For those of you keeping score you’ll know that alt-country singer Fanny Lumsden and her newly christened band recently played a series of shows in country halls as part of her Floodraiser tour raising money for people affected by the recent floods in NSW’s Riverina region. One of the stops along the way was Lumsden’s home town of Tallimba and it was here that they filmed their latest clip for the track “Firing Line”.
Featuring members of Lumsden’s family and shots of her family farm, “Firing Line” has a wonderful old-world feel to it. The track is taken off Fanny Lumsden & the Thrillseekers’ upcoming EP, the details of which will be disclosed very soon. Check out the clip below:
I had a sinking feeling recently upon casting my mind back and reflecting on all of the albums that I’ve reviewed over the years with Timber and Steel and the relative ease with which I’ve defined, categorised, measured and summarised the music; the blood, sweat and tears of artists. Despite all the good intentions, diligence and research that could be expected from a blogger, it often feels as though we’re not qualified to evaluate the work of artists for such a large audience, particularly in this community where we often know the artist personally and we’re well aware of just how much of an artist goes into a record.
Despite how much I’ve been loving listening to Vorn Doolette’s Further Adventures, this feeling is particularly applicable to this record, Vorn Doolette‘s sophomore and first peep since his 2009 debut that earned him some pretty widespread acclaim throughout 09/10 and the unwavering attention and admiration of myself and the other Timber and Steel contributors.
A lot has happened to Vorn since his last release. He’s survived a near death car accident, learned to walk again, learned to sing again. He’s moved on to managing himself and moved away from the traditional practices of performing and touring; organising and ticketing his own shows in unconventional spaces such as his national house tour and his series of performances at Suzie Wong’s Room in Adelaide. It’s been a long and arduous process for Vorn to get to this point where he’s in the position to release another collection of songs, and he has been kind enough to let you stream it on this website (and is available to purchase from the this link).
I feel very privileged to discover this next instalment of music from one of Australia’s best up and coming singer songwriters, and I’ve been waiting for it for a long time.Given the number of amazing songs in Vorn‘s arsenal that didn’t make it onto this record, album #3 is set to be a cracker too.
When I was watching the opening ceremony of the London Olympics over the weekend I kept thinking “what would Billy Bragg think of this?”. An odd thought I know but two parts of the ceremony led me to it – firstly the use of “Jerusalem”, the song favoured by Bragg to replace “God Save The Queen” as the British National Anthem, and secondly the representation of various protest movements (including the suffragettes and unionists) throughout. It turns out Bragg was watching the opening ceremony as he used it as a link to the anti-corporate rallys that have been happening in London via his Facebook – just how he felt about it though still remains a mystery.
Maybe I’ll have a chance to ask him though as Billy Bragg has just announced an Australian tour in October and November of this year titled Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me. The tour will feature a two part show from Bragg – the first half celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie no doubt taking a lot of material from Bragg’sMermaid Avenue projects and the second exploring his own three decade long, 14 album repertoire. Billy Bragg will also appear as part of the 2012 Melbourne Festival where these two halves will be presented in two completely separate shows.
Tickets for the tour go on sale on Monday 6th August. The full list of dates are below:
Friday 19th October – Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC (Woody 100)
Saturday 20th October – Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, VIC (Billy Bragg)
Sunday 21st October – Federation Hall, Hobart, TAS
Tuesday 23rd October – Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT
Thursday 25th October – QPAC, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 27th October – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Wednesday 31st October – Town Hall, Adelaide, SA
Friday 2nd November – Astor Theatre, Perth, WA
Sydney “party country” six-piece Little Bastard have been quietly carving out a name for themselves in the local scene playing everywhere they can and very quickly building a reputation as a must-see local band. But if you haven’t had the chance to see them yet never fear – they’ve just announced a residency at the Oxford Art Factory this August.
Little Bastard will be taking over Thursdays at the OAF’s Gallery Bar for the first four weeks of next month and they’re bringing a bunch of their friends with them. The nights are free and will kick off around 8pm. The full list of dates and supports are below. For more information check out the official Facebook invite.
Thursday 2nd August – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
wtih Jordan Lesser and Andy Gollege
Thursday 9th August – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
with Papa Pilko & the Bin Rats and Jack Dawson
Thursday 16th August – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
with The Mountains, Jack Dawson and Callithump
Thursday 23rd August – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
with Lacey Cole and Achoo! Bless You
Mammals is the creation of 23 year old Sydney musician Guy Brown. Sitting somewhere between early acoustic Bon Iver, Matt Corby and Angus Stone, Mammals creates just stunning indie-folk tunes that just leave you craving more.
This month Mammals has released his single “Carried”, a track which has sparked our Bon Iver comparison. If you’ve caught the new Australian film Not Suitable For Children you’ve probably already heard the song and not even realised it. “Carried” is available for download over at Mammals’ Unearthed page and you can listen to it below:
Mammals is apparently amazing live and as soon as he has some gigs confirmed we’ll be sure to share them with you!
We’ve been looking for an excuse to write about Jack Colwell & The Owls for a while now – and lo and behold Folk Club has just given us that excuse. That’s right, this week’s Folk Club at the Oxford Art Factory’s Gallery Bar in Sydney will feature the classically-trained composer turned indie-folk star and his band in the headline spot along with sets The Falls and Little Bighorn.
Jack Colwell & The Owls recent released their debut album Picture Window which we have a stream of to get you in the mood for Folk Club this week:
Folk Club starts around 8pm every Wednesday night. Entry is free (although tips for the bands are greatly apprciated) and the night is hosted by the wonderful Emma Swift, who will also be interviewing Jack Colwell throughout his set. For more details make sure you check out the official Facebook Event here.
After successfully releasing her new album The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle and completing a national tour that culminated in a performance at Splendour in the Grass over the weekend you’d think Missy Higgins would take a moment or two to breathe. But instead she’s getting right back into the thick of things with the announcement of a tour over summer.
The Razzle Dazzle Summer Tour will wind its way through the country this November and December and feature support slots from Gurrumul (except Perth) and Emma Louise (except Canberra and Perth). Presale tickets will be available to people on Missy Higgins’ mailing list on the 7th August with general release on the 9th August.
The full list of dates are below:
Saturday 17th November – Soundscape Festival, Hobart, TAS
Tuesday 20th November – State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Friday 23rd November – Royal Theatre, Canberra, ACT
Saturday 24th November – Gorgeous Music Festival, Adelaide, SA
Sunday 25th November – Queenscliff Music Festival, Queenscliff, VIC
Tuesday 27th November – WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, NSW
Friday 30th November – Jupiter’s Theatre, Gold Coast, QLD
Saturday 1st December – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, QLD
Tuesday 4th December – Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 8th December – Fremantle Arts Centre (South Lawn), Perth, WA
It’s been a long couple of years for Sydney based Roland K Smith & The Sinners. They’ve spent the majority of it cooped up in the studio recording their debut album Breaking Hearts and Saving Souls. But now they’ve emerged with the album fully formed and ready to unleash on the world.
Breaking Hearts and Saving Souls will be released on the 1st August and to celebrate Roland K Smith & The Sinners are planning a 5-week residency at the legendary Sandringham Hotel in Newtown – sydney. And they’re inviting a bunch of their friends along with them.
Starting this Wednesday, on the same day that Breaking Hearts and Saving Souls hits shelves, The Sando will come alive with a mishmash of rock ‘n’ roll, country, bluegrass and punk – and then every Wednesday after you’ll get much of the same right up until the end of August. Each night will be hosted by comedian (and Roland’s brother) Seaton Kay-Smith. Check out the full list of dates and supports below:
Wednesday 1st August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
with Chuck’s Wagon and The Tombstone Ramblers
Wednesday 8th August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
with Billygoat & The Mongrels and The Ramalamas
Wednesday 15th August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
with Handsome Young Strangers and Handasyd Williams and the Brothers Primitive
Wednesday 22nd August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
with Terry Serio’s Ministry of Truth and CJ Shaw & The Blow Ins
Wednesday 29th August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
with The Green Mohair Suits, Emma Swift and Adam Young
Leroy Lee is set to release his brand new EP Arcadia at FBi Social in Sydney on the 9th August (details here) and just because he loves you he’s decided to give you a sneak peek at his new single “Window Sill”. We really dig this track – there’s a real Nick Drake vibe to it – and we think you will to. Check out “Window Sill” below:
– The biggest news of the week would have to be the revelation that Timber and Steel will be presenting Sunday afternoons at iconic Melbourne venue The Workers Club from August. The first show features Melbourne 5-piece Whitaker (fronted by Ryan Meeking) and kicks off on the 5th August. Details here.
– Arbori released the video for their gorgeous new single “In The Places You Fold” featuring footage from their recording session last year. Watch the video to see cameos from The Falls and ILUKA. Details here.
– Sydney activist-bluegrass quartet The Lurkers revealed a brand new track titled “Mining Man” that they’re also offering up as a free download. Details here.
– The trailer for the upcoming Paul Kelly documentary, Stories of Me, was released revealing his drive and ambition along with personal insights including the breakdown of his marriage and his relationship with heroin. The documentary will be screening around the country in October and November. Details here.
– The Alice Springs Courtyard Sessions continue their dedication to Central Australian folk music with a show titled “Generations of Folk” this Sunday featuring Scotty Balfour (Bloodwood), Sally Balfour and other members of the Balfour clan. Details here.
– The new video from Passenger, “Let Her Go”, debuted on Tuesday ahead of his Australian tour this August. Details here.
– Using the power of YouTube we gave you an idea of how the upcoming Mumford and Sons album Babel might sound. We get annoyed we people stick a camera phone right in our line of vision at gigs but we love it when they post new tracks online. Details here.
– Andrew Bird released the latest video from his album Break It Yourself for the track “Give It Away”. Details here.
– Australian country royalty Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson have announced the followup to their amazing 2008 album Rattlin’ Bones. Titled Wreck and Ruin the album is due for release on the 7th September with a national tour planned for October, November and December. Details here.
– Martha Wainwright returns with her first solo album since 2008 this October. The album is titled Come Home To Mama. Details here.
– Timber and Steel favourite Leroy Lee will be launching his brand new EP Arcadia at FBi Social on 9th August. Details here.
– The first track from the upcoming Mountain Goats album Transcendental Youth, “Cry for Judas”, was revealed online and is available as a free download. Details here.
– Katie Noonan, along with collaborator Karin Schaupp, has announced Songs of the Southern Skies, an album of Australia’s best loved classical, folk, jazz and pop songs featuring appearances from the likes of Gurrumul and Clare Bowditch. The album is due for release on the 17th August. Noonan and Schaupp will also be touring throughout Australia in August, September and October. Details here.
Alice Springs Courtyard Sessions (Scotty Balfour, Sally Balfour) Sunday 29th July – Alice Springs Desert Park, Alice Springs, NT
Father John Misty Friday 27th July – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 28th July – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Folk Club feat. Jack Colwell, The Falls, Little Bighorn Wednesday 1st August – Oxford Art Factory Gallery Bar, Sydney, NSW
Jack Carty (with Packwood) Sunday 29th July – Betty Bar, Melbourne, VIC
Little Features Presents: Faith Lee, Charlie Gradon, The Campervan Dancers & Little Bighorn Friday 27th July – Hibernian House, Sydney, NSW
Missy Higgins Fri 27th July – Mackay Entertainment Centre, Mackay
Sat 28th July – The Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton
Roland K Smith & The Sinners (with Chuck’s Wagon, The Tombstone Ramblers) Wednesday 1st August – Sandringham Hotel, Sydney, NSW
Splendour in the Grass (Angus Stone, Lanie Lane, Jinja Safari, The Beautiful Girls, Husky, Gossling, Missy Higgins, Michael Kiwanuka, Father John Misty, Ben Howard) 27th to 29th July – Byron Bay, NSW
The Beautiful Girls Friday 3rd August – Magnums Hotel, Airlie Beach
Friday Folk Flashback
“Bihu Naam (Pak Pak)” – Papon
When I was in India last year I stumbled accross Coke Studio @ MTV, a series that brings Indian folk revival artists together with contemporary and Bollywood artists to create wonderful music. I got a little obsessed with this track from Papon and have since tracked down as much of his music as I can in Australia. It doesn’t matter if you can’t understand the words – the music here is very special. Maybe MTV should try Coke Studio in Australia as well?
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