Rouseabout Records launches a new series of recordings celebrating the early days of Australian folk music.
LATEST ALBUM ‘The Source of Light’
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Rouseabout Records is honoured to release two new recordings from esteemed singer and multi-instrumentalist DAVE DE HUGARD.
Dave is recognised as one of the leading interpreters of Australia’s folk music heritage. His debut solo album ‘Freedom on the Wallaby’, issued in 1970, became a landmark for what has become known as ‘bush music’. He went on to release two more solo albums, ‘’The Magpie in the Wattle’ (Larrikin 1986) and ‘Magpie Morning’ (1993) and appeared on several compilation albums, including the first album released on the Larrikin label, ‘Man of the Earth’ (1974).
The new albums, his first in 32 years, are all the more extraordinary since Dave turned a grand 83 this year. Age has certainly not wearied him, and his distinctive voice and skilled musicianship shine through these songs and tunes.
Rouseabout’s Executive Producer, Warren Fahey, comments on the importance of these new recordings. “Folk songs often reveal a great deal about the emotional history of a country and, in many ways, are good signposts of our journey through the years. Some are poems turned into songs, some are adaptations of older songs, some can be attributed to specific writers, and most are anonymous creations that were circulated orally among singers. Whatever their credentials, the majority of folk songs in the Australian context tell about life’s aspirations, frustrations, pains and pleasures. The songs in this collection come from various directions and have been strongly influenced by Dave de Hugard’s lifelong association with Australian storytelling and music-making. Dave is a natural singer and musician. He sings from the heart. This is not your usual collection of bush songs, for these songs and tunes have travelled down the years and have been re-fashioned in Dave’s unique and sympathetic style. They have also been influenced by some of the people he recorded for his oral history collection at the National Library of Australia. Above all, these long-awaited recordings set a new benchmark in how we perceive the role of old bush songs and dance tunes, as they provide evidence that everything old is new again. Folk music creativity knows no boundaries.”
Bio: Dave de Hugard (b.Queensland, 1942) has been a prominent figure in Australian folk music for over sixty years as a singer, musician, and folklore collector. He has an intuitive approach to storytelling and musical performance. Dave became interested in folk music in the early 1960s. Inquisitive, he wanted to learn more about the music’s origins, especially those who had included the old songs and tunes in their repertoire. He became adept at playing several musical instruments, including the Anglo-German concertina, button accordion, banjo, mouth organ, 5-string banjo and fiddle. The recordings feature many leading folk music instrumentalists, as well as Kate Burke’s evocative singing.
‘Where the Wattles Bloom’ and ‘To the Far Tatiara and Back’ are released internationally on Rouseabout Records and distributed by MGM Distribution.
More Information: Artist Page
The 1960s and 70s saw folk music as one of the country’s most popular music forms. Folk clubs, festivals, record albums, radio and television programs celebrated old ballads and newly written songs in the folk style. Television hadn’t stolen our minds, and songs, particularly ‘story songs’, played a far more vital role in entertainment. Folk music was and still is different from other forms of music, for it is deeply rooted in tradition and generally created as part of a rolling culture rather than being ‘designed’ for a particular market and/or the cash register.
Australia was booming in the 60s and 70s. WW2 had been banished from our minds (although many of us were dismayed by increasing international warmongering). We were feeling free, released from the old norms of austerity, exploring new ideas in everything from religion to sex. The songs reflected our changing society.
Rouseabout’s new series will celebrate some of the most important artists of the time. Drawn mostly from private recordings, particularly live performances or limited releases on small indie labels, the series will ensure these unique artists remain available as a reminder of their musical contributions.
The recordings in the series will be ‘cleaned up’ to eliminate noise; however, being live recordings, some inevitable bumps and squeaks remain to remind us of the live music atmosphere. The series will be released digitally. Notes to the recordings will appear on the Artist pages of Undercover Music.
The first two releases in the series feature COLIN DRYDEN
CATCH A FALLING STAR is a collection of original and traditional songs, including Colin’s compositions Factory Lad’, ‘Sitha’ and his evocative interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘Ballad of Reading Gaol’. There are also some classic folk songs, including ‘’Scarborough Fair’ and a haunting song about the disappearance of Lord Franklin, ex-Governor of Tasmania, whose expedition disappeared in the Arctic in 1845. One of the standout contemporary songs is Sydney Carter’s ‘Silver in the Stubble’. On the album, Colin plays guitar, fiddle and concertina and is joined on several tracks by Dave Brannigan.
ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS is a collection of blues, rags, gospel and jazz songs – all given the special treatment Colin was renowned for delivering. There are also two songs by Bob Dylan. As a bonus, there is another version of ‘Lord Franklin’. Colin was an exceptionally talented guitar player and his versions of blues and jazz standards are riveting. ‘Down by the Riverside’, ‘Candyman’, ‘Dink’s Song’ and ‘St James Infirmary Blues’ all offer that special ‘live’ magic. Dave Brannigan also appears on several of the tracks.
More Information: Artist Page
Undercover Music Australia, the independent label group led by ex Larrikin Records founder (and, later, Festival Mushroom Deputy MD) celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year with the release of a new album from Eric Bogle.
Warren Fahey comments, “Eric and I have been working together since the release of his first album, ’Now I’m Easy’, in 1980. After forty-two years, and many albums and compilations later, he never ceases to surprise me with the quality of his songs. He is a masterful poet with a unique skill for gathering the right musical partnerships to carry his songs down through the years. This new collection ‘The Source of Light’ is no different in that it offers insightful songs and evocative arrangements of songs which will stand the test of time. It is also a timely release because 2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of two of his most-lauded songs, ‘And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Now I’m Easy’.”
The Eric Bogle Band will tour nationally throughout 2022.
Undercover’s Rouseabout Records are distributed by MGM.
More Information: Artist Page
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