Sunburnt Country Music

Cass Hopetoun and Blake Dantier both released debut albums in 2022, Hopetoun with Not Your Typical Bride and Dantier with Dry Season, and both found themselves nominated for the 2023 Golden Guitar for New Talent of the Year. In the past year they also got married and became parents, so there's been a lot going on. While it may seem natural for the pair to record together, they've only now released their first duet ‘Some Things Never Get Old’. It was produced by Dantier and Simon Johnson, who worked together on Dry Season, and mixed by Matt Fell, who produced Not Your Typical Bride. It's a dream team for a song that's all about appreciating moments and memories.We spoke recently about 'Some Things Never Get Old' as well as songwriting process and those competing Golden Guitar nominations.For more about Cass Hopetoun: https://www.casshopetoun.com.au/For more about Blake Dantier: https://blakedantier.com.au/Listen to 'Some Things Never Get Old' on Apple MusicListen to 'Some Things Never Get Old' on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Andy Penkow released his second album, Love, Lies & Dirty Dishes, last year and and received a Golden Guitar nomination for Bush Ballad of the year. He has already released some brand new music this year, the singles 'Driving You Home' and his latest, ‘Aussie Rain'.‘As a full time musician, I get the amazing opportunity to travel across Australia and visit some pretty neat places,’ Penkow explains. ‘I first visited a small town in outback New South Wales called Coonabarabran a few years back and I felt an instant connection. There was something so special and unique about it. The people, the land, the history, the nighttime stars, it really moved me. “Aussie Rain” is a love letter to the town, to thank them for being part of my journey as an artist, singer and songwriter.’Recently I spoke to Penkow about the song and its video, as well as his travels to Nashville and Canada, as well as what music means to him.For more about Andy Penkow: https://www.andypenkow.com/Listen to 'Aussie Rain' on Apple MusicListen to 'Aussie Rain on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Small Town Romance is a duo from Melbourne whose members are Flora Smith and Jim Arneman. After releasing their self-titled debut album in 2016 they released the single ‘I Don’t Believe You’ in 2020. Their latest single is the enchanting ‘Home Fires’, taken from their forthcoming second album.Both Smith and Arneman have rich musical backgrounds. Arneman is a part of a grand Australian country music lineage: his mother, Anne Kirkpatrick, is the daughter of Slim Dusty and Joy McKean and a cherished artist in her own right. Smith too has taken a fascinating path through playing, writing and performing music, as I discovered when I talked to them both recently. Arneman is also a filmmaker who not only created the documentary 2020 Slim & I but makes the video clips for Small Town Romance, and we spoke about that too.For more about Small Town Romance: https://www.smalltownromance.com.au/Listen to 'Home Fires' on Apple MusicListen to 'Home Fires' on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

When starting an interview, even with artists I've interviewed before, I have no expectations about which direction the conversation may take. Part of the fun and fascination of interviewing is the not-knowing: anything can happen, and it is always going to be interesting. Before interviewing Victorian artist Matt Malone I knew that in For the Term of My Natural Life, his third LP, he'd produced an album full of epic mini-tales (perhaps that's a contradiction in terms, but it fits here) and thought there would be a story there about, well, storytelling. The interview moved away from music fairly quickly but came back to it, and over its course Malone was indeed fascinating to talk to. The interview could have gone much longer but attention spans being what they are, we kept it under half an hour, so you then have time to go and listen to his album.For more about Matt Malone: https://mattmaloneandtheholyspirits.bandcamp.com/album/for-the-term-of-my-natural-lifeListen to For the Term of My Natural Life on Apple MusicListen to For the Term of My Natural Life on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Eloise Rayner is a singer-songwriter from Sydney and Zara Lindeman is a singer-songwriter from the Riverina region of New South Wales. They attended the Academy of Country Music together and have recorded a new song, 'Fallin' for a Cowboy'.It was great to talk to this talented pair about how they came to write together and what they have planned, and how they work together given the geographic distance between them. The interview was done on the day they recorded their single, so the experience was very fresh in their minds.For more about Zara Lindeman: https://www.facebook.com/zaralindemanmusic/For more about Eloise Rayner: https://www.instagram.com/eloiseraynermusic/Follow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Camille Trail is a Queensland artist who was nominated for a Golden Guitar for Best New Talent after releasing her impressive debut album, River of Sins, in 2021. The album was top 5 in the ARIA Country chart and also led to a Queensland Music Award nomination. Since then Trail has played at Folk Alliance at Kansas City and released a new song, ‘Gotta Get to Know You’. When she wrote the song, says Trail, ‘my long-term partner and I had split up and it was that moment where … what do I do now? I moved to a whole new place, I got new friends, new hobbies, completely started over. Everything is new and different and exciting now and I wanted the music to reflect that as well.'Trail is a powerful singer-songwriter and her new song is further proof of that. It was a pleasure to speak to her recently about that and find out what she's been up to lately.For more about Camille Trail: https://www.camilletrail.com/Listen to Camille Trail on Apple MusicListen to Camille Trail on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Kaylens Rain was formed by siblings Glen Harrison and Kaylee Stewart. They released two albums of great country pop, In Our Blood in 2016 and Found in 2018, then took a long break to focus on their young families. Kaylens Rain have now returned with Stewart's husband, Joel, as a member and a new song called, appropriately, ‘One Song Brings You Back’.The song was originally pitched to the band in 2018 by Nashville-based writers Brett Rutledge and Jessica Campbell Waterman. 'We instantly fell in love with the ideals and meanings these words had for each of us at the time,' says the band. 'In collaboration with Brett and Jessica, we were able to rework the lyrics to tell our own story and added it to our live set. After spending the last few years raising our young families, it was a matter of finding the right time to release music again.I spoke to Harrison about the song, about playing music with his sister, and more besides.For more about Kaylens Rain: https://www.kaylensrain.com/Listen to 'One Song Brings You Back' on Apple MusicListen to 'One Song Brings You Back' on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Felicity Dowd is a singer-songwriter from the south coast of New South Wales and CMAA Academy of Country Music graduate who released her first single, ‘Blue Skies’, last year. Her latest song is the quite lovely ‘Honeycomb & Glue’.'This song has seemed to connect well with so many different people. It’s about the couples that don’t make sense on paper, they’re a bit abrasive, but no matter what, they’re strong relationships and stick together through thick and thin,' says Dowd of her single.'They support each other through hard times. This can also relate to families, and all those connections that can last through as many different circumstances as possible - that’s a beautiful thing. I think of this as a mature love song because they’re stuck in love. The song is also very Australian.'Dowd spends a lot of her time on the road, living in a caravan while studying at university and playing gigs. It was such a treat to talk to her recently and find out more about this talented, inspiring artist.For more about Felicity Dowd: https://www.felicitydowd.com.au/Listen to Felicity Dowd on Apple MusicListen to Felicity Dowd on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Tammy Moxon released the album Drive Me Sane in 2019 then the brand new single ‘Fighting Chance’ earlier this year. At the same time as writing and recording music she keeps up a brisk performing pace in her hometown of Townsville in Queensland.Moxon now has a great new follow-up single, ‘Comfy’. 'It was the first song I wrote in that three months of the initial pandemic shutdown,' says Moxon. 'I was determined to write a happy love song ... The definition of "comfy" according to me – the state of contentment in a relationship. Knowing, without a doubt, that your partner is right for you. Feeling like you can be yourself in his presence and still get butterflies.' Moxon and I had a chance to chat about 'Comfy' and quite a few other things.For more about Tammy Moxon: https://www.tammymoxon.com/Listen to 'Comfy' on Apple MusicListen to 'Comfy' on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website