Here’s the video for the title track from Caroline Rose’s excellent debut LP America Religious that came out earlier this year. In her own words: America Religious is a 12-track collection of stories and poetry set against a gritty landscape of Roots-inspired Rock, Americana, Folk, Gospel, and Rhythm & Blues. Caroline Rose and partner Jer Coons … Continue reading
Tag Archives: 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: Roger Knox and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts ~ Stranger in My Land
by Chris Familton Roger Knox’s new album, his first in nine years, is a ambitious and expansive affair that seamlessly weaves together American and Aboriginal strands of country music with a strong social conscience and a laconic sense of humour. The collaborative aspect of Stranger in My Land is important but not one that overshadows … Continue reading
Country / Folk / Gig Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: The Milk Carton Kids @ Factory Theatre, Sydney (04/06/13)
by Chris Familton Being an evening of minimal and sparse folk this was a seated show and those that took their seats early were treated to the solo songs of Melody Pool who immediately took the room in the palm of her hand with just her vocals and guitar. She possesses a sweet mix of … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Night Beds ~ Country Sleep
by Chris Familton There is a romanticised back story to Winston Yellen, the man behind Night Beds, who dropped out of college, travelled the USA for five months before unknowingly renting a home in the woods that used to belong to Johnny Cash and finding the inspiration for Country Sleep. It is a great story … Continue reading
Album Artwork / Album Reviews / Americana / Country / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Son Volt – Honky Tonk (2013)
It has been two decades since Uncle Tupelo split and gave birth to the Jeff Tweedy-led Wilco and Jay Farrar’s Son Volt. Wilco have been the more adventurous while Son Volt have mostly remained loyal to the traditional tenets of folk and country music. Honky Tonk sees them extending that stylistic allegiance by honouring honky tonk, … Continue reading
Six Strings: Mark Moldre
Mark Moldre has slowly but surely carved out a wonderful body of work with more than a decade of releases to his name both as a solo artist and prior to that with the band Hitchcock’s Regret. His first solo album The Waiting Room was a wonderful collection of songs of which we said in our … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Blues / Folk
ALBUM REVIEW: Mark Moldre | An Ear To The Earth
by Chris Familton An Ear To The Earth is the follow-up to Mark Moldre’s debut solo album The Waiting Room, an accomplished set of folk-tinged indie rock songs that no doubt gave him the confidence and curiosity to dig deeper into his own songwriting and explore some of the more diverse corners of his musical … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Nigel Wearne ~ Black Crow
Melbourne singer songwriter Nigel Wearne released his album Black Crow at the end of 2012 and this month he will be releasing the title track as its second single. A brisk shuffle with strains of bluegrass and country running through it, Black Crow is a great track that showcases Wearne’s colourful vocal and some wonderful … Continue reading
INTERVIEW: Simone Felice
THE BIG SPIRIT OF SONG AFTER FINALLY STEPPING OUT UNDER HIS OWN NAME, AMERICANA SONGWRITER SIMONE FELICE IS DEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING AND RECORDING ALBUM #2. HE GIVES CHRIS FAMILTON AN INSIGHT TO WHERE IT MIGHT BE HEADING AND HOW HE HAS ADAPTED TO LIFE AS A SOLO ARTIST. Simone Felice has experienced … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Caitlin Rose ~ The Stand-In
by Chris Familton Caitlin Rose returns with her second album of bittersweet Americana that shows a marked progression from her 2010 debut. There is a confidence that now pervades her songwriting, casting her in a similar light to Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, infusing a country template with pop sensibilities in a classic songwriting format. The … Continue reading
INTERVIEW: The Lumineers
IN THE WAKE OF THE MASSIVE SUCCESS OF THE SINGLE HO HEY AND THEIR DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM, DRUMMER JEREMIAH FRAITES SPOKE TO CHRIS FAMILTON TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE LUMINEERS RAPID RISE TO FAME. The pop world still constantly throws up one hit wonders and success stories that seem to spring from nowhere, gather … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Country / Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell ~ Old Yellow Moon
by Chris Familton Veritable veterans of country music, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have been friends ever since she heard a cassette demo of his song Bluebird Wine (covered here) back in 1975. She included the song on her debut album and he joined her band so it is surprising this is their first true … Continue reading
Album Reviews / Americana / Folk / Stream
ALBUM REVIEW: Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy ~ What The Brothers Sang
by Chris Familton Collaboration isn’t new to Dawn McCarthy and Will Oldham who released an album of demos in 2007 (Wai Notes) as an addendum to the previous year’s The Letting Go on which McCarthy sang. Those songs showed an ethereal synergy between their voices making this new album a tantalising proposition for those who … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Robert Ellis ~ Photographs
by Chris Familton Finding artists that can straddle the worlds of folk and country music while still harnessing the pure and honest elements of those genres can often be a hard thing. Contemporary songwriters like Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Adams and Will Oldham come to mind and now, with his debut album Photographs, you can … Continue reading
NEWS: Fanny Lumsden & The Thrillseekers announce Country Halls Tour
Last year Fanny Lumsden and her merry men played a series of shows at country halls in places like Ganmain, Tallimba and Boree Creek to fundraise money for flood relief. Next month they are doing the same thing again, this time with the proceeds going towards the continued upkeep and maintenance of the buildings they are … Continue reading
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