Sunburnt Country Music

**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 

Melbourne artist KEZRA has established a career in indie pop that has seen her releasing the EP Fortress in 2023 and singles leading up to that, which all had airplay on triple j and community radio. She’s appeared in Atwood Magazine (USA), Backseat Mafia (UK/AUS), Pilerats, Music Feeds, The Music, The AU Review, Forte Mag, Eat This Music and AAA Backstage, and her music videos have also seen support from MTV Upload.KEZRA’s pop releases revealed her facility for writing great hooks as well as her fantastic voice – and now she’s taken those talents into country music, with the release of the single ‘Another Life’ (which comes with a big earworm warning). The song is about meeting someone you connect with but aren’t destined to be with, and while that set-up has hints of sadness baked in, the song is ultimately uplifting. It was a pleasure to chat to KEZRA about the song, and much more, including her musical background, and to find out what drew her towards country music for this release. I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting KEZRA via this interview, if you weren’t aware of her before, and let’s hope it’s not her last foray into this genre. Mind you, I haven’t been able to stop listening to ‘Another Life’ so it’s entirely possibly I’ll still be listening to it when she releases her next song …Listen to ‘Another Life’ on Apple MusicListen to ‘Another Life’ on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

**LIsten to 'Lies' after the interview**My first encounter with emerging Sydney artist Hayden Phillis was at the Junior Academy of Country Music in Tamworth, NSW, in July 2023. I was invited to talk to the students about interview skills and asked if I would interview a student, or students, on the spot. Hayden was the only student who volunteered! And he was great at it. It turned out that was his first interview, ever – because he told me so when I interviewed him again this year after the release of his second single, ‘Lies’. ‘Lies’was the result of Hayden workshopping ideas with mentor Kevin Welch, and it was co-written with Michelle Cashman. As he told me, ‘I really love being able to find new people who I don't know or I haven't co-written with before and learn a bit more about them and their music.’Hayden has returned to Academy twice since 2023, including this year for his first stint at Senior Academy, so we talked about the impact Academy has had on his life, as well as about ‘Lies’ and other things he’s been up to. He’s a talented and committed musician and singer-songwriter who has not wasted any time releasing original music – his first single, ‘Broken Angel’, was released last year – despite being not long out of school. As he says in the interview, ‘I do like to try and throw myself into things like that and put my best foot forward and try and learn what I can.’Hayden is certainly an artist to watch – someone with a completely open mind about creative projects, curious as to what’s possible and very much enjoying every moment of it. As he says, ‘I find you get special moments within each of the little things... when different projects you're working on or different performances you're doing really come together.’Listen to Hayden Phillis on Apple MusicListen to Hayden Phillis on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

Tori Darke and Jay Santilli have their own, distinct careers in country music - Santilli with her moving, emotional songs that saw her become a 2024 Star Maker Grand Finalist, and Darke with her high-energy country pop that has seen her make an impression on The Voice and elsewhere. They now have a song together, ‘Trouble’, and it’s one that makes the most of their respective vocal talents and offers a party song with substance. Recently I spoke with them about how their friendship developed and how they turned it into a songwriting then recording collaboration. It’s clear that they have great respect for each other, which is no doubt one of the reasons why their first release together is so strong. We also talked about them working with producers MSquared and how that experience pushed them both as artists, in a good way. We also chatted about the music video for ‘Trouble’, which not only looks like fun but, as it turns out, was fun to make too. Darke is on tour with her The Voice co-star Brad Butcher (dates below) and Santilli also has some shows coming up – including one in Rome!Tori Darke tour dates Friday 28th March - Old Bundy Tavern – Bundaberg, QLD (w/ Brad Butcher)Saturday 29th March - Junction Cafe – Toondoon, QLD (w/ Brad Butcher)Sunday 30th March - Great Western hotel – Rockhampton, QLD (w/ Brad Butcher)Friday 4th April - Metropolitan Hotel – Mackay, QLD (w/ Brad Butcher)Saturday 5th April - Mansfield Hotel – Townsville, QLD (w/ Brad Butcher)Thursday 10th April - The Brass Monkey – Cronulla, NSW (w/ Brad Butcher)Friday 11th April - Django Bar – Marrickville, NSW (w/ Brad Butcher)Saturday 12th April - The Beer Shed – Leumeah, NSW (w/ Brad Butcher)Sunday 13th April - The Royal Hotel Queanbeyan – Queanbeyan, NSW (w/ Brad Butcher)Saturday 28th June - Country Fest – Bloomsbury, QLDSaturday 23rd August - Gympie Music Muster - Amamoor State Forest, QLDJay Santilli tour dates Friday 4th April – Melbourne Muster (Pre-Muster) – Scoresby, VICSaturday 10th May – Country Gals Festival – Shepparton, VICSunday 15th June – Sweat & Dust Country Festival – Rome, ItalyListen to ‘Trouble’ on Apple MusicListen to ‘Trouble’ on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website 

These are all the songs mentioned in the podcast with a link to YouTube to listen to the song/watch the video. For the full show notes, go to the Sunburnt Country Music website.Chloe Marks & The Mayhem – ‘Carolina’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p98dAX3c67IBen Mastwyk – ‘All the Songs I Wrote’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69cdGS7mo7cAbbie Ferris – ‘Don’t Cha Dare!’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX9-wzSW4i4Max Jackson – ‘Grass’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPXk7Swy_I0Dear Tommie – ‘A Man, Written by a Woman’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLwG9kr-CPwMinor Gold – ‘Way to the Sun’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuVoTQXI4d4Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham – ‘Joy Roller’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT6AXfCaor4KEZRA – ‘Another Life’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1LbpPUWaEYCassidy-Rae – ‘You Make Me’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtw_YS1BLEc