It’s hard to believe I’ve been following the career of former Perch Creek singer-songwriter Eileen Hodgkins for roughly as long as this blog has been in existence. With her siblings they seemingly did it all, releasing a few albums, playing all the big festivals here and around the world, and even appearing on Spicks and Specks. But now she’s on to the next phase of her career with her latest band Eils & The Drip. Their latest single “Easy Rider” is a nostalgic alt-country tune that sounds like a classic from the first play.
Eils & The Drip are already on the right path to replicating Perch Creek’s success, releasing a few singles and playing key festivals like Boogie, Brunswick Music Festival, and Queenscliff. They’ll celebrate their latest single with a launch show at Shotkickers in Naarm/Melbourne on March 15.
Image used with permission from Dave Laing Publicity
As we watch another crop of Australian Idol hopefuls step up to impress the judges, it’s only natural to think back and wonder what became of some of the winners of the past? Are they still making music, or have they been forced to trade it in for a corporate career. Wes Carr is still living the dream, albeit under a brand-new moniker. Now recording as Wesley Dean, he relocated to Nashville a couple of years ago to hone a more country/Americana influenced sound. His latest single “Gunslinger” shows that he’s still got the goods.
“’Gunslinger’ is an exploration of what it means to be a man struggling with the masculine identity passed down from father to son,” Wesley explained. “The opening lyric, ‘Dead man walkin’ before his life begun, since his daddy taught him how to shoot a gun’, refers to the stoic mindset a man can be born into that’s perfectly portrayed by the outlaw archetype. On one hand, I identify with being an outsider and doing things my own way with all guns blazing, but on the other, the emotional isolation of an outlaw who isn’t allowed to acknowledge their vulnerability and ultimately ends up being ‘hung by the same rope that took his daddy’s life’ is something I wanted to highlight in this song.
“I believe isolating patterns of behavior can be broken when we become conscious of them, but sometimes we have to go through a dark night of the soul to wake up to our personal power. And I don’t mean macho, egoic power, I mean the empowerment that comes from having the ability to make a new choice when faced with old ways of being. Some men repeatedly surrender to what they know, which is where the line, ‘And there ain’t no turning back he was born in these bones’ comes from, but I hope the discussion around ‘Gunslinger’ will inspire men to take a deeper look at the intergenerational trauma impacting their lives, and initiate a self-awareness that gives them freedom to have more connected relationships with themselves and others.”
Wesley has just capped off his Crazy Hearts Across America tour, which saw his driving more than 5,000 miles from Nashville to Los Angeles in an RV. Footage captured on this epic journey will form his upcoming feature film, Crazy Hearts: The Documentary. Along the way he also took time to shoot the epic video for “Gunslinger” in Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneer Town. You might not have heard his music for a while, but releases like this let you know that this former Australian Idol still has plenty of musical tales to tell, no matter what name he’s recording under.
I can’t remember the last time I heard a song as cool as “Heed the Call,” the latest track from Eora/Sydney act Sir Archer. The press release bills them as an indie-rock band, but there’s a whole lot of soul about what they do here.
“‘Heed The Call’ was inspired by an interaction we had with a stranger late one night who, in a moment of vulnerability, told us about the recent loss of his father. This moment formed the realisation that life happens quickly and time is fleeting,” the band explained. “This song is our statement to listen to those around you. Through experiences, we grow and sometimes we wish we could teach our younger selves or even send a message of hope that time heals.”
Sir Archer have just announced their biggest East Coast tour to date, so if you’re as into this song as I am, you know what to do. Get those tickets pronto!
Heath Burdell has done the hard yards, picking up his first guitar at the age of 10 and gigging in North Queensland bars and clubs by the age of 15. With his band Merlin’s Traffic, Heath spent his late teens and early 20s supporting acts like Jimmy Barnes, Diesel, The Whitlams, Jebediah, and The Superjesus. Sensing he’d done all he could do in North Queensland, he relocated to Eora/Sydney to focus on making his music dreams a reality. If his latest single “Fight of Your Life” is any indication, the move was well worth it.
Heath wrote “Fight of Your Life” about staring down adversity and overcoming the challenges that lay ahead. I love its classic rock sound. The press release compares it to music from 1970s West Coast American acts, but the grit and underdog storytelling quality reminds me more of Bob Seger or John Mellencamp. Either way, it’s good stuff.
Image used with permission from Rock This Country
If you’ve ever been blindsided by someone who seemed to be into you, you’re going to love “why did you buy me flowers?”, the latest heartfelt single from queer Filipino Naarm/Melbourne-based singer/songwriter, Benjamin Trillado.
Benjamin says the song is all about “the woes of Tinder, mixed signals, ghosting, ‘Woolies’ flowers, gay feelings, and deception.” Its lyrics are so relatable and I love its organic, folky feel.
If you love this song too, make sure you’re following Benjamin on the socials. That’s where you’ll get all the details of the single launch, which will happen in a “secret unorthodox location in Naarm/Melbourne.”
As a longtime Whitlams fan, I’ve really enjoyed hearing what the new Whitlams Black Stump act does with the band’s classic songs. Seeing them live in late 2022 was brilliant, and the releases just keep on coming. The latest is actually a revamped version of my all-time favourite Whitlams track, “You Sound Like Louis Burdett.” The Spaghetti Western style is a world away from the sound that made me fall for this song, but it surprisingly works!
This latest cut comes from the Whitlams Black Stump’s debut album Kookaburra, which is out on March 8. There are also plenty of full band gigs and shows with Tim and Ollie performing as the Black Stump Duo. If the date you’re interested in isn’t on sale yet, you’ll be able to get tickets from February 8.
8 March 2024 – Lizotte’s, Mulubinba/Newcastle
9 March 2024 – Blazes @ Wests Tamworth, Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth
10 March 2024 – Avoca Beach Theatre, Darkinjung Country/Avoca Beach
31 March 2024 – Bluesfest, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
25 April 2024 – Hotel Victor, Ramong/Victor Harbour (Black Stump Duo)
26 April 2024 – Hopgood Theatre, Tainbarang/Noarlunga
27 April 2024 – The Gov, Tarntanya/Adelaide
1 May 2024 – Playhouse, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country/Caloundra (Black Stump Duo)
2 May 2024 – Springlake Hotel, Meeanjin/Brisbane (Black Stump Duo)
3 May 2024 – Imperial Hotel, Kabi Kabi Country/Eumundi
4 May 2024 – Princess Theatre, Meeanjin/Brisbane
7 May 2024 – Piano Room, Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country/Bendigo (Black Stump Duo)
8 May 2024 – Piano Room, Ballaarat/Ballarat (Black Stump Duo)
9 May 2024 – Piano Room, Djilang/Geelong (Black Stump Duo)
10 May 2024 – Kindred Bandroom, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Country/Yarraville
11 May 2024 – Memo Music Hall, Euroe Yroke/St Kilda
16 May 2024 – Wilder, Palawa Country/Gowrie Park (Black Stump Duo)
17 May 2024 – Royal Oak, Kanamaluka Country/Launceston (Black Stump Duo)
18 May 2024 – Forth Pub, Tommeginne Country/Forth
19 May 2024 – Longley International Hotel, Palawa Country/Longley
23 May 2024 – Resin Brewery, Bulla Bulla/Bulli (Black Stump Duo)
24 May 2024 – Tallagandra Hill, Candariro/Gundaroo (Black Stump Duo)
25 May 2024 – Qirkz in the Hunter, Wonnarua Country/Abermain (Black Stump Duo)
26 May 2024 – Dangar Island Bowling Club, Darug and Darkinjung Country/Dangar Island (Black Stump Duo)
30 May 2024 – Avoca Beach Theatre, Darkinjung Country/Avoca Beach
31 May 2024 – Factory Theatre, Eora/Sydney
1 June 2024 – Avalon RSL, Guringai Country/Avalon
Image used with permission from Wildheart Publicity
Bobby Alu is spreading summer vibes with his cool new single “Ready For Your Love.” This is classic “lovers rock” reggae, the kind of music that luminaries like Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, and Horace Andy used to make in the late 70s. If you’re a fan of the genre or you just want to feel good, make sure you turn this one up.
“The band and I love reggae from the 70’s and 80’s,” Bobby said. “This song was never planned. We were at the studio working on some other tracks. After dinner we weren’t quite ready to finish. I showed them a chorus idea and we all jumped in bouncing ideas off one another. I had recently had a conversation with a stranger about how they were looking for love desperately and this exchange inspired the lyrics. Hours went by and we left that night with a new track in the bag. Spontaneous creative moments like this are some of my absolute favourite times in the studio. Time goes and you find your flow.”
Bobby will make the most of the summer sunshine with plenty of shows this month. But that’s not all; a tour with online personality Breakfast Shirts, which will see Bobby playing morning shows in regional cafes, is also in the works. If you know the perfect place for one of those shows, make sure you share on Bobby’s Instagram page. For now, here are all the places you can see him play:
Tig captured my heart back in October when she released her single “Too Late Heartbreak.” The EP it came from has been a long time coming, but finally she’s released her debut EP Inside Voices. If you’re wondering whether it’s been worth the wait, you only need to press play. I know that it won’t take too long before like me, you’re answering a resounding yes.
Tig is one of those special artists who can capture her innermost thoughts, then turn them into songs we can all relate to. Her voice is rich and warm, with the kind of tone that draws you in and makes you feel at peace. That voice coupled with her love of the piano had me thinking of some of my favourite artists of the past; women like Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, and Fiona Apple who made such strong impressions with their musicality and messages.
This four-track EP left me wanting more, but also being thrilled by everything it is. Four total standouts. Four songs that matter, each one so exquisite that it seems unfair to single any out. I just want you to listen to them. Remember too, this is Tig’s debut EP. She also recorded it at home rather than heading to a big fancy studio. Let all that sink in. What you are hearing is raw, organic talent. And it’s fabulous.
Naarm/Melbourne singer-songwriter Eilish Gilligan is giving us an early taste of her long-awaited debut album with the release of her latest single “Angel Face.” It sounds so sweet, but its lyrics which come as a warning to the men who abuse their power in the music industry put a real sting in its tail.
“I wrote ‘Angel Face’ to process some of the anger, hurt and betrayal I was feeling about something that happened in my music career at the time. It sounds funny to say I felt those things about an event that was purely professional, but such are the relationships you develop in the music industry,” Eilish recalled. “I felt so powerless. I felt completely voiceless. I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone about what had happened without sounding hysterical or insane. A sense of righteousness made me feel even angrier and watching the industry celebrate people I knew weren’t really all that great on the inside was difficult. I knew these feelings were something other women in my position would be able to relate to. I held onto the relief that writing ‘Angel Face’ brought me for so long and I really hope it can bring that catharsis to others now.”
Eilish’s debut album Final Girl is released on February 16.
Eora/Sydney emo rockers Sienna Skies have just dropped their latest single “Don’t Let Me Go,” a killer song which the press release describes as the band’s “most emotional and heartfelt track to date. It’s certainly hit me in the heart.
“From the last time we released music to now, we have been through one of the toughest periods of all our lives. We lost family, best friends, pets, and more. It felt like there was just one heartbreak after another,” recalled Sienna Skies frontman Thomas Perozzi. “We sat on the chorus for a long time. It was a tough song to write, and was something we couldn’t rush. I had tears in my eyes when we finally finished the song, and when I looked around the room, I wasn’t the only one.”
“Don’t Let Me Go” is the latest single released from Sienna Skies’ forthcoming EP Only Change is Permanent, which drops on March 8. Its release will coincide with plenty of local shows, including gigs supporting metalcore legends Of Mice and Men and headlining dates. Catch them anywhere you can.
