Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW 16th October 2018 Thanks to the good taste of tour promoters Love Police, October is the time of year when Sydney gets a handful of sideshows in the wake of the Out On The Weekend festival in Melbourne. This year the pick of the crop was … Continue reading
Category Archives: Soul
NEW MUSIC: The Gracious Losers – I Can Never Read The Signs
UK nine-piece The Gracious Losers recently released their debut LP The Last Of The Gracious Losers and it features ‘I Can Never Read The Signs’, the closing track on the rich and set of Americana music that draws from gospel, country and soul music. From Glasgow to Woodstock the line is drawn and followed with … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Freddy & Francine – Half A Mind
I came across this beautiful slice of soulful Americana, the single from Freddy & Francine, a duo out of Nashville (previously based in L.A). The song comes from their recently released EP Moonless Night, produced by Dan Knobler (Lake Street Dive). Check out the amusing clip for ‘Half A Mind’ below and you can listen to the full … Continue reading
LIVE REVIEW: Dashville Skyline 2018
Dashville Skyline, held on the same picturesque family property as The Gum Ball, Pigsty In July and Thrashville, returned for its 4th year with its largest festival line-up to date, comprised of 100% Australian acts, spread over three days. The weather gods had threatened through the week but blue skies prevailed for yet another superb … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: La Dante – Mexico Sunrise
Here’s something a bit different. Different in the sense that there’s such a smooth soul streak running through this song. All the while there’s a country sway and sun kissed vibe of open highways and desert vistas. Country yacht rock perhaps? It’s a sweet slice of soulful Americana regardless. ‘Mexico Sunrise’ comes from Philadelphia’s La … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Altameda – Rolling Back To You
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
ALBUM REVIEW: Darren Watson – Too Many Millionaires
Darren Watson is a stalwart of the New Zealand blues scene with a lineage in the bands Chicago Smoke Shop and Midge Marsden Band. Primarily he’s cut his teeth as an electric guitarist and singer so this acoustic record is a departure from the template and as a result it feels like a special project. … Continue reading
LIVE REVIEW: Marlon Williams @ Metro Theatre, Sydney
Marlon Williams, The Weather Station @ Metro Theatre, May 17th 2018 Five years of hard work, countless hours in airport lounges, nights on friends’ couches and in bars and clubs is paying off big time with Marlon Williams’ current Australian tour sold out in the largest venues he’s headlined to date. This time around he he’s brought … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain
“I like you honey, being with you is like being alone”. It’s a line in I’ve Hurt Worse that sums up the lyrical concerns of Courtney Marie Andrews’ sophomore album in two ways. The rocky terrain of personal relationships and the mental health issues of modern society. If her debut was an impressive introduction to … Continue reading
NEWS: Lucero Announce New Album and Share Two Songs
Lucero are back with a new album scheduled for release on August 3rd via Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers. Among The Ghosts will be their ninth LP and marks their 20th anniversary as a band. It sounds like they’ve gone for a tantalising blend of the big, live and loose sound based on ‘For The Lonely … Continue reading
INTERVIEW: Marlon Williams
His debut album heralded the arrival of a timeless and exciting new country and folk voice, yet for Marlon Williams he’s only just starting to realise his songwriting ambitions with the baroque pop sound of his new album Make Way For Love. Down the phone line from New Zealand, Marlon Williams has just landed at … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Ruby Boots Releases New Single ‘Believe In Heaven’
Ruby Boots today releases her new single ‘Believe In Heaven’, ahead of her imminent return for three full band shows in Australia (see tour poster below). Bex says, “This song is about desire, so I wanted to create a world of what I thought my desire would look like at the time when I … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Dori Freeman – Letters Never Read (2017)
Dori Freeman only released her self-titled debut album in 2016 but she’s already gone and followed it up with Letters Never Read, an album that takes the template of her first release and adds greater warmth, soul and depth of writing. Freeman has again employed the services of Teddy Thompson as producer, and he in … Continue reading
VIDEO PREMIERE: Ben Mastwyk – This Country
Ben Mastwyk is currently a busy gent with a run of interstate shows with Luke Elliot (USA) and today he’s sent the video clip for new single ‘This Country’ out into the world. It’s a great horn-led slice of honky tonk and country groove, matched by an equally fine video complete with gold satin jackets, … Continue reading
LIVE REVIEW: Hurray For The Riff Raff
Hurray For The Riff Raff, Slow Dancer @ Factory Theatre, March 26th 2018 Back for the first time since their Newtown Social Club show in 2014, Hurray For The Riff Raff were upsized to the much larger Factory Theatre, an overly ambitious punt by the promoter given that their profile hasn’t risen greatly in the intervening years. … Continue reading