by Chris Familton People who say they hate country music have generally only been exposed to crass country pop, that shallow veneer that exists on the surface of a genre that has much more to offer. Real country music, whether it be outlaw country, alt-country, americana or tex-mex, has deep, rich roots both historically and … Continue reading
I only just discovered Austin Lucas (Bloomington, Indiana, USA) for the first time this week and then, after posting a link to a video of him on the Post To Wire Facebook page I got a message from the man himself asking if I’d be checking him out when he tours Australia in January. Life … Continue reading
Jason Isbell possesses a devastating voice and one that should be experienced live if at all possible. Isbell and his band The 400 Unit will release a live album, Live From Alabama, on Lightning Rod Records/Thirty Tigers on Nov 20th and the first taste of the record is this brilliant sparse take on Isbell’s best … Continue reading
We recently posted links to Davey Craddock & The Spectacles new Going Home EP and we were so impressed with the range and quality of his songwriting on it that we wanted to get Craddock straight into the firing line for our Six Strings Q&A feature. What was the album that first led you down … Continue reading
Six Strings is a new feature on Post To Wire where we’ll be profiling Americana artists, predominately from Australia but sometimes international acts will get a look-in too. First up we asked the Newcastle-based singer/songwriter James Thomson to share his thoughts, opinions and anecdotes in response to our six questions. Thomson recently released his … Continue reading
Western Australia natives Davey Craddock & The Spectacles are releasing their new EP Going Home on November 2nd and will be marking the occasion with a show at the Fremantle Arts Centre. You can check out the EP via the Soundcloud stream below and if you like what you hear then make sure you pick … Continue reading
by Chris Familton On their new EP Hollywood, Sydney folk duo The Falls have captured both the organic and ornate essence of their heart-laid-bare songs. This EP is the documentation of Simon Rudston-Brown and Melinda Kirwin’s romance from its beginnings to its dissolution one Valentines Day. It is a fascinating background story but nonessential information … Continue reading
There is something of a real renaissance of folk and country music going on in Sydney at the moment. Or maybe it has always been there and social media and general trends in fashion, food and music have allowed the artists to get a better foothold in the media and more exposure for live shows. … Continue reading
Fallen Angel (2004) was made by director and musician Gandulf Hennig and American music journalist, musician and biographer Sid Griffin. Friends, contemporaries and devotees of Gram Parsons talk about the importance of his work and the bizarre circumstances of his early death. Rare footage of his performances shows why Gram Parsons has become a legend. Interviewees include Gram’s … Continue reading
by C. Familton When Matthew Ward began to gather curious listeners and build his audience with his fourth album Transfiguration of Vincent in 2003 he felt like somewhat of a mysterious figure with that husky, otherworldly voice that conjured up images of dusty country roads, dimly-lit juke joints and back porch sunset strumming. As his profile has grown and … Continue reading
Two Gallants have been releasing consistently great albums of visceral country, folk and blues for eight years and after a five year break they finally return with their new LP The Bloom and the Blight. On the evidence from this album trailer they are channeling an even bigger and bolder sound with the duo taking … Continue reading
by C. Familton When news first broke that Neil Young & Crazy Horse were reconvening there was a palpable sense of excitement in the virtual air online yet for many that initial burst of joy quickly turned to apprehension when word seeped out that their first new release was going to be a collection of … Continue reading
New Zealand isn’t generally known for its exponents of americana yet there are a bunch of great bands doing justice to the genre if you dig deep enough. One of them is Christchurch’s The Unfaithful Ways who are about to head out on some national dates in June. They released their debut album Free Rein to great acclaim last … Continue reading
Seattle -based singer songwriter Shannon Stephens has a new album Pull It Together coming out on Asthmatic Kitty right about now. Check out the first single/video Care of You with its gorgeous swooning vocal and super rich and organic sound. She has a ton of great people working with her on the album including duets … Continue reading
Following Gram Parsons’ death in 1973 A&M Records issued a double-LP, 23-song compilation, Close Up the Honky Tonks. It contained one LP of tracks from The Flying Burrito Bros first two records, adding the non-LP single The Train Song. The second LP introduced 11 previously unreleased tracks including covers of The Bee Gees’ To Love Somebody, Chuck Berry’s Roll Over, … Continue reading
POST TO WIRE 