6 years later and it's finally here
021. our new album, fundraiser show, unreleased song!
If you are new here - welcome! If you’ve been around a while you might notice small changes on the newsletter. I will still be sharing albums that I love but now including more updates from my music projects. If you are able to join as a paid subscriber, click the button to see the plans available. Any amount helps this album and ones to come. Enjoy!
I’m very excited to announce that Sig Wilder & Friends’ full-length album, Cowboy Practice, is coming out via Home Alone Records.
I started this project/album over 6 years ago while I was living in Naarm, at a time when I was wrestling with the idea of giving up music. The exact reason is still foggy to me. However, I know that I was drifting away from the relationships that make up a rich musical experience. It has always been about the people. The friendships, the romances, the amiable adversaries. After a messy band break-up in Austin, I dove into the 'solo artist' thing. I enjoyed various endeavors in Missouri and Wellington and Melbourne, however none of them felt quite right. I was certain that it was time to step back from making music.
Then I heard the voice of Gillian Welch.
And I started listening to country music. John Prine, Hiss Golden Messenger, Charley Crockett, Joe Purdy, Nathaniel Rateliff, Sierra Ferrell, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Dolly (of course), Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Colter Wall, and the list goes on.
As a kid growing up in the Midwest I was subjected to a lot of country music which for whatever reason I decided I didn’t like. In fact, I resisted it actively. But things of the past have a funny way of coming back around. I was ready to stop making music and at the same time enjoying the hell out of music I spoke very ill of in the past.
Then I learned how to do travis picking on guitar. And I started singing. I began to create a character. He was me, no doubt, as is often apparent in the lyrics, but his brows are furrowed, and he seems to know things about me before I do. He fancies the idea of a pickup truck, a dog, and a vast expanse of land. Oh, how quickly I was hauled upon that country train. And I dreamt up an album called Cowboy Practice.
More to come in future newsletters about the makings of the album. In the meantime…
Wellington friends! You can buy tickets to our Album Fundraiser Show - April 11 at Vogelmorn Upstairs. We are raising money to help with the final stages of releasing the album. The funds will help us print our record to vinyl, distribution, marketing and an album release tour in the Spring.
Can’t make it to the show?
But you still want to help us release our album?? That’s so kind! You can purchase a ‘Support our debut album!’ ticket by clicking the link below.
I’ve got a handful of full-length albums that I’d like to share with you this month.
Lucky Damn Woman by Lorina Harding
A wonderful example of why re-issues are important. And this is the third time around for Lucky Damn Woman by Lorina Harding. Thanks to Leather Jacket Records for giving this album another life and helping me discover it.
3D Country by Geese
The next level has been reached. Geese blast off with an explosive and in your face listening experience. I love how so many of these songs turn to chaos.
Blue Dreams by Holly Arrowsmith
This album has been buzzing around for a while now and I’m so glad I’ve finally dived in. Holly goes straight for the heart. There is beautiful tension in this album. Harmony and heartbreak. It’s best summed up in those detuned eerie piano plucks at the end of ‘Something Small.’
Make Way For The Sun by O & The Mo
This album is a cosmic well you can fall into for approximately 30 minutes. The guitar and vocals weave through each other creating a soft palette that would work just as well on a summer’s eve around the table as a winter’s night by the fire.
Today I’m sharing a one-take version of a new song called ‘Forest Lane’. Written about a long-ago memory of snow days in Missouri. Performed and recorded at St Lukes Church in Little Akaloa, Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū. Plus, photos from the Sylvia tour (Sig Wilder & Just Janie) and the Money tour (Tahini Bikini) from last year.