Portland indie Americana group Patina have just released their new (3rd) album Hard Luck Sound and ‘All I Ever Had’ is a great example of the line they walk through folk and country music like a contemporary version of The Band or a less rambunctious Houndmouth. They’ve got a great handle on not overplaying their … Continue reading
‘Stone Me’ was the first single that Margo Price released in 2020 and now she’s posted the video for her second single ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ and announced that her third studio album That’s How Rumors Get Started (Loma Vista), will be out May 8th. The album was produced by Sturgill Simpson and Price collaborated on most … Continue reading
Dori Freeman Every Single Star Blue Hens Music The evolution of Dori Freeman continues on this fine third album from the Southwest Virginian songwriter. Her first was rooted in Appalachian folk but since then she’s added studio polish and incorporated wider influences (sixties pop, jazz balladry) and a lush and more nuanced sound. Teddy Thompson … Continue reading
Charley Crockett The Valley Thirty Tigers / Cooking Vinyl Australia Descendant of legendary frontiersman Davy, traveling troubadour and heart surgery survivor – Charley Crockett sure has a big back story. The most pleasing factor is of course his music, a lackadaisical country blues sound with a New Orleans soul swing to it, which he’s been slowly … Continue reading
Another year and the end of another decade of great music. Time flies but at least we’ve got a great soundtrack. As ever 2019 saw some wonderful new music released. There was the return of artists who had been on a hiatus of sorts – Bill Callahan, Crazy Horse and most importantly… David Berman (R.I.P.) … Continue reading
2019 delivered another bounty of homegrown treats in the form of full-length albums that captured the range and spirit of Australian and NZ Americana music. We encourage you to hit the links to read reviews, listen and buy any new discoveries you might make from our list of favourites, head to a show, buy … Continue reading
COSMIC DREAMING WITH LOST RAGAS On their new album This Is Not A Dream, Melbourne’s Lost Ragas return with a new band member and their most realised set of songs to date. Shane Reilly provides a fascinating insight into the band’s collective sound and the recording of the new album. Lost Ragas are a band … Continue reading
Perth alt-folk femme trio, The Holy Smoke have just released their new EP The River, featuring the exquisite harmonies of the gospel-flavoured opening track ‘Down To The River’ and the closing cut ‘Will There Be a Light’. The latter is an earthy and soulful folk reverie that again highlights the symbiotic vocal connection that Delilah … Continue reading
Sean McMahon You Will Know When You’re There Blind Date Records Melbournian Sean McMahon’s new album is a beguiling affair. It occupies a gently rolling middle ground where songs never explode into wild extremes. Instead, they nestle into a warm and gently rocking vibe. McMahon’s sound is bucolic and forlorn singer/songwriter alt-country, with a dash … 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
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
Lachlan Bryan, one of this country’s more established Americana acts is teaming up with Ben Leece, a relative newcomer on the national scene, for a run of dates across NSW, QLD and VIC, from April to June. Bryan will have his band The Wildes along for the ride and Leece will be backed by his … Continue reading
Here at PTW HQ we’re very excited to be able to share ‘Undress’, the brand new single and title track from the forthcoming new LP by The Felice Brothers. Since they released their last album, Life In The Dark, in 2016, the band have undergone some lineup changes with a new rhythm section – Will … Continue reading
Take Me To Town, the 3CD, 47 track compilation of contemporary Australian alt-country music is heading to Tamworth 2019, with a very special showcase gig featuring an all-star line-up of Ben Leece & Left Of The Dial, Katie Brianna, The Weeping Willows, Hana & Jessie-Lee, Lachlan Bryan, Jen Mize and Mitch Power. If you are … Continue reading
Yesterday we revealed our favourite 2018 local releases from Australia (and NZ). Today we go global with our 40 favourite albums of 2018. We were going to make it a list that excluded the local albums, seeing as we’ve already published those favourites, but as with previous years we decided we don’t want to separate … Continue reading
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