Biography
The journey of a songwriter is always fascinating to observe and be a part of, for both the author and the audience. The artistic evolution of writing and arranging songs, the continued study of the history of country music, through both listening to the music and visiting its place of origin, plus immersion in the local scene – all those things combine to provide momentum in a musician’s career and the refinement of their craft.
In 2022, Harvey Russell released the first single from his forthcoming sophomore album. Now he reveals single #2, the Americana gem that is ‘Last Dance’.
Harvey Russell’s solo debut album Liquid Damage, mined a rich vein of modern country music, from the alt-country sound of Turnpike Troubadours to the contemporary Americana twang of Mike & The Moonpies. It heralded the arrival of a new solo artist on the local scene, though Harvey had already had years of experience under his belt, both as the frontman for the rock and alt-country group Harvey Swagger Band in the late 00s, and then as one half of the more acoustic-based country-folk duo Peasant Moon.
The well-received Australian Americana album and its singles 'Please Don't Pretend', 'Walking Downtown (Again)' and 'Gave You Flowers' showed an artist with an innate ability to channel the classic tropes of country music throughout the 20th century, and combine them with contemporary metropolitan alt-country. After a decade developing and honing his songwriting, he’s dialed into the heart of country music with an authentic and finely-tuned ear for the song-craft of the genre, in all its forms.
As Russell embarked on the creative process for the forthcoming follow-up album, his band The Widowmakers, a crack unit both in the studio and on stage, returned to add their mercurial touches to the first single 'Honey Come Back to Me', which had its radio premiere on The Outpost on 2SER and online with Sunburnt Country Music in the middle of 2022.
Like a hip-shaking honky tonk classic, that song kicked in with dance-floor skip and sway before the chorus revealed Wilco-like chord changes and a streak of melancholy, acting as a beautiful counterpoint to the lively verses.
“I took a double shot just to raise the courage to say…”
Fast forward to the new 2023 single ‘Last Dance’ and Russell once again delivers a wonderful blend of twang and roots-rock melody. The song’s backbone drum beat, stripped-back arrangement, gently distorted electric guitar and evocative fiddle playing brings to mind John Mellencamp circa The Lonesome Jubilee. In this case it’s emanating from the Australian heartland, underlined with a solo that could’ve come from a Paul Kelly song residing at the twangier end of Australian country rock.
Russell paints a warmly nostalgic picture of those late-night confidence testing situations that so many of us have experienced. The anticipation, the nerves, the excitement as the moment closes in and the lights of the late-night bar you’re in fade into the background.
In recent years, Harvey’s music has received attention both in Australia and overseas. He has achieved international recognition with performances at Canadian Music Week (2016) and touring throughout the US in 2017. Peasant Moon’s debut EP was a finalist in the Australian Roots Music Awards (EP of the Year, 2016) and the song ‘Over Again’ was a finalist at the 2018 Tamworth Country Music Festival’s Songwriters Awards.
- with Chris Familton (Post to Wire)