Sunburnt Country Music

When interviewing an artist for the first time, I have no expectations about how things will go. I have my questions prepared, and that means that there will be some sort of conversation, even if it’s brief. While it’s possible – usually likely – to have a sense of how the interview may go within a couple of minutes, I always leave room for it to change and for the conversation to open up. So there was room there for Melbourne artist Tom Nethersole to range when I interviewed him for the first time recently. And range he – we – did. Nethersole was an absolute pleasure to talk to – open, thoughtful, gracious and with so many interesting things to say about life and music, including his mental health advocacy and how he has become increasingly vulnerable with his songwriting. The reason I haven’t interviewed Nethersole before is because he hasn’t released anything in the country music genre before. A pop artist, he has performed at festivals such as Midsumma’s Pride Street Party, Rockhampton River Festival and Always Live. He’s also the creator of his own music videos, and has collaborated with fashion brands such as House of Campbell, Silk Laundry, Van Heusen, and Mimco.Nethersole’s new single, ‘Ardmona Rd’, was, it turns out, not meant to be a country-pop single. He went into the studio with the makings of it and its country sound evolved during the recording. As Nethersole grew up in the country, outside of Shepparton in Victoria, that seems appropriate. ‘Ardmona Rd’ is gloriously heartfelt and uplifting – a love song that is about the grandest of romantic gestures: showing the loved one the places and people that are most meaningful to you. In the case of this song, that is taking them home to Ardmona Road. Nethersole says that the song is 'deeply personal but also relatable, especially for queer listeners who are searching for that fairytale moment we don’t always see reflected in music.’ We talk about that, and a lot more, and I hope you enjoy meeting Tom Nethersole as much as I did. Listen to ‘Ardmona Rd’ on Apple MusicListen to ‘Ardmona Rd’ on SpotifySunburnt Country Music:InstagramFacebook YouTubewebsite 

**Contains the track 'Country Singer' from Faith & Sweat**Linc Phelps hails from the country music centre of Gympie in Queensland and he has just released his debut album, Faith & Sweat, which has already produced four chart-topping singles. The album has been a long time coming for Phelps, who has practised what he preaches in the album’s title by putting in a lot of sweat over the years to develop his music to the point where he’s ready to release this album, keeping faith in his craft all the while.As he says, ‘There is so much in this life that's worth aspiring to and worth chasing.’The album was produced by fellow Queenslander Gavin Carfoot, who co-wrote some of the tracks, and in fact the album was an all-Queensland affair, as it was mixed by Gold Coast resident Jared Adlam. It contains collaborations with The Wolfe Brothers on ‘Sing a Little Louder’ and Melody Moko on ‘Dear Mind’.Faith & Sweat is a set of origin stories for Phelps, although there are still more left unrecorded and unreleased. Perhaps the most impactful story on the album is the one he wrote in memory of his daughter Denver Grace – the last track on the album, ‘Green Valley’. In this interview we talk about ‘Green Valley’ as well as other songs on the album, and about Phelps’s rich life in music, which encompasses not only recording and performing but working with emerging artists at Song Muster and elsewhere. That faith and sweat has culminated in an album that is both meaningful and entertaining, a reward for the listener who wants a deeper layer of story to connect with while also tapping their toes in time to the music.Listen to Faith & Sweat on Apple MusicListen to Faith & Sweat on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham won three Golden Guitar Awards for their most recent album, Birdsong, but that is far from the extent of their award winning, as at last count I believe they have a bajillion – the technical term – between them for their separate endeavours. They have been touring constantly over the past couple of years and they have a brand new song, ‘Joy Roller’. Joy is what Urquhart and Cunningham bring to people, so this seems fitting. Having seen them play live several times, it is certainly what they offer to audiences, mainly because it’s what they embody on stage. Urquhart has had a flourishing solo career, and two albums with Kevin Bennett and Lyn Bowtell as Bennett Bowtell & Urquhart, and Cunningham is a member of beloved trio The Waifs. So they were experts before they ever united in music and in life to create something that is different to their other endeavours, because they have allowed it to take its own shape. From their first album, The Song Club, there has never been a sense that they have forced anything to do with this joint enterprise. Which doesn’t mean it’s so easy that it comes without work. It’s work they are both prepared to do, though, which is why they can create new music at a stiff pace while also touring and raising two children (who have their own musical enterprise, The Meadows).‘Joy Roller’ is the first single from the album Urquhart and Cunningham are working on – not yet fully recorded – and once more sounds like they are riding creative currents together. They really are the best kind of musical treat: accomplished, self-aware, big-hearted and able to create melodically lovely, lyrically inspiring songs. Let’s hope they keep this kind of joy rolling for as long as possible.See Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham live:Monday 28th April – _QLD Music Trails: Ballads & Bush Yarns – _Cunnamulla, QLD Saturday 12th - Sunday 13th July – _Mullum Roots Festival – _Mullumbimby, NSWListen to ‘Joy Roller’ on Apple MusicListen to ‘Joy Roller’ on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

**NB: I called the Vixens of Fall single ‘Sinkin’ Ships’ instead of ‘Sinkin’ Spirits’ but I’d already tried to record the episode so many times that I ran out of time to do it again!Songs covered - audio included:Brad Cox – ‘I’m a Boxer’The Buckleys - 'See Your Folks Again'Vixens of Fall - 'Sinkin' Spirits'Roger Knox - 'Prison Wall'Mentions:McCusker Gill - 'Holy Rose Hotel'Olivia Foy - 'Cruise Control'Listen to all the March new releases on the Sunburnt Country Music Spotify playlist.Follow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

A few weeks ago I interviewed Nathan Lamont, a three-time Star Maker Grand Finalist from Wagga Wagga, NSW whose popularity is growing both on streaming and as a performer, about his latest country-pop release, ‘Bigger Things’. I’ve interviewed Nathan a few times and it’s always been a great pleasure to talk to him – plus each time it seemed to be longer than the time before! Fluid conversation is never a given, but he’s always made it easy to interview him, hence why the chats get longer. However, there tend to be limits to what can be discussed in an interview tied to a release – we focus on the music, with good reason, even when the artist has an extraordinary story to tell. I knew Nathan did have such a story and after that ‘Bigger Things’ interview we discussed doing a much longer interview in which he could go into detail. It wasn’t necessarily an easy decision – at the start of this new interview he says he feels vulnerable even though he wants to talk – but in sharing his story he hopes to help others who may have had similar experiences.While this chat isn’t about a specific release, it relates to music in that every artist is partly forged by their experiences, and from my perspective great artists let that happen. They don’t stand in the way of being themselves. They may hesitate at times, and wonder if they should really show everyone else who they are, but ultimately they do show us. The singing voice in particular tells us a lot. We can hear when the singer wants to truly connect, and that connection has to come from a deep place, and I heard that from the start in Nathan’s songs. March the 22nd is Nathan’s birthday, as he told me during the interview, and I wanted to post the interview in time for it to honour the work he has done to even be in the world, let alone becoming someone who strives to create joyful experiences for others. We spoke for over two hours and every minute of that is worth your time to find out more about him. And the name of this mini series of interviews – if there turn out to be more – was one that he suggested: ‘Deep Dive’. So, I hope you find the first Deep Dive interview to be as compelling as I did, and I thank Nathan for showing up with his history and his whole heart, and for having the courage to do so. Listen to Nathan Lamont on Apple Music Listen to Nathan Lamont on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

I’ve spoken to Broome, WA artist Adele Oliver about her singles ‘Wiley Blue’ and ‘Angel’ and each time found her thoughtful and interesting and offering a unique perspective on making music. This was no different with our latest chat, for her EP To Home & Heartbreak, which collects previous releases and contains the new single ‘Home Tonight’. Oliver is currently away from home, touring Western Australia, and when I spoke to her she was about to play the Nannup Music Festival, and she was in the local library – which seemed appropriate, given the richness of stories in her songs. We spoke about her trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival – always a big commitment for a WA artist – and about the town of Fitzroy Crossing, where she was living when she wrote ‘Home Tonight’, as well as her decision to go on the road for several months. If you’d like to see Adele Oliver live, she’s in the Perth area next week, with other dates to follow:Mar 27 Kidogo House, Fremantle WAMar 30 The Moon, Perth WAApr 4 Settler’s House, York WAApr 5 Wessy on the Green, Westonia WAApril 12 Carnarvon Hotel, Carnarvon WAApr 13 Whalebone brewing, Exmouth WAApr 28 Northwest Brewing, Karratha WAMay 2 Divers Tavern, Broome WAListen to Adele Oliver on Apple MusicListen to Adele Oliver on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website