Honky tonk, hard country and outlaw combine for this rippin’ new single from Gethen Jenkins. There’s some great playing right across it, from lead guitar to pedal steel, backed by a swinging freight train rhythm section on this shuffling drinking song. Hell of a voice too – gruff and deep, in the tradition of Waylon … Continue reading
A Different Thread are a British/American duo – Robert Jackson from Staffordshire, UK and Alicia Best from North Carolina, USA. who conjure up a whole range of Americana (country, folk, bluegrass) influences on their new album On A Whim which was released last week on September 13th. This song flies along courtesy of the violin … Continue reading
THE ROCKY ROAD TO HARMONY A caravan snakes its way across the Nullarbor; singer-songwriter, husband, toddler and Rascal the dog ensconced within as dust billows into the late afternoon air and a burning sun casts a warm glow over their travels. That’s the scene as Catherine Britt heads out on another adventure, just one of … Continue reading
Ben Mastwyk dials into an authentic country sound that honours both the heartfelt storytelling side of the tracks and the boot scootin’, honky tonk dance-floor. It’s a talent that few possess with many guilty parties falling into either serious introspection or ending up looking like cartoon cowboys. Mastwyk wrote most of these songs in the … Continue reading
We’re only a couple of weeks out from the release (Sept 28th) of Take Me To Town, the 3CD compilation of Australian alt-country music put together by Stanley Records, Mother Hen Touring and ourselves. We’ve already posted the pre-order links so if you want to ensure you get a copy then hit the link and … Continue reading
Here’s the new single from JP Harris‘ new album Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing (due out October 5th on Free Dirt Records), co-produced by Old Crow Medicine Show member, Morgan Jahnig. The song rips and tumbles along, it’s a fun country-rock workout that details touring life with his band The Tough Choices. Fittingly it has a … Continue reading
SONGS OF THE SILVER SCREEN Twilight On The Trail is the musical intersection of a childhood of Saturday morning western movies and formative years spent on the edge of the Mojave desert. For Jen Mize and Mark Sholtez, their tribute to the great cowboy songs and crooners of the 1940s is a project forged in … Continue reading
LOST GEMS AND REISSUING NOSTALGIA One of the features of the last few decades has been the ever increasing proliferation of reissues. They come in all forms – remastered, remixed, re-pressed and expanded and thankfully the world of Americana music is no exception. Reissues serve two important purposes. Firstly they cater to the nostalgia crowd … Continue reading
SONGS FROM THE BROKEN RADIO “I was nominated for best new talent and I was in my 40s and everyone else was in their 20s so I was the oldest new guy in country music which was nice.” That’s singer/songwriter Michael Waugh discussing his nomination for Best New Talent at the 2017 Golden Guitar Awards. … Continue reading
There’s something about this lead track from Altameda’s (Edmonton, Canada) sophomore LP Time Hasn’t Changed You, due out in March, 2019 via Pheromone Recordings. It cuts across a bunch of different sounds – 70s FM rock, a country swing and strut and a big horn-led chorus, draped in gang backing vocals. It has that soul thing happening too, making … Continue reading
BRASH OPTIMISM & SONGWRITING PROPHECY Striding the early morning Los Angeles pavement and scared about returning to his life in Melbourne, the musician had revelation. Maybe he could just disappear? Dissolve into the weird and wild world of LA. That thought was quickly tempered by reality but it did result in a song about just … Continue reading
‘Ten Ton Heart’ comes from Tar & Flowers’ recently released album Indian Summer. Head over to their Bandcamp page to stream and buy or hit up the usual streaming services. The band hail from California and dial into a countrified folk of sound. It’s laid back, evocative, blending acoustic and electric instrumentation. Plenty of strum … Continue reading
Here’s a really nice slice of hard country from Californian Jesse Daniel. It comes from his self-titled album that came out on Die True Records a few months back. The whole album is great. Shades of Waylon throughout but with an added rock ‘n’ roll streak, a wild spirit and a snarl in Daniel and the … Continue reading
Bob Dylan @ ICC Theatre, Sydney 18th August 2018 There’s a dire warning before Bob Dylan takes the stage at the ICC Theatre – “filming and photography will not be tolerated, please turn off your electronic devices”. It’s a sign that Dylan is either still extremely protective of his image and his art or those newfangled contraptions (phones) … Continue reading
In this day and age, country music is a different and multifaceted beast to what it was 80 years ago. Back then, in simpler times, the music reflected tales both true and imagined about day-to-day life, heroes and adventures. The likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Sons of the Pioneers ruled the wireless and … Continue reading
