget Her’, a devastating, slow-burning duet with Duncan Toombs. It’s the sweet yearning ache in their voices and the blend of tones that makes this such a great song – sung from two sides of the same coin. It’s beautifully … Continue reading
Marty Stuart has been long considered as one of the key links between the traditional country world and the Americana side of town, having played in Johnny Cash’s band and previously with Lester Flatt and Doc Watson. Way Out West finds him corralling all of those influences and more into a dream-like paean to the … Continue reading
An early start due to the public holiday meant a sparse room at the start of Ruby Boots’ set but by its conclusion the room had filled considerably. Back in town after a year in Nashville, she started off tentatively with a new song, from her forthcoming album and what a superb song it was, … Continue reading
In the current country music world things can certainly get a tad over-earnest at times. A surefire antidote is Jonny Fritz. On Sweet Creep he’s recorded his finest record to date and found the perfect balance between heartache, humour, pathos and musicality. Produced my My Morning Jacket’s and with Joshua Hedley and Dawes’ Taylor and … Continue reading
FROM FORMATION TO PRESERVATION Nadia Reid has made good on the promise of her debut album and ahead of a run of Australian shows she talks with Chris Familton about the emotional investment in her new release Preservation. Avoiding the much talked about second album syndrome is a big thing, given that it has unraveled … Continue reading
The intensely mesmerising Lucy Roleff has released a clip for the beautiful, melodious song ‘Hotel Interstate’, taken from her 2016 album This Paradise. We love the album, saying in our review “This is a wondrous album of meditative and transportive folk music”. The video, directed by Alex Badham, depicts the Melbourne artist taking a sole-stroll … Continue reading
Old 97’s return with their 11th studio album and it finds them in fine form. From the opening frantic rattle and strum of ‘I Don’t Wanna Die In This Town’ they blast out the cobwebs and immediately re-establish their credentials as one of the pre-eminent alt-country bands – in the same echelon as The Jayhawks, … Continue reading
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