Songversations Podcast

Darlinghurst, composed by artists Jason Resch, Pagan Newman, Cassie Leopold, and Matt Darvidis is a new Melbourne based country group that’s redefining Australian contemporary country music.

Darlinghurst’s music is certainly proving to be infectious and with five from Top 5 Country Hot 50 chart positions to date, including three #1’s, their debut single ‘Sorry Won’t Get You Back’, ‘Gotta Go Rodeo’ and the recent ‘Where Do We Go’.

Darlinghurst were nominated for 'New Talent of the Year' at the 2021 Golden Guitar Awards.
Their new album “Darlinghurst” is due for release 27th of August this year.

Our guests today are Roxanne Kiely and Steven Kiely.

Our guests for this episode are Roxanne Kiely and Stephen Kiely. 
Roxanne, vocal coach, songwriter, mentor, and poetry and children’s stories writer, is the director of the ever-expanding music school ScoopFX Music.
Roxanne's artistic practice focuses on nurturing emerging Australian talent and strongly emphasizes mentoring and developing the talents of younger artists, and her talent is demonstrated through the success of the stellar list of students she has developed, among them; Delta Goodrem, Bec Hewitt, X-Factor 2014 winner Marlisa, Ella Hooper, Hayley Warner, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Ivy Adara.

Stephen Kiely, Stephen is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, drums, organ, ukulele, and harmonica.
He is a singer-songwriter, producer and performer, website designer, multi-media and digital creative director, and co-songwriter with his wife for the Busy Izzy and Friends series.
Two of the songs from the Busy Izzy and Friends catalog, “Busy Izzy Says” and Sometimes A Friend”, co-written with her husband Stephen Kiely, recently won 1st Place in the Australian Songwriters Association song competition, songs for children.
He has written and produced film soundtracks, advertising jingles, and songs covering genres as diverse as rock and country, through swing and jazz.

Further, Roxanne and Stephen are is the co-founder and President of the not-for-profit songwriting organization; Songsalive! Australia, which supports Australian songwriters.

Our guests today are the group Storm & Stone.

Storm & Stone is not your average family band. The three siblings (Auriel, August & Hallelujah) came from humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains.

Their parents were teenage sweethearts and were really the backbone of their start in music, something that was always a part of the family life.
Raised on Dolly Parton and Led Zeppelin, instruments were always left around the home for anyone to play.

The girls during to Europe met fellow musician and collaborator Yambi, and with the Icelandic DJ and their producer Matt “Xiro” Fioravanti.

While recording the album they met the founders of Glasshouse Productions, who were pulling together their debut feature film, the much anticipated Australian Feature Film “Love You Like That” which is premiering in 2021.

Not long after, the band gave a sneak preview of the album they were recording for the film and soon found a number of the album's tracks placed into the film's soundtrack.

They’ve gone from strength to strength ever since.
Their debut single ‘Bad’ was released independently earlier this year, showcasing the band's talents and garnered over 37k streams on Spotify and a new following growing internationally.

Our guest today is Sharna Burcher.
From wanting to be Suzi Quattro when she was a child, Burcher has grown into an artist whose music is influenced by Slim Dusty to Loretta Lynn to Tammy Wynette and, more recently, Kasey Chambers and US folk singer Lori McKenna.

It was her musician father who gave her the inspiration to take the stage for the first time, though, when Sharna was just five years old, at his wedding where she sang the Slim Dusty classic, Duncan.

This soon grew into spending weekends watching her father’s country band and learning her craft, but it was Kasey Chambers’ honest lyrics that enticed Burcher to put pen to paper to tell her own stories.

A graduate of the 2016 CMAA Academy of Country Music, Burcher has released two albums of original

material, both produced by Bill Chambers - the first, Livin’ On Closing Time, in 2013 and the latest, Backwards Town, recorded in Nashville with Nash Chambers.

Life experience and the stories she tells from it, is what keeps Broken Hill singer-songwriter Sharna

Burcher producing her brand of country music and playing it across Australia and beyond.

Gretta Ziller is our guest for this episode of Songversations, one of the most appreciated songwriters by many of her peers in the industry, I loved this real and honest Songversation.

Gretta isn’t just a one-trick pony, If you’ve been foolish enough to think you’ve nailed down her sound then prepare to have the rug pulled out from under you. Ziller's roots span jazz, blues, rock, pop, and classical, and that eclecticism is reflected in her songwriting. Her sound may bear the hallmarks of classic Americana music but its essence is far more diverse.

She started her career as an Opera singer and Bagpipe Teacher, her vocal style has changed somewhat since then, she does on the odd occasion incorporate bagpipes into her set ... after all, there aren’t many folks that can sing AND play Long Way to the Top !!

Her 2017 debut album ‘Queen of Boomtown’ received critical acclaim, it was long-listed for the Australian Music Prize in 2018 and received a Golden Guitar and an Age Music Victoria Awards Nomination. In 2020 Gretta received her second Golden Guitar nomination for Vocal Collaboration of the year, she also received an AIR Women In Music mentorship.

2020 also saw Gretta release the first single from her forthcoming album from a new home, signing to ABC Music.

Gretta Ziller is returning in 2021 with a sophomore album scheduled for release in September, her participation in the Global Music Match program through Sounds Australia, and most recently the announcement of her supporting of Ian Moss & Troy Cassar-Daley on their national tour.

Our guest for this episode is Billie-Jo Porter.

Growing close to the nation's country music capital Tamworth, it seems appropriate that Billie-Jo felt drawn to the influences of songwriters like Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Shania Twain, and the Waifs.

Growing up in a music-loving family Billie-Jo has been immersed in the songs of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, John Williamson, and Carol King.
After starting singing when in primary school years she discovered her passion for the guitar and the lyrics in her 20’s.
When on a working holiday in Canada and North America Billie-Jo discovered her calling, and her writing has been prolific within the 15 years of her songwriting.
With numerous live performances under her belt, most notably including the Summer Street Fest in Canada, Bello Winter Music Festival, and Tamworth Country Music Festival, 2021 is a year to bring her growing fanbase a taste of the recorded music, with her first single ‘Feels Like Us’ just release, a number of follow up singles due, before the release of her debut album, released with the ARIA award-winner producer and singer-songwriter Nicholson, at his Central Coast Studio ‘The Sound Hole’.

Her outstanding talent as a songwriter has been evident through not just her own music but in her co-writing as well with collaborations with other artists like the band Quasi Dada, the result of which was an EP, Kevin Bennett in co-writing a duet, Andrew Swift’s latest single ‘Head Full of Honey’ and Kyle Gale’s single ‘Upside Down’.

Our guest today is Cass Hopetoun.

Growing up Idolising the likes of Delta Goodrem as a child, Cass began to learn to play the piano and take up regular singing lessons.
Her voice is one that bears traces to the likes of some of the great country singers like Dolly Parton and Brandy Clark.

Her debut single ‘Shots’ was released in late March 2020, co-written with Country artist Blake Dantier and produced by Matt Fell reached #4 on the Australian Country Music Airplay Charts and has been streamed over 130 000 times on Spotify.
Her sophomore single ‘Typical Bride’ toppled Taylor Swift off the top spot of the Australian Country Airplay Charts, claiming the #1 spot in late 2020. One year post her first release Cass has released a new single ‘Who Needs Hawaii’

She attended the 2021 Tamworth Songwriters Association Awards and won ‘Best New Talent’ and ‘Best Ballad’ with songs co-written with fellow country music artist Blake Dantier.

In 2021 less than 12 months after her first commercial release, she was almost nominated for her first Golden Guitar for ‘Best New Talent’ -

An artist with a firm message about resilience and aiming for your dreams in spite of what adversities life might throw your way are the messages Cass is conveying.

Our guest for this episode is Sally-Anne Whitten was born and raised in Tamworth NSW on a healthy dose of blues, rock, and country music. Her father, guitarist/piano/bass player Barry Whitten saw a young Sally-Anne was immersing herself in all things music taught her to read and write music.

From the age of 15, the singer-songwriter was working as a session player (bass and guitar) alongside her dad. Over the years the artist has honed her very own style of ‘funky country’.

2009 was the year of her debut album “Blurring The Lines”, and three years later her second album “Sell My Soul” was born, produced by Sally-Anne’s guitarist/Golden Guitar winning producer and husband Alwyn Aurisch.
Over the next couple of years, music was put on the back burner while Sally-Anne dealt with some of life’s twists and turns, and Dealing with personal hardships and bouts of depression.

Sally-Anne’s musical heroes include John Hiatt & Rodney Crowell and she’s been blessed to share the stage with many big name acts but no more rewarding that Keith Urban. Sally-Anne was invited to open the show on Keith’s 2000 Australian tour in her hometown.

In 2004 she won the TIARA Awards with ‘The Love He Wants Most’ (which can found on an early EP) co-written with Alwyn Aurisch.

In October 2016 she released a single, ‘The Life You Left Behind’ written following the very unexpected and sudden loss of her 19-year-old nephew.

2018 is the year of her third album “Burgundy Street” inspired by a life-long dream visit to New Orleans in 2015. In this album, Sally-Anne has yet again embraced her unique blend of swampy blues, R&B, southern rock, and West Coast country.

In 2019 the single ‘You Can’t Hide From A Broken Heart’ (co-written by fellow Tamworth artist, Allison Forbes and explores grief and loss) followed the Indie Country Music Australia awards where she was awarded as Most Popular Female Artist, Most Popular Independent Album and producer/husband Alwyn Aurisch was awarded as Most Popular Producer.

Sally-Anne is currently the Breakfast Host at Tamworth’s 2TM

Our guest for this episode is Troy Kemp.

With multiple Australian Country Chart and CMC #1 singles, a Golden Guitar, 3 CMC/ Country Music Channel Awards, 3 People’s Choice Awards, a Frank Ifield International Spur Award and almost a decade of touring under his belt, Troy Kemp is one of Australia’s most recognisable country music talents.

As one half of award winning duo McAlister Kemp that folded in early 2015, late 2015 saw Troy’s debut solo album, "Against The Grain".

Since then Troy voted by fans was the 2016 Planet Country Radio Awards “Male Artist” and “Australian Artist” of the Year before picking up the "Rob Potts New Talent Of the Year Award" at the 2018 CMC Awards with his side, duo project, “Tailgate Drive”.

March 2019 saw Troy again hit the #1 spot on the CMC Chart with “Hung Up On You”, his catchy duet with fellow Aussie country rocker, Jayne Denham.

Now living in Nashville, Tennessee, with the industry gone quiet due to the coronavirus pandemic, Troy is working hard, songwriting, recording and regularly releasing new music to all streaming platforms.