Sunburnt Country Music

Melbourne/Naarm singer-songwriter Jason McDaniel has spent much of his life immersed in music, whether writing and performing his own or playing in bands with esteemed musicians such as Charley Boyter. However, McDaniel took a long break between releasing originals - his first album Man in the Black Hat came out in 1995 and it wasn't until last year that he released a second, Honky Tonk Life . He...

Several years ago Sydney singer-songwriter Jax Tonic played live at a relentless pace, before taking a break from music. That break has now led him to record and release his debut single, 'On the Front Foot', which was inspired by his first meeting with his wife. Tonic has rediscovered his love of performing live and now, with his original songs to add to his set, is back on the front foot of his...

Mandy Hawkes is a singer-songwriter from the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales who plays in a country-folk style and released the EP The Water Was Deep in 2017. Since then she has released three unforgettable singles, 'They Say Love', 'We Were Just Kids' and her latest, 'Black Dog'. Hawkes has a background rich in text and music, and a desire to explore, through her music, the question o...

Melbourne/Naarm singer-songwriter Sarah Catania recently released her debut single, 'Venus and Mars', although it's something she's been working towards for a while, performing regularly in her home town (when lockdowns allow), working on her songwriting craft as much as possible and undertaking studies in Music Performance. It was a pleasure to chat to this passionate, dynamic artist whose first...

In July Emily Grace Taylor released her debut country music single 'Till the Day' - but it was by no means her debut as a recording artist: as San Mei she has released many indie-rock singles and EPs. But country music has always been in Taylor's life and her experience as a songwriter, musician and singer has led to her creating a wonderful new country single, 'On My Way to You'. We spoke recentl...

JD Reynolds is a country music artist who has set out to capture audience attention with her high-energy singles, including 'Whatever' and 'Rebound', and she has continued that trend with her new single, '8 Seconds'. That timeframe will be familiar to anyone who knows anything about the perilous sport of bull riding - and in this song Reynolds sets out to tell the story of the bull riders from ano...

South Australian sister duo Ella & Sienna released their new single, 'The City in July', in late October and saw it swiftly added to Apple Music's Aussie Country playlist. Their two previous singles, 'Next to Mine' and 'Saved' received widespread radio airplay and high rotation on ABC Country Radio. The sisters' finely honed country-pop instincts come not only from the music they listen t...

When an artist in any field - music, writing, visual arts - is hugely successful in one genre or strand of their work, it is undoubtedly a risk to shift to something new. Creatively it may not turn out the same way, and the audience may not go with you. Amy Sheppard is a member of the chart-topping Australian band Sheppard and this year she has released a solo EP, Nothing But Wild , which is an in...

Since March 2020 musicians have navigated their way through the relentless changes in the industry, often finding different ways of doing things than they were used to before and sometimes sticking with those. In the case of South Coast (NSW) singer-songwriter Michelle Cashman, the pandemic and its lockdowns coincided with her release of new music at a time when there were no shows possible to sup...

Dylan Wright and Matt Joyce are Sons of Atticus, a duo who cannot be said to based in any one place as its members now live in different places. But as anyone who sees them play live knows, this does not affect their musical affinity one bit. Sons of Atticus released the album Jacks Motel in 2021, single 'Sad Songs' earlier this year and 'Sore Eyes' recently. We spoke recently about how they came...

Western Australian singer-songwriter Claudia Tripp has been releasing pop and country pop songs for several years. Her 2020 single ‘Attention’ charted at number 2 on the iTunes Country Chart and was nominated for WAM (Western Australian Music) Country Song of the Year. She performs regularly in Perth, and has a clear passion for her craft. Her latest single is 'I Only Miss You When I'm Drunk' - gi...

Jimbo Stokes is a singer-songwriter from the Hunter New England region of New South Wales who grew up near Tamworth and, therefore, quite aware of the country music that would take over the town every January. His mother, the late Bronwyn Stokes OAM, was a highly regarded GP and his debut single, 'Atlas', is about her - a moving tribute from a grieving son, and a powerful introduction to Stokes's...

New South Welshman Darren Colston rehas released several albums and in 2019 the single 'I Saw You Smile Today'. He's released three singles in 2022, the latest of which is 'Nothing I Can Do', which is a song born of heartbreak. In previous singles 'Old Town' and 'Hello Riverina' Colston sings vividly about rural life, demonstrating his ability to chart exterior as well as interior landscapes. We s...

Last year South Australian singer-songwriter Matt Ward released his second album, If I Was in Dallas Tonight , the successor to 2019's Heartland . The album is a collection of vivid stories and memorable experiences, with Ward's wry perspective on the human condition making for songs that are relatable as well as entertaining. We spoke about the album and his 'Too Drunk to Two Step', as well as hi...

In 2019 Rachael Fahim released her debut album, Iconic , and that's a great word to describe the status she's working towards as a country-pop artist. With her impressive vocals and ability to deliver memorable songs that also entertain, Fahim has the knack of knowing not only what audiences what but what they need: entertainment that also has layers of meaning for those who want them. Fahim's mos...

Aurelle Brunjes is an artist from Dimbulah, FNQ, who has been performing for several years in her local area then made the decision to record her own music. She released her debut single, 'Magpie', last year and whose latest release is 'Stumbling', which is partly about her experience of living with Ménière's disease, which causes vertigo, amongst other things, and also about the nature of modern...

Matt Cornell has several roles within Australian country music: solo artist, musical director and band member for Adam Brand , one half of Cornell and Carr - and recurring artist at the Country on Keppel festival. While the festival on Queensland's Great Keppel Island was cancelled this year, there are plans to bring it back with a vengeance in 2023, and Cornell will make several appearances. We s...

Last time I spoke to The Voice alumnus and Walla Walla (NSW) resident Danny Phegan it was about his song 'The Halfway Hotel'. Phegan has a full life, with several businesses and interests, and children as well, so there was lots to talk about. So much that there wasn't enough time, so it was great to have the chance to talk to him again about his new song 'The Fight Song' and to find out what he's...

Southern Highlands (NSW) singer-songwriter Sara Berki released an impressive debut single, 'Fallin Off the Heartline', earlier this year and announced herself as a great talent to watch. She has more than backed up that promise with her second single, 'Good Enough', and has been taking her music to audiences around the country as the support act on the recent McAlister Kemp tour. Berki has plenty...

Arabana man Nathan May lives on Kaurna country in South Australia, where he performs regularly in local venues and also connects with songwriters and musicians around the country - his latest single, 'Fix It Up', was co-written by Colin Buchanan , produced by James Gillard and features guitar and banjo by Rod McCormack. The song has an interesting history, as I found out when talking to May recent...

The name Storer is familiar to many Australian country music fans, and beloved too. That's because Sara Storer has created and released so many memorable, special songs over the course of her seven albums, starting with Chasing Buffalo in 2000 and most recently with Raindance in 2019. Her brother Greg has been part of Sara's live show for much of that time, and released his own outstanding album,...

One of the advantages of now conducting interviews on video is that there's more opportunity for conversation to flow, and for artists to talk in detail about their work - over the phone, without the ability to properly converse, it can be hard to know how far to take a certain subject as I can't gauge if the interviewee is interested in it. That means we might often not have strayed too far from...

Western Australian artist Catherine Traicos draws musical influences from a range of genres, including the classical music of her original training, and produces music that while not easily categorised can be classified as music that connects to both the heart and head of the listener. There is thoughtfulness and joy in Traicos's songs, and the title of her latest EP, Choose Your Own Light , leave...

Queensland artist Billie Rose released an impressive debut EP, Company with Regret , in 2020, and this year she has released two equally noticeable singles, 'Black Dress' and 'Label Me a Killer'. Each of them has an interesting backstory, which we talked about in this interview, along with Billie's experiences playing live from quite a young age, her attendance at the Academy of Country Music and...

Last year Melbourne-based, Canberra-raised singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Riley Catherall released a wonderful album, When I Go . Since then he's been on tour with Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes , in Australia and overseas. Catherall could easily have kept rolling out singles from When I Go while that was going on; instead, he recorded and has released a completely new song, 'Bark at...