The celebrations marking the release of Take Me To Town, our self-proclaimed landmark compilation of contemporary Australian alternative country music continues next week with a very special showcase evening at Australian Music Week in Cronulla on Wednesday Nov 7th at El Sol Restaurant. Facebook Event Tracy McNeil and her band The GoodLife take the songwriting … Continue reading
It’s always great to hear new music from Tracy McNeil. She never fails to dial into a nostalgic feeling – whether it’s one of blooming love, fading romance, the innocence of youth or the optimism of future possibilities. ‘Stars’ does some of that and more, sounding like Fleetwood Mac and The War On Drugs in … Continue reading
Newcastle’s Ben Leece has building a name for himself as a solo artist over the last 12 months with songwriting awards and support slots for artists such as Tim Rogers and Courtney Marie Andrews. On his highly accomplished debut album he’s brought together some of this country’s finest in producer and musician Shane Nicholson, singer … Continue reading
Here’s a lovely ambling slice of country-folk courtesy of Memphis songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart. ‘Mad At Love’ is the title track from his new album (released Oct 12th) and is written from the point of view of a widow who lost her husband to cancer. It rides on a brisk rhythm and breezy melody that belies … Continue reading
Skyscraper Stan has built a name for himself over the last few years as a beacon of songwriting on the Australian music landscape. He’s part of the Americana scene but he nimbly traverses the genre without pitching his tent in any one corner. He’s a little bit country, a connoisseur of folk music and an … Continue reading
Real Ponchos hail from Vancouver, British Columbia and a couple of weeks ago they released their album Sunshine, a languid collection of nine songs that sway and shimmer via soul grooves and a light psychedelia that at times shares a similarity with the hypnotic qualities of Kurt Vile, albeit in a slower and more folk … Continue reading
Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW 16th October 2018 Thanks to the good taste of tour promoters Love Police, October is the time of year when Sydney gets a handful of sideshows in the wake of the Out On The Weekend festival in Melbourne. This year the pick of the crop was … Continue reading
It was huge weekend in NSW with the launch of the Take Me To Town: An Australian Alternative Country Compilation launched in Newcastle, Sydney and Cronulla over three consecutive nights. It was a real thrill to see plenty of people turn out across the weekend to support and celebrate the release of what we feel … Continue reading
Riley Catherall hails from Canberra but is now a resident of Melbourne. He’s got an EP on the way, featuring Bill and Kasey Chambers and Kasey joins him on this beautiful track, ‘Robin’ – an ode to a red-breasted bird. He cites James Taylor, Neil Young and Jason Isbell as influences and you can certainly hear … Continue reading
Dashville Skyline, held on the same picturesque family property as The Gum Ball, Pigsty In July and Thrashville, returned for its 4th year with its largest festival line-up to date, comprised of 100% Australian acts, spread over three days. The weather gods had threatened through the week but blue skies prevailed for yet another superb … Continue reading
A few weeks ago, James Houlahan released his new LP The Wheel Still In Spin. You can check it via the usual streaming services or hit the link to Bandcamp below to stream and if you dig it, buy a digital copy. Here’s the closing track from the album, ‘California’, a lonesome and wistful song … Continue reading
Beard Bates has a new album on the way called The World Is Blown (November 9, 2018) and here’s the latest video clip from it for the track ‘Joyous Season’. The song features the late The Icarus Line providing the dark Americana psych rock atmosphere while Bates delivers a haunting vocal that manages to channel 90s alt-rock and … Continue reading
Michigan Rattlers released their album Evergreen last week (Sept 28th) and two songs in particular have caught our attention. ‘Didn’t You Know’, with it’s Ryan Adams melancholic sway and nostalgic ache. It tumbles along gently, on a warm yet troubled wind. ‘Evergreen’ has a similar feel, comparing long highways and lonely travels with the … Continue reading
A few weeks back we posted the excellent track ‘Iggy’ from Mary-Elaine Jenkins‘ debut album Hold Still. The record was released last Friday and we’ve given it a few spins and been really impressed with it, right across the board. Here’s the title track, a moody sway with a lonesome violin and that weary ache … Continue reading
It’s that time of year and it’s never sounded sweeter than on this Neil Young-indebted new song from Melbourne’s Sean McMahon. Wistful, melancholic and bucolic, it sways along on McMahons fine vocal and some great pedal steel and harmonica. Continue reading
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