Music
Press
These Girls were the surprise packet of Cooly Rocks On 2011.
Firstly as we very quickly found out they were not girls after all but five guys from Northern NSW!!
And to top it off they did not play Rock n Roll, but who cared as they smashed out their own style of music at the Coolangatta Hotel all the hard core Rockabilly & Rock N Roll fans loved them and all agreed the were the find of the festival.
They’re back in 2012 bigger and badder than ever!!!!!
- Bob Newman
What makes a band outstanding? Is it passion for making and creating music? Is it a great line-up of musicians who all, clearly, love what they are doing and are very very, very accomplished at it? I’ve often wondered and pondered on this musical conundrum.
Recently I had the great pleasure to witness a band that plays music that you think you know; are totally familiar with, however have not heard many of the songs before. The sort of music you will go and buy because you just know you’re going to love it and therefore don’t mind parting with the meagre bucks it costs to “have one of their original CD’s”.
The Round Mountain Girls (not a woman amongst them) are such a band. Their new CD One Step Closer actually brings you one step closer to loving everything that is melodic, dance-worthy (try and not dance to this music – I was there – and OMG did I kick up a storm) and did I mention lyrical, too?
Five musicians (Rex Carter, Chris Brooker, Chris Eaton, Rabbit Robinson and Chris Willoughby) play like they are on fire: a veritable carnival all by themselves and you just have to be part of it. With a fractious Fiddle; burgeoning Banjo; Guitars-a-go-go with acoustics to die for; percussion-a-plenty including Conga, tin whistle, tambourine and… whatever; devil on the Drums and beautiful, bountiful Bass.
If you get a chance to see these energetic, Irishy, knee-slappin’ and heel-kickin’ musicians-with-a-twist, then don’t be tardy, join the party………………
- By Marika Bryant ArtsHub | Tuesday, January 18, 2011
‘Any band that can get a mainstage tent crowd doing the dosey-doh at lunchtime gets my vote !! The Round Mountain Girls do have an insanely infectious bunch of songs - as insane as the mix of characters in the band - and it’s impossible not to be caught up in their infectious celt-country blend of music.’
‘I defy you to sit still !!’
- Rusty Thorpe
C O M I N ’ ‘ R O U N D T H E M O U N T A I N
T H E R O U N D M O U N T A I N G I R L S ’ S E C O N D R E C O R D I S ONE S T E P C L O S E R I N T I T L E A N D A C C O M P L I S H M E N T
B Y S A M U E L J . F E L L
It rains a lot up here in Brunswick Heads, particularly at this time of year, but we don’t mind it so much. Sometimes it pours for days on end and all you can do is sit at your desk, looking out the window, wondering what the beach is like and when you’ll be able to get down there next. Other times it’s not so heavy, and you can jump on your bike and head out to see what’s happening, usually down to the pub, particularly when there’s a good band on. Tonight it’s not raining, although it has been all morning, and I am at the pub, and yes, there is a good band on. The Round Mountain Girls are flexing their live muscle, and that makes it warm and dry and people up the front are dancing like it’ll never rain again.
Three days prior to this gig, I meet with banjo/guitarist Chris Eaton and drummer Rex Carter at this very pub, which is quite poignant for the Bruns Pub is where this sextet played their first gig together, some four or fi ve years ago. “We did, this is where we started,” smiles Eaton, looking around fondly, and this is echoed when I see them here live – they play like they own the place, never has a band seemed so comfortable up on a stage, although perhaps this isn’t so much because of the location but more because of the strong musical bond these musicians share. “Well, I initially got together with Brad [Hails)] who’s the other frontman, and Chris Brooker, who’s the other writer,” Eaton explains on the origins of the group, all of whom are based around the Northern Rivers region of NSW. “This was around 2005 or maybe 2006… so I brought those two together, and Brad knew our bassist [Chris Willoughby] and he knew the Sunnyboys’ drummer, who was coming back from Sydney, so he was our fi rst drummer [Bil Bilson]. Then before that, I found the fiddle player [Rabbit Robinson], and he was a real find… we struck a bit of gold there, because Rabbit plays really well. “Then a couple of years later, Bil decided he’d had enough because we just got busier and busier and he’d done all the rock star thing before,” Eaton goes on. “So he played on the first album then left, and Rabbit had been doing some work with you,” he adds, looking at Carter, who became Bilson’s replacement. “Yeah, I was running a Sunday afternoon jam session in Pottsville,” explains Carter.“Rabbit used to live across the road and he’d come over and join in.” From those informal sessions, Carter was drafted into the band, and from what I saw that evening, three days after our chat, he’staken to it like a fish to water. So since their formation in 2006, the Round Mountain Girls (who aren’t, of course, girls, but six men) have forged themselves a solid reputation. They’ve played Bluesfest, Tamworth and Woodford and countless gigs around the region and in 2008 released their debut, White Rum, a fantastic document of what they’re up to, rich in bluegrass/Celtic grooves, a record to be proud of. Where they’re at now then, a couple of years down the track, is set to release their second record, One Step Closer. And if you thought their debut was a cracker, then you should sink your teeth into this one. “A quality album we’re proud of,” states Carter unequivocally when I ask what they wanted to come out with, with this second record. “I’ve done a lot of recordings that I listen back to and think, ‘I wouldn’t do that again,’ but I’m quite happy with this one, I listen to it and I’m quite happy with it.“I didn’t want to die wondering, I wanted to do the very best that we could do, and the RMG sound has defi nitely developed,” Eaton muses. “Last time around, the White Rum album was some songs we’d had for a while, some songs I’d played with other bands in the UK and some songs that Brooker had played over here, and we just adapted them, whereas this new one has been written specifically for the musicians that we’ve got, so certainly in that way we’ve progressed.” This is a sentiment echoed by Brooker himself when I chat to him briefl y after the band’s first set – One Step Closer is a record made specifi cally for the RMG, and having seen them live and listened to the record a few times, you can tell how marked a difference this makes. Overall, this is an important record for the band then. They’re not rock stars by any stretch, but they’re professional musicians working on something they all feel extremely passionate about (just listeningto Eaton and Carter tells you this, the way they talk about playing together, making this music together). I’m interested to know where One Step Closer (produced, incidentally, by Anthony Lycenko) sees this band. “Music for me is a life choice, you just keep doing it, and this is what has come out this year, I’m happy with it, people love it and if it results in sales and bigger audiences, great,” says Carter. “So I don’t think in terms of those corporate attitudes, I just like it.” This sums up the ethos of the band, and it’s a very simple ethos – they’re playing music because it’s what they do, and if it takes them somewhere, so much the better. “It’s fun,” smiles Carter, a number of times throughout our interview, and he’s right; fun to play (no doubt), fun to listen to, fun to watch. And that’s why when you dance to the music of the Round Mountain
Girls, it feels like it’ll never rain again. Not even in Bruns.
One Step Closer is an independent release. The Round Mountain Girls tour through January, details in the Gig Guide.
- Rhythms - Australia's Roots Music Monthly
What happens when you combine The Beatles, Oasis, Green Day, The Clash, The Animals and Wolfmother with classic Pachabel, a dose of Irish and English folk music and plenty of original material?
Why, obviously you get a hunk of Australian country!
As far fetched as this may sound that’s exactly what happens when all these influences are put together by the Round Mountain Girls. And to top it all off the Round Mountain Girls are 6 blokes!
RMG was one of the highlights of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Having played three gigs in 2009, they were booked for 10 this year and each gig attracted an increasing number of converts to RMG’s unique brand of Country.
Country rock? Blues? Soul? Western? None of these. Chris, Chris, Chris (no, that’s not a typo), Brad, Rex and Rabbit have created an entirely new genre of country music and Tamworth was the richer for it. Not only are they all very talented musicians, their on stage presence and the obvious fact that they were having a ball was infectious. ‘Banjo’ Chris Eaton’s version of Wolfmother’s The Joker and the Thief leaves the original for dead. Here is a man with an incredible voice! Paul ‘Rabbit’ Robinson was a finalist in this years Golden Fiddle Awards (losing to the venerable Davidson Bros). Coming from the Byron Bay area, one could almost be forgiven for thinking that the band had a collective dose of Mullumbimby Madness before coming on stage – such were their high energy performances.
To top it all off they are a humble lot. On the last Sunday, when many had left Tamworth, their gig at West’s Diggers was packed. RMG’s genuine amazement at the crowd’s support only endeared them more to their new-found fans. RMG’s all-original debut album, ‘White Rum’ is available via www.roundmountaingirls.com .
Graham Harsant 2010
- Truckin' Life Magazine.
TAMWORTH –Changing & evolving.
Word and photos: Graham Harsant
What happens when you combine The Beatles, Oasis, Green Day, The Clash, The Animals and Wolfmother with classic Pachabel, a dose of Irish and English folk music and plenty of original material?
Why, obviously you get a hunk of Australian country!
As far fetched as this may sound that’s exactly what happens when all these influences are put together by the Round Mountain Girls. And to top it all off the Round Mountain Girls are 6 blokes!
RMG was one of the highlights of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Having played three gigs in 2009, they were booked for 10 this year and each gig attracted an increasing number of converts to RMG’s unique brand of Country.
Country rock? Blues? Soul? Western? None of these. Chris, Chris, Chris (no, that’s not a typo), Brad, Rex and Rabbit have created an entirely new genre of country music and Tamworth was the richer for it. Not only are they all very talented musicians, their on stage presence and the obvious fact that they were having a ball was infectious. ‘Banjo’ Chris Eaton’s version of Wolfmother’s The Joker and the Thief leaves the original for dead. Here is a man with an incredible voice! Paul ‘Rabbit’ Robinson was a finalist in this years Golden Fiddle Awards (losing to the venerable Davidson Bros). Coming from the Byron Bay area, one could almost be forgiven for thinking that the band had a collective dose of Mullumbimby Madness before coming on stage – such were their high energy performances.
To top it all off they are a humble lot. On the last Sunday, when many had left Tamworth, their gig at West’s Diggers was packed. RMG’s genuine amazement at the crowd’s support only endeared them more to their new-found fans. RMG’s all-original debut album, ‘White Rum’ is available via www.roundmountaingirls.com .
The Round Mountain Girls are independents and their shows were all free. It is lucky for Tamworth that it attracts people of such high calibre. There was an increasing tendency this year for venues to charge a cover fee. This is to be expected for some of the top-line performers but is a bit rich when the increase in turnover from food and drink must be up three-fold. And bear in mind that artists – other than the top-liners - receive minimal payment for the privilege of appearing at the Festival. Surely there must be profit enough for venues to not go down this track.
Rod Dowsett put it well when he said, “Tamworth gave me my break. I feel that I owe the City and the people who attend the Festival something in return. I couldn’t bring myself to do charged gigs.”
Visiting Tamworth at this time of the year is not a cheap exercise. Accommodation is $1,000 (minimum) plus travel, food, lots of drink, etc. Our trip worked out to well in excess of $3,000 – and we watched what we spent.
Crowds were down again this year which, given the economic climate of the past twelve months, together with big superannuation losses by the older generation who are avid supporters of the Festival, was not surprising. Talk around town was that the organisers are concerned that the Festival is losing its way and that the Country & Western variety of music upon which it was founded is being swallowed up by other genres of (country?) music. To follow this line of reasoning would be at the Festivals peril.
Music, whatever the variety is constantly changing and Country is no different. The changes, particularly in Country have only brought with it a vaster audience (witness the Round Mountain Girls). In addition the venues will continue to stage acts that they see as being financially viable. There is still loads of traditional country at Tamworth and plenty of room for the rock, blues and RMG offshoots.
With these concerns Tamworth is still a fantastic place to spend ten days in January. The place buzzes. Peel Street is the place to start and from there you go to wherever your musical taste takes you.
There are plenty of reasonably priced eateries – although none can beat Joe McGuire’s pub. There you will pay only $9 for the 2 biggest meatballs you have ever seen, together with mountains of mash and veg. I ate 41/2 on the last day (I believe this to be a world record!) Fantastic!
For a couple of bucks you get temporary membership to Wests Leagues, Wests Diggers and The Services Clubs. This saves on signing in each time and also gives substantial discounts on food and drink.
The greatest thing about going to Tamworth though is the camaraderie. You meet people of all ages and from all walks of life and everyone’s an equal. In ten years that my partner and I have been going there, we have never seen a fight. One copper I spoke to said he loved ‘doing Tamworth’ because people actually came up to him just to have a chat. This is what really makes Tamworth the experience that it is. Everyone should do Tamworth at least once before they die. (Bet you’ll do it twice).
- Truckin' Life Magazine
TAMWORTH –Changing & evolving.
Word and photos: Graham Harsant
What happens when you combine The Beatles, Oasis, Green Day, The Clash, The Animals and Wolfmother with classic Pachabel, a dose of Irish and English folk music and plenty of original material?
Why, obviously you get a hunk of Australian country!
As far fetched as this may sound that’s exactly what happens when all these influences are put together by the Round Mountain Girls. And to top it all off the Round Mountain Girls are 6 blokes!
RMG was one of the highlights of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Having played three gigs in 2009, they were booked for 10 this year and each gig attracted an increasing number of converts to RMG’s unique brand of Country.
Country rock? Blues? Soul? Western? None of these. Chris, Chris, Chris (no, that’s not a typo), Brad, Rex and Rabbit have created an entirely new genre of country music and Tamworth was the richer for it. Not only are they all very talented musicians, their on stage presence and the obvious fact that they were having a ball was infectious. ‘Banjo’ Chris Eaton’s version of Wolfmother’s The Joker and the Thief leaves the original for dead. Here is a man with an incredible voice! Paul ‘Rabbit’ Robinson was a finalist in this years Golden Fiddle Awards (losing to the venerable Davidson Bros). Coming from the Byron Bay area, one could almost be forgiven for thinking that the band had a collective dose of Mullumbimby Madness before coming on stage – such were their high energy performances.
To top it all off they are a humble lot. On the last Sunday, when many had left Tamworth, their gig at West’s Diggers was packed. RMG’s genuine amazement at the crowd’s support only endeared them more to their new-found fans. RMG’s all-original debut album, ‘White Rum’ is available via www.roundmountaingirls.com .
The Round Mountain Girls are independents and their shows were all free. It is lucky for Tamworth that it attracts people of such high calibre. There was an increasing tendency this year for venues to charge a cover fee. This is to be expected for some of the top-line performers but is a bit rich when the increase in turnover from food and drink must be up three-fold. And bear in mind that artists – other than the top-liners - receive minimal payment for the privilege of appearing at the Festival. Surely there must be profit enough for venues to not go down this track.
Rod Dowsett put it well when he said, “Tamworth gave me my break. I feel that I owe the City and the people who attend the Festival something in return. I couldn’t bring myself to do charged gigs.”
Visiting Tamworth at this time of the year is not a cheap exercise. Accommodation is $1,000 (minimum) plus travel, food, lots of drink, etc. Our trip worked out to well in excess of $3,000 – and we watched what we spent.
Crowds were down again this year which, given the economic climate of the past twelve months, together with big superannuation losses by the older generation who are avid supporters of the Festival, was not surprising. Talk around town was that the organisers are concerned that the Festival is losing its way and that the Country & Western variety of music upon which it was founded is being swallowed up by other genres of (country?) music. To follow this line of reasoning would be at the Festivals peril.
Music, whatever the variety is constantly changing and Country is no different. The changes, particularly in Country have only brought with it a vaster audience (witness the Round Mountain Girls). In addition the venues will continue to stage acts that they see as being financially viable. There is still loads of traditional country at Tamworth and plenty of room for the rock, blues and RMG offshoots.
With these concerns Tamworth is still a fantastic place to spend ten days in January. The place buzzes. Peel Street is the place to start and from there you go to wherever your musical taste takes you.
There are plenty of reasonably priced eateries – although none can beat Joe McGuire’s pub. There you will pay only $9 for the 2 biggest meatballs you have ever seen, together with mountains of mash and veg. I ate 41/2 on the last day (I believe this to be a world record!) Fantastic!
For a couple of bucks you get temporary membership to Wests Leagues, Wests Diggers and The Services Clubs. This saves on signing in each time and also gives substantial discounts on food and drink.
The greatest thing about going to Tamworth though is the camaraderie. You meet people of all ages and from all walks of life and everyone’s an equal. In ten years that my partner and I have been going there, we have never seen a fight. One copper I spoke to said he loved ‘doing Tamworth’ because people actually came up to him just to have a chat. This is what really makes Tamworth the experience that it is. Everyone should do Tamworth at least once before they die. (Bet you’ll do it twice).
- Truckin' Life Magazine
Rave Magazine- Brisbane- Wednesday, 15 October 2008-
Aussie bluegrass-meisters Round Mountain Girls are a collective of blokes who love a drink and a good ol’ fiddle ‘n’ banjo hoe-down. Hailing from NSW’s north coast, the RMG distil the “aged and spirited” bluegrass formula on their debut CD White Rum. The band boasts three lead singers and storytellers in Brad Hails, Chris Eaton and Chris Brooker; their songs tell of drowned sorrows and hardships, growing up in the country and mysteries of old. The singers’ ragged harmonies, Eaton’s rolling banjo, Brooker’s chiming mandolin and Rabbit Robinson’s ‘lightning’ fiddle anchor RMG’s full-pelt bluegrass, occasionally providing lush Celtic tones. Brad Hails blows some earth-rattling didgeridoo and haunting tin whistle on WC Fever and Red Berries, giving the songs a distinct outback feel; the Zorba-tinged Greek Tragedy lopes and swirls and Drowsy Maggie is a terrific reworking of an old murder ballad. Eaton’s Why It Hurts, a gentle acoustic ballad dedicated to the former’s mother, concludes and steals the album – potent and bittersweet, just like white rum.
DENIS SEMCHENKO
- Rave Magazine - Brisbane, Australia
WHITE RUM – ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS Independent
OK, don’t get confused; the ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS are actually a bunch of blokes who play high-spirited backwoods/Irish folk style country. Their songwriting reveals a slightly dysfunctional and irreverent but grittily optimistic outlook. Opening track and album title White Rum starts sedately before upping the tempo. Rikki Tikki simply bolts out of the blocks. Drowsy Maggie is a traditional folk song about a runaway noblewoman, a fine vehicle for showing the band’s talents with fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar. Some of the tracks are simply daunting; with satirical messages about aging (Father Time) and drug use (Red Berries). Cowboy Dan honours the eponymous rough tough weather-beaten hero who fights for what he believes in and never gives up. The album closes with Why It Hurts; a poignant tribute to a Mother lost but never forgotten. This is an album for hard liquor, foot stompin’, cold nights and mountain air.
Available from www.roundmountaingirls.com and CD Baby
Deborah Minter 2008
- Capital News
Discography
Cover Girls (2012) - EP
One Step Closer (2011)- second album.
White Rum - (2008) - first album
Photos
Bio
Blistering performances at this year’s Bluesfest in Byron Bay has cemented Round Mountain Girls into Australian musicology and gained them the reputation as one of Australia’s most exciting festival acts. Performing on the Crossroads stage, RMG ripped through their current repertoire of songs from their latest album, One Step Closer. Round Mountain Girls then delighted audience members by cracking out the greatest version of Wolfmother’s Joker and the Thief you’ll ever hear!
Rusty Thorpe: ‘The Round Mountain Girls do have an insanely infectious bunch of songs - as insane as the mix of characters in the band - and it’s impossible not to be caught up in their infectious celt-country blend of music. I defy you to sit still !!’, RUSTY THORPE 2012. Bluesfest Touring and Marketing Manager.
The last 2 years has been an exhilarating trip for the Round Mountain Girls and their ever-growing band of followers. Proudly independent, the Round Mountain Girls have performed at some of Australia’s largest and coolest festivals. Byron Bay’s Blues Festival, Woodford Folk Fest, Caloundra’s Music Festival, Gympie Muster, Central Coast Country Music Festival, Neurum Creek Folk Fest, Gold Coast Acoustics, Wintermoon Festival, Urban Country Music Festival, Mullum Music and Tamworth’s Country Music Festival.
Fiddler Rabbit Robinson and RMG took out “Best Band Featuring A Fiddle Player” at the 2012 Golden Fiddle Awards in Tamworth. Robinson then went on to win the “Lifetime Achievement” award for services to fiddledom and also “Best Fiddle Teacher”. Round Mountain Girls have always known it but now they can safely say they have the “best fiddle player in Australia” in their band!!!
The excitement of a Round Mountain Girls live show is why this band is special. There are lots of instrument changes, different sounds and personalities, ebbs and flows and they simply exude a positive energy. They are a feel good band that make people want to dance and smile. They look and smell like a bluegrass band. They harmonise. They play fiddles, mandolins, banjos and acoustic guitars…. but don’t be fooled – Round Mountain Girls are actually a rock band and anyone who has witnesses RMG at full bore will feel the need to repeat the dose.
One Step Closer is the bands current album. It is uplifting by nature and highlights the band’s musicianship and songwriting talents. Featured on the album are Four-part Harmonies, Banjo, Fiddle, Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Didgeridoo, a bucket-load of percussive instruments, Bass and Drums. One Step Closer has received national air-play through ABC National radio, Country Music Channel, RAGE and Channel 10’s Landed music.
In March 2012 RMG released an EP, aptly titled “Cover Girls” which features their most requested cover songs (click the audio tab) and a disturbing photo of the lads in bikinis.
This is one of the most brilliant, interesting and dynamic bands on the festival circuit at the moment. Folk On!
Links
