Jordie Lane

Who wouldn’t want to be John Hammond for a day? The man who discovered Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen? Well, that’s how I felt last night at The Mint on Pico Blvd just west of Fairfax, where folk singer Jordie Lane, newly arrived from Down Under was giving his American concert debut. He put on a great show and now I also know how it felt to be Robert Shelton at Gerdes Folk City in 1961, whose rave review alerted John Hammond to the new kid in Greenwich Village.

Like Dylan camping out on Dave Van Ronk’s couch when he first blew into town (recounted in Talking New York on his first album) Jordie Lane also had a story to tell: he and his girlfriend (who covered her Suzie Rotolo locks with an impressive headpiece) spent their first night sinking into an inflatable bed that mysteriously developed a hole and started losing air until by morning they were flat up against a hardwood floor. Hard times in LA Town, one could almost hear the song a-birthing.

His girlfriend’s name is Clare Reynolds and she accompanied Mr. Lane on what he called a “guitar bass,” actually his well-worn guitar case, which she held up with every bumper sticker visible to the enrapt audience as she thumped a bass-line to his songs, all of which he accompanied on his vintage Gibson sunburst dreadnaught, in a rather remarkable combination of rhythmic strumming and finger-style picking. It was quite original and a virtuoso performance unto itself, honed during many years of busking in his native country, along with various kinds of percussion generated from his feet against the stage.

During a conversation after the one-hour concert he credited Steve Earle’s son Townes (named for Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt) Earle with some of those lightning-fast stage moves used to sustain the sometimes short attention span of street audiences during years of street corner performing—in the same live tradition that made Reverend Gary Davis such a captivating performer. If one is any doubt that folk music and its variegated styles is being passed to a new generation one had only to sit in the favored corner I found at The Mint to be utterly convinced that it is in no danger of dying out.

Who would have thought that there was one more anti-Vietnam War song to be written? Well, the 20-something Jordie Lane has recaptured the full horror of that modern Heart of Darkness in his new song The War Rages On, an apocalyptic tour of Saigon’s streets reflective of the postwar era. It’s a remarkable tour de force. Rather than being a protest song, however, it simply stays true to the narrative, and shows rather than tells.

And yet even that is quite contemporary compared to the song he did late in his set—a mining ghost song set in Australia in 1903—in a town called Bulls Eye. It’s both haunting and embracing—with his charming and almost Pete Seeger-styled sing along chorus that had everyone in the room joining in—with Lane’s enthusiastic coaching; it was quite irresistible.

There were love songs that went to the mat as if he were channeling Hank Williams or his own modern hero Gram Parsons, with the title I Could Die Looking at You. He demonstrated his commitment to the smallest details of the tradition he embodies by noting that he first recorded the song in the same room in which Gram Parsons died—in Joshua Tree National Park. And not satisfied with that communality he also was determined to record it on cassette tape—which took a considerable amount of shoe leather research, since no one in town (this was long after CDs had replaced cassette tapes) even knew what a cassette was. It therefore took Lane twelve hours to find the medium to properly convey his message, but he would not quit until he found it. What do you call that kind of persistence, if not artistic character?

He had a longstanding dedication to Gram Parson’s memory, which he first paid homage to back home in Australia playing the lead role of the late ill-fated singer in a stage production of Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons. Lane’s singing partner Clare Reynolds co-starred in the production as Parson’s heartbroken surviving friend, singer Emmylou Harris. Modern country legend Parsons was one of the original members of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and is highly esteemed by no less than the Rolling Stones, whose Wild Horses he covered with their blessing. He died of a drug overdose at just 26, in room 8 at the Joshua Tree Inn—where Lane in homage made his own reservation in order to write songs and begin work on that new album.

Jordie Lane has recorded two albums in Australia—Lover’s Ride and Blood Thinner—and will soon be going to Nashville to record his debut American album. If last night’s performance is any indication he surely has a significant career ahead of him in this country as well.

Some might think it is premature to make such bold predictions: I can already hear some skeptics out there who might even think it is u - FolkWorks

"Like two lovers dancing hip to hip, Jordie Lane's Lovers Ride seduces with the cuts Bottle of Her Love and Sweet Somebody. His vocals conjure up hints of Jeff Buckley, Gram Parsons and Jimmie Rodgers. (Yes the man can yodel and it is a very sexy one at that). The rockers Old Quarter Town and Drunk on Love (with Liz Stringer) kick up the passion and hits a celebratory groove. High & lonesome, vulnerable and sexy. My only complaint is that he lives half-way around the world (sigh)"
Joan Hathaway, Three Ring Circus, WMBR, Boston, USA

- Joan Hathaway, Three Ring Circus, Boston , USA

CD REVIEWS(Lover Ride-2006 EP)



"We recently did an Australian Americana special here on AmericanaOK. The inspiration for the show was the stunning Jordie Lane seven track EP “Lover’s Ride”. Every track on this self released EP is a gem. Each of the seven tracks seems to represent a strand of Americana from gorgeous Townes Van Zandt type ballads to Gram Parsons style country soul. If you want to hear one of the very best Americana records of recent years listen to this. You wont be disappointed but may be surprised that it comes from Melbourne, Australia rather than Austin Texas."
Tom Fahey
Americana Ok (2007)


- Americana OK

Rhythms Magazine - Martin Jones

From the plaintive opening plucks of Jordie Lane’s second album, Blood Thinner, you get the immediate whiff of distinction. You know those rare recordings that offer an inexplicable tone of gravity before the lyrics and melodies have even registered? Seems Lane headed into the Californian desert on one of those Gram Parsons pilgrimages. Something happened out there (we’ll find out more about that when Lane stars in next month’s Rhythms). He was one of the few who actually come across the spirit of Parsons. Armed with that spirit (and possibly a few other more potable ones), a few instruments, a four-track, a heart full of turmoil and a head full of ideas, Lane blurted out a bunch of songs in his Joshua Tree hotel room.

It is a great musician who can make something compelling armed with very little (see Gillian Welch and David Rawlings). With only his guitar and banjo, some boxes and Tupperware for percussion, and random objects like a $10 garage-sale harmonium, Lane has excelled in creating a sonic palette that is both elegant and exciting. When the beat-box style rhythm kicks in on ‘Room 8’ (ode to the hotel room in which the recording was initiated), you can’t help but cry “genius!” And is that a ringing wine glass at the end of the song? In those country/folk meets contemporary ingenuity moments, Blood Thinner reminds me of some of Steve Earle’s more recent work, particularly Washington Square Serenade. The constant creativity in the arrangements has you on the edge of your seat the whole record. Lane clearly recognised what he had captured on tape and took it do some hi-fi dudes for further treatment, Grammy winners Tom Biller (mixing) and Reuben Cohen (mastering) in the USA.
The next thing you’ll notice is how far Lane has come with his guitar playing and singing. Nearly all 12 songs are based around Lane’s fingerpicked acoustic guitar, augmented by some tasty sprinklings of banjo. In fact, on songs like ‘Not From Round Here’ that’s all you’re hear besides Lane’s voice.

Now to that voice.

Bearing the most responsibility on Blood Thinner, Lane’s voice rises to the challenge as a force of power and grace. The album bio raises Springsteen’s Nebraska as a point of reference and not without cause. You know how you can picture Springsteen alone in the dark in some shabby room singing those Nebraska songs and you’re compelled by the truth of every single word? You can picture Lane sitting in that Joshua Tree room in much the same fashion, moaning that truth like his life depended on it. And maybe it did. Both his harmony singing, and more bare performances (check out ‘Waters Clear Here Dear’) are breathtaking.

The album opens in a Welch/Rawlings tone, Lane providing, as he does for almost the entire album, all the instrumentation, backing himself on banjo and harmonies, with ‘Diamond Ring’, a potent two-and-a-half-minute tale of heartbreak.
Second track ‘Annabelle Marie’ is immediately striking, McCartney-esque in its bird-song melodiousness and pretty finger-picking, before the title track heads back to Welch/Rawlings territory with some incredible harmonies and Dylan-like lyrical bursts. Again, the whole thing’s over in two-and-a-half minutes, job done.
Like Welch, Lane has a knack for juxtaposing the ancient and the modern – ‘On The Net Till Morn’ talks about online lust in a traditional country-blues format. He’s also capable of claiming ownership of such well-worn forms. You’d sware the closing gospel opus, ‘I Sinned Today’, was lifted from an esteemed troubadour of yesteryear.
But, like Nebraska, Blood Thinner is not an album in which individual songs immediately jump out at you. They are like chapters of a book, each a critical part of the whole experience, each similar in tone and spirit, each contributing to the cumulative effect. That, my friends, is what they used to call an ‘album’!

Martin Jones
- Rhythms Magazine

Having spent the past four years building a reputation as an emerging folk talent, Jordie Lane's debut album may well come to be regarded as one of the most assured ever by a local artist. Displaying the soulful tenderness of Ron Sexsmith and Ray LaMontagne, and imbuing it with a fine appreciation of American country and folk, opener "The Publican's Daughter" demonstrates Lane's talent for storytelling. It is, however, the album's more tender moments that leave the hairs on your neck standing to attention. "I Could Die Looking At You" is one such number - quintessentially Australian, courtesy of its Banjo Patterson references, but Lane's gentle finger picking and intimate vocals lend it a sombre grace that is universal. "Fell Into Me", meanwhile, proves he's equally adept at conjuring a soulful, full-bodied band work-out that rocks. Produced by Jeff Lang and Tim hall, Sleeping Patterns is a rare treat.

4 stars

Rod Yates, Rolling Stone Magazine Editor - Rolling Stone Magazine

Jordie Lane, one of several Australian songwriters appearing at this year’s Americana Music Festival in September, just wrapped up a stint portraying Gram Parsons in the theatrical concert Grievous Angel – The Legend of Gram Parsons. We asked him about his latest album Blood Thinner, the first song he ever wrote, and more.

Who are your songwriting heroes?
Bob Dylan, Neil Finn, Lucinda Williams, Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Gillian Welch, Tom Petty, John Lennon, Paul Mcartney, Jackson Browne, and a million more.

You just got done playing Gram Parsons in Grievous Angel – The Legend of Gram Parsons. How did you prepare for the role?

In many ways. Learning everything about who he really was, his thoughts, his upbringing, his influences. Making trips out to the Joshua Tree, staying in that room, lying under the stars looking for UFOs.

When did you start writing songs? Were they good right away, or did that come later?

I started writing songs, like actual tunes and lyrics, when I was 10. I guess they weren’t bad for a 10 year old.

What was the first song you ever wrote? Tell us about it.

It was called “At The Door.” A song about being completely enchanted by a girl. If I remember it right, the opening lines were, “I saw you standing there at the door, I was hypnotiz3ed , mesmerised by what I saw…”. And it goes on and on like that [laughs]. I was writing about things I’d never actually experienced or felt. So I think when I began to understand what I was saying — like the first time I kissed a girl — it got a lot better.

How do you go about writing songs?

I grew up in a some what stranger than usual family, in that my parents had met in a traveling theater troupe, and my Dad was a clown and my Mum, a comedian. One thing that became clear when I started to get older was that I was heavily influenced by my Mum’s ability to have us on the edge of our seats at the dinner table, with just the aid of what would normally be a fairly mundane story. I began using this in much of my song writing. Basically the art of turning and twisting until the words draw you in. When I started, I was right into playing guitar and always started a progression or melody on that, and then hummed myself along until recognizable lyrics started to come out of my mouth, and that’s where the concept would come from. But as I started to get out in the world, I began to find I had specific stories I wanted to tell, and one day I just flipped the other way and started writing lyrics first. I’m now starting to head back the other way, playing piano as the initial foundation to songs.

I can’t write songs very well while I’m traveling, but in saying that, I must travel extensively before I can then sit down in a solid space with four walls to write. I will usually write 10's or hundreds of ideas in musical and lyrical form before one starts to keep pushing it’s way back to the top of the while to the point that I can’t push it away anymore. This is usually a good way I find what ideas are strongest for me.

What percentage of the songs you write are keepers?

It’s probably about 5 in 100 ideas that I actually finish into complete songs. And then it’s only 1 or 2 of those that I feel are keepers.

It’s probably only due to the invention of the i phone that made me realize how many ideas your brain comes up with in a day, that in the past I would have just hummed in my head as i walked down the street,only to forget moments later.

Do you have any standards for your songs you try to adhere by when choosing them for an album?

Well for starters they have to fit the concept for the album, which up until now I seemed to have done. They have to be something that I really enjoy singing every time.

I’ve never much tried songs out on live audiences before recording, which might be a bad thing, I don’t know. I’m gonna try that on Thursday [laughs].

What sort of things inspire you to write?

Rather than listening to other songwriters I like to see or listen to people in bars, or at the post office, or the gas station or whatever. But the one thing I can’t shake as being my ultimate muse,
and it may be the most cliche thing of all. Girls.

What’s the last song you wrote or started?

I just finished writing a song yesterday. I guess the working title is called “The Winner”. In no way is it a reference to sport or athletics in any way.

What’s a song on Blood Thinner you’re particularly proud of and why?

“Not From Round Here.” It was a new type of songwriting for me, where I devised this weird mathematical system, along with a metaphorical idea that the lines are like branches of a tree. Sorry, I can hear an Aussie voice in my head saying “You sound like a wanker, Jordie”.

What’s a lyric from Blood Thinner you’re a fan of?

From the song “I Sinned Today” which was inspired by my Mum’s Catholic upbringing, and my Grandma’s troubled childhood.

“I still know nothing about God
I’m learning not to - American Songwriter Magazine

Jordie Lane, one of several Australian songwriters appearing at this year’s Americana Music Festival in September, just wrapped up a stint portraying Gram Parsons in the theatrical concert Grievous Angel – The Legend of Gram Parsons. We asked him about his latest album Blood Thinner, the first song he ever wrote, and more.

Who are your songwriting heroes?
Bob Dylan, Neil Finn, Lucinda Williams, Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Gillian Welch, Tom Petty, John Lennon, Paul Mcartney, Jackson Browne, and a million more.

You just got done playing Gram Parsons in Grievous Angel – The Legend of Gram Parsons. How did you prepare for the role?

In many ways. Learning everything about who he really was, his thoughts, his upbringing, his influences. Making trips out to the Joshua Tree, staying in that room, lying under the stars looking for UFOs.

When did you start writing songs? Were they good right away, or did that come later?

I started writing songs, like actual tunes and lyrics, when I was 10. I guess they weren’t bad for a 10 year old.

What was the first song you ever wrote? Tell us about it.

It was called “At The Door.” A song about being completely enchanted by a girl. If I remember it right, the opening lines were, “I saw you standing there at the door, I was hypnotiz3ed , mesmerised by what I saw…”. And it goes on and on like that [laughs]. I was writing about things I’d never actually experienced or felt. So I think when I began to understand what I was saying — like the first time I kissed a girl — it got a lot better.

How do you go about writing songs?

I grew up in a some what stranger than usual family, in that my parents had met in a traveling theater troupe, and my Dad was a clown and my Mum, a comedian. One thing that became clear when I started to get older was that I was heavily influenced by my Mum’s ability to have us on the edge of our seats at the dinner table, with just the aid of what would normally be a fairly mundane story. I began using this in much of my song writing. Basically the art of turning and twisting until the words draw you in. When I started, I was right into playing guitar and always started a progression or melody on that, and then hummed myself along until recognizable lyrics started to come out of my mouth, and that’s where the concept would come from. But as I started to get out in the world, I began to find I had specific stories I wanted to tell, and one day I just flipped the other way and started writing lyrics first. I’m now starting to head back the other way, playing piano as the initial foundation to songs.

I can’t write songs very well while I’m traveling, but in saying that, I must travel extensively before I can then sit down in a solid space with four walls to write. I will usually write 10's or hundreds of ideas in musical and lyrical form before one starts to keep pushing it’s way back to the top of the while to the point that I can’t push it away anymore. This is usually a good way I find what ideas are strongest for me.

What percentage of the songs you write are keepers?

It’s probably about 5 in 100 ideas that I actually finish into complete songs. And then it’s only 1 or 2 of those that I feel are keepers.

It’s probably only due to the invention of the i phone that made me realize how many ideas your brain comes up with in a day, that in the past I would have just hummed in my head as i walked down the street,only to forget moments later.

Do you have any standards for your songs you try to adhere by when choosing them for an album?

Well for starters they have to fit the concept for the album, which up until now I seemed to have done. They have to be something that I really enjoy singing every time.

I’ve never much tried songs out on live audiences before recording, which might be a bad thing, I don’t know. I’m gonna try that on Thursday [laughs].

What sort of things inspire you to write?

Rather than listening to other songwriters I like to see or listen to people in bars, or at the post office, or the gas station or whatever. But the one thing I can’t shake as being my ultimate muse,
and it may be the most cliche thing of all. Girls.

What’s the last song you wrote or started?

I just finished writing a song yesterday. I guess the working title is called “The Winner”. In no way is it a reference to sport or athletics in any way.

What’s a song on Blood Thinner you’re particularly proud of and why?

“Not From Round Here.” It was a new type of songwriting for me, where I devised this weird mathematical system, along with a metaphorical idea that the lines are like branches of a tree. Sorry, I can hear an Aussie voice in my head saying “You sound like a wanker, Jordie”.

What’s a lyric from Blood Thinner you’re a fan of?

From the song “I Sinned Today” which was inspired by my Mum’s Catholic upbringing, and my Grandma’s troubled childhood.

“I still know nothing about God
I’m learning not to - American Songwriter Magazine

Let’s cut to the chase right here – the debut LP from Melbourne based songster, Jordie Lane, is an absolute cracker, and in fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that this will come in as Record of the Year. Perhaps that’s a phrase bandied around a little too often by music writers at inappropriate times of the year (like, not at the end), but Sleeping Patterns is so damn good and we’ve been waiting so damn long for it, well, words basically fail me. It’s honestly that good. Is this an unstructured rant? Yes, yes it is – but with good reason. Lane has been building his following slowly but surely over the past five years or so and over the course of this time which has yielded two EPs and a record from side-project Fireside Bellows (also fantastic), Lane has matured into one of this country’s best songwriters. Coupled with his guitar prowess and help from a host of guests (Jeff Lang, Liz Stringer and Steve Hesketh amongst them), this is a record that slides elegantly from folky ballads to rollicking blues numbers to country twang. The word of the day is Fuckin’ Brilliant, and it’s directed all at Jordie Lane.

9.5 out of 10

Sam Fell, Tsunami Magazine - Tsunami Magazine

The millionth roots revival continues at a steady pace in Melbourne with this often-astonishing debut from young blues/folk singer Jordie Lane, still only 24 years old. The record was produced and mentored by local blues elder statesman Jeff Lang, who also plays in the band with drummer Ashley Davies and sometime Jet keyboard player Steve Hesketh. Lane wrote these songs over four years and recorded the album in five days in a Fitzroy warehouse, yet despite his tender years he projects a lovely world-weary, old-time wisdom; a song such as "War Rages On" seems to draw on experiences gained from a troubled life well lived - the song writing here aspires to the anecdotal, literate insights of a Bruce Springsteen or a Don Walker.

Chris Johnston, The Age - The Age - Melbourne Newspaper

Taking the stage with his hat and harm, Jordie Lane, the ramblin’ man, looked every bit the true troubadour.

Playing his first shows back on home turf after his sojourn to LA, Lane treated the intimate audience to several new tracks inspired by his travels.

The crowd of true believers braved the chilly, wet winter's eve to huddle together and there was so much love in the small room that it was impossible not to feel the buzz of bodies.

Opening with ‘War Rages On’, Lane played song after song of achingly elegiac lyrics, matched by the poetic rhythm of his guitar. However, while the tracks were heart-wrenching ballads, Lane must take his sense of humour from his mother, Denise Scott.

Highlights of the set were ‘Publican’s Daughter’, ‘Hollywood's Got a Hold’ and ‘I Could Die Looking at You’, as well as a montage of late '80s cartoon theme songs, including ‘Super Ted’!

Lane even soliloquised extensively on the majesty and marvel of magician David Blane while his guitar began cutting in and out. By the end of the set, Lane simply unplugged his instrument and stepped to the front of the stage to play completely acoustically.

It’s hard to accurately describe the feeling in the room but it’s music like Jordie’s that makes it seem like the world’s not such a bad place, and nothing evil could exist when there’s something so sweet as that.

Kirsty Visman - AU Review

On Wednesday night, Black Bear Lodge was the welcomingly warm bed of the cold, wet valley. Whilst singer-songwriters Jordie Lane and supports, were the storytellers tucking you into your sheets on this drizzling winters night.

Irish singer-songwriter Alan Boyle was first to embrace black bear’s tiny stage. Having little knowledge prior to his performance, something I did notice was his voice. Boyle has vocal chords that make no difference when it comes to the distance between himself and a microphone or even an available PA system; you’re still able to receive those finely tuned stories. He performed a number of tracks including ‘Oxygen’ and a cover by Dublin band The Frames. Mid set Boyle thanked the crowd for coming early saying, “It’s a miserable day, feels great.” But despite the weather, the night did feel pretty good and according to an intoxicated new friend, the atmosphere made you “All warm on the inside”.

Next up was Kate Martin, a cute, little petite singer- songwriter whose sound reminded me of fairy music. Not in a rainbows-and-butterflies-everything-is-wonderful way, but with her delicately plucked melodies combined with her soft, soothing vocals. I do believe with a little more confidence and succinct playing, the performance could have been more powerful. Yet as I sat there starting to believe each song was too similar, Martin confessed that she was going to show us a loop track she hadn’t performed live much. The track destroyed all previous doubts, featuring the phrase ‘When you go’, a hand drum and some clapping. It’s slow funk and slight jazz feel changed up the set and when I remembered people were in the room with me clapping, you could see a lot of ‘Yea, that was cool’ grins flashing around.

At last Jordie Lane appeared to a rather crowded lodge. The fact it was a Wednesday night, raining and grown ups were sitting on the floor, was a good sign that everyone wanted to be there and to enjoy it. It was a night of stories with Lane reminiscing about dogs, magicians and sandwiches in New York. It was quite intriguing how he could draw such emotion to these tales with his playing, not to mention spicing up the set with guest appearances from a harmonica, banjo and antique Indian drone.

However with all humor aside, there were special moments. Sharing his stories resulted in a willingness for the audience to sing and clap along at almost every opportunity. ‘Hollywood has got a hold on me’ initiated the sing a long, followed by ‘I could die looking at you’ in which the crowd surprised Lane by joining in. It felt like the perfect finale when fate decided to intervene with the guitar PA, forcing Lane to perform acoustically with just himself and the audience. But everyone was enjoying themselves too much, resulting in additional songs including Bob Marley’s ‘Girl I want to make you sweat’. Overall, it was a night that really did leave you feeling warm on the inside.

Kirsten Sullivan- AAA Backstage - AAA Backstage

Recorded in the US on a Tascam 4 track Porta-Studio Cassette Machine (very old school recording style kids), with all instruments including guitar, banjo, kitchen utensils, wine glasses, boxes and even Tupperware played by Lane, 'Blood Thinner' could have either ended up being a train wreck or as it turned out, a masterpiece. This is no doubt due to the co-production and mixing by Tom Biller he who has produced Beck, Kanye West and Fiona Apple amongst others. So this might all sound pretty weird on paper, but stick the headphones on and there is some wonderful magic to be enjoyed.

The opener Diamond Ring is chock-a-block with guitar, banjo, (box?) drums and a distinctive voice that sounds like its owner has had his heart ripped out not once but twice or thrice. Annabelle Marie is a plaintive call, over guitar and subtle brush work on boxes, for something more substantial than what could have been an encounter on tour. Thin My Blood though starts with an up tempo banjo riff, almost 4/4 time, Lane telling the listener not to tell me how to feel. See the pattern here? 'Blood Thinner' is about love in all its melancholic forms, and not once does Lane hold back on his thoughts. Side A finishes with Room 8, a brief recording of the sounds one hears in the room that his hero Gram Parsons died in, Lane staying and recording in the same said room.

Side B opens with the alt/country feel of Old Time Spell, a track that would not have been out of place on any of Parsons' work. Lane's love of the West Coast is writ in spades on Hollywood's Got A Hold where he sings. "There's so many hopes, and dreams on the table". Of interest is his cover of Parsons' I Just Can't Take It Anymore, a choice guaranteed to have the listener wondering where Lane is emotionally at.

Simply put 'Blood Thinner' is how records used to be made and should still be made, as it uses the bare minimum of instruments, was recorded simply and easily and most important of all contains material that will stand the test of time. Outstanding. - DB Magazine Adelaide

Feature Record for the week beginning Mon 18 Jul 2011

Melbourne’s Jordie Lane returns from an extended stint in the U.S. to release his second album, Blood Thinner. To celebrate its impending release on Friday, July 15th (Vitamin Records), Jordie is thrilled to announce a national tour with more than 20 dates across our great big land in July and August.

After spending much of the last year baking in the Californian desert, Jordie Lane’s second LP takes a sharp and unique turn away from his critically acclaimed studio debut, Sleeping Patterns. Completely stripped back to the bare bones of recording techniques, the tracks on Blood Thinner were captured between a remote desert motel room, a basement and, finally, a bleeding hot garage in Eagle Rock, LA.

Responsible for almost every sound on the recording, Jordie creates some truly unique sounds using everything from kitchen utensils, wine glasses, boxes and banjo skins, and even a fan-powered harmonium found on the side of the highway for $10.

Co-produced and mixed by multi Grammy Award winner Tom Biller, (Beck, Kanye West, Karen O), and mastered by Grammy award winner Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Hollywood, Blood Thinner is a record that travels across landscapes with gospel choirs, near-techno beats, campfire folk songs, bluegrass and West-coast country. It’s the journey of a lonesome traveller dealing with such heavy themes as anxiety, betrayal, guilt and sinning. Drifting between the lines of love and money, and always staying true to Jordie’s storytelling prowess. - PBS 106.7fm http://www.pbsfm.org.au

25th Jul 11
Jordie Lane - Blood Thinner

Vitamin Records

Filled with sparse, but detailed compositions, Blood Thinner is a very focused and assured return from Melbourne's Jordie Lane. Playing almost every sound and instrument on the record, Jordie Lane has again produced an impressive collection of songs, spanning folk and Americana influences, and evoking the songwriting sensibilities of musical heroes Gram Parsons and Bruce Springsteen.
- RRR 102.7fm www.rrr.org.au

Occasionally, you stumble upon an exceptional gig; great band, great support acts, great venue, great food, great wine, great crowd. Yes, this is a gig review, but when said gig is accompanied by these things one cannot help but make a bit of a song and dance about it – pun intended! Jordie Lane‘s Blood Thinner album tour performance at the Old Hepburn Hotel in Hepburn Springs was this exceptional gig.

Walking into a country pub that has 20 or so Harleys out front and décor that seems best described as “eclectic Rockabilly-esque” does not, perhaps, initially evoke connotations of a great venue (although on closer inspection some of those Harleys were pretty sweet vintage rides) but it certainly provided punters and performers alike with a fantastic space for an afternoon of good music, good food and good company. Almost all the tables were reserved by 3pm and by 4pm the place was packed with punters from near and far.

Jordie Lane took the stage with his entourage of fantastic musicians including special guest Mike Noga (of The Drones notoriety) on drums. From the word go, these boys showed that an excellent performance ensues from great musicianship and a tight ensemble. Lane’s sound was a mix of modern and southern rock heavily influenced – both in terms of sound and accompanying anecdotes – by his trip to America. The songs were obviously well-rehearsed and as such were executed in what seemed to be effortless fashion. Most particularly, they showed that the four guys had a beautiful feel for timing and dynamics that perfectly complemented the musical and lyrical content. The stories of Lane’s recent trip to America provided much entertainment as he sang songs he wrote in the hotel room at Joshua Tree where Graham Parsons died or as a result of accidentally walking in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at a diner in LA.

The place was packed and the audience was obviously thoroughly enjoying themselves, so much so that one woman would not shut up and in the face of many other bands would probably have hijacked the show. However, Lane artfully verbally jousted with her and somehow managed to make the whole ordeal part of the gig’s overall charm. He also made a small friend by the name of Gill who, after providing Lane with a potato chip at the start of the set, was playing tambourine in the final two songs (rather skilfully for a kid who was probably no more than six years old) and became part of Lane’s highly amusing banter throughout the show.

Overall, Jordie Lane and his crew showed what excellent musicians can do when they just get up, do their thing, and enjoy themselves. And they certainly drew the crowd, as within 30 minutes of finishing their show and signing CDs and posters the place was practically empty. Undoubtedly the publican was thrilled at their pulling capacity!

- Paperdeer.com

“Evokes the subtle moments of being human,” reads the description of Jordie Lane‘s recent clip single Not From Round Here from new album Blood Thinner. Truer words were never spoken. If Jordie Lane’s music cannot evoke something in you, perhaps you have bigger things to ponder.



With a voice that resonates among the local folk scene, Lane’s music will taunt the wandering soul in you, while at the same time brings you back to what is simple and poignant in everyday life. Perhaps it is that he takes the time to see the things in life we often miss. Whatever the reason, Lane is making large waves not only in Melbourne, but as one of the leading singer songwriters in Australia today. - Paperdeer.com

"From the opening words of his heartfelt, simple Sweet Somebody to the final notes of Died lookin’ at you I felt like I was on a journey somewhere between Hank Williams and Ryan Adams, somehow familiar and yet wonderfully new"
Fasterlouder.com.au(live at Toff In Town,30/08/2007)

- Faster Louder

"We caught the last three songs of local songster, Jordie Lane, who we caught with his full band at Port Fairy a couple of months ago, and while it was just him on his own tonight with guitar and harmonica, it still served to show his talent in the singer / songwriter vein. His voice is solid and clear, his mastery of his instrument deluxe"
Sam Fell(Live Review from Northcote Social Club) May 5, 2007)

- Inpress

“Lane touched listeners with his earnest tales of love and loss, and humbled us with his gentle demeanor…capturing all with the raw emotion of his performance”
Beat Magazine, 28/3/07

- Beat