Briana Dinsdale, TC Cassidy & Open Season Band: Highlights From This Week's 'Grass Roots'

Every week, ABC Country's Grass Roots program shines a light on the best independently released Australian country content. Selected from the hundreds of new tracks submitted, the one-hour program is now available on demand as well as premiering each Monday at 9 pm on ABC Country, showing the health of Aussie country music across all its sub-genres. Here are four of this week's tracks you should have on your radar. 

Head here to have a listen to this week’s full episode of Grass Roots.

Briana Dinsdale - Real Time Love

Queensland-based emerging talent Briana Dinsdale is once again making waves with her stunning new single, Real Time Love. An easy-listening tune with callbacks to classic country, Dinsdale sings that she’s “never been one for modern ways” – and you believe her when the electric guitar comes in. Once again, she proves why she’s “one to watch”.

Ruminating over being born in the wrong decade, Dinsdale yearns for old-school romance in a song co-written by her sister, Ashlyn, and Nashville songwriter Steve Dean. Dinsdale commented on the song: “Real Time Love is a song close to my heart. It's an ode to old-school romance, and it's for all the girls (and guys) out there who cherish genuine connections and those timeless, unhurried moments of togetherness.”

TC Cassidy featuring Buddy Miller - Half Hearted Heart

Coming back to country music for the first time in nearly three decades, TC Cassidy returns to what she loved as a 17-year-old: seeing artists like Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller play live at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.

For her energetic new single, Half Hearted Heart, she didn’t just pull inspiration from the likes of Martina McBride and Patty Loveless and, closer to home, Little River Band – she got Buddy Miller to sing on her song.

“I’m still pinching myself!” TC said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day this phenomenal artist would agree to sing on a track with TC Cassidy from Australia. I mean, seriously, who would even entertain that idea?” On Half Hearted Heart, the pair sing about not giving up on love, keeping hearts open for when the right person rolls along. Who can’t relate to that?

Open Season Band - Medicine

As soon as you hear those opening banjo chords, you know you’re in for something good. Medicine, the latest track from Brisbane six-piece Open Season Band, outlines why they’ve become one of the most in-demand acts in Australian country music.

A unique act, on Medicine, Open Season Band marry traditional bluegrass with modern country, continuing to showcase their own style known as Hillbilly-Honkytonk. A tale of heartbreak and taking your “Medicine” to numb the pain, the band’s first release in four years was undoubtedly worth the wait.

You can listen to the latest full episode of ABC Country’s Grass Roots here.