Matt Andersen Halfway Home By Morning True North Records/MGM Canadian Matt Andersen is a big man with a big voice and going on this collection of 13 songs he’s also got a big heart. Whether it’s singing devotional love songs or conveying the pain of loss, he invests heavy emotion and a believable sincerity in … Continue reading
Jim Lauderdale From Another World Yep Roc Records By all accounts this is Jim Lauderdale’s 32nd album and it follows hot on the heels of last year’s excellent record Time Flies. From Another World shares many sonic similarities with its predecessor but as the title suggests there’s even more of a cosmic vibe to these … Continue reading
‘Sweet Lucinda’, the new track from West Virginian Tony Harrah starts off pleasingly, in a burly troubadour kind of way but when it hits the chorus it locks you in. The shift of the drums and the upward melodic surge will win you over instantly. “Ah yes, this is great,” you’ll nod to yourself as the … Continue reading
1969: A Watershed Year For Americana Music Half a century ago, in a single calendar year, an avalanche of albums were released that would go on to have a lasting and monumental impact on what would become known as alt-country and more recently Americana music. Looking back at 1969 and pursuing the list of albums … Continue reading
NATHAN SEECKTS THE HEART OF THE CITY Independent This is the debut album from Melbourne singer/songwriter Nathan Seeckts. He’s released a string of EPs since 2010 and that slow and steady approach has served him well, going on the impressive and consistent quality of the songwriting and musicianship on The Heart Of The City. Seeckts … Continue reading
THE FELICE BROTHERS UNDRESS Yep Roc Records At their core, The Felice Brothers have always centred on the songwriting of Ian Felice and the musicality of brother James, plus the influence of Simone Felice in the band’s early days, before he moved on to a solo career. They’ve had a revolving door of drummers but … Continue reading
Some people have been dissing the image and schtick of Orville Peck but here at PTW we’ve been really digging his Pony LP, one of favourites of 2019 so far. He’s just released a new video clip for the slow burner ‘Hope To Die’, a shimmering Orbison meets Twin Peaks dream-croon of a song. You … Continue reading
Hailing from Nashville, TN, here’s a song about NYC from singer-songwriter John Burnette. It has the beautiful lines “New York City are you doing alright, do you taking your pills?” and “He lost her in a lucid spell he was trying to preserve. Now they’re standing on the salt flats, babe, disappearing at the edge … Continue reading
We’re loving the space in this new song from Canadian JUNO Award winner Catherine MacLellan. ‘Out Of Time’ matches its title and sentiment with the arrangement and exquisite playing on this slow soulful sway of a country lament. The song comes from her new LP COYOTE set to be released October 11, 2019. Continue reading
Authentic, organic, humorous, old school dusty floor honky tonk sounds from Pinto Bennett, the Idaho musician who made his first recordings at age 16 in 1964 with a rock band called The Fates before being seduced by Wynn Stewart’s Bakersfield country sound. By the 2000s, his hard living caught up with him in the form … Continue reading
Jeff Tweedy with Jen Cloher Metro Theatre, Sydney May 20th, 2019 By Chris Familton In 20 years of attending gigs at the Metro, this was the first time I’d seen seats in the venue. There were mixed comments from the audience but it worked well, creating a more intimate atmosphere in the room, which in … Continue reading
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real + William Crighton Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW April 18th, 2019 Bluesfest is nearly upon us for another year and so are the associated sideshows that roll through Sydney. If you’re a fan of Americana and country rock then Lukas Nelson and band Promise Of The Real should have … Continue reading
Lo Carmen has released a brand new double A-side single with the tracks ‘Now You Know Nashville’ and ‘Half A Man’. Beautiful atmospheric authentic country music from the heart and soul. The first is a sweet honky tonk groove, while ‘Half A Man’ is draped in that heady and lonesome sound that bands like The … Continue reading
SONGS OF TRIBUTE For my Waitin’ Around to Die column in Rhythms I recently took a look at some of the outstanding releases in the field of tribute albums. Specifically those that fall under the umbrella of Americana and alt-country, whether it’s in recognition of an artist’s body of work or a fundraiser to assist them … Continue reading
An old-timey voice that blends and warm concoction of folk and country music on this single ‘Any Soul’, from her recently released debut self-titled album. Teresa Duffy-Richards hails originally from the Salt bush plains of Deniliquin NSW, Australia and is now based in Melbourne’s inner north where she’s been refining her classic, atmospheric sound. A dash … Continue reading
