Since those heady early days when Mellencamp was touted by record labels as the heartland rock, pinup boy Johnny Cougar, through to his eventual reshaping into his true self, the strength of his songwriting has always been consistent. Now, with his 23rd studio album, Mellencamp again shows his range and canny ability to draw on … Continue reading
Tami Neilson & Her Rockin’ Hot Band Of Rhythm + Paddy McHugh @ The Basement, Sydney, 20th August 2017 Sunday night isn’t the usual day of the week for a country, soul and funk shakedown but Tami Neilson & Her Rockin’ Hot Band Of Rhythm unequivocally made it so. Surprisingly this was her first visit to Sydney, … Continue reading
Though Shane Nicholson is now firmly entrenched in Australian country music, with awards aplenty, he’s shown over his strong run of solo albums that he can still maintain a foot in the indie scene in which he forged his songwriting abilities. That positioning has enabled him to straddle alt-country and commercial country with equal aplomb. … Continue reading
Reportedly the first of two volumes to be released this year, Americana is the first solo album from Ray Davies in nearly decade. It is also a companion of sorts to his autobiography of the same name and it certainly has a nostalgic feel to it – both geographically and culturally – and a predominantly … Continue reading
Ryan Adams & The Unknown Band, Middle Kids @ Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (27.05.17) According to messages on his Instagram account, this was the last AU/NZ tour for Ryan Adams. For 15 years he’s sacrificed his mind and body and battle with Ménière’s disease to make the long flights down to this part of the world … Continue reading
If you can get past the self-deprecating cover with Smith as a leather-jacketed, sunglass-wearing and sax-tootin’ dude then you’ll find a whole range of styles on show. The songs are either Harry Nilsson-styled piano barroom tales, Jack White keening blues, Dylan-esque wordplay or loose-hip Stonesey rock ’n’ roll. It all adds up to a varied … Continue reading
Fallon Cush‘s Bee In Your Bonnet was a real highlight among the Australian album releases last year with their blend of power pop and country rock. They’ve backed it up with this new single ‘Long Shot’, the first taste of their forthcoming fourth album, which continues their love of chiming guitars and sweet melodies. Think … Continue reading
Here’s ‘High Is Not The Top’, the new heavy-plucking and trippily-picked acoustic song from Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It comes from their new LP Barefoot In The Head, out July 21st on Silver Arrow Records. Continue reading
Old 97’s return with their 11th studio album and it finds them in fine form. From the opening frantic rattle and strum of ‘I Don’t Wanna Die In This Town’ they blast out the cobwebs and immediately re-establish their credentials as one of the pre-eminent alt-country bands – in the same echelon as The Jayhawks, … Continue reading
Always one for following his own muse, impulses and stylistic influences, Ryan Adams cuts a wide path through contemporary rock ’n’ roll. Not content to be the poster boy for alt-country he’s increasingly explored hardcore, 80s MOR, metal and pop music and now on Prisoner he continues the sound of his previous self-titled album and … Continue reading
Burnt-Out Pedalboards & Fucked-Up Guitars Prior to entering Ryan Adams’ hotel room I had preconceived ideas running through my head about what I might encounter. Will there be a pinball machine in the corner? Will Adams be reclining on the bed strumming a guitar, having just written a dozen new songs? The reality of the … Continue reading
Fans of Okkervil River may not have realistically been expecting a new album from Will Sheff – his stock seemed in decline and it felt like either a sea-change was needed or the band would drift away. The reset of the regular band did dissolve into the real world but Sheff eventually hit a purple patch … Continue reading
There’s a saying “you only get one shot”, yet over time rock ’n’ roll has proven that’s not necessarily the case. One such example is Glad Reed and David Claringbold. Collaborators in life and music since the mid 80s, they demonstrate on their new album The Road, that they’re still driven by a shared passion … Continue reading
Between them, Glad Reed and David Claringbold have woven a path through the Australian music industry for the last thirty years. Glad has worked as a musician with Midnight Oil, The Cruel Sea, Laughing Clowns and many more while Dave has forged a successful career in production with acts including The Lighthouse Keepers and The … Continue reading
Liam Gerner has settled back into Melbourne after ten years based overseas and amid near-constant touring he’s recorded a new album with his band (The Sunset Pushers) that includes Shane Reilly from Lost Ragas. The self-titled LP (due out in Feb 2016) was recorded in three days in both Melbourne by Roger Bergodaz and in the USA at … Continue reading
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