In the mid 1960s, Woodstock, New York was increasingly becoming a haven for musicians who wanted to escape the grind of New York City (or elsewhere) and draw inspiration from the wooded surrounds and the burgeoning creative community that was thriving there. The town of Woodstock had long been a focal point for artists, since …
RYAN ADAMS ROMEO & JULIET PAXAM RECORDING COMPANY Three years since the NY Times article that revealed his totally inappropriate behaviour with past partners, fellow musicians and fans and cast him into the musical wilderness, Ryan Adams has been slowly rebuilding his career on his own label. Wednesdays (2020), Big Colors (2021) and Chris (2022) …
TAMI NEILSON KINGMAKER MGM Tami Neilson’s career trajectory continues its impressive ascent as she emerges from the pandemic with an album that both celebrates women and challenges their treatment and role in society, particularly in the music industry. Neilson further explores her openminded approach to country music, whether it’s the Bobby Gentry-styled Southern noir and …
In the ever-changing world of digital advances, the question and viability of how to preserve, enhance and share one’s music continues to be a conundrum for artists. From box-sets to anniversary concerts, documentaries to reissues, everyone is looking to find new ways to monetise their back catalogues. In recent years, the Neil Young Archives website …
Check out the cover artwork for New Zealand duo Sin City’s debut album and you might be expecting a laidback Gram Parsons-styled cosmic country album, and there are elements of that, but at it’s core this is a rousing, loose-limbed blend of rock ’n’ roll, soul and country. From bar room brawls to late night …
THE DELINES THE SEA DRIFT LOVE POLICE RECORDS + TAPES Once considered a side project of Richmond Fontaine songwriter and frontman Willy Vlautin, on album #3 The Delines have comprehensively proven themselves as their own bittersweet and soulful microsystem, where damaged souls battle on against life’s twists and turns. Little beacons of hope amid the …
Erin Rae is currently on tour in Australia with Courtney Marie Andrews on what might be one of the very first international tours we’ve seen in the last two years. Rae has just released a beautiful new album, Lighten Up, that complements her sublime and nuanced songwriting with cosmic, lightly psychedelic and baroque folk sounds …
We were mesmerised when we first heard the brand new album from Blue Mountains songwriter T. Wilds (Tania Bowers), Ten Songs. Featuring Matthew Toohey, the album is a stunning set of songs that sit within the folk idiom, perfectly balanced between modern folk noir and dusty traditional forms. You can hear the avant stylings that …
Melbourne-based songwriter Riley Catherall has just released his debut solo album When I Go and as far as first records go, this is one of those where the artist arrives seemingly fully formed. The evidence of that is in the way Catherall delivers such well-crafted songs with consummate ease. When I Go has a clear …
Hobart-based songwriter Phil Smith has released, ‘That’s Love For You‘ the first single from his forthcoming new album Into The Night (early 2023) and we’re super happy to be able to premiere the video clip, directed by Bones, on PTW today. The single has that perfect melancholic alt-country sway, built on harmonica, perfectly placed and … Continue reading
Introducing Skinny Dyck, straight out of Lethbridge, Alberta. He’s just put out his third release with the EP Palace Waiting, featuring this dusty dance-floor gem ‘Ripe There On The Vine‘. As he explains, the song is “a modern sounding, traditional rooted country song with a cheeky, optimistic message capturing the waiting game that ensures before … Continue reading
Texan singer/songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper released her single ‘Ain’t A Day Goes By‘ last month. It’s the lead single from her forthcoming LP Ramblin’ Soul, out on November 18th via Mae Music/Thirty Tigers. According to the advance press release, the album ventures into blues, early rock and roll, and old-school soul, along with Carper’s signature … Continue reading
Minor Gold might be a new name but dig a little deeper and you’ll no doubt recognise the key architects of this new collaborative duo – Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons, both wonderful and successful songwriters, singers and musicians in their own right. The warm folk sound of their debut single ‘Mona Lisa‘ is the perfect … Continue reading
Jen Mize hits the soul, blues and Americana afterburners on this killer second single from this new project with her eight-piece band The Rough N’ Tumble. Sparse and deeply soulful, ‘All Riled Up‘ digs a deep and infectious groove. There are some great contemporary sounds being created with this kind of stylistic blend (Tami Neilson, … Continue reading
The Queensland band Hillsborough, based around Phil Usher and Beata Maglai, released their debut album Comin’ Back For You this week and to mark the occasion they’ve also released the video clip for their latest single ‘Magnetic Lives‘ – an alt-country song built around a dusty acoustic strum, an electric twang and sublime vocal harmonies … Continue reading
Another incredible long weekend of cosmic country music in the idyllic surrounds of the Hunter Valley. A ton of highlights at the festival this year (as always) but my PTW gold star picks for this year go to Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats, Grace Cummings, Watty Thompson, Bud Rokesky, The Tall Stories, Sweet Talk, … Continue reading
Sometimes the simplest songs are the most affecting. The bare and poetic conveyance of heartfelt thoughts and emotions always ring the truest and Austin, TX songwriter JD Casper has done just that. The song came to him in an inspired moment over a morning coffee and JD says “I hope he listens to this throughout … Continue reading
AMERICAN AQUARIUM CHICAMACOMICO LOSING SIDE RECORDS / THIRTY TIGERS On their ninth studio album, American Aquarium and frontman BJ Barham take a deep dive into loss and ultimately seek to provide solace and hope to the listener. Their brand of emotive Americana is perfectly suited to this kind of subject matter as they tread the … Continue reading
We covered an earlier single of Rachel Angel‘s, ‘Strapped’, in 2020 and it’s a pleasure to again be invited into the swirling and evocative pop-laced country folk sound she does so effortlessly. Taken from the new album Midnite Heart Attack, released earlier this month, ‘Closer To Myself‘, is a tour de force of how to … Continue reading
Sydney group Lady Lyon have been impressing with each single release over the last couple of years and now they’re heading towards the release of their new EP Charity Bag, set for release in April 2023. They’v also been keeping busy with a string of opening slots for the likes of Jen Cloher, C.W. Stoneking, … Continue reading
Following on from his excellent 2020 album Hey Stranger (and a subsequent single and EP), CJ Stranger has released the soaring and intricate new single ‘You May Run‘. At first glance it’s an upbeat folk rock sound but it quickly reveals multiple layers and dynamic twists and turns. The rhythmic strumming is reminiscent of some … Continue reading
It may sound simplistic on the surface but there are all manner of influences lurking below the surface of Sea Mouse‘s song ‘Cold and Lonely’, the opening track on their new EP Evil Heart. Hendrix, The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Led Zeppelin, The Datsuns, garage rock and electric Mississippi blues. They approach all those … Continue reading
Melbourne singer-songwriter Watty Thompson has today released single number three from his forthcoming debut solo album on Cheatin’ Hearts Records. ‘City To Run‘ is an epic six minutes of folk spirited country music that runs the gamut of rollicking and rousing sing-along to ruminative musings on the challenges and hardships of city living and the … Continue reading
Workhorse have had a huge national response to their new album No Photographs and rightly so, it’s a beautiful amalgam of country music and shoegaze/dream-pop, like Cowboy Junkies and Mazzy Star around a starlit desert campfire. The Kaurna land/Adelaide singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harriet Fraser-Barbour has today released the video clip for ‘Mary Maiden’, a reimagining of Joan Baez’ … Continue reading
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