Andrew Phelan is an Australian who relocated to Canada (received a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination) and last week he released his new six song EP Everything Rattles When I Breathe. This one from it, ‘That’s How’ is a catchy and rousing folk dispatch about the perils of booze. He’s got a fine line in … Continue reading
Category Archives: Rock
LIVE REVIEW: Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Sydney
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
NEW MUSIC: Eamon McGrath – GUTS
It starts with a standard form – sleepy drums, blocks of piano chords and trailing notes, but then Eamon McGrath‘s voice rings high and lonesome, like a man with something to say, hollerin’ from the next room. It’s a great production move to offset the intimacy of the music with McGrath’s anguished declarations as he … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Company Of Others – Diminishing Returns
Company Of Others is a Nashville, TN trio comprised of singer / songwriter Billy Campbell with Parker Van Der Hyde on bass and Daniel Sauls on drums. It looks like this is the first single they’ve thrown out into the public sphere, and it’s a good one too, mixing alt-country, country-rock and a heartland vibe courtesy of … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: John Dear – Drugstore Cowboy
Something a bit different today, this track ‘Drugstore Cowboy’ from Swiss duo John Dear and drummer Alma June. It’s a howling stomper, a mix of the urban angst and hollering backwoods blues. There are shades of The Black Keys in their sound which isn’t afraid to get noisey and raucous with heavily reverted guitars and … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Kyle Jenkins – Meltdown
Kyle Jenkins Meltdown Near Enough Records (2018) Kyle Jenkins is the singer-songwriter behind Toowoomba-based band Suicide Swans and even though they’re in the midst of a prolific streak of excellent albums, he’s also found time to release his debut solo album which hits similarly high peaks in both song quality and sound. Suicide Swans excel … Continue reading
TOUR NEWS: Lachlan Bryan & Ben Leece Announce ‘Friends & Acquantainces Tour’
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
ALBUM REVIEW: Copperline – Rusty Fords And Weatherboards
Copperline Rusty Fords And Weatherboards Independent The members of Sydney band Copperline have been playing in various bands dating back to the 90s and after ten years they’ve finally recorded their debut album together, one that certainly feels like a collective gathering of likeminded musicians and accomplished players. Led by songwriter Brad Christmas, the band … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Idle Joy – Let’s Just Go Surf
Idle Joy from San Francisco recently released this gem of a loose and ramshackle song that has one foot in the country and one on the beach. ‘Let’s Just Go Surf’ will charm itself into your short term memory with jangling guitars, a loping rhythm section and lazy, catchy vocal melodies. It reminds us of … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Dave Ernst – Superstar
Dave Ernst hails from Louisville, Kentucky and this wonderfully bruised slice of Southern country rock comes from his debut solo album Hickory Switch, produced by Peter Searcy (Squirrel Bait) and mixed by Ken Coomer (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo). You can definitely hear Uncle Tupelo, Drive-By Truckers, Lucero and the like in the sound of this song, ‘Superstar’, … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Dialup Ghost – P.P.S.S.P.
Here’s a nice slice of slacker alt-country from Nashville, TN, courtesy of the group Dialup Ghost. It’s a tasty amalgam of The Replacements, Pavement and Silver Jews. It comes from their 2018 album I’m Fine, I’m Fine which has a nice lo-fi, ramshackle, lazy and wistful streak running through it. Continue reading
INTERVIEW: Family Fold
A DIFFERENT SKYLINE Paul Andrews took a leap of faith and boarded a plane to Nashville with the finest songs he could write. The result of that experience is the new Family Fold album Ashfield Skyline. Rising from the ashes of 00s indie band Lazy Susan, Family Fold released their first album Lustre Glo in … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Matt Joe Gow – Break, Rattle & Roll
Album number three for Melbourne-based songwriter Matt Joe Gow and this one finds him hitting his stride with his most compelling and realised set of songs to date. Gow co-produced the album and it certainly sounds world class with space for the songs to breathe and backed up with some wonderful and stylistically varied playing … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Mike Viola – It Does A Number On My Brain
Mike Viola was a member of Ryan Adams band for a while (and has worked with a number of other artists) and you can certainly hear a shared kinship for strummed and sparkly guitars, classic riffs and strong and heady vocal melodies. This one sways along with a melancholic power pop sound, really nice song. … Continue reading
SIX STRINGS: Copperline
Sydney quartet Copperline recently released their debut album Rusty Fords And Weatherboards and celebrated with a wonderful night of music at LazyBones Lounge in Marrickville, NSW. We’ve got a full review coming soon but both the album and their live show highlights the band’s fine musicianship and the range of styles they bring to their music, … Continue reading