Calling Me Home
Sara's new video clip for the first single from the album of the same name, "Calling Me Home"
Keep watching this space as Sara's new website will be launched soon.
Sara's Tamworth dates
Sara with Special Guests Harmony James and Brendon Radford - 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Nov
Sara Storer is the most awarded female artist in Australian country music history, having swept all before her when she took home 7 Golden Guitars on one amazing night in 2004. Since then Sara has gone on to cement her place as one of Australia’s most important singer / songwriters.
In a chapter from a book called Women of the Outback by Sue Williams, Australia’s most revered songwriter, Paul Kelly, said, “Sara’s songs are grounded in real stories. You know she’s paid attention, heard the bush waking up in the morning, listened to the worries thrashed out at the kitchen table, smelt dry summer wheat up close, dreamed of far away places in a bedroom with a window on a big sky, driven miles on dirt and bitumen and fallen in and out of love. She’s found her own way to sing the stories that are all around her and then inside her bubbling out. She doesn’t copy over-emotive, fake sincere twangy country singers from overseas. She’s found her own restraint and steel and lets her songs do their sweet, sly work.”
Sara’s stories will come to life when she takes to the road this November for a brief series of shows along the NSW coast. Sara will be joined by Special Guests, Harmony James and Brendan Radford.
Sara recently returned to the Northern Territory – this time to stay and along with her partner, David O’Hare, welcomed her first child, Harry, in April 2009 - not long after taking up residency in Darwin.
Harmony James came to the attention of the music industry a couple of years back when her song "Tailwind" was the first Australian song to win the country category of the International Songwriting Competition.
Her second single, "Somebody Stole My Horse", was Australia's second most played country song in 2008.
Now, with her debut album, Tailwind, Harmony confirms that she is a talented and skilled singer songwriter.
Born in Melbourne to a Baptist preacher, as one of 12 children, Harmony had a sheltered childhood, with private tuition and few friends. In place of socialising she read voraciously, every book she could find, eventually discovering the western novels of Louis L'Amour.
Traditional country music was the next discovery when a friend returned from Texas with Randy Travis records. These beginnings inspired her to head bush for her own western adventure. She's lived the dream, running a stock camp in Outback Queensland and working cattle out on the Northern Territory's Barkly Tableland.
Produced by music legend Herm Kovac, Tailwind is packed with memorable, often personal songs, including the inspiring "Fly", the quirky, captivating "Painted Pony" and the wonderfully vitriolic "Cold, Cold Rage".
Harmony was named Rising Star at the 2008 Victorian Country Music Awards, and was a 2008 New Talent Golden Guitar finalist. But that's only the start of a stellar career for this gifted artist.
Brendan Radford is a gifted Australian songwriter, vocalist and guitarist. For many years now, Brendan has performed and recorded with leading Australian artists including Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Gina Jeffreys, Adam Harvey and Beccy Cole.
Not before time, Brendan has finally released an album of his own. Entitled Snow, the album includes a number of songs written by Brendan, along with interesting reworks of a few obscure classics. Brendan produced all tracks, features on vocals, guitars, harmonica and mandolin, and is joined by some of Australia’s premier musicians.
The first single 'Sweet Maree' achieved top ten ranking on national radio charts, and the second single and title track ‘Snow’ is also proving popular. Brendan's live performance features these and other songs from his album and Brendan will also be accompanying Sara during her performance.
Greg & Sara Storer - When I was a boy
Purchase on Mp3 of this great track here
Sonbirds On Tour
STONE BROS in cinemas NOW!
"STONE BROS is a breath of fresh air….the first full-blooded Oz comedy in eons!" (EMPIRE)
"The hysterically funny Stone Bros... Go buy a ticket - you won't regret it!" (SMH Metro)
“A rib tickler…. and it will have you cracking up until the end” (Koori Mail)
STONE BROS, Australia’s first ever Indigenous comedy feature film is NOW in cinemas!
Written and directed by award winning Indigenous film maker Richard J. Frankland, STONE BROS tells the story of two young cousins, Eddie and Charlie. When Charlie trades Eddie’s favourite jacket, he unwittingly loses a sacred stone, entrusted to Eddie by his uncle, which he promised to one day return to its home in Kalgoorlie.
STONE BROS features the music of JOHN BUTLER, SARA STORER and THE CHARCOAL CLUB.
John Butler's song 'Used To Get High' is a signature tune featured on the movie soundtrack along with 'Thou Shalt Not Steal', the popular song written by Kev Carmody.
STONE BROS also features a stellar cast including Luke Carroll (“Australian Rules”, “The Tender Hook”), Leon Burchill (“Lacey”, “Out at Sea”), Peter Phelps (“Underbelly”, “Lantana”), David Page (Award winning resident composer for the Bangarra Dance Theatre, “Green Bush”) and Valentino Del Toro (“Fool’s Gold”, “Gabriel”).
Check the official film website to find out where STONE BROS is screening at a cinema near you - www.stonebrosmovie.com.au
Media inquires contact - John Foss (Golden Seahorse Productions) - 0408 386 812
The Songbirds new DVD is available now! Click here to order!
Over the past two years multi-award winning artists Beccy Cole, Sara Storer and Gina Jeffreys have toured together as the Songbirds. Hailed as the must see country concert to see, Australian audiences have enjoyed the hits from three of the most beautiful individual voices on stage and were treated to some very special “trio” performances of songs chosen by the girls from their own album collections.
After loads of fan requests from around the country the three long time mates have for the very first time recorded a special concert so that we can re live on DVD time and time again.
This DVD was recorded in Tamworth on January 22, 2009 at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre and also features performances from Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers and John Williamson.
Sara Storer Silver Skies
At the 2004 Tamworth country music festival Sara Storer took home a record seven Golden Guitars for her second album Beautiful Circle. The album was a hit with fans, industry insiders and critics and the easy thing would have been for the Victoria born and bred but Central Coast based Storer to reduce that success down to a formula and then repeat. You don't need to look very far to see many successful careers built on that principle
The trouble with that sensible approach is that Storer came to prominence in the first place, not because she was doing what was expected, but rather because she was following her heart to make music that mattered most to her. And to all who heard her, there was little doubt that here was a unique talent. It was music that was proudly of and about this country, but crucially there was a sense that it was rooted firmly in the present.
Her fourth album Silver Skies is the first to be made without the steady hand of producer Garth Porter on her shoulder. It is filled with tales of lives and loves of those on the land but there is a much broader musical palette that shows her to be a contemporary of Missy Higgins and The Waifs as much as her country comrades. Most impressively Sara has moved forward without leaving anything behind.
Much of this change is laid at the feet of Matt Fell. Sara and Matt laid out the demos for this album in a few days late last year with a view for Sara to show prospective producers where she thought the songs might be taken. She was confident these songs, her originals as well as co-writes with Paul Kelly (Second Time Around), Boh Runga (Long Live The Girls), passionate fan Jack Harris (Lovely Valentine) and a cover from her brother Greg (Crow), were among the best she had ever collected. It didn't take long to realise that Matt himself should man the boards and as soon as The Waifs'; Josh Cunningham signed on to co-produce (he and Sara had previously collaborated on her last album Firefly) the team set to work.
Recorded at over a two month period he and Josh handled most of the instruments, while Glenn Wilson played the drums with additional touches coming from Rod McCormack and Mick Albeck. The producers insisted that Sara play guitar, which was also a first.
There are a number of songs instantly recognisable as being typical Sara Storer, including the first single Land Cries Out, Back To The Territory, Crow and Sitting Here With Fay, but the balance of the material is concerned with matters of the heart. Sara confesses to writing from a very personal place, which is why her songs have rung so true. Listen and you may learn something of her journey over the two years that the songs were written, but don't take them to be autobiographical.
"You can create a lot of drama out of a small hiccup"; Sara explains. "That is the fun in writing. People may ask me questions about my personal life from hearing these songs and all I can say is, emotions are sometimes too hard to ignore when writing about life. It's how truthful you get or how creative you can be when you get to pour out emotions through music."
It would be wrong to suggest that Sara was not concerned about whether this subtle change in direction in Silver Skies would alienate people, but she knew must stay true to her art. Ultimately Sara knew that is she couldn't please herself then there was little likelihood she would be able to please anybody else.
"There was a lot of discussions and a long thought process in the making of this album. I kept coming back to that saying "keep it simple stupid." For me that was to look at each song individually. Forget genres, forget what anyone else expects and stick with what I think will work best with the song. Just because I'm country doesn't mean I have to stick with country elements like having fiddle throughout the tracks to keep people happy. People will just have to understand it's a Sara Storer story and I want the music to be right for the song."
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