If you’re only familiar with Pinky Beecroft’s music as the frontman of Machine Gun Fellatio, his latest single might take you a little off guard. “My Heart Is In the Wrong Place” is a gentle soul song, a world away from the brash alternative rock his old band was known for. I guess we all mellow with age, but don’t mistake a gentle sound with being boring. This song draws you in, wraps around you, and encourages you to stay a while.
“’My Heart Is In The Wrong Place’ is a song I first heard at my local pub in the Hunter Valley, watching Ben Salter play a solo show. It was an incredible gig – and halfway through he played this song and it blew my mind. I walked home afterwards and I was humming the melody; it just lodged in my brain,” Pink recalled.
“Some months later I was in a studio on the outskirts of Melbourne recording with Damian Cafarella, a producer, multi-instrumentalist and all-round genius musician. I’d gone there to put vocals on one song for him, on a record he was making — but we ended up recording for days. We accidentally made an entire album together. At that stage, this song was not part of my plans. By then I’d found out that Ben Salter originally wrote it for Vika & Linda; they’d recorded a version and released it a few years back — I thought well, OK… and I had enough of my own material anyway. But then I kept singing it, in the studio, in between breaks — and Damian said ‘Can we just quickly record this so you can get it out of your system?’ So we did. And I fell in love with the song all over again.
“It’s not just the melody, although it is a really simple, beautiful melody. The words of the song struck me – the whole story of friends struggling, trying to stay afloat in a time that can be pretty dark. I think we can all relate to that right now. But Ben turned it into a song of hope. I don’t do a lot of hope, in my own work — it’s hard to do, without being cheesy or saccharine. And I’m not a very hopeful person, by nature. So… yeah. This song affected me, a lot. It still does, when I perform it. I did a version at a gig in Hobart recently and it was kind of nerve-wracking — playing this song on Ben Salter’s home turf. But I think it went OK. I love it and respect it as a beautiful piece of songwriting. I hope I do it justice.”
“My Heart Is In the Wrong Place” comes from Pinky’s forthcoming album Lonesome Wolf, which we’ll hear in August. Fans in Eora/Sydney will get a little taste of his new music when Pinky plays The Factory Theatre on May 29.
In the modern age, it seems like so many music lovers think bigger is better. Websites melt down as people clamour for tickets to the latest stadium gig. Personally though, they never quite hit like intimate shows do. I never take it for granted that I live so close to Avoca Beach Theatre, which is run by passionate people who champion live music. This venue was the perfect place to see Things of Stone and Wood launch their new album Rae Street.
That’s right, ‘90s darlings Things of Stone and Wood have a new album, their first in 23 years. This is a band that’s refusing to rest on their laurels. The music on this new album is incredible and this venue, which always attracts people who want to listen and absorb, was the perfect showcase for it. I hung on every word of new material like “You’d Gone Before You Went,” a heartbreaking song about lead singer Greg Arnold’s mother who passed with dementia, and “The Year of the River Song,” an upbeat ditty about Greg’s resolve to stop writing songs about a river near his new home in Geneva and find new inspiration. Avoca is the sort of venue that encourages artists to open up about their music, to share something more than songs, to break that wall that often exists between them and the audience and just come together. It sounds a little woo-woo to suggest there’s magic in the air, but I can’t explain it any other way.
While Things of Stone and Wood were here to celebrate their latest release, they balanced the new material with the songs that we’d already taken into our hearts. Yes, “Happy Birthday Helen.” Always “Happy Birthday Helen.” But the fans know this is a band that’s about more than the song that took the charts by storm. And so I relished songs like “Fingertips” and “Heidelberg.” A cover of Thompson Twins’ iconic ‘80s tune “Hold Me Now” was an unexpected joy. And how amazing to see the band step down off the stage and go “proper acoustic,” singing without microphones in the theatre’s aisles.
I’m convinced Things of Stone and Wood are a band that only gets better. Musically, they’re incredible, with the mandolin and piano accordion creating such a special folky sound. Their harmonies are still so tight. They also seem to genuinely like one another, which isn’t something that all bands who’ve been together for decades can say. And when musicians have fun, we do too.
The encore seemed to come around all too soon, but Things of Stone and Wood were clearly in no rush to get off the stage. They asked for requests and after hearing the cries from the crowd decided to play all three. Because why not? I tried to capture the final song, “In Our Home” in my mind, because I knew I’ll look back on this gig as one of the best I’ll see all year.
Things of Stone and Wood have one more show left on their Rae Street album tour. Victorians, catch them at Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Hepburn Palais in Hepburn Springs on May 29.
One of the highlights of seeing Sam Fischer supporting Guy Sebastian last month was witnessing him premiering his new single “A Heart Doesn’t Hurt Itself.” It was so good that I was desperate for you all to hear it, and now it’s out in the world and you can. Sam’s emotional vocals and honest lyrics exploring heartbreak make this one of the best power-pop ballads I’ve heard in some time.
“I blamed myself pretty heavily for the erosion of a relationship I thought was unbreakable,” Sam said of the song’s inspiration. “It shattered my self-worth when it ended and it’s taken a few years of reflection to realise that maybe I didn’t do that to myself. I hope that if anyone sees themselves in ‘A Heart Doesn’t Hurt Itself’, they can find the strength to realise that your self-worth should always come from within and never be tied to someone else’s approval of you.”
Sam has a few more shows supporting Guy Sebastian before he steps up as the headliner for a very special hometown show. After witnessing how good he is live last month, I can assure you it’s worth grabbing a ticket anywhere you can!
As the season’s chill sets in, it’s the perfect time to listen to “Autumn,” the latest single from local singer-songwriter and producer Dingo. His voice is so captivating. This song’s definitely snuck up on me, and now I can’t stop listening.
“The song was inspired by the changing of seasons and how that can relate to how we grow and change within a relationship,” Dingo shared. “It’s a love song that ultimately speaks to the way we can fall in love again and again like autumn leaves fall each year.”
“Autumn” comes from Dingo’s forthcoming album Nightwire, which he’ll release on October 9. He’ll barely have time to celebrate its launch, because he’s got shows scheduled with Adam Harvey and Ian Moss and Troy Cassar-Daley’s right through til mid-November. Make sure you arrive early enough for his set if you’re heading to any of these gigs.
A force on the Australian music scene for nearly 20 years, Kingswood are ushering in a new era with the release of their seventh studio album Midnight Mavericks today. Their first album with ABC Music, it pays homage to their love of vintage rock, country soul, and storytelling. The band is currently on the road to support its release, but I found time to catch up with frontman Fergus Linacre to chat about Midnight Mavericks, life on tour, and what comes next for Kingswood.
You’re currently out on the road playing shows in regional centres and capital cities. What can music lovers expect when they come out to see you?
Well I sure hope they experience a tremendously enthralling and life-changing evening of high-octane, yet soulfully romantic country rock’n’roll. I’m told we spend more time on the road than any other, so I expect we are in pretty good shape to perform our pants off for y’all.
So many bands fly around the country, but you do it old school and drive around in your tour bus, Peggy. Even now with petrol prices sky high! Why do you prefer the road trips?
We absolutely prefer to tour on Peggy. She is our second home and we miss her whenever we return to our first home. On the bus, we can get to people and places that it’s difficult to on plane, hiring a van etc. Peggy’s gone up through Alice, across to Broome, down the west coast, and the Nullarbor. She’s a beast.
You’ll be headlining those shows, but I saw you in March supporting the Counting Crows. What was it like to tour with those guys?
We had a ball. They’re a great band who’s been at it for a long time, so they provided many words of wisdom. It’s great to see a band that still loves touring, loves their fans, and is addicted to the feeling of being on stage. It feels familiar. I think we gained a few more fans along the way too.
How do you approach gigs like that, where people are there to see another band and may not be familiar with your music?
With no disrespect to whoever we are supporting, our approach is always to try and blow them off the stage and steal their fans. It sounds mad, but it’s a good mindset to have when you walk out onto someone else’s stage. And it hurts no one; there is plenty of love to go around and the better you hype up the crowd, the better the headline show will be.
You’re promoting your new album, Midnight Mavericks,on these shows. What can you tell me about it?
I’ve never been more excited to play new songs. When we were recording, I just knew they would translate to the stage in a way that would enhance each song. The album is packed full of romance, longing, heartbreak, and resolution. It’s an album that celebrates different emotional states. I think people will connect differently with each song and some will resonate with their own experiences. That’s when music can become really powerful.
The songs I’ve heard from Midnight Mavericks remind me so much of music from the greats my dad raised me on, like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. What is it that you love about that Americana sound?
I think it’s timeless. It’s music we grew up on, from Dolly to Cash and many more, it’s never been a phase, it’s music we’ve always listened to. And, in a state of total freedom of musical expression, it felt right to embrace the warm hug that is this pocket of Country Rock’n’roll.
So if we were to jump in the Kingswood tour bus, would we be hearing those classics or more modern music? What are you all listening to right now?
One of the benefits of time on the bus is being able to listen to so much music together, whether diving into a deep dive appreciation of Vince Gill, or debating the worthiness of hype listening to the new Geese record. And sometimes we listen to Disney classics. If you stepped onto the bus, you could find yourself listening to any genre from any time.
After this tour wraps up, what’s next for Kingswood?
We have a pretty busy year ahead with the album being released. Lots of festivals, a trip to the States for CMA festival, and we’ve actually already recorded a few tunes for the next record.
You’ve been making music together for nearly 20 years. What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way?
One of the great lessons I’ve learned is to find appreciation in as much of your life as you can. I remember playing Splendour and we had some technical issues and I was so pissed off I didn’t realize I’d just played to 20,000 people on the Splendour main stage. It was a wake-up call. So now I appreciate everything now, every moment.
Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there?
I’m eternally grateful for the support we have and have had over the years. It’s not lost on me that we still have so many fans along for the ride, coming to shows and supporting us. They keep Kingswood on the road!
Midnight Mavericks is out now. Listen to it on your favourite streaming services or get a CD or vinyl copy from Kingswood’s website. And make sure you catch them live at one of their upcoming shows.
Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and poet Taylah Caroll, recording under the moniker Margo Mann, has announced her arrival on the music scene with an impressive double-A side single, “Westgarth/Grace.” These incredible debut songs beautifully showcase her ethereal vocals and introspective lyrics. “Westgarth” is a confessional piano ballad inspired by standing on the precipice of love, wondering whether you’ll go into self-preservation mode or allow yourself to fall.
“Falling in love requires a degree of surrender — to the process, and to the inner world of the other,” Taylah said. “I don’t think it’s possible without temporarily loosening your grip on who you think you are, or who you’ve been up until that point. It straddles two conflicting feelings: ‘I don’t want to lose myself’ and ‘I just want to dive deeper into you’.”
While “Westgarth” leans into softness, “Grace” shows Taylah’s edge with its lyrics that rail against conforming to suit another.
“I was so angry when I wrote ‘Grace,’” she said. “I’ve come to believe that to feel anger requires a kind of belief in your own agency, which I was obviously struggling to access at the time. So it’s fitting that this song is all about shedding identities and performative roles that we all, and women especially, adopt by default, and to our own detriment. The song stomps its feet, throws in the towel and says ‘I don’t want to be Graceful for you anymore!'”
This is one of the best debut offerings I’ve heard in some time. I can’t wait to hear what comes next for Margo Mann.
Darkinjung Country/Central Coast rapper Mr Elusive has really impressed me with his genre-bending new single, “Medicinal Liquor.” Taking his cues from artists like Post Malone and Jelly Roll, Mr Elusive blends hip hop with country vibes for a song that’s right on trend. While you’re vibing with it make sure you listen to Mr Elusive’s powerful, personal lyrics.
“‘Medicinal Liquor’ comes from things I buried for a long time and eventually had to face,” Mr Elusive said. “There was a point where I was using alcohol to try and numb everything, but the track flips that. It’s about taking everything that’s tried to weigh you down and turning it into something powerful, becoming someone you can’t ignore. This was the first track where I really leaned into that raspy melodic style, and even people close to me didn’t realise it was me singing. It kind of showed me a new lane I didn’t even know I had yet.”
After clocking up more than 29k streams on Spotify in its first couple of weeks, “Medicinal Liquor” has quickly become Mr Elusive’s fastest-growing song to date. Surely that’s a sign that this genre-blurring independent artist is on the right path. Photo credit: Dominic Bleijie
I’m a sucker for a tender indie-folk ballad, so I’m really digging “Cry With Me,” the latest single from German-born, Naarm/Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Robin Sellin aka Nature in the City.
He wrote “Cry With Me” while living with his wife, Kiana, in her childhood home in regional Victoria. He watched the challenges Kiana faced trying to reconnect with her father after living abroad and realised how they echoed the distance between his own family. He explores both narratives and the idea of bridging that gap through vulnerability in this song.
“Cry With Me” sets the tone for more new music from Nature in the City, including an EP later this year.
Emerging talent Lana Karlay continues her musical evolution with the release of her latest single, “For The Weak.” This one has more of a pop-rock edge than previous releases, sitting somewhere between The Veronicas and Michelle Branch. Personally, I love this new direction and hope we hear Lana releasing more tunes in this vein. Although she’s still in high school, I bet many of my listeners can relate to this song inspired by a week-long situationship.
“’For the Weak’ is basically about a situationship that burns out almost as fast as it starts, like a full-on week of lovebombing and mixed signals,” Lana said. “It kind of reflects how fast and intense relationships can feel now, but also how quickly they fall apart. The song moves through each day of the week, showing that shift from excitement to confusion, to finally seeing it for what it actually is. It’s really just calling the whole thing out, no romanticising, just honesty.”
Lana wrote “For The Weak” with Aussie expats Mason & Julez during a trip to Los Angeles this January.
“’For the Weak’ was super spontaneous, working alongside Mason & Julez for the first time, we weren’t overthinking it, we just started getting thoughts out and followed the beat and vibe we were all feeling,” Lana recalled. “Once we locked into the storyline, everything flowed really naturally, and the song kind of wrote itself from there.”
The release of “For The Weak” continues to move Lana closer to dropping an album and a couple of EPs. And she’s somehow finding time to wrap up her high school studies. Expect big things to come from this Naarm/Melbourne-based talent.
An industry veteran with more than 40 years’ experience, Paul Louis Villani is refusing to mellow out or simply trade on nostalgia. He shows there’s still plenty of fight left in him with his latest single, “Who Do You Belong To Now? (Great Southern Land),” a brooding rock song with insightful lyrics that explore modern-day Australia. I caught up with him to chat about his latest release, his years in the industry, and the music that’s inspired him along the way.
You’ve just released your latest single, “Who Do You Belong To Now? (Great Southern Land),” which explores some really topical themes like economic pressure and social tensions. What inspired you to write it?
Confusion and frustration probably pushed me into writing it. I reached a point where I was looking around at the country, I’ve lived in my whole life and thinking, “Why does everything feel so tense now?” People are financially exhausted, socially divided, permanently angry online, and constantly being told what they should think or should accept as “the norm.” I’m not sitting here pretending I’ve got political solutions or strategies of resolve, because I don’t. The song was more about documenting the feeling of disconnection and uncertainty that’s been rattling around inside my head and heart for quite a while.
It’s so different from the usual songs we hear referencing Australia, which tend to be very patriotic. How has it been received so far?
Yeah, it’s definitely not “wrap yourself in the flag and crack a beer” type material. But interestingly, a few people have connected with it, and I feel it’s because it doesn’t pretend everything’s perfect. The responses I’ve received have mostly been people saying, “Mate… I’ve felt some of that too,” or “I know what you mean.” There are others who probably hate it, and that’s OK. I’d rather create something people react to than something they forget 30 seconds later. I’ve been really lucky to have some constant support from local and independent Aussie radio stations who have already given the song some airtime.
You’ve released a lyric video to coincide with its release. How important was it for you to make sure people listened to the lyrics of this song?
Massively important. These lyrics took time. I’m usually a five-to-10-minute lyric-writing guy, but these I wanted to be expressive but not intrusive. It would be so easy to write about issues that I’m concerned about and get my own political beliefs thrown into view and forced down listeners’ throats. But, that then would not leave room for listeners to consider what they are feeling or interpreting what they see around them and how it is impacting their worlds. Visually, the lyric video was designed to feel chaotic, fragmented, uncomfortable… almost psychologically intrusive at times. At this stage of my life, things already feel like an overload of noise, headlines, outrage, and pressure, so the visuals needed to reflect that tension rather than soften it.
You’ve been very clear that releasing “Who Do You Belong To Now? (Great Southern Land)” isn’t about telling people what to think. What do you want people to take away from hearing this single?
I don’t want blind agreement. That would defeat the point. I just want people to sit with it for a few minutes and think honestly about how they feel about the world around them. Especially here in Australia. If someone listens and goes, “Nah mate, you’re completely wrong,” that’s still engagement. That’s still thought. I’m tired of everything becoming tribal warfare where people instantly sort each other into teams before listening and thinking for themselves.
Your press release says that this single “steps into unfamiliar territory” for you. Why is that?
Because I normally write more emotionally abstract, psychologically charged material rather than songs directly tied to social, political, or cultural unease. This song is just me basically saying, “Something feels off and I can’t pretend otherwise anymore.”
While “Who Do You Belong To Now? (Great Southern Land)” doesn’t present the most favourable perspective on modern Australia, criticism often comes from a deep passion and love. What do you love about Australia today?
First and foremost, for me, the landscape is where I originally “fell in love”! I’ve had the privilege of getting to drive through five of our states and see a lot of this country. Secondly, the people. Genuine, fair dinkum Aussies are incredibly warm, generous, funny, and whole-heartedly welcoming. I think part of why I wrote the song is because I do care about this place. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have bothered writing anything at all.
The single has a dark, brooding rock sound, but you’re an artist who refuses to be pigeonholed. A deep dive through your discography reveals you’ve dabbled in country, folk, funk, and more. I imagine you must listen to an eclectic mix of music. What artists have been enjoying lately?
My taste is all over the shop! Let me be a little self-indulgent here… Andre Segovia, Guns N’ Roses (Appetite for Destruction) Mr. Bungle (Mr. Bungle 1991) Placebo, Mauro Giuliani, Slayer (Reign in Blood) KISS & Ace Frehley (Destroyer & Ace Frehley’s Solo LP 1978) Yngwie Malmsteen (Rising Force), David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, The Cult, Pearl Jam (Yield), Metallica (Justice for All), Prince, Steve Vai, The Smashing Pumpkins (Machine / The Machine of God) Living Colour, Adam and The Ants, Rage Against The Machine, Russell Morris, Tim Buckley, Sepultura (Chaos AD), Faith No More, Powderfinger (Internationalist), Ren, Jimi Hendrix, Angie de Poitrine & The Velveteers.
You’ve been recording music since the ’80s. What’s it like making music now compared to those early days?
Completely different universe! Back in the ’80s, recording felt expensive, inaccessible. You needed studios, equipment, people, permission. Yes, I did have a 4-track Tascam Cassette Home Recording Unit, but it had limitations! Now, someone can sit alone in a room with a laptop and create an entire world. That freedom is incredible, but it’s also overwhelming because there’s almost a tsunami of new music now. Ironically, technology has made creating music more accessible while simultaneously making it harder to genuinely connect with people through it.
What are some of the key things you’ve learned through your decades in the business?
Firstly, the industry owes you nothing. Absolutely nothing. If you create purely for external validation, you’ll eventually become bitter or broken. Secondly, trends are temporary, but authenticity tends to last longer. Creativity needs protecting. The older I get, the more I realise not everyone deserves access to your inner world. Sometimes working quietly and creating honestly is healthier than constantly chasing approval.
Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there?
Yeah! To those who do, thank you for taking the time to have a listen. There’s so much music, chaos and distraction in the world now that anyone giving their time to any independent music, means a lot to me. Whether people agree with every song, lyric, or opinion doesn’t really matter. Art is supposed to make you feel something. If my work has connected with anyone, challenged, unsettled, comforted you, or even just kept you company for a few minutes somewhere along the line, then I’m so grateful for that.
“Who Do You Belong To Now? (Great Southern Land)” is out now on all your favourite streaming services. To learn more about Paul Louis Villani and his music, follow him on Facebook or Instagram.
