Once again Jason & Chloe have produced another excellent CD, which is available through their website, or from them at Festivals & concerts.
Chloe & Jason at John Dengate memorial concert, BMC
(Photo Sharyn Mattern)
Introduction from their website, where you will also find lyrics of all the tracks.
The
spirit of Henry Lawson and John Dengate form the backbone of this album -
no other two writers have given us sharper tools. In particular, we'd
like to dedicate this album to our mate, the late John Dengate, whose
words make up a third of the record. The album is part of our ongoing
effort to catch and carry forward what has been passed to us. We have
attempted to make John's words our own, and also sink his work into the
wider tradition. The Lawson / Dengate and Paterson / Dengate medleys
came instinctively and quickly - one in performance, and one in a dream -
and they are distillations of our intention for the wider album.
The
words of Lawson and Dengate capture an Australia that’s now seldom
explored on radio or television, and largely ignored by the major
newspapers as it flies counter to the mysterious world of our elected
"representatives". While this has no doubt been the case for
generations, it seems to us that this other republic of Australia fades
from the public consciousness by the year. Yet it is there still - in
our home, village, and wherever our wide Australian travels take us. It
is in the open hearts and hands of our mates.
This
album is part celebration of this hidden republic, and part call to
action on its behalf. It is our personal statement against what seems to
us a catastrophic failure of leadership in this country, offered up in
the never ending struggle for social justice. The songs show that
particularly Australian combination of humour, anger and a sense of bush
justice that is not perfect, but ideal in our hearts. Importantly, the
next biggest contributor to the record is the great Anon. These are the
songs of the front bar, the kitchen, the football teams, the shearers'
huts, the rail and road, the campfires of the bolters and bushrangers,
the trenches... It is corrugated iron music - music with the hair still
on it! This is campfire sedition. ========================
Review by Dale Dengate
By
dedicating this CD to Henry Lawson and John
Dengate, Chloe and Jason Roweth acknowledge the
Australian traditions that have
influenced their selection of works for this CD.
This
dedication would have moved John beyond
words; indeed, the songs brought both laughter and tears
to my eyes as I
listened. Jason and Chloe seemed to have selected many
of my favourite songs
and tunes which evoke so many memories. Over twenty
other Australian song
writers are also represented on this CD.
Jason’s
voice has gained strength and character
over the years and Chloe’s always inspiring voice is
even richer, so both bring
a delightful interpretation to many songs.
I think it
is important that they have made the
songs their own so that in those written by John Dengate
they have not tried to
sound like John in his performances. Actually his
presentation and
words sometimes changed as the times and situations in a
living culture
changed. In some cases they have brought new life to
John’s words and listening
to their music is delightful.
They both
play a number of traditional
instruments and at times are joined by Bill Browne on
percussion and Baz Cooper
on accordion and piano. One could write more about the
music but suffice to say
you could enjoy the CD on this level too.
The CD
starts with Lawson’s Freedom on the
Wallaby, a stirring and provocative song. This rebel
chorus was sung with
gusto at Bush Music Club meetings in the 1960s but John
and I last sang it
together at Gay Scott’s funeral early in 2013. Jason has
added John’s last
written verse of defiance: we go on disobeying to
Lawson’s words for a
very strong start to the CD.
The next
introductory tune for John
Hospodaryk’s words about the stark life in the Female
Factory was the Croppy
Boy often used for the Convict Maid. It recalls
memories of times when
most folk singers had it in her repertoire but Chloe’s
singing surpasses the
best renditions with very different words from the
moralistic sentiments. There
is also a delightful version of Sally Sloane’s
traditional singing of Lovely
Molly as well as Molly Darling which is a sweet
sentimental sing-a-long song
from 1871.
When I
first heard The Man who Struck O’Hara
I thought of the ‘bogan slogan’ PM we had recently
booted and thought: good to
hear that ‘he won’t be back’! Times change as I’ve
already commented, and a
number of people find Chad Morgan hasn’t stood the test
of time, but I have
always laughed at the wry humour in his comments about
characters and life’s
situations in country songs. This has similarities to The Shit Flung on the
Floor – by Invitation Only which refers to a Binalong
incident in 1913,
which involved the class issues of the day.
There is
an amazing amount of history in the
selection of songs which one doesn’t get from the
standard history of Australia
books, Indeed, one could write pages on that aspect of
the CD alone.
I think
songs about public transport and train
trips will be even more relevant as the city of Sydney
copes with an overhaul
of city transport systems. The only way to cope is to
maintain a sense of
humour, but definitely do not ‘lie down on the tracks.'
This
selection gives an unique insight into
quality of Australian songs and the variety of tunes.
The cover with its
campfire dark exterior and wattle-golden interior gives
a symbolic meaning to
the contents, and the initial stiffness loosens with
use.
This
double album CD deserves strong promotion
and is ideal for Christmas gifts, especially for those
who ask where have the
Australian traditional and protest songs gone!
Light
Another Fire is available for purchase
/ download online from the Roweth’s website www.rowethmusic.com.au
Cost is $40 plus postage. *************************************************************************************************
Cost is $40 plus postage. *************************************************************************************************
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