Tom Curtain, Lucy Parle & Rufous Whistler: 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. Ashleigh Dallas, Lyn Bowtell & Matt Scullion - Be Kind

Who doesn’t love it when some of Australia’s most talented singer-songwriters join forces?

On Be Kind, Tom Curtain teams up with fellow Golden Guitar Award winners Matt Scullion, Ashleigh Dallas, and Lyn Bowtell. The melody itself is classic country, with a simple call to arms backed by guitars and drums.

Containing a heartfelt anti-bullying message with the reminder to be kind, all four singers sing their verses solo as well as provide some stunning harmonies. The song was written following the tragic passing of Amy “Dolly” Everett. Curtain, an ambassador for the charity Dolly’s Dream, offers a positive message that we could all use.

Lucy Parle - Love Yourself Better

Hailing from the Central Coast, Lucy Parle’s new song, Love Yourself Better, feels summery and bright – just like you’d imagine the Central Coast to be.

However sunny the melody and finger-picked banjo sound, Parle has penned a heartbreaker underneath it. Love Yourself Better is a letter to Parle’s best friend, who was facing a difficult breakup.

Backed by guitars and banjo and Lucy Parle’s pop-country vocal, Love Yourself Better is a beautiful track from the CMAA Academy of Country Music graduate and Australian Songwriters Association award winner. It’s little wonder why she’s won awards for songwriting when you hear Love Yourself Better.

Rufous Whistler - Honey

Rufous Whistler, the bold new alt-folk and country project from Victorian singer-songwriter Vinny Russell, shines with his lilting vocal a la Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) on Honey.

The country-folk tune features Whistler’s earthy vocals, luscious fiddle, and guitar. The arrangement highlights the song’s delicate theme of holding onto what’s most important and abandoning what’s less so.

With Honey, Whistler offers a campfire glow on a contemporary country song – a brand new take on country and alt-folk.

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