Nathan Lamont, Jen Mize & Tom Curtain: 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 three 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.

Nathan Lamont - Bigger Things

Wagga Wagga-based singer-songwriter Nathan Lamont has released a highly addictive country-pop banger in Bigger Things.

Teaming up with the songwriting and production duo MSquared (Michael Paynter and Michael Delorenzis), Lamont’s new song features his signature unique vocal tone, banjo, and guitars and drums, making for a tune you should blast from your car radio right now,

A three-time grand finalist of the prestigious Star Maker competition, Bigger Things points to an exciting new chapter from the Australian artist. Lamont said of the new song and working with MSquared for the first time:

“This was my first time working with the MSquared fellas! We had so much fun working on this track together. I have been a big fan of their work for a long time so to have the opportunity to get in the studio with them, I knew we would cook up something amazing, and I feel like we achieved just that.”

Jen Mize - Neon & Nothin’ Else

US-born Sunshine Coast-based artist Jen Mize doesn’t keep a secret of her love for the cowboy fiction showcased in the popular television series Yellowstone. In fact, the tender, stunning Neon & Nothin’ Else is dedicated to the show’s favourite couple, Beth and Rip.

Bringing the scenery of country bars, quarter horses, national rodeo finals, gritty men and sassy women she remembers from her childhood, Mize started writing songs as if they existed within the Yellowstone universe.

Discussing her admiration for the unusual pairing of Beth and Rip, Mize said, “They have what amounts to the eternal Western love story. The only difference being that in Yellowstone, our female protagonist, Beth, is not some submissive wallflower destined to stay back at the ranch to play the role of the little lady.

“She’s powerful, whip-smart, and ruthless to her enemies. I wanted to write a song for her. A song for Beth. A song where she can drop all those painstakingly built walls and expose her softer side, and open her heart to Rip, the love of her life.”

Tom Curtain - Just Give It A Crack

If you’re looking for some inspiration to do that scary thing that’s worth doing, listen to Tom Curtain and Just Give It A Crack.

The award-winning Australian artist has released an inspiring, catchy anthem about seizing opportunities and living life to the fullest. After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect moment to just go for it, and Curtain knows that.

In the middle of a seven-month journey through regional Australia on his Good Life tour, Curtain is performing alongside Laura Frank and Chris Matthews. He said of the inspiration behind Just Give It A Crack: “I was saying to someone the other day, so many people, especially farmers, come to our shows, and they’re really struggling—whether it’s fires, drought, floods, or cattle prices.”

But it’s not a song designed to get you down. “The last thing I want to do is sing a negative song,” Curtain explained. “I’m all about trying to build people up, energise them, and instil hope so they can get back out there and keep going. This song is all about reminding people they’re onto a good thing.”

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