By BILLY DIXON
WIN WIN WIN | The Weeping Willows’ NEW ALBUM PLUS tickets to Fluir in Melbourne
Original, high-quality Australian music – not the type styled on American pop, but genuine, original art – is hard to come by. Maybe it’s the small size of the market here, perhaps it’s just that Australian’s aren’t all that imaginative.
Actually it’s neither – not according to Fluir’s latest release. If there’s one word that could usefully describe this EP, it’s original. It shamelessly acknowledges its pop roots, it’s collaborative and best of all, it’s a quality listening experience that you can read more about here.
Thanks to Half Brothers Booking, MINT Magazine has 2 double passes to give away to see Fluir performing on Friday, 15th April at Bar 303, High Street, Northcote supporting FRANKi! The two lucky winners and their compatriots will be among the first to hear Fluir’s new vibe, having downed the age-old acoustic guitar to experiment with drum loops, vocal effects and electronic music 
more broadly.
Not only will you be the first to judge how this incredible change of heart, this re-energised second start turns out, but you’ll also be the first to see how the challenges of performing live truly compare with the creative process in a controlled environment.
It’s no small order, and I’m sure Fluir knows that, but something I think we could all agree on is that music sounds better when it’s crafted with passion, rather than forced out as part of a nine-to-five gig with irregular hours and little in the way of overtime.
On top of this fantastic opportunity to get an emerging Australian artist the recognition she deserves, the next prize in our little social media experiment will see you listening to one of two copies of The Weeping Willows’ newest album, Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’. A real, no-foolin’ compact disc, a hard copy, a genuine old-fashioned.
They’re preparing to show off this new work of folksy Americana at T’Gallant Winery on Sunday, 27th March, so you really should endeavour to see them in such an intimate local setting even before you score a copy of the new record. You’re unlikely to find another such soulful, musical duo experience that’ll rival it (with a helping hand from a host of other instrumental experts, of course) set in such beautiful and appropriately-themed scenery.
The album sees Kevin Breit (Rosanne Cash) on banjo, David Piltch (Billy Bragg) on upright bass, Tommy Detamore (Ray Price) on pedal steel, Luke Moller (Kasey Chambers) on fiddle and mandolin, and guest vocals from Melbourne alt. folk duo Sweet Jean.
Lead single “River of Gold” is a stunning centrepiece, whilst “The Pale Rider” explores the duo’s darker edges and MINT’s very own Hip to be Country writer Lachlan Bryan joins them on the aptly-titled “Devil’s Road.”
So whether your tastes lean toward electronic pop and alternative indie, or a more laid-back, soulful and instrumental alt-country vibe, you’d better jump on MINT’s Facebook and Instagram pages and get your name on the list.
With nothing to lose and so much to gain, why wouldn’t you?
To enter, simply follow MINT Magazine on Facebook and Instagram and tag MINT Magazine and one friend in a gig or event photo. Winners will be announced on MINT Magazine’s Facebook page @ midday, 21st March, 2016.
