Thank Folk It’s Friday – 16th September

September 16, 2016 at 16:19 (News, Week in Review)
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TFIF

This Week in Folk

All the News From The Week That Was

Releases This Week

Jordie Lane
GLASSELLLAND – Jordie Lane & The Sleepers
iTunes

Violet Road
Violet Road – Sam Newton
iTunes

Seth Lakeman
Ballads Of The Broken Few – Seth Lakeman & Wildwood
iTunes

Timber and Steel Presents

Bluegrass at Yulli’s feat. Timber & Steel, Golden Whistler

Bluegrass at yullis

Timber & Steel the band join amazing duo Golden Whistler for this month’s edition of Sydney jam night Bluegrass @ Yulli’s

Wednesday 21st September – Yulli’s, Sydney, NSW

Timber and Steel Recommends – Go To This Gig

Rowena Wise

Rowena Wise

The wonderful Rowena Wise continues her album launch tour through Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane

Friday 16th September – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra, ACT
Saturday 17th September – Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide, SA
Friday 23rd September – The Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD

Gigs Next Week

Acoustics Anonymous feat. Amarillo, Darren Cross
Wednesday 21st September – Newtown Social Club, Sydney, NSW

Bluegrass at Yulli’s feat. Timber & Steal, Golden Whistler
Wednesday 21st September – Yulli’s, Sydney, NSW

Bony Mountain Folk Festival
Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September – Warwick, QLD

Castlecomer w/ James Thomson, The Strange Pilgrims
Thursday 22nd September – Hotel Steyne, Sydney, NSW

Central Coast Ukulele Festival
Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th September – The Entrance, NSW

Coast Acoustics Music Festival
Saturday 17th to Sunday 18th September – Southport, QLD

Fanny Lumsden & The Thrillseekers
Friday 23rd September – Camooweal Hall, Camooweal, QLD

Folk By The Sea
Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September – Kiama, NSW

FolkSwagon feat. Tom Lee-Richards, Brendon Moon, MoSoul
Wednesday 21st September – Cafe Lounge, Sydney, NSW

Foy Vance
Saturday 17th September – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD

Guildford Banjo Jamboree
Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September – Guildford, VIC

Hootenanny feat. Kev Walsh
Sunday 18th September – Miss Peaches, Sydney, NSW

I’ll never get out of this world alive – Hank Williams Tribute
Saturday 17th September – The Gasoline Pony, Sydney, NSW

Illawarra Folk Club Concert feat. Dawn Barrington
Friday 16th September – City Diggers, Wollongong, NSW

It’s A Family Affair! feat. Queen Porter Stomp, The Answers, The Sticker Club, Moonshine Review
Sunday 18th September – Petersham Bowling Club, Sydney, NSW

Lagerstein w/ The Bottlers, Saralisse, The Brightsides
Sunday 18th September – Bald Faced Stag, Sydney, NSW

Live ‘n’ Lounging Presents Kallidad, Ackers, Isaac Lewis, Tommy Castles
Friday 23rd September – House Concert, Sydney, NSW

Liz Stringer
Friday 16th September – Django Bar, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 17th September – Howler, Melbourne, VIC
Sunday 18th September – Beechworth Town Hall, Beechworth, VIC
Wednesday 21st September – Red Room, Ararat, VIC
Thursday 22nd September – Sookie Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
Friday 23rd September – Wheaty Hotel, Adelaide, SA

Melody Pool & Peter Bibby
Friday 23rd September – Newtown Social Club, Sydney, NSW

Mildura Country Music Festival
Friday 23rd September to Sunday 2nd October – Mildura, VIC

Mitch Power and Tom Dockray
Friday 16th September – Janes, Wollongong, NSW
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September – Nimbin Roots Festival, NSW
Tuesday 20th September – The Temperance Society, Sydney, NSW
Wednesday 21st September – The Midnight Special, Sydney, NSW
Thursday 22nd September – Live and Original, The Merc, Sydney, NSW
Friday 23rd September – The Pig and Tinder Box, Tamworth, NSW

Nick Murray and Mitch Power
Friday 16th September – Janes, Wollongong, NSW

Nimbin Roots Festival
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September – Nimbin, NSW

Patrick James
Friday 16th September – Heritage Hotel, Bulli, NSW
Saturday 17th September – 48 Watt St, Newcastle, NSW
Thursday 22nd September – Babushka Bar, Ballarat, VIC
Friday 23rd September – The Tap House, Bendigo, VIC

Rowena Wise
Friday 16th September – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra, ACT
Saturday 17th September – Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide, SA
Friday 23rd September – The Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD

The Bean Project, Maia Marsh, PJ Orr
Wednesday 21st September – Gasoline Pony, Sydney, NSW

The Crooked Fiddle Band
Friday 16th September – Leadbelly, Sydney, NSW

The Dead Maggies
Friday 23rd to Saturday 24th September – Folk By The Sea, Kiama NSW

Turning Wave Festival
Friday 16th to Sunday 18th September – Yass, NSW

Friday Folk Flashback

“Joyful Girl” – Ani DiFranco

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Which Side Are You On? – A Political Playlist

September 7, 2013 at 08:10 (Opinion)
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Woodie Guthrie

A criticism often leveled at modern music of is that no one sings political songs anymore – a statement that is both blindly false and shows up the lazy listening practices of music critics everywhere. Political music is as prevalent as ever and spans every genre – from Beyoncé’s take on modern feminism and Pink’s pleads to the president in the pop realm right through to Rage Against The Machine and even Green Day cramming their rock records with political messages.

And of course folk, country and roots are well represented when it comes to the modern political music with many seeing these genres synonymous with the struggles of the common man. As you head out to vote today we thought we’d get you in the mood with a list of ten modern political songs from some of Timber and Steel’s favourite artists

1. Ani DiFranco – “Which Side Are You On?”
In re-imangining the traditional classic (made most famous by Pete Seeger) Ani DiFranco provides a clear bridge from the political music of the mid 20th century and the modern age.

2. Gemini Downs – “Will You Marry Me?”
Marriage equality has gained momentum as a political issue in Australia over the last couple of weeks. We think this track by Adelaide’s Gemini Downs perfectly captures the sentiment of the issue.

3. Ben Harper – “Better Way”
Ben Harper wants to wake us from our apathy and empower us to find a better way: “What good is a man who won’t take a stand? What good is a cynic with no better plan? I believe in a better way”.

4. The Lurkers – “Who’s Got A Padlock And Chain?”
The Lurkers don’t just sing about politics – they live and breathe politics. While others are content to sing about metaphorically chaining themselves to the train tracks, these guys are actually out there chaining themselves to train tracks.

5. Les Thomas – “Song for Selva”
Singer-songwriter and folk evangelist Les Thomas has done so much for refugees in this country, using his music to build awareness, raise money and truly make a difference.

6. John Butler Trio – “Company Sin”
Through a stone at John Butler’s back catalogue and you’re guarenteed to hit a political reference. We thought this track about mining in far north WA would be a nice inclusion for this playlist.

7. Flogging Molly – “Rise Up”
Folk and punk are genres that have been linked with politics for as long as they’ve existed so including a folk-punk anthem in this list was a must

8. The Decemberists – “This Is Why We Fight”
I think the title of this track says it all.

9. Michael Franti & Spearhead – “Yell Fire”
Another great song in the people-take-action tradition of folk and roots music. And very catchy as well!

10. Old Crow Medicine Show – “Levi”
“Levi” does what so many great political songs have done in the past – using the story of an individual to make a comment about a wider issue, in this case war.

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Thank Folk It’s Friday – 6th September

August 2, 2013 at 08:24 (News, Week in Review)
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TFIF

This Week in Folk

All the News From The Week That Was

– Timber and Steel have been nominated for a Pedestrian.TV Blogster Award and you need to vote for us. Details here

– The new album from The Stillsons, Never Go Your Way, is out today and the band are about to embark on an East Coast tour. Details here

– Owls of the Swamp has released a lovely new b-side “Happiness is a Sad Song” as he heads into the studio to record a new album. Details here

– Jordie Lane is heading back to Australia next month with a new EP and a national tour. Details here

– Jordan Millar, Morgan Joanel and Dave Di Marco are heading out on tour together from mid-September. Details here

– Packwood will be joining Dustin Tebbutt on his Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane dates this month. Details here

– South Australian singer-songwriter Loren Kate is releasing her new Moving On next week and will be embarking on a massive national tour. Details here

– This October Radical Face will be releasing The Family Tree: The Branches, the second album in his The Family Tree series. Details here

– Saturday’s in September mean free folk, alt-country and bluegrass music care of Cowboys in Emerald City as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. Details here

– MoFo Sydney have announced their September line up including Chris Gillespie and Daniel Allars. Details here

– Nigel Wearne has released his new single “Beautiful Blue” and is hitting the road through September and into October. Details here

– Caitlin Rose is heading to Australia in October for shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Details here

– The new video from Jason Isbell, for the track “Travelling Alone”, made its way online. Details here

– Edward Deer also has a brand new video for his track “Washed Ashore”. Details here

– Melbourne band The Tealeaves release their new album No More Can You Be Here today. Details here

– Woody Pitney has released the clip for his single “You Can Stay”. Details here

– The Skies have infused their new indie-folk single “Laughing, Staring Up Into the Sky” with some crunchy guitars. Details here

Interviews

Bill Quinn interviewed The Go Set and The Real McKenzies on camera. Interview here

Blog

“His scope as a songwriter is exceptionally broad. There are songs about struggle and oppression, song about underdogs, songs about workers, songs about horse racing and songs about soldiers. Then there was his humour. Many of John’s most famous songs involve humour, sometimes it was observational humour while often it was political satire. His political satire is arguably without equal and he turned his pen on a vast number of politicians and business figures who have littered the Australian electorates and newspapers for over five decades” – Cj Shaw pays tribute to John Dengate. Blog here

Reviews

Gigs

“The average music festival in Australia is an outdoor affair taking full advantage of our glorious weather and usually a bit of a trek to a venue that can hold the volume of people likely to attend. Bushstock is exactly the opposite, a selection of venues within short walk of each other in London’s increasingly trendy Shepherd’s Bush” – KT Bell takes in London’s Bushstock. Review here

Releases This Week

Neko Case
The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You – Neko Case
iTunes

Okkervil River
The Silver Gymnasium – Okkervil River
iTunes

The Stillsons
Never Go Your Way – The Stillsons
iTunes

The Tealeaves
No More Can You Be Here – The Tealeaves

Repave
Repave – Volcano Choir
iTunes

Will Varley
As The Crow Flies – Will Varley
iTunes

Timber and Steel Presents

Fanny Lumsden
Fanny Lumsden & The Thrillseekers
Friday 6th September – The Newsagency, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 7th September – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney, NSW
Tickets From Venue

Mark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson with Little Bighorn
Friday 6th September – The Promethean, Adelaide, SA
Saturday 7th September – The Ellington, Perth, WA
Sunday 8th September – The Ellington, Perth, WA
Wednesday 11th September – The Rails, Byron Bay, NSW
Thursday 12th September – Cafe Le Monde, Noosa, QLD
Friday 13th September – Mandala Organic Arts Cafe, Gold Coast, QLD
Official Site

Gigs Next Week

Ashleigh Mannix
Friday 6th September – Babushka Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
Sunday 8th September – The Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide, SA
Wednesday 11th September – Derkenne Courtyard (Shortland Union), Newcastle University, NSW
Thursday 12th September – The Standard, Sydney, NSW
Friday 13th September – The Great North Trading Post, Laguna, NSW

Billy Bragg with Patrick James
Friday 13th September – The Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW

Castlecomer
Friday 6th September – Ya-Ya’s, Perth, WA
Sunday 8th September – Grace Emily, Adelaide, SA

Cowboys in Emerald City feat. The Green Mohair Suits, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Luke Escombe
Saturday 7th September – The Seymour Centre Courtyard, Sydney, NSW

Dustin Tebbutt with Packwood
Thursday 12th September – FBi Social, Sydney, NSW

Jack Carty
Friday 6th September – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 7th September – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney, NSW
Thursday 12th September – The Toff In Town, Melbourne, VIC

Jinja Safari
Wednesday 11th September – Woombye Pub, Sunshine Coast, QLD
Thursday 12th September – Spotted Cow, Toowoomba, QLD
Friday 13th September – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, QLD

Josh Pyke
Friday 6th September – Fly By Night, Fremantle, WA
Saturday 7th September – The Astor, Perth WA

Lanie Lane
Friday 13th September – The Prom, Adelaide, SA

Liam Gale and the Ponytails
Thursday 12th September – GoodGod Small Club, Sydney, NSW

Loren Kate
Thursday 12th September – Lizottes, Kincumber, NSW

Mark Moldre
Thursday 12th September – The Front, Canberra, ACT
Friday 13th September – Babushka Bar, Ballarat, VIC

MoFo feat. Chris Gillespie, Daniel Allars
Friday 13th September – The Gaelic Club, Sydney, NSW

Nigel Wearne
Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September – Wirrina Bluegrass Festival, Wirrina Cove, SA
Wednesday 11th September – The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy, VIC
Friday 13th September – Unwined Cellar Bar, Belmont, VIC

Some Folk In Spring feat. Castlecomer, Ashleigh Mannix, Myles Mayo
Sunday 8th September – The Grace Emily, Adelaide, SA

The Go Set with The Real McKenzies
Friday 6th September – Miami Tavern Shark Bar, Gold Coast QLD
Saturday 7th September – Prince of Wales, Brisbane QLD

The Paper Kites
Friday 6th September – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 7th September – The Northern, Byron Bay, NSW

The Stillsons
Friday 6th September – Bendigo Folk Club, Bendigo, VIC

The Tealeaves
Friday 6th September – The Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

The Woohoo Revue
Friday 6th September – Venue 505, Surry Hills, NSW
Saturday 7th September – City Diggers, Wollongong, NSW
Friday 13th September – Alice Springs Desert Festival, Alice Springs, NT

Zoe Elliot and Christopher Coleman
Friday 13th September – Wesley Anne, Melbourne, VIC

Friday Folk Flashback

“Little Plastic Castle” – Ani DiFranco

It was Little Plastic Castle, the track and the album, that first introduced me to the music of Ani DiFranco and I still think it’s some of her best work.

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Ani DiFranco Announces First Studio Album in 3 Years ¿Which Side Are You On?

December 12, 2011 at 09:09 (Album News, News)
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Ani DiFranco
Image Courtesy of Ani DiFranco

Ani DiFranco is an artist that has been associated with the “indie-folk” genre longer than we can remember. DiFranco is an artist that has always done things her own way and the pay off has been huge – Grammy awards, her own record label and being touted as an influence to a hole generation of young artists.

Which Side Are You OnOn the 17th Januray 2012 Ani DiFranco will release ¿Which Side Are You On?, her first studio album in over three years. The album features 12 songs including the (somewhat) traditional title track “Which Side Are You On?” first made popular by Pete Seeger five decades ago.

That’s the cover art on the left there and the full track listing is below. We’ve also embedded a live video of Ani DiFranco performing “Which Side Are You On?” for your viewing pleasure. If you follow this link you can hear samples of all 12 songs.

¿Which Side Are You On?
1. “Life Boat”
2. “Unworry”
3. “¿Which Side Are You On?”
4. “Splinter”
5. “Promiscuity”
6. “Albacore”
7. “J”
8. “If Yr Not”
9. “Hearse”
10. “Mariachi”
11. “Amendment”
12. “Zoo”

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Tributes Planned For Woody Guthrie’s 100th Birthday

August 31, 2011 at 09:20 (Album News, News)
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Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie was born on the 14th July, 1912 and passed away in 1967 but his influence as a singer and songwriter permeate almost every facet of modern folk music. Next year (2012) would have marked the 100th birthday for the legendary folk singer and a raft of tributes are in the works to celebrate the milestone.

First up Billy Bragg and Wilco will be releasing a deluxe boxset of their two album Mermaid Avenue project from 1998 and 2000 which took the unpublished writings of Guthrie and set them to new music. The deluxe Mermaid Avenue boxset is currently set for release in March next year.

Jay Farrar, Centro-Matic‘s Will Johnson, Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James) and Anders Parker are also planning a similar project to the Bragg/Wilco pairing with New Multitudes, another album of unpublished Woody Guthrie material set to new music penned by the group. New Multitudes has a January 2012 release date attached to it.

Notes of Hope Note of Hope will see some of the music industry’s best including Van Dyke Parks, Lou Reed, Tom Morello, Michael Franti, Ani Difranco, Pete Seeger, Jackson Browne and more come together to pay tribute to Guthrie through versions of his songs, both recorded and unpublished. The record is due for release the 27th September this year and can be heard in full on the 429 Records web site.

There are a couple of other releases planned for the milestone including a The Complete Woody Guthrie in January. Check out the official Woody100 web site for details on everything that’s happening next year. No word as yet whether there’ll be a local tribute but Guthrie’s 100th birthday sounds like just the right excuse to inspire the next Festival Folk Sing compilation…

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While My Banjo Gently Weeps: Songs of Loss and Heartache

February 15, 2011 at 07:32 (Opinion)
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Heart Broken

If you’re anything like us you enjoy a good break up song just as much as (if not more than) a love song. So in the interest of balance (after yesterday’s love fest) we thought we’d present you a list of our favourite folk songs to do with heart ache, unrequited love and despair, fittingly on the day after Valentine’s Day. Kicking off the While My banjo Gently Weeps playlist is probably the greatest breakup song of all time from The Mountain Goats.

“No Children” – The Mountain Goats

“Boots of Spanish Leather” – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan subverts the traditional folk tale of a man being forced to part with his lover to seek fortune overseas by adding a twist of reality to its ending. The Dylan version is notoriously hard to find on YouTube (it’s probably buried under a mountain of people filming themselves covering the song) so we’ve included the equally popular Nanci Griffith version instead.

“New Romantic” – Laura Marling

“Love Is All” – The Tallest Man On Earth
Don’t be fooled by the title. This song deals with the flip-side of love. The Tallest Man On Earth speaks in riddles most of the time, making his music conveniently ambiguous and one-size-fits-all- but this song is undoubtedly to do with loss

“Who Have You Been Loving” – Bobby Long

“Where Did You Sleep Last Night” – Leadbelly

“Ae Fond Kiss” – Eddi Reader
Probably one of the most beautiful unrequited-love songs ever written. Robert Burns wrote this as a farewell to his love Agnes “Nancy” M’Lehose when she followed her husband over the seas to Jamaica. It’s written with pain and longing and sorrow – and complimented by the wonderful voice of Eddi Reader.

“Never Love Again” – Cherbourg

“My Broken Heart” – Noah And The Whale
We could have included almost every track of The First Days of Spring, Charlie Fink’s tribute to his break up with Laura Marling, but we felt “My Broken Heart” encapsulated the tone the best.

“Diamonds and Rust” – Joan Baez

“The Chain” – Fleetwood Mac

“Sorry the Day I Was Married” – Tim Hart and Maddy Prior

“Untouchable Face” – Ani Difranco
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE. Described by T&S contributor Milady Red as “the world’s best break up song” this is a fitting way to end our heart breaking playlist.

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