Sunburnt Country Music

**Listen to the end to hear the song 'Days Like This'**The first time I interviewed Central West NSW artist Clancy Pye we covered her extensive musical background, which began in childhood and involved playing in a family band – The Party Pyes (still one of the best band names ever!) – and gigging throughout her teenage years. It’s safe to say that Pye has been living and breathing music most of her life, and it shows in the songs she has released so far, including the hit ‘Heaven Can’t Wait’. That song has great emotional resonance, and it’s clear Pye is not afraid of tough topics, as evidenced by her latest single, ‘Days Like This’, which was sparked by realising that there are children going to their first day of school who may be missing a parent. Delving further into Pye’s life and experiences, we talked about her work as a physiotherapist, and it’s clear that it’s had a big influence on how she sees the world and how much sensitivity she has towards other people and what they’re going through. This enables her to be able to take a big topic such as the one she addresses in this song and have the skills necessary to find an elegant way to write about it when there are only so many verses and a chorus in which to contain her story and message. ‘Days Like This’ will get you from the first verse, so be ready. It also comes with a powerful music video, which you can see here.Listen to ‘Days Like This’ by Clancy Pye on Apple MusicListen to ‘Days Like This’ by Clancy Pye on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

When I first interviewed Sydney folk/alt-country artist Gracie Jean, it was in 2022 and she had released her debut album, Romance is Bad. Since then she’s had momentous changes in her life, including the death of her mother. Grief and how one survives it – and survives the what-ifs that come with it – is the bedrock of Gracie’s new EP, Having & Longing. As she is upfront about that – and I take my cues from the artists in terms of what they’re prepared to discuss – it seemed like the most appropriate place to start our conversation about the EP. So we do. There is no preamble to it, just to let you know.The substance of this EP is there in its title. Sometimes it seems that longing is out of fashion – that we should be striving and attaining instead. Longing suggests limbo – yearning for something that may never materialise. Grief is a form of longing, and so is wanting a life that takes a certain shape, and Gracie addresses that too. This is an EP for those who are not afraid to open up the veins of life and see what’s coursing there, aware that it might be dark and murky but they want to know anyway. There is so much sweetness on it too. It’s impossible not to be moved by an artist who wants so much that is going to be always out of reach, and also wants things which may yet transpire and she’s putting them on the record, literally.I appreciate Gracie Jean’s honesty in this interview and hope you find as much substance in it as I did, as a way of providing context for Having & Longing.Listen to Gracie Jean on Apple MusicListen to Gracie Jean on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Nathan Lamont is from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales and since 2023 he has been releasing unforgettable country-pop songs, starting with ‘Drink You Up’. His latest single is ‘Bigger Things’, on which he worked with producers Msquared for the first tie. Its release comes after his first headline show at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January. That show was the culmination of years of having a dream about doing that very thing, and we talk about the significance of it to him. Lamont has been performing live since childhood, and was twice a Toyota Star Maker Grand Finalist before taking a break from music. Over the past couple of years he became a Grand Finalist once more, and established new songwriting and producing collaborations that have led to the creation of consistently great songs. That sort of artistry does not come from a void, which is why it’s always so interesting to talk to artists about their backgrounds, and each time Lamont and I speak there is more to talk about, as it becomes increasingly clear that the music he’s making now is the result of the years of work he put in before it, starting with his involvement in his local country music club in the Riverina, facilitated by his stepmother Milly. This conversation is a long one, but aren’t long podcast episodes the thing these days?Lamont has some shows coming up, including A Night in Nashville in Orange, which is now sold out, and a return to the Karijini Experience in Western Australia, which will be a very different affair (details below). He’s also looking ahead to what’s possible this year, and if the trajectory continues the year will, at the very least, bring more fantastic songs.See Nathan Lamont liveMarch 1st – Country Music Night - Glenorie RSL – Glenorie, NSWMarch 15th – A Night In Nashville – Orange Showgrounds - Orange, NSWApril 11th – 12th – Karijini Experience – Karijini National Park - Karijini, WAApril 29th – The Beer Shed – Campbelltown, NSW (w/ Alex Mather)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 

**Listen to the end to hear the single 'Things I've Learned'Aleyce Simmonds was the first Australian artist I interviewed when I started what became Sunburnt Country Music in late 2011. Back then it was called Jolene The Country Music Blog because I didn’t know what else to call it and I also thought no one would read it anyway, so the name didn’t matter. The blog became a regular thing for me after I was very ill in July 2011 – and if you want to hear that story you can listen to the latest episode of Tori Forsyth’s podcast In the Thick of It, as I talk about it there. I’d done a fair bit of interviewing by that time, of musicians in Canada when I lived there, and of a variety of people at the Seven Network when I worked there. That didn’t mean I was great at it, so Aleyce got a very early version of Interviewer Me. And it was also Interviewer Me in a vulnerable state, as I was still recovering. Writing about Australian country music, doing those interviews, would become a way to not only come back to myself but leap ahead.I’m sharing this story as a way of introducing this interview with Aleyce about her latest single, ‘Things I’ve Learned’, because in our interview Aleyce shares her story of being gravely unwell while pregnant with her daughter, Georgia. So unwell that she wrote the song for Georgia in case she wasn’t around any more to tell it. Aleyce was so brave telling this story. What she has to say is not only the story behind the song but the story of what it takes to survive something you aren’t sure you’ll survive, then to emerge and create art that offers great meaning to others. It goes without saying that the artist who made this song is not the same one I interviewed fourteen years ago – of course she’s not. But she’s also not the artist she was two years ago. She has not only been forged in the greatest fire of her life but forged herself and emerged a warrior with armour that is made not of steel but of dreams and hopes and determination. All that is there to hear in the song, and in this interview too. Aleyce also has some very interesting things to say about the changes in the music industry since she released her single ‘Mighty, Mighty Love’ twenty years ago, as well as pursuing her career while managing serious health conditions. A lot of ground is covered, and Aleyce was so generous with her insights. This is the story of what it means to persist – to insist, actually, on having an artistic life, a creative life, amidst enormous challenges. As she says, ‘This music life is so much more than getting out there and singing songs. It's about making people feel … We put whatever is going on in our lives behind us, and get out there and be brave.’ I thank her so much for sharing her story with me, and with you.Listen to Aleyce Simmonds on Apple MusicListen to Aleyce Simmonds on SpotifySunburnt Country Music website 

Below you'll find links to the videos for songs mentioned in this podcast. For the cumulative February New Releases playlist - which contains these songs and more - go to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5uoiJET1DCVyTnVVE5pKKn?si=b0fa79e66f9d4724Nathan Lamont – ‘Bigger Things’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6uCIi84t7A The Wolfe Brothers & Lee Kernaghan – ‘Country Is Coming to Town’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc1nowUJejsAmy Sheppard – ‘Mr Mistake’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2c0QfgUCz0Denvah – Valentine’s Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBFW_hyBx3UGenevieve Chadwick – ‘Wildfire’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUfBWd-f6SgMichael Carpenter – ‘If Tomorrow Was Today’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et5ZDS9EVUcShara Rose – ‘All I Want’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRgVx7siIy0Tori Darke & Jay Santilli - 'Trouble' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ga8brJIgfkClancy Pye - 'Days Like This' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJgHUgTvHisSons of Atticus - 'Tennessee Tipsy' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbJe0Wxv8Cw

**Listen to the end to hear the single 'Paper Cut'**There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe Lyn Bowtell as a singer, songwriter, performing artist, teacher, mentor and human. Anyone who has seen her perform live never forgets the experience of hearing her sing for the first time and every time. Nor do they forget how funny she is! Bowtell creates an experience for her audiences and everyone leaves her shows uplifted and entertained.Her recorded music also has that effect, as she moves from heartbreaking songs like ‘The Willow Tree’ on her 2014 album Heart of Sorrow to the I-know-better-now take on life in ‘I Won’t Do That Again’ from her 2022 Golden Guitar-winning album Wiser. Both of those albums were produced by the esteemed Shane Nicholson, but for her latest single, ‘Paper Cut’, Bowtell has stepped behind the desk to take on the role of producing, alongside her partner Damon Morton.‘Paper Cut’ has Bowtell’s trademark ability to capture poignancy in song. She is an observer of the strengths and frailties of being human, and able to document them not only through lyrics but in her vocal delivery. There is always a sense that Bowtell is acutely aware that life has challenges - and she’s there to make them better by sharing her artistry. She does that too through her role as Director of the Academy of Country Music in Tamworth, where she has shepherded Junior and Senior Academy students through some of the most formative times of their lives.It is always an honour to interview Bowtell, who I refer to as a national treasure because I mean it. How lucky we are to have her in our backyard, to be proximate to such excellence. How lucky was I to be able to chat to her about music and life and songwriting and producing, and many other things in this interview. I hope you enjoy it. Listen to ‘Paper Cut’ by Lyn Bowtell on Apple Music          Listen to ‘Paper Cut’ by Lyn Bowtell on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Pete Denahy is an artist with many facets. Some know him mostly for his comedic songs, such as ‘Sort of Dunno Nothin’ and ‘Looking at My Phone’, which I tend to think of as succinct, lyrically elegant takes on communication and social interaction (or lack thereof) because they’re so well done that they seem like they could have been easy for him to write. Denahy also writes non-comedic songs and he’s just as good at those. And he is known as a preeminent fiddle player – he’s won three of his five Golden Guitars with the fiddle – and as an MC of events such as Star Maker at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. He has five albums, and a new single, ‘Photos on Your Phone’.He was also, for several years, a member of Slim Dusty’s band. As a thirteen-year-old he saw Slim play; twelve years later he was in the band, and although Slim is gone now the band plays on. Travellin’ Still is the name of the show that Slim’s band members have put together and successfully taken on the road in two states, and it now travels to Queensland [dates below].This was the first opportunity I’ve had to interview Denahy and the chat is a long one – he’s an interesting fella! We cover his career from the time he decided at a young age that he wanted to be a country singer to his latest single and the tour he’s about to embark on. Just as entertaining in an interview as on stage, I hope you enjoy listening to or watching this. TRAVELLIN’ STILL dates:Wednesday, 26 February - Brothers Sports Club, BundabergThursday, 27 February - Kingaroy Town HallFriday, 28 February - Majestic Theatre, PomonaSaturday, 1 March - Old Museum Theatre, BrisbaneListen to Pete Denahy on Apple MusicListen to Pete Denahy on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

**Listen to the end to hear 'Dear August' from the EP Queen of Hearts**When I first heard Queen of Hearts, the debut EP from Central Coast, NSW singer-songwriter Faith Williams, I wondered why I hadn’t heard of her before. It was because not a single had been released before the EP, so at least I hadn’t missed anything – but it was such a surprise to listen to the first, and title, track and hear this voice in it: vulnerable and also strong, and singing stories that seemed like they may be about her, or maybe not, and that mystery was part of the intrigue.The EP was produced by Brandon Dodd at The Rabbit Hole, also on the Central Coast, and when I interviewed Williams recently we talked about how she came to work with Dodd, and have both Kasey and Bill Chambers appear on the EP. Mostly we talk about those stories that have made it onto these songs, including the one in the last track, which was finished during recording.Williams is a tremendous talent, with hopefully many songs in front of her. And she’s already received an accolade, in the form of a CCMA New Songwriter of the Year award, presented during this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival, which was Williams’s first as a performer. It should be the first of many awards, and festivals, for this emerging artist who sounds like she has emerged fully formed. Listen to Queen of Hearts on Apple MusicListen to Queen of Hearts on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

**Listen to the end to hear the single 'Nothing Better'**Victorian artist Andrew Swift won his first two Golden Guitars for his first album, Call Out for the Cavalry, and his most recent was in 2023 for Male Artist of the Year. Cavalry was the first of his three albums to go to number 1 on the ARIA charts. Swift’s new single, ‘Nothing Better’, follows on from ‘Fumes and Fireworks’, which he released last year with Amber Lawrence, along with ‘This Is Us Here’ and ‘Hot Damn (It’s Been a Minute)’. It was written at the APRA Melbourne - Nashville SongHubs sessions in Nashville, Tennessee, and was the creation of Swift, Lindsay Rimes and Tyler James Bellinger. During our recent chat Swift talked about the rather intensive process of those SongHubs sessions and how ‘Nothing Better’ was the last song he wrote there. It is an expression of gratitude for life as he’s living it now, with his partner Simone and new baby on the way. Simone makes an appearance in the music video for the song, which was created by Jeremy Minett of Eyes and Ears Creative. ‘Nothing Better’ was produced by Matt Fell, with whom Swift has worked on all three of his albums. He mentions that he has about half an album recorded with Fell, and will be working to find time to record the rest, amongst the arrival of the baby and his current five-state tour (dates below). Swift loves playing live and his tour schedule attests to that love of the road – and he’ll also be appearing at two festivals in August, on Norfolk Island and at Gympie.Tour dates:Sunday 23rd February - TumbaFest, Tumbarumba NSWFriday 28th February - Altar Bar, Hobart TASSaturday 1st March - Little Sisters General Store, TASSunday 2nd March - Wilder, Gowrie Park TASFriday 21st March - Commercial Hotel, South Morang VICSaturday 22nd March - RegFest, Horsham VICFriday 4th April - The Duke of George, Fremantle WASaturday 5th April - Gatsby’s Skyline, Manjimup WASaturday 12th April - Arcobar, Heatherton VICTuesday 29th April – Oodies Café, Bundaberg QLDWednesday 30th April - Oodies Cafe, Bundaberg QLD – SOLD OUTThursday 1st May - Oodies Cafe, Bundaberg QLD – SOLD OUT3-10th August - Tunes In The Tropics, Norfolk Island28-31st August - Gympie Music Muster, Gympie QLD **Tickets on sale now and available via www.andrewswift.com.au/tourListen to Andrew Swift on Apple MusicListen to Andrew Swift on SpotifySunburnt Country Music website