Sunburnt Country Music

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 ...

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...

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’...

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...

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 pa...

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...

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 b...

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 –...

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...

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. Solo...

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 Fo...

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  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 Ma...

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....

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...

**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 Haze Melanie Dyer - ‘Golden Girl’ Tori Forsyth - ‘I’m Not God’ Matt Joe Gow - two dates at Kew Courthouse on 21 March (eveni...

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...

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 cor...

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 up Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley - ‘Now I've Said It’  Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham - New Frontier EP Sara Berki - ‘Where I'll Be (For Adeline)’ Interviews coming up:...

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 ...

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...

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’    ...

ALBUM REVIEW: The Hardest Thing by Catherine Britt This 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 Su...

🎵 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 to...

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. ...