Sunburnt Country Music
Sophie Hamley interviews Australian country music artists for her website Sunburnt Country Music. New interviews are released in this podcast, featuring Golden Guitar winners like Amber Lawrence and Luke O'Shea. Artists discuss their songs, songwriting, performance, and creativity.
Episodes
Darren Coggan on always believing in love – and music
Many Australian music fans will know of Wagga Wagga-born Darren Coggan from his hugely popular shows featuring the music of John Denver or Cat Stevens (and he has a great story at that – you’ll have to listen to the interview to find out what it is!). These – along with his work in musical theatre, and as an actor – have kept him busy and touring the country for several years. Howev
Cassie Leopold on Darlinghurst’s new chapter and single ‘Pour Me Another One’
Sometimes we choose to change our circumstances and sometimes they get changed on us, and how we respond to those changes reveals who we are and also shows us the way forward. For Cassie Leopold founding member of Darlinghurst, there’s been a lot of change in recent times: the band went from being a four-piece to a two-piece, with Leopold and Pagan Newman, and now it’s Leopold on her own.&nbs
Allan Cameron on being worn in and ‘Worn Out’
Allan Cameron is a solo artist, songwriter and guitarist who was a founding member of SaltbushSix, Keith Urban’s first backing band. He has been releasing music independently for several years, and his latest single is ‘Worn Out (Australian Made)’, an anthem that is fundamentally about resilience – and worn in rather than worn out, as Cameron says in this new interview.The song grew from a pe
Trent Richardson on giving things a crack in life and music
Trent Richardson hails from Central Queensland, where he grew up on a property running camel rides, racing camels, ostriches, goats and sheep. He picked up a guitar three years ago, taught himself to play, and is now releasing his seventh single. In between, he made the semi-finals of Australian Idol in 2024 after an audition that was, extraordinarily, his first ever public performa
Shanleigh Rose on tackling scary subjects in song
Shanleigh Rose is an award-winning singer and songwriter from the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland who has been releasing music for five years. Her latest single, ‘Like My Mama Loves Tobacco’, is the most personal song she has put out – and, as she tells me in this new interview, the one she almost didn’t.The chorus was written when she was sixteen, in a music room at school, after dis
Jayne Denham: raised to a higher key
Jayne Denham’s two most recent albums, Wanted and Moonshine, both reached number one on the ARIA country chart. She is one of Australia's most dynamic live performers and most beloved country rock artists. Her new single is ‘Hillbilly Halo’, and it is the beginning of something considerably larger.As Denham tells me in this new interview, her management arranged a meeting with Nashv
Beth Lucas on new single ‘What I Deserved’
Beth Lucas is an award-winning country music artist from Queensland who has been releasing music for several years. She has a new single, 'What I Deserved', and it is one of the most personally courageous songs she has written.Lucas grew up on the Sunshine Coast and has been based in the Brisbane area for around two decades, and part of its appeal has long been the possibilities it offers her
Rachael Fahim on her blockbuster debut album, Who You Are
At the start of this interview with country-pop artist Rachael Fahim, I say that she released her first album, Iconic, in 2019. Later in the chat she mentioned that Iconic was technically an EP, which makes Who You Are – released today, 1 May – her debut. The reason why I called Iconic an album is because it has seven songs, and they’re substantial songs. So
Nikisha Priest on the Ace Up Her Sleeve
Nikisha Priest is a country rock artist from the Lake Macquarie area of New South Wales who, at twenty years old, is already drawing on a remarkably deep well of musical training. Her new single is 'Ace of Spades' – and no, it's not a cover.Priest began singing lessons at six, privately with a family friend who within a year concluded she couldn't teach her anymore and referred her to the Con
Ella Hooper has eyes on the past, present and future
Ella Hooper is one of Australia's most beloved musical artists and one of its finest live performers. Best known as the frontwoman of Killing Heidi, the band she fronted with her brother Jesse from the age of sixteen, she has since released two acclaimed solo albums. Her 2023 country-leaning record Small Town Temple marked a significant creative turn, and she has followed it with tw
Justine Eltakchi on her magical, moving debut album, Big Dream Baby
The music of Sydney-based singer-songwriter Justine Eltakchi came to my attention because she released a country music single, ‘If I Could’, with Timothy James Bowen. She isn’t a country artist per se – in that it’s not one of the genres she has mostly written in, for artists such as Casey Donovan and Abby Christo. But truly Eltakchi could create songs in pretty much every genre and be g
Melanie Dyer on new single ‘Golden Girl’ and life in Nashville
Melanie Dyer is one of Australia’s most-streamed country music artists, and she’s also been nominated for three Golden Guitars and three APRA AMCOS Most Performed Country Work awards. Currently resident in Nashville, Tennessee, Melanie has released a new single, the heartfelt ‘Golden Girl’.Dyer has long been an in-demand co-writer – you can find a playlist of songs she’s co-written on Sp
Kingswood keep the ‘Faith’ as they gather pace towards new album and tour
A fair while ago I separately interviewed first Alex Laska then, months later, Fergus Linacre, the two founding members of Kingswood. At the time I hadn’t seen the band live, but I certainly like what I heard of their recorded music (which includes a Christmas album – I recommend it!). At the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January 2024 I saw them play on the back of a truck in the ca
Whiskey Jack and Kiera Jas on their single ‘Remain Strange’
Whiskey Jack is a singer-songwriter from Perth in Western Australia and Kiera Jas is an artist from Margaret River, south of Perth. Separately they have very successful solo careers, with Jack’s single ‘Wild Card’ named WAM Country Song of the Year in 2025 and Kiera the winner of the 2023 Nannup festival award. Together this alt-folk duo have released the single ‘Old Expressions’ la
Mackenzie May on her standout debut EP, All the Little Things
Mackenzie May is an artist from Central Queensland who, at just twenty years old, is already having a landmark year. In January she was a Toyota Star Maker Grand Finalist at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, she performed at CMC Rocks with a full band, and she has just released her debut EP, All the Little Things — a seven-track collection that represents her most substantial sta
Mack & Cook on new single ‘A Sign of the Times’
Mack & Cook are Lizzie Mack and Murray Cook, two of the best credentialled musical artists in the land. As a duo they released their first single, 'Time Goes By', last year and their latest single is 'A Sign of the Times'.The two have a long history together, most recently as the driving force behind the Soul Movers, now performing as Murray and the Movers. Mack & Cook came about part
New releases round-up 12 April 2026
As it’s been a little while since I’ve had a chance to bring you some news, some of these releases are from March. Melbourne duo The Smith & Western Jury have released their foot-stomper 'Rolling the Dice'. The song was inspired by a trip we took to Joshua Tree in California, where a trailhead sign warned: ‘Don’t die today’. Wagga Wagga artist Nathan Lamont is at the vang
Sara Storer, Shane Nicholson & Shane Howard on their special show, For the Sake of the Song
Sara Storer has won 22 Golden Guitar Awards, amongst many other accolades. Last year she released her eighth studio album, the outstanding Worth Your Love. Shane Nicholson has won ARIA Awards and 18 Golden Guitars, and in addition to making his own wonderful albums, he produces others. Shane Howard is one of Australia’s most esteemed musical artists. He founded the band Go
Bud Rokesky on his outstanding second album, Dusk
Bud Rokesky is a singer-songwriter from Brisbane who released his first album, Outsider, in 2023, and if you’re a fan of that album you’ve probably never stopped listening to it, because there’s such richness in it. Then he embarked on a project in 2024 to release two singles a month, and released an album’s worth of material. Now he has a new album, Dusk, with all-new songs – none
The triumphant return of Beccy Cole with her album Through the Haze
Sunburnt Country Music began in earnest – under another title – in late 2011, but its roots were in 2003, when I was in a country music covers band and we played the Tamworth Country Music Festival. One of the songs in our set list – possibly the only Australian song, come to think of it – was ‘Lazy Bones’ by Beccy Cole. It first appeared on her second album, Wild at Heart, released in 2
Savanah Solomon finds her ‘Someday Somewhere’
Savanah Solomon is a singer-songwriter from Western Australia who has released the singles 'Magnolia' and 'I Don't Know You Anymore', as well as the 2023 EP Where the River Meets the Sea. Her latest single is 'Someday Somewhere', and it is a warm, hopeful song with more than a few great lines in it.The song was written a couple of years ago, during a period of involuntary limbo. Solomon
Rising star Camille Trail writes us a ‘Postcard’
Camille Trail released her debut album River of Sins in 2021 and the EP Magic Trick in 2024. She is known for her thoughtful, articulate and often unflinching lyrics, delivered in a warm, distinctive voice. Her new single 'Postcard' marks a deliberate shift in direction while still being distinctively her.After a big 2024 that included a UK tour and appearances at Folk All
Dylan Wright on a Golden start to the year and ‘Those Nights’
Dylan Wright has two musical identities that most fans will know about – as a solo artist and as one half of Golden Guitar-winning duo Sons of Atticus – and, as it turns out, a third. But more on that in a moment ... Wright’s new solo single is 'Those Nights', and he has announced an extensive Songs & Stories tour running through New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT from the
Tom Busby goes solo for his Rockhampton Hangover
Tom Busby is well known to Australian music fans as one half of beloved duo Busby Maru. That duo remains very much a going concern, but Busby has now released his first solo album – the warm and deeply personal Rockhampton Hangover.Busby grew up in the Queensland town of Rockhampton, and after two decades of relentless touring and recording with Busby Marou, he and bandmate Jeremy Marou
Lindsay Waddington pays tribute to a great in latest single ‘Something of a Privilege’
Lindsay Waddington has a career spanning more than three decades as a singer, songwriter, producer and renowned instrumentalist. He has released thirteen solo albums, won a Golden Guitar, and built a YouTube channel with almost nineteen million views. His latest release, 'Something of a Privilege', is a tribute to Australian music legend John Williamson.The song began as a birthday present. W
If you haven’t heard of Two Tone Pony … you have now!
Two Tone Pony are a five-piece country rock band from the Central Coast of New South Wales. They released the album Born on the Road in 2024 and their brand new single is 'You Haven't Heard of Me Yet'.When I interviewed Two Tone Pony founding member David Kirkpatrick, he said that the song had its origins in, of all places, a ski lodge in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains when som
Sunburnt Country Music news - 15 March 2026
**NB on the audio quality: I record this news on video then strip out the audio track. It's not always optimal quality but I'd rather bring you this than nothing at all**Mentioned in this instalment:William Alexander - ‘Heart of a Drover’Beccy Cole - new album Through the HazeMelanie Dyer - ‘Golden Girl’Tori Forsyth - ‘I’m Not God’Matt Joe Gow - two dates at Kew Courthouse on 21 March (evening sho
Clancy Pye on the best things about ‘My Hometown’
Clancy Pye is an artist from the Central West of New South Wales who has released several memorable singles, including 'Hey Mama' and 'Days Like This'. Her latest is 'My Hometown'.Pye grew up in Oberon, a town of around 3000 people, half an hour from Bathurst in New South Wales. Oberon has no traffic lights, one main street and, as she notes in the song, a part-time cop, a detail that says so
Jake Davey on life, fatherhood, work and ‘Workin’ On Me’
Jake Davey is a multi-talented artist – a singer, songwriter, producer, videographer and photographer. He has released several infectious country-pop singles and the latest is 'Workin' On Me'.Since releasing his last single, Davey's life has changed considerably. He and his wife, Grace, are now parents to a son, Dalton, a development which is particularly significant given that a spinal cord
Sunburnt Country Music news - 27 February 2026
Mentioned in this episode:Kelly Brouhaha - 'This Is All For You' Amber Lawrence - 'That’s Cowgirl To Me'Charlotte Le Lievre - ‘I Yearn To Love Someone’Tom Busby - Rockhampton Hangover- interview coming upBrooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley - ‘Now I've Said It’ Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham - New Frontier EPSara Berki - ‘Where I'll Be (For Adeline)’Interviews coming up:Jake Dave
Melinda Schneider on her heartfelt new album Tender
Melinda Schneider first appeared on stage at the age of three and on a recording at the age of eight. Since then she has released fifteen albums and won six Golden Guitars. She runs her own label, Mpower Records, she's a keynote speaker and much more besides. Her latest album, Tender, is a moving collection of songs.There is a particular kind of courage required to make an album like Ten
Faith Williams on her ‘Holy Grail’ and forthcoming album
Faith Williams is an artist from the Central Coast of New South Wales who last year released an outstanding debut EP, Queen of Hearts. She is now set to release her first album later this year, and the first single from it is 'Holy Grail'.When Queen of Hearts arrived in early 2025, Williams released it independently and, as she says in this new interview, ‘I didn't have a lot o
Sunburnt Country Music news - 15 February 2026
Mentioned in this episode:Max Jackson – new album Dangerous in Denim Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley – new single ‘Now I’ve Said It’ Morgan Evans - ‘Steel Town’ Saralyn – ‘Cowgirl Blues’ - THIS TRACK PLAYS AT THE END OF THE EPISODE Jo Page – ‘When We Knew Nothing’ Jasmine Sparkes – ‘You’ve Got Time to Kiss Me’ Jake Whittaker - ‘Boots On’ Tour news:Sara
ALBUM REVIEW: The Hardest Thing by Catherine Britt
ALBUM REVIEW: The Hardest Thing by Catherine BrittThis is the audio version of the review (and an addition to the types of content available on the podcast). If you'd like to read it instead, you can find it on Substack or the website. The Hardest Thing is out now through Red Rebel Music/MGM Distribution. Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify For more Sunburnt Count
Sunburnt Country Music news - 8 February 2026
🎵 COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS ROUNDUP 🎵Six BIG new releases you need to know about:KINGSWOOD - the new track ‘Highway Signs’ is out from this hard-working country-rock band. They’ll have a new album later this year and no doubt you can catch them from the road this year.WICKER SUITE released ‘Younger Me’ ft. Ashleigh Dallas—a heartfelt anthem about mental health & self-compassion. Catch them on tour th
Christina Lacy from The Paper Kites on their outstanding new album
Melbourne five-piece The Paper Kites formed in 2009, and released their first album, States, in 2013. They have spent several years touring the world and their music has been streamed over two billion times. They have a new album, their seventh, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, and recently I spoke to keyboard player/ guitarist/ vocalist Christina Lacy about it.
KYARNA on her lyrical Lost Soul Love Letters
Titles of books, albums (or EPs), movies – any creative work – can be hard to come up with, as they need to do so much work, especially in an age when we make very quick decisions about what is going to win our attention. A title needs to not just capture our interest but convey the experience of reading that book, listening to that album, watching that movie as concisely and effectively as possib
Bianca Joulianou gets herself into a ‘Bad Routine’
Earlier this year Sydney artist Bianca Joulianou released the single ‘Gambling Man’, which was based on a story that’s very close to her. We had a chat about that at the time and also talked about Joulianou’s gig schedule. She’s been busier since then, opening for Australian Idol winner Dylan Wright
Chloe Marks on what’s ‘Cheaper Than Therapy’ in her big new single with band The Mayhem
Before this year started, Brisbane outfit Chloe Marks & The Mayhem had not released any songs, although Marks herself has released music with duo Scotch & Cider, and as a solo artist. She also plays in other people’s bands as well as performing regularly with The Mayhem, as she’s been doing since 2023. The band’s first single was ‘Carolina’, released at the end of February t
Robbie Mortimer charts his path through creativity and country music
When you’re talking with Australian country music artists, Robbie Mortimer’s name comes up a lot, whether it’s as a festival performer or a co-writer – several artists work with him either to write songs from scratch or to enhance songs that already exist, even in part.He’s the youngest of five brothers who grew up in the Central West of New South Wales, and perhaps negotiating with four sibl
Brook Chivell on making guitars, singing the blues and ‘Like a Country Girl’
Each time I organise an interview with a country music artist there is an impetus for it – usually, as you’d expect, a new release, either single or album. I do my research and write questions accordingly, but I do not go into any interview with an expectation of where the conversation will go because expectations tend to become pre-set limitations, and there’s a danger of missing out on something
Roo Arcus on the experiences that made The Man I Am
Roo Arcus became a singer unintentionally – he didn’t know he could sing until he was somewhat strong-armed into it in a group setting. The cattle farmer from the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales has been on the land all of his life and spent his formative years listening to what he calls ‘the golden era’ of country music.Arcus spends a lot of time in the United States of America where
Laura T Davis reclaims her power on ‘Not Your Fault’
‘Songs can become our best friend. And sometimes songs can save a life.’Laura T Davis, a singer-songwriter from northern New South Wales, says this a fair way into our interview. The reason for the interview was her latest single, ‘Not Your Fault’, and the story behind that song is that Davis is a victim-survivor of extreme sexual violence perpetrated upon her in her teens. So when she talks about
Jo Page on ‘Fire in His Eyes’ and her creative fire
Each interview I do is, obviously, different because each artist is different – they have unique backgrounds, sounds and stories. Some of them turn out to be packed with lots of interesting elements – subjects I could have pursued for much longer conversations, except I’m mindful of trying to keep the chats relatively short and focused on music. This interview with Jo Page, a country mus
Tom Nethersole and Kye Arnot on their haunting, unforgettable ‘Holiday Spirit’
Earlier this year Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Tom Nethersole released a country single, ‘Ardmona Rd’. I hadn’t heard of Nethersole before that – his previous releases were mainly pop songs – but I loved the song and therefore was happy to chat to him about it. It was a great pleasure to interview him, so when he told me that he had a new folk-tinged song, ‘Holiday Spirit’, written
Saralyn on her time on The Voice, her new single and chasing dreams
Last year singer-songwriter Saralyn won the Mothertone Gympie Muster Talent Search, which was a terrific achievement – but she was also working on something else significant at the same time, and it wasn’t until this year that we found out what it was.Auditioning on the hit TV show The Voice, Saralyn turned the chair of judge Ronan Keating and joined his team. Although she didn’t ma
Ruby McGrath-Lester from Team Love on new album Now Things Ain’t Coloured Rose
Team Love are a six-piece alt-country and folk band (full list of members below) from Victoria who released their first album during the pandemic. Since then lead singer and songwriter Ruby McGrath-Lester and partner/bandmate Shaun Stolk have become parents, so they’ve had a little bit on their plate. But as I found out when I chatted with McGrath-Lester recently, they have been writing songs
Courtney Keil on ‘Friends for Life’ … and Christmas cheer
Country-pop artist Courtney Keil started her musical life in Melbourne and now lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales, where she is an integral member of what has long been an established country music community (which includes Lyn Bowtell, Kasey Chambers, Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham, and previously Beccy Cole and Shane Nicholson) and which now has more venues opening an
Tom Mac on his ‘Nomadic’, adventurous life in music
Tom Mac is a country music artist from south-east Queensland who has extensive experience as both a performing and recording artist, whose story – as I found out during this interview – has many strands to it, all of them weaving together to form the artist who is now releasing the songs he’s always wanted to bring to people, including his latest single, ‘Nomadic’.Mac was in his car when we s
Sandy Louise on storytelling, community and ‘Tears in the Driveway’
Newcastle, NSW artist Sandy Louise started her musical life on flute and picked up guitar at the age of eighteen, which is also when she started writing songs – and songwriting has become a passion of hers.Influenced by Kasey Chambers, The Cranberries and Alanis Morissette, Sandy has been writing songs ever since and is now an integral member of the Australian Songwriters Association (AS
Olive Mae on the amazing family story behind new single ‘El Caballo Blanco’
Australians of a certain age who grew up in certain locations will remember El Caballo Blanco. It was a show featuring dancing white horses – hence the name – and as I grew up in Sydney, one of two Australian sites for El Caballo Blanco, I remember the TV ad, despite the fact I was only allowed to watch half an hour of television a day. That’s how effective the marketing machine of Western Austral
Sara Berki on songs, storytelling and her new EP Outrun
If Sydney-area country music artist Sara Berki had only released her EP In the Neon earlier in the year, played her first headline tour – which was a two-set affair – as well as major festivals, and the NRLW Grand Final, as well as two Golden Guitar nominations (for New Talent and Female Artist of the Year) that would be a year in which she could put her feet up by no
Tate Cole takes us down Whiskey River for his debut single
Tate Cole grew up on a small family farm in south-east Queensland, heavily involved in the rodeo scene from a young age, following the lead of his father. At the same time as he was taking his chances on horses and cattle, he was developing his musical talents. His mother encouraged him and his brother to learn piano even before they’d started school, and while he was still in primary school
Mak & Shar on the New Problems of their new album
Mak & Shar are a duo and they are also brothers. They have been making music together since childhood, as two-thirds of Brothers3, and also pursued music and musical studies individually. So they have already achieved a lot, and they’ve also been through a lot, which we have discussed in previous interviews and they elaborate on it in this one. Their debut album together is called&nb
Andrew Swift on his Lucky Stars and big, meaningful year
As the saying goes, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Three-time Golden Guitar winner Andrew Swift has named his latest album Lucky Stars, and it’s his document of the last few years in his life, which have been full of personal and professional opportunity – and the album itself is testament to the ‘preparation’ part of the equation.Swift is an accomplished a
Fanny Lumsden on her new national tour and so much more
There will never not be a lot for me to talk to Fanny Lumsden about. The two-time ARIA and multiple Golden Guitar-winning singer, songwriter, videographer, tour specialist and joy bringer from the Upper Murray region of New South Wales has a full life that has this year seen her tour the United Kingdom and Ireland, supported Paul Kelly on his European and Australian tours, record new songs and rel
Wade Forster on storytelling, giving 110% and gooseneck parties
‘Lyrics first. Lyrics always first. I’m a lyrics guy beyond anything.’Wade Forster says this early on in our interview about his latest album, Gooseneck Party, and what then followed was a discussion about his songwriting process – he writes almost exclusively on his own. He mentions that in the last two or three years he’s written upwards of 70 or 80 songs on his own, and the tracks on
James Johnston on his landmark second album, WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME
Since multiple award-winning and -nominated country music artist James Johnston started releasing singles, I’ve interviewed him several times. Although we’d met in person none of those interviews have been in person before now, and it was wonderful to have the chance to chat to Johnston about his second album, WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME, the follow-up to his smash-hit debut RAISED LI
Loretta Miller on her lifetime of creativity and debut solo album
While Loretta Miller has extensive experience in both recorded and live music, as the frontwoman of Melbourne band JAZZPARTY amongst other things, she hasn’t released country music before – so this is the first time I’ve interviewed her, and it was to talk about her debut album, Loretta. This turned out to be a long conversation because Miller has had such an interesting life,
Ella Powell on latest single ‘Passerby’ and exciting new direction
Central Coast country music singer-songwriter Ella Powell began this year as a Grand Finalist in the prestigious Toyota Star Maker competition, with the final held during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. It was no surprise that Powell had this recognition: since she began releasing music in 2020 she has stood out for her songwriting as well as her vocals. Last year she collected
Jade Gibson on daydreaming in poetry and what makes for the ‘Perfect Crime’
Victorian country-pop artist Jade Gibson has a knack for creating infectious country-pop tunes and she has performed them in all sorts of places, from festival stages to pubs. Next year she’ll be on stage at CMC Rocks. And no doubt her latest single, ‘Perfect Crime’, would be on the set list.Written with the song’s producer, Ben Horsley, and Nashville-based songwriter Ava Suppelsa,
Country-rock duo Benson Manor on the power of talking things out
The members of Queensland country-rock duo Benson Manor, Chris Knight and Phil Behrens, have been performing together for over two decades but have only recently started to release original music, first with ‘Dirty Weekend’ and now with ‘Let’s Talk’, a song about the power of talking out problems rather than leaving them festering inside. I had no idea what to expect when interviewi
Trinity Woodhouse on her moving new single ‘Pills’
Trinity Woodhouse started singing at a very young age. As she tells me in our recent interview, she was playing every sport imaginable and singing while doing it – including while swimming which, as she says, takes some doing! When she was eight her parents suggested she have some vocal lessons, although she didn’t agree to them until she was eleven. She started performing at twelve, and took
Sally Jane on learning to stand on Two Feet
Sally Jane is an emerging country music artist from Serpentine in Western Australia who started singing in early childhood – often in paddocks, as she told me in this interview! – and who has already played in many venues and around the country. Indeed, she has crossed the Nullarbor Plain eleven times to play the east coast of Australia. Last year Sally released two singles, one of
Jasmine Sparkes on taking the musical journey down Sparkes Road
The latest single from Central Coast NSW artist Jasmine Sparkes is ‘Sparkes Road’ – based on a real Sparks Road that she travels often, the spelling has been altered slightly to reflect the metaphorical and literal journey Sparkes has taken through her musical life, which began with learning piano in childhood and takes in classical training and musical theatre. Growing up on the la
Corey Colum on his long-awaited new album Patience
Corey Colum emerged into the Australian country music scene in 2009, when he won the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. He released his debut self-titled album in 2012 – and then we didn’t hear from him for a good long while. Colum didn’t step away from music so much as releasing music. He’s still been very much playing, and writing. But he also had some other – rather important – things t
Lyn Bowtell on her magical, moving new album Paper Cut
It’s fair to say that Lyn Bowtell is a doyenne of Australian music, and not only because she’s the director of the Academy of Country Music, overseeing the Junior Academy each July and Senior Academy each January and everything in between – although that would be qualification enough. So it is that but it is also this: she has this glorious voice that can prompt tears and break hearts in
Aleyce Simmonds on her Mighty Mighty Love of music and life
During this interview with Tamworth-based country music artist Aleyce Simmonds you’ll occasionally hear her talking to her young daughter, Georgia, who was nearby during the chat, and, towards the end, her husband. I could have edited out these lines, but for what reason? To pretend that Simmonds wasn’t at home, doing the interview near her garden, with the setting sun and birds nearby a
Michael Carpenter on The Start of Being
The first time I interviewed Sydney singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Michael Carpenter, I found out how he organises his time so well (hint: it’s a simple to-do list and actually remembering to look at it), although I also think he marries that organisation with a sense of living in constant creative flow. The output of his own music, whether that’s solo, with The April
Hazel on the new Hazel & the Thief album Wildflowers in Concrete
Many musical artists immerse themselves in their work, embracing many facets of it, sometimes as singing or instrument teachers, or writing songs for other artists to perform, making videos or producing. Victorian artist Hazel – who performs with her band, The Thief – runs a popular venue, The Pig & Whistle in Main Ridge, scheduling more than 100 shows a year, which in and of it
Kaitlyn Thomas on boots, guitars and ‘Mississippi Lies’
‘Everything is a song. Life is a song. Books are a song.’ That’s what Victoria-born Queensland resident Kaitlyn Thomas told me when I asked about her songwriting process in our recent chat about her latest single, ‘Mississippi Lies’, which she recorded with in-demand Gold Coast producer Jared Adlam. Thomas was talking about how she’d had the title of the song in a songbook for a whi
Emily Joy on her life in music and new single ‘Give Me a Shot or Two’
While I enjoy interviewing artists for the second, third or fourth (sometimes more!) time, it’s always lovely to meet someone new and find out about their life in music. Emily Joy is a country-pop artist from Western Australia whom I knew had studied music extensively, but there’s only so much you can glean from research online – which is at least one of the reasons why it’s good to have
Kaylee Bell on her powerful path to Cowboy Up
Early on in my interview with award-winning, chart-topping country music artist Kaylee Bell, I discovered that she has a background in sport – this was not something I’d found in my research but I always like exploring this angle when it comes up with musical artists because to me, at least, there are commonalities in both pursuits. Both require an understanding that most of one’s time will b
Brad Cox on the many facets of Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions
It can never be said that Jindabyne local now Queensland resident Brad Cox has rested on his laurels. From his debut self-titled album, released in 2018, through second album My Mind’s Projection in 2020 and Acresin 2023, he has evolved his sound while building his audience, often through touring his own shows and playing festivals. His voice is big, and so are the stories
Sara Berki is In the Neon for Ridin’ Hearts
Sara Berki is a country music artist from the greater Sydney area who impressed audiences from her very first single, ‘Fallin’ Off the Heartline’, and has kept releasing songs that not only consolidate those early impressions but shift her as an artist into new territory while also being identifiably her sound, as evidenced on her recent second EP, In the Neon.Berki performed at the inau
Jake Davey has ‘Got It All’ with new country pop hit
Jake Davey is one of those multi-talented artists who must have an incredibly well-organised diary because he moves so regularly between making videos and producing music for other artists as well as writing and recording his own songs, and playing live. Two years ago, however, it seemed there was little prospect of any of that when Davey was given a diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome, which
Brad Christmas of Copperline on ‘Sleepwalking’ through the days
Copperline are a four-piece alt-country band fronted by Brad Christmas, who is also an in-demand musician who has played with acts such as Boney M and Steve Kilbey in between writing songs and also writing books – his first book for young people, Saltwater Boy, has had award acclaim and Christmas is now at work on his second.Copperline’s new single, ‘Sleepwalking’, was produced by Shane
Brooke Schubert on her powerful debut album, After Midnight
Brooke Schubert is a country rock artist living in Brisbane, Queensland. She is in a musical lineage that includes her great-grandmother, Iris Atkinson, who was the first woman in Australia to produce a vinyl recording, her aunt Karyn, an opera singer, and her mother, Susan, who performed at the first Gympie Muster and was also a professional golfer. Both music and sport have been promin
Tom Curtain hits the road with ‘Here’s to You’
Each time I interview Tom Curtain I learn something new, which is probably not surprising, given the scope of his life: running the Katherine Outback Experience in the dry season, at his home in the Northern Territory, then taking it literally on the road during the wet season, with horses and dogs and humans in tow. This is all while he writes, records and releases music, and is involve
Mitchell Steele on his epic life and statement debut single
The only time I have seen Mitchell Steele perform live was over a decade ago, upstairs at the Tudor Hotel in Tamworth during the Country Music Festival. Clearly it made an impression because I remember it clearly: the crowd in that hot room in January, his voice, the way he held our attention, and how he did not shy away from what was a very close audience connection in that space.
