Tom Curtain, Gareth & Melanie Horsnell: 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.

Tom Curtain ft. Luke O’Shea, Sara Storer & Chris Matthews - Top End Tough

Tom Curtain has assembled an impressive roster of country stars for his moving new song, Top End Tough. Sharing harmonies with some of Australia’s favourite artists, Curtain and co. honour the resilient people who call outback Australia home.

Co-written and produced by Luke O’Shea and engineered by Rod McCormack, Top End Tough features the unmistakable vocals of Curtain alongside a lengthy list of stars: Luke O'Shea, Sara Storer, Chris Matthews, David Garnham, Melanie Gray, Liam Stansfield, and Nicole Lampton.

“We aimed to capture the isolation, resilience, hard work, and unwavering spirit of the people in the Top End,” Curtain commented in a statement. “We also wanted to feature local singers in the track and document the entire creative journey—from meeting everyone and developing their roles to filming the music video on the beach in Darwin.

“The whole experience was not only inspiring but also incredibly rewarding and exciting.”

Gareth - Last Thing I Do

 Last Thing I Do is an upbeat, acoustic guitar and banjo-led instant classic.

The latest song from rising country star Gareth, the singer effortlessly blends traditional country music with Irish folk tunes. The heartfelt single showcases his signature style, with poignant lyrics playing off energetic melodies.

For the track, Gareth teamed up with Zach Crowell and Ilsey Juber, the former a three-time Grammy Award nominee and the latter having written for Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, and Jelly Roll.

His first original track to be sent to radio following his viral cover of Stick Season, which led to a publishing deal with BMG, Gareth said of the track: “I wrote this song as it relates to my recent move from Northern Ireland to Nashville.

“The song mentions that no matter where you travel or what dreams you chase, you will never forget those that are closest to you. Somehow, you will always find your way back to the ones you love. I am excited to kick off this new chapter of music with this song.”

Melanie Horsnell ft. Shane Nicholson - Little Things

Melanie Horsnell showcases the beauty in music with her latest track, the heartwarming Little Things.

Teaming up with Shane Nicholson, her delicate vocals harmonise with his warm vocals. Together, the pair share an ode to life’s small, yet significant, moments that bring us meaning and joy. Little Things features Jonathan Zwartz on double bass, Bill Risby on piano and accordion, and Hamish Stuart on drums. Additionally, Shane Nicholson plays electric guitar as well as providing harmonies.

Horsnell said of the track, “Little Things was inspired by a conversation with Jackie Marshall, an incredible friend and songwriter. I was talking about how I often hold on to small, beautiful moments—like a smile I saw a few weeks ago that lit up my day.

“Jackie playfully sang, ‘Little things, little things,’ and I thought, ‘Can I have that?’ That’s when I grabbed my old 12-string guitar, and the song came to life.”

She added, “Little Things is a gift to all the people who have supported me, especially in recent years, through hard times like the pandemic. It’s a thank you to those who’ve been there for each other through thick and thin.”

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