I’ve been hooked on the music of Bud Rokesky since seeing him play at Dashville Skyline last October and over the last couple of months I’ve been lucky enough to listen to an advance copy of his exceptional debut album Outsider, which will be released on February 17th via Rainbow Valley Records. I’ve got a … Continue reading
Category Archives: Alt-Country
SINGLE PREMIERE: MFV – Twin Cowboy
MFV are a six-piece band hailing from the Wollongong area who first began as life-long friends jamming in various garages and halls south of Sydney in 2019. Some of the members also play in shoegaze band Miners (check out their self-titled 2021 album) and you can definitely hear the textural nuances and dynamics of that … Continue reading
DAN BRODIE FEELS THE LOVE IN NEW VIDEO CLIP
Dan Brodie has been a mainstay of Australian alt-country and heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll for nigh on three decades now and he keeps on delivering, whether it’s dark, hot blooded rock or brooding, atmospheric country ballads. His latest single ‘(I Can Feel) Love Closing In’ falls into the latter camp. It’s draped in melancholic romanticism … Continue reading
TEX PERKINS & THE FAT RUBBER BAND RELEASE NEW SINGLE OF LUSTFUL INTENT
Tex Perkins & The Fat Rubber Band are proud to reveal single number two from their forthcoming album Other World with the hypnotic and languid groove of ‘(I Wanna Be) Close To You‘. It’s a song that slinks into the room with a sultry swing and swagger, a wink and a beckoning finger. Tex describes it as “pop, rock … Continue reading
LUCERO RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘MACON IF WE MAKE IT’, ALBUM OUT FEB 24TH
Based on the sound of the songs already released, Lucero look to be in fine form on their new album Should’ve Learned By Now, out Feb 24th via Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers. Inspired by an impending hurricane, the song draws parallels between a literal storm and a troubled relationship back home, before the listener is … Continue reading
VIDEO: Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes – There Goes The Neighbourhood
Dave Favours and band released their latest Cheap Motels After Midnight album in April and to round out a successful year the Sydney alt-country group have released the video clip for the single ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood‘, a song that takes a bleak look at the changing times, people and places of their hometown. According … Continue reading
FAVOURITE AU/NZ ALBUMS 2022
As always, it’s been another strong year for local releases in 2022, as artists find their feet again and cast their creative efforts out into the world after a couple of years of turmoil. Ahead of our main album list for the year, here are our eleven favourite Australian and Aotearoa/NZ albums for 2022. As … Continue reading
FLEUR WIBER BUILDS A SWEET COUNTRY GROOVE ON ‘PLASTIC SKYSCRAPERS’
Sydney songwriter Fleur Wiber has impressed with her previous releases, both solo and with Chris Carrapetta. Her latest release is ‘Plastic Skyscrapers‘, a song that perfectly the blends classic and contemporary strains of country music, yet still with a gentle cosmic folk drift in its DNA. Drums shuffle, guitars twang & tumble along while a … Continue reading
NEW VIDEO: Anna Weatherup – The River
I was lucky enough to catch Anna Weatherup live at Dashville Skyline recently and she played an impressive set of soulful multi-genre songs, all sharing a rich vein of emotive, world class songwriting. Last week she released her new single ‘The River’ and last night the excellent video clip for the song premiere on YouTube. … Continue reading
VIDEO PREMIERE: Bud Rokesky – Floodlights
Brisbane-based country singer/songwriter and truck driving troubadour Bud Rokesky first caught my ear with his debut single ‘Love My Baby More’. A couple of weeks later I was standing in front of the stage at Dashville Skyline in the Hunter Valley with the early afternoon sun casting a warm glow across the assembled audience. A … Continue reading
VIDEO PREMIERE: Phil Smith – That’s Love For You
Hobart-based songwriter Phil Smith has released, ‘That’s Love For You‘ the first single from his forthcoming new album Into The Night (early 2023) and we’re super happy to be able to premiere the video clip, directed by Bones, on PTW today. The single has that perfect melancholic alt-country sway, built on harmonica, perfectly placed and … Continue reading
ESSENTIAL AMERICANA ALBUMS: Bobby Charles – S/T
In the mid 1960s, Woodstock, New York was increasingly becoming a haven for musicians who wanted to escape the grind of New York City (or elsewhere) and draw inspiration from the wooded surrounds and the burgeoning creative community that was thriving there. The town of Woodstock had long been a focal point for artists, since … Continue reading
HILLSBOROUGH RELEASE DEBUT LP & NEW VIDEO FOR ‘MAGNETIC LIVES’
The Queensland band Hillsborough, based around Phil Usher and Beata Maglai, released their debut album Comin’ Back For You this week and to mark the occasion they’ve also released the video clip for their latest single ‘Magnetic Lives‘ – an alt-country song built around a dusty acoustic strum, an electric twang and sublime vocal harmonies … Continue reading
PHOTOS: Dashville Skyline, October 2022
Another incredible long weekend of cosmic country music in the idyllic surrounds of the Hunter Valley. A ton of highlights at the festival this year (as always) but my PTW gold star picks for this year go to Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats, Grace Cummings, Watty Thompson, Bud Rokesky, The Tall Stories, Sweet Talk, … Continue reading
AUSTIN, TX MUSICIAN JD CASPER WRITES A HEARTFELT SONG FOR HIS SON
Sometimes the simplest songs are the most affecting. The bare and poetic conveyance of heartfelt thoughts and emotions always ring the truest and Austin, TX songwriter JD Casper has done just that. The song came to him in an inspired moment over a morning coffee and JD says “I hope he listens to this throughout … Continue reading