As a coming of age with a freshly developed sound and approach to his music, Fletcher Pilon of just 18-years of age has already made a serious mark in Australia throughout his early to mid—teenage years.

Top 5 Lyrics That Have Inspired Me

“Life is short, even in its longest days” – John Mellencamp

This really hits home with me. It’s a truly powerful, well-written lyric. In losing my brother Banjo, I know the feeling of the ‘longest days’ John is referring to: where time stops and nothing makes sense. To acknowledge this feeling in a connection to the fragility and finite nature of living is so reflective of how I perceive life: in that every day we are nearer to our end, which is nothing but the motive to live our fullest and most present lives.

“You never ask questions, when God’s on your side” – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is probably my biggest hero in music. His profound songwriting is something that I strive for in my own music, and I’m constantly inspired by his lyrics. This one is from ‘With God On Our Side’. The song shows the irony and hypocrisy of things like war and invasion, which are justified by patriotism and religion. I think the world has become increasingly accepting of horror in the name of freedom without knowing it. Ultimately this lyric captures the need to question everything and make decisions based on ethics and not tradition.

“All I need is a whisper, in a world that only shouts” – Passenger

As Passenger puts it, modern society has become polluted with noise and confusion due to the rise of consumerism in this connected capitalist environment. We’re all craving something real, and the harder it is to find the louder people become. We need to listen and communicate, and I know that for myself, the more I slow down and observe, the closer I become to finding something meaningful.

“From the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen” – Cat Stevens

This was written in the late 60’s, and decades on it means even more. There are kids with their eyes glued to televisions and iPads as toddlers, and trying to escape being marketed at and moulded into society’s view of an acceptable citizen is impossible. Even in primary school if it’s writing time then kids are expected to stop imagining or drawing or creating. This is all in balance of course, and I’m not saying these things are solely terrible, I just feel it’s easier to get caught up in it that it should be- so did Cat Stevens I guess.

“From little things big things grow” – Paul Kelly

I believe songwriting should always be in the pursuit of making people feel something. Paul Kelly is a storyteller, and this quote refers to the Australian legend of Vincent Lingiari who stood up for indigenous rights. The quote captures the ripple effect we can all have when our actions have conviction.

At the age of 14 he won Australia’s Got Talent 2016, signed to Sony and released a single titled ‘Water’ in 2017.

Our fave late night tour spots / eats / watering holes  by Dream on Dreamer

Coming straight outta Canberra.They look like a two-piece, sound like a five piece, and move like a hair piece. Frontman Brendon Houlahan plays guitar with his hands, bass with his feet, and singswith his face. Matt Tennant belts the drums really hard, sings a little bit, and wears really dumb shirts while doing it. Together, The Barren Spinsters deliver 70’s Blues Rock With a modern trashy twist. Much the same way that Wolfmother doesn’t.

Top 5 Southern Boogie Rock tracks with The Barren Spinsters

J Roddy Walston & the Business – Don’t Break The Needle

I only just discovered this track and artist a couple of weeks ago, and quickly found out that their self titled album is an absolute must have. J Roddy has a real Leon Russell vibe going on with his piano playing and a voice that could dead set sheer sheep with that gravelly goodness (that’s a compliment for those playing at home). The track is nothing overly complex, but it just pumps and that’s why it’s cool.

The Black Crows – Remedy

I’ve loved this song ever since it was introduced to me by a guitar student of mine who wanted to learn it. We nicknamed him ‘Rockstar’ cause he always wore a leather jacket and was way cooler than all of us teachers. I really dig the drama of the opening chords in this track, being a stark comparison to that relentless groove they lay down in the verses.

Faces – Stay With Me

They say Ronnie Lane cried when Ron Wood announced to his band mates that he was quitting the band. Long story short, I would too. Ron Wood’s guitar playing (especially on this Faces classic) redefined several rock based genres, giving them balls and credibility. I mean, how does one follow a world class guitarist like Mick Taylor when one joins The Rolling Stones? Answer: By being Ron Wood, that’s how.

The Sheepdogs – The Contenders

One of my favourite Canadian bands covering one of my favourite British bands, ‘The Kinks’. Both versions are incredible, which is a true testament to how well the song is written and arranged. I love how the Sheepdog (and The Kinks for that fact) make clean guitars sound heavy as flip.

The Charlie Daniels Band – Trudy

This track is seriously bad-ass, just like the band. There’s a real Kris Kristofferson fugitive storytelling approach to these lyrics that when crossed with that ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque’ southern swampy style, erupts into full tilt boogie.

LIVE SHOWS

Thursday – 3.1.19– Hamilton Station, Newcastle

Friday – 4.1.19– Sawtell Hotel,Sawtell

Saturday – 5.1.19– 5 Church,Bellingen

Thursday – 10.1.19– The Quarterdeck, Narooma

Friday – 11.1.19– The Commercial, Bega

Saturday – 12.1.19– Bottlerocket Bar, Nowra

Sunday – 13.1.19– Gerringong Bowlo,Gerringong

Friday – 18.1.19– The Workers Club, Geelong

Saturday – 19.1.19– The Golden Vine

Thursday – 14.3.19– The Workers Club, Geelong

Consisting of Parker Rose, Rob Johnson, and Matt Scully, Sunset City have been capturing the hearts of audiences all over the country. With a tonne of touring over the past 18 months the trio have performed at a range of events and venues including, Suncorp Stadium, the Commonwealth Games, and Surfers Paradise Live.

We asked Sunset City to hit us with their fave songs for the summer.

SUNSET CITY TOP 5 SUMMER SONGS

1. September – Earth Wind & Fire

September’s the one song that even if you didn’t know how to dance, for some ungodly reason, you would instantly be infused with a jackson-esque type shimmy that could only be replicated with a few tequila sunrises. This song is the pinnacle of summer, it’s also a reference for the “feeling” we were trying to replicate with “Forget It All”.

2. Cake by The Ocean – DNCE

We’ve covered this song live so much that people legitimately started thinking it was our original, I can’t count how many DMs we got from people saying just heard your song’ and we’re like ‘umm this is awkward’

3. Don Henley – Boys of Summer

It’s a classic, and besides the fact that “The Don” is the only one wearing a shirt in the film clip, the song is based on a summer experience. Everyone has a memory of a summer that they can never forget…and what an epic way to tell it. We also love the Ataris cover for mad throwbacks too!

4. Thirsty Merc – In The Summertime

Firstly because Australian artists are awesome! Everything about it just feels like summer to us… I feel like it relates perfectly… we did a couple of summers for the most part without jobs, surfing, or in our case trying… it’s just a classic Australian anthem for summer haha.

5. Get lucky – Daft Punk

Besides the fact the film clip silhouettes jamming in front of a giant summer sun, get lucky is the pinnacle of summer vibe, going out to have fun, and a riff to make anyone dance. If it wasn’t called get lucky, I dare say it’d be called summer sex or something to the effect of that promiscuity

Teaming up with the stunning Samantha Jade, break-out Gold Coast trio Sunset City are set to release their feel good summer single ‘Forget It All’ on Central Station Records. Dubbed as Australia’s answer to Maroon 5, the trio know how to keep it classy. With their unique blend of pop, funk and electronic, Sunset City are quickly becoming known for their infectious energy, and talent for delivering charismatic records time and time again.