The Smith & Western Jury is an alt-country duo from Melbourne with members Sam Lombardi and Simon Torcasio. They formed in 2018 and since then have been releasing singles, and are now releasing their impressive debut album, Hotel Texas.

Lombardi and Torcasio after years of playing in different bands – Lombardi in pop rock groups and Torcasio in punk bands. After being inspired by a country covers band they saw perform, they decided to combine their talents and form The Smith & Western Jury.

They began writing a number of songs together – especially when Melbourne’s rolling lockdowns meant there was not much else they could do apart from write songs – and ultimately decided to properly launch their band and record their debut EP. However, soon afterwards, Lombardi began suffering from debilitating vestibular migraines that caused vertigo, dizziness and other symptoms which made performing very difficult.

The condition does not resolve over time, so Lombardi made the decision to persevere, travelling with Torcasio to, appropriately, Texas to record Hotel Texas, an accomplished, rich and rewarding collection of songs. Although they have enough songs to make several more albums, as I discovered when we spoke.

For more on The Smith & Western Jury: https://thesmithandwesternjury.com/home

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A note on the audio quality: Raechel lives in a country town in New South Wales and noted before the start of recording that her audio may be patchy, as it can be in the bush. While she’s understandable throughout, you will hear some ‘glitchy’ noises in places.

Raechel Whitchurch’s first album, Finally Clear, debuted at #1 in the ARIA Country Music chart and later went on to have Golden Guitar nominations. Her latest album, What a Time to Be Alive, debuted at #4 in the overall ARIA Australian albums chart. As with Finally Clear, it is a tour de force of heartfelt songwriting and wonderful musicality. Since its release Raechel has played launched shows and been to New Zealand with Fanny Lumsden, so there’s been a fair bit going on.

In our interview talked about the deeply personal inspiration behind the album – especially its title track – as well as her songwriting process, managing imposter syndrome, and balancing her music career with motherhood.

The title track holds special meaning for Raechel as she wrote it just months after the death of a child she was carrying. By candidly sharing the grief she felt in the aftermath, she hopes to help others know they aren't alone in difficult times. She wrote the song originally for herself, not intending it to be on the album, but it has gone on to provide other women with the opportunity to tell her their story. We spend a bit of time talking about this song, and about death and how it’s not a comfortable subject, and the impact the song has had. And we talk about the other songs on the album too, one of which was written years ago and reworked for this release.

For more about Raechel Whitchurch: https://www.raechelwhitchurch.com/

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Chloe Styler is a singer and songwriter from south-east Queensland who has developed a unique country-pop sound that features great melodies and often wistful, always thoughtful lyrics about life and love and the choices we make in both. Already this year she has opened for Gladys Knight, Nik Kershaw and Go West, and Shannon Noll, and released the singles ‘Time Bomb’ and ‘Twenty Five’. Her latest single is ‘Read a Room’, which she wrote in Nashville with Lauren McLamb and Phil Barton.

Styler was in Nashville at the time we spoke for this interview. It’s a city she first visited in her teens and wish she dreamed of returning to so she could the very thing she’s been doing there: making music. She made her CMA Fest debut there in 2021, and ‘Read a Room’ was recorded there with producer Luke Wooten, one of three songs she tracked with him.

We talked about that, as well as the visualiser made by Styler’s sister Amy to accompany ‘Read a Room’; about the importance of dress and costume in artistry, Styler’s degrees in journalism and business management, and a few more subjects. The fact that Styler has made her teenage dream a reality is no accident: she has applied herself diligently to becoming a musical artist, and combines her flair for melody and love of language to make memorable country-pop songs that offer earworms for the casual listener and very satisfying, meaningful experiences for the close observer.

For more about Chloe Styler: https://www.chloestyler.com/

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Briana Dinsdale is a singer-songwriter from south-east Queensland who is a recent graduate of the Academy of Country Music and who released her debut album, Beginnings, in 2021. Since then she’s released some irresistible country pop songs, including last year’s ‘Chasing Boys’.

Dinsdale's latest single is ‘Whiskey Worked That Way’, which she wrote with Robbie Mortimer, Chloe Styler and Jen Mize, and as with all of Dinsdale's songs it seems to head one way but goes into other and that new direction is always welcome. The accompanying music video also doesn't go where you think it will go.

We talked about both song and video, and how she came to make the song in Nashville with father-and-son team Michael and Caleb Flanders during an intense week of writing and recording. Three tracks came out of those sessions, including the single.

We also discussed Dinsdale's songwriting process, including how she values collaboration and the way co-writing sessions open her up creatively, and she is as engaging and interesting as ever. She'll be taking 'Whiskey Worked That Way' to stages at Lasso Country Music Festival in July and Gympie Music Muster in August (both in Queensland), accompanied by her band, which includes her sister, Ashlyn.

For more about Briana Dinsdale: https://brianadinsdale.com/

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Listening to Sweet Talk in 2022 and the single ‘Warm Love’ last year, and I spoke to brothers Tane and Soren Walker about it at that time.

Since then Sweet Talk have carved up the Tamworth Country Music Festival and played Bluesfest, where Kasey Chambers joined them on stage. They released the single ‘Lovin’ Myself’, a collaboration with Andy Golledge and have a new single of their own, ‘Real Good Cookin’’, which was the subject of this interview with band co-founders Soren Walker and David Turner.

The night before the interview the band had had a particularly creative jam session - they hold these sessions weekly, but this one had produced new music and in speaking about it Turner and Walker show us the strength of the connection and collaboration within the band, and also their own bond which has lasted for a quarter of a century.

This interview also shows a reason why I love finding out the stories behind musical artists and the music they make: the energy that is in Sweet Talk's music - the ease and groove of it - comes partly from the connection that is clear between these two band members. It's not something that can be manufactured but it is something that can be made through work and consistency and intention, and a listener can hear it in recorded music and see it in the live setting.

So this talk with Sweet Talk is ostensibly about 'Real Good Cookin'' but it's also about how art is made, and how you can only arrive at trusting in magic happening when you lay the groundwork for it.

For more about Sweet Talk: https://www.sweettalkmusic.com.au/

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Shanleigh Rose is a singer-songwriter from Queensland's Sunshine Coast who has released several catchy country-pop singles and won the 2023 Gympie Muster Junior Talent Search as well as being a Top 10 Finalist in the Groundwater Country Music Festival KIX Start Competition.

Last year Rose attended the Junior Academy of Country Music and the Dag Sheep Station Songwriting Retreat, and in this interview she talks about both as well as her musical background, influences, songwriting process and that new single 'Ricochet', which she wrote with her brother, Riordan, who brought in references to Greek mythology and also created the cover art.

Rose has been surrounded by music from a young age and lives in a musical household; influenced by Taylor Swift, Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley, amongst others, she creates songs with memorable melodies and relatable themes, and knows how to use her lovely singing voice to great effect. We talked about all of that and more [shownotes below if you'd like the shorthand version].

For more on Shanleigh Rose: https://linktr.ee/ShanleighRose

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The first I knew of Andy Golledge was seeing him in the 2019 SBS series Robbie Hood. He had the role of Robbie’s dad and he played guitar and sang, and his music was an integral part of the show, which remains one of my favourite anythings and always will (and it’s still available to stream on SBS).

At the time I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of Golledge, but research revealed that he hadn’t released recorded music. Thankfully, in early 2020 he released the EP Namoi. But then, of course, everything stopped.

As I told him in this interview, he was the first artist I saw performing a lockdown show online, and I’ve seen him play in various incarnations since - with his bandmate Caitlin Harnett in an acoustic setting, as well as with his band in toto in different venues. Every time, in whichever way, it has been a standout gig. He is an exceptional live performer, so I relished the opportunity to talk to him about performance and about the tour he’s currently on (dates here), as well as about Robbie Hood.

At a certain point in our chat Golledge said, ‘I think the important thing about live music is danger … I love doing it. And I think more people should implement danger in their music.’

Danger is, indeed, what I had perceived in his performances but what’s so interesting about him as a live performer is that the danger comes within a structure that he has carefully created over the course of years, so what the audience experiences is this sense that anything could happen, and probably will, and he’s completely in charge of it. It’s both thrilling and reassuring at the same time.

If you go and see Golledge live at one of these shows, you can expect that - and I’ve seen him live enough times to know it’s consistent - and also expect that it will be a show you won’t ever forget.

Oh, and to establish his pedigree: his first album, Strength of a Queen (2022), won Best Independent Country Album/EP at the AIR Awards 2023 and was also nominated for Best Country Album at the 2022 ARIA Awards and Best Alternative Country Album at the 2023 Golden Guitars. His latest album, Young, Dumb & Wild, was released this year and both consolidates the first album and moves his work along musically.

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Adam Harvey is the winner of 9 Golden Guitars and untold numbers of fans, with over half a million albums sold across several albums, including The Great Country Songbooks with Troy Cassar-Daley and Beccy Cole, and he will have a new album out later in the year.

In this interview Harvey touches on the story behind his catchy new single ‘It’s Gettin’ Late’, written with hit songwriter David Lee Murphy; it turns out it was inspired by a neighbour who may not have been able to take a hint …

Harvey recalls his first cowriting session with Murphy, when he was nervous at first; the two songwriters then established a fruitful creative relationship over time. Harvey also talks about upcoming tour dates with longtime collaborator Beccy Cole on the road this June, and touches on connecting with fans, touring life, finding motivation through setting new challenges, supporting emerging talents like his daughter Layla, and simply appreciating his longevity in Australian country music.

For more on Adam Harvey, including tour dates, go to: https://adamharvey.com.au/

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