Slim DimeIt’s the end of a great year for us – and with the help of our friends we’ve done some amazing things and been to some gorgeous places. We recorded some videos with Pegleg Productions that have come up a treat! We’re really excited to share some of the new songs we’ve been writing.

“That Ole Train” original song by Slim Dime. Filmed by Peg Leg Productions.
Director of Photography – Joshua Collings. Camera A – Joshua Collings. Camera B – Tristan Pierce. Post Production – Joshua Collings.
Sound Production & Mix – Stovepipe Studios – Matt Walker & Rowan Matthews.

 

‘That Ole Train’ – is an original tune about the last great ride we all take. All aboard! Get ready for some yodelling……Huge thank you to Josh & Tristan from Pegleg Productions and Matt & Rowan from Stovepipe Studios.

“Jump Up Jimmy Creek” original song by Slim Dime. Filmed by Peg Leg Productions.
Director of Photography – Joshua Collings. Camera A – Joshua Collings. Camera B – Tristan Pierce. Post Production – Joshua Collings.
Sound Production & Mix – Stovepipe Studios – Matt Walker & Rowan Matthews.

 

‘Jump Up Jimmy Creek’ is a tune Chris wrote that includes some of the place names we’ve discovered on our travels – that ole Big Rig Mama’s rollin’ down the line. Again a huge thank you to Josh & Tristan from Pegleg Productions and Matt & Rowan from Stovepipe Studios. Cameo appearance from our cat Mazzie who approves every song before anyone else does – if she doesn’t like it, we won’t share it – she has impeccable  taste in music & we trust her judgement (we also call her the Folk Cat).

As we always say about our music – these songs are new, but sound as though they’ve always existed, somewhere on a mountaintop……

We headed to the Gippslands town of Yinnar,

as guests of the mighty Strzelecki Stringbusters in September – those boys know how how to have a good ole time!

The town of Yinnar has invested in some amazing public art – it’s fantastic to see a small town support the Arts!

home again jiggity-jig

In October we traveled to Foggy Mountain Bluegrass Festival in the lovely town of Kinglake.

Had a great weekend of pickin’ and came home tired but happy – lovely to catch up with old friends & make some new ones! The weather was a little wild but no-one’s spirits were dampened.

The cottage in Spring is lovely, gorgeous flowers, the grass was growing too fast to keep up with. It’s a bit ‘Fairy Tale Cottage’ up here on the hill………

It’s great to get booked for a private function & do somethin’ a little different, we played a wedding at Yarra Valley Estate which was a great night – lovely couple who requested banjar & liked our tattoos

The end of our year & a real highlight was Mountaingrass Bluegrass & Old Time Music Festival – it’s a great Festival & we felt really honoured to be invited to play there in the company of the world’s finest pickers.

More wild weather……… and gorgeous countryside…

Just managed to pitch the tent before the thunder started rollin’ in

As always the best thing about an excellent Festival is catching up with friends, havin’ a pick & meeting new people who love music.

photo thanks to Ian Fisk

 

We played ’til our fingers hurt! Some of the highlights for us were being included in the  “Purely Acoustic” Concert hosted by Tony O’Rourke alongside some of the best pickers in Australia and the CD Launch of the Women in Stringbands Project – we are so proud to have been included on a compilation with an amazing array of women who play in string bands in Australasia.

photo thanks to Ian Fisk

 

A safe journey home in startlingly bright (and warm) sunshine, exhausted, happy and sore.

To our little cabin on the hill

now we finish writing our next album and catch up on our sleep!

 

 

4am & Pickin’ Oakum – Two Instrumentals – Live at the Harrietville Caravan Park!


Instrumental songs are like picture books: they tell stories without words.

here’s one that is light



and one that is dark



and a story in pictures

Buckland River
Buckland River
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Autumn in Porepunkah
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Buckland River – Porepunkah

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View of Mt Bogong
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Mt Beauty pondage
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self portrait in Yackandandah
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Yackandandah
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Falls Creek
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Tawonga
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Tawonga
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Tawonga
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Tawonga

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all photographs taken in April 2016 while at the Mt Beauty Music Festival

by J. Land – instagram

We recently traveled to Harrietville for GAP – the Great Alpine Pick. We stayed in the most excellent on-site caravan. It was so terribly awesome that we filmed some videos there.

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It had an autumnal burnt orange vibe that absolutely matched the beautiful Autumn weather.

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I fell in love with it and took WAY too many photographs of it’s 1970’s splendor.

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I particularly loved the bedside lamp.

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“Estelle”  is a song we wrote a few years ago and with the encouragement of our Goddaughter we dusted her off and added another verse. We recorded it recently and it will appear on our new album ‘Travelogue’ – which you can preview here.

CoverAndDiscWebTravelogue on Soundcloud

A classic folk song about share house living that tells the true, but sad story of Estelle, who owns only a few photos and a stained t-shirt as a result of her last few houses having burned down.

“Estelle” – Live at the Harrietville Caravan Park!

One of the reasons that we named our album ‘Travelogue’ is that we like to travel &    I always take photographs as we go……. Here are some from that journey

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IMG_6275Bonnie Doon

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all photographs taken in April 2016 by J. Land – instagram