SOUTHERN FRIED FESTIVAL
Lucinda Williams is the cornerstone of modern country music MATTERS
Mark Petrie offers the lowdown on the Southern Fried Festival line-up DIANA JONES Growing up in an adoptive family had a significant impact on this singer-songwriter’s career, forming the basis for much of her music and the agonising emotion behind her voice. In searching for her roots she not only found her family, but also a love for music. Perth Theatre, Fri 31 Jul.
SOUTH PAW Perth’s own Americano rockers may have recently lost their frontman to family commitments but the band are operating as a four- piece and playing on, in accordance with the band motto: ‘play it loud, play it good and keep it country’. The Salutation Hotel, Sat 1 Aug.
JASON RINGENBURG A key part of the alt.country movement with his former band and widely known for an energetic stage presence and his punk rock twist on country music. Now he’s back in the form of a double solo act. Perth Theatre, Sat 1 Aug.
MARY GAUTHIER A latecomer to music – writing her first song at 35 – and winning an AMA Award as New/Emerging Artist of the Year some 7 years later. Her first major label release in 2005, Mercy Now was the start of a run of breathtaking storytelling. Perth Theatre, Sat 1 Aug. BOOKER T The legendary Stax Records’ man is responsible, along with his sidemen, the MGs, for literally hundreds of classic soul grooves and comes here to promote his solo LP. Perth Concert Hall, Sat 1 Aug.
HAYSEED DIXIE This bunch of eccentrics started out in 2001 with a tribute album to AC/DC, aptly titled A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC and have gone on to tour the globe. Perth Concert Hall, Sun 2 Aug. LOS LOBOS Chincano rockers influenced by country, rock and blues. Most commonly associated with 1987 hit ‘La Bamba’, however, during 25 years together have toured heavily all over the world, even opening for Bob Dylan. Perth Theatre, Fri 31 Jul.
23 Jul–6 Aug 2009 THE LIST 29
living, off-road vehicles, drinking, dogs – and tangled common-knowledge love lives,’ he laughs.
So it all boils down to our long-held love for simple songs about gossip and graft? ‘I think the common factors across all these strands of music are strong narratives, a sense of struggle and emotional authenticity,’ concludes the Southern Fried boss. ‘These are all traits that are characteristic within our own music, and wider culture, and that we therefore readily embrace in others.’ And what of those dispatches from Bonnie ‘Prince Billy? Do they still inspire? Shearer nods. ‘Those tapes revealed the depth, adventure and possibilities that existed in American roots music. They laid the foundations for a lot of what I listen to now, and sent me on a journey to discover more about the artists, and the music. It’s a journey which I’m still on.’
Southern Fried Festival, various venues, Perth, Fri 31 Jul–Sun 2 Aug. See right for highlights. www.myspace.com/ southernfriedfestival
always liked classic 60s pop and rock, and when you stop and think about it there are a lot of country suggests Macdonald. ‘Beatles for Sale, Nancy & Lee, The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline.’ influences
in there,’
Owens, meanwhile, says the country blueprint critically shaped his art. ‘I don’t think I’d have started The Felsons and gone on to write the kind of songs I did for the band if I hadn’t heard American roots records,’ he speculates. ‘I found it very inspiring that most of the songs were very simple: three chords and the truth. That really appealed to me as I’ve always written really simple songs.’ Shearer recalls that same aural candour in those formative cassettes from Oldham. ‘While Scottish folk music registered very deeply with me, contemporary songwriters within that scene didn’t seem to address the realities of everyday life in small-town and rural communities the way country music did,’ he remembers. ‘Country music was very easy to relate to in terms of its subject matter as so much of it seemed commonplace: guns, hard physical labour, rural