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The Stillsons Bring Their Earnest Album Tour To Adelaide

Contemporary roots band, The Stillsons, will be finishing off their ‘Earnest’ national album tour with two shows in Adelaide later this month. They have been thrilling audiences across Australia with their live shows – many of them extending up to three hours of original material.

‘Earnest’ is The Stillsons second album and has already been well received by respected music publications and radio stations. Andrew Watt of Melbourne’s broadsheet, The Age, gave the album Four Stars, describing the album as ‘a strangely addictive collection of memorable songs performed with flair and a sly, knowing smile.’

Additionally, Nick Argyriou, of Rhythms Magazine, made the comment, “Earnest manages to meld a dusty sonic chemistry with bold and imperishably robust rhythms during one of the most amiable releases you’ll hear in 2011. And this is not hyperbole – trust me.”

Justin Bernasconi (Guitar) and Cat Canteri (Drums) are the core of the band’s song-writing and have been since meeting in 2006. Ben Franz (The Waifs) joined the group in January 2010, adding his deft touch on pedal steel guitar, vocals and production. The rare male-female dynamic echoes the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Welch and Rawlins.

Wade Stokes from Glam Adelaide was lucky enough to catch up with Justin Bernasconi from The Stillsons to talk about everything from the band’s origins, to Earnest and what’s next on the agenda for this talented group of musicians.  

 

How did ‘The Stillsons’ form?

It took a year of placing ads in the street press and networking before Cat rocked up at a bar to watch me play one evening. I was over auditioning people so I asked her to come to the next gig and bring some percussion; which she did. That was 2006 and we've been playing ever since.

Where did the name, ‘The Stillsons’ originate?

I had a friend in the group who was a weekend warrior musician, and a plumber by trade. He was telling us about the Stillson, which is a big spanner. We like telling people random stories about how the name came about… being chased by a naked lady with a wrench, being attacked but a blind drunk with a massive spanner. The truth is far less interesting!

For those who don’t know much about your music, describe what type of artist you are.

We say contemporary roots. Some say hyperactive genre jumping but it's basically folk, country, blues and rock. There are two singers in the group, Cat Canteri (who also plays drums and guitars) and myself (guitars and ukulele).

Who are your major influences?

There's so many influences for all us of in the band, I think maybe now, we might focus on bands that are similar, with multiple singers/ songwriters, The Band, Fleetwood Mac, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings 

Your first album had a lot of critical success, particularly in regards to the single, Charity and Ghosts. Charity and Ghosts is a great song with an equally great video clip that delves into addressing the ‘Forgotten Generation’ of bod the so-called ‘orphaned child migrants’ from Britain. How did this song come about and what possessed you to speak out about this period in Australia’s history which is so often ignored?

Well, it's probably the most tragic and compelling part of history between the UK and Australia that I could connect too. It was gaining a lot of attention in the British media when I was just leaving school because a book called 'Children of the Lost Empire' had been out for a few years; and more and more shocking facts kept unraveling. Thousands of British Children were told that either their parents had died, or that they didn't want them, and were sent over to here, to keep Australia 'white' until 1967. Both governments, the children charities and the church were in on the policy, and ultimately the cover up.

When I arrived and settled in Australia, I was homesick. I reread all the books I had read in the UK about 'child migrants' and decided to write 'Charity and Ghosts'. We still witness extreme reactions in the audience when we play the song, grown men crying, people get angry wanting to know about this part of Australian history they didn't know about. Of course, the movie 'Oranges and Sunshine' did a brilliant job of correcting that!

What can we expect from your new album, Earnest?

Fresh sounds, beautiful harmonies, 'real' lyrics, driving rhythms and of course, great songs.

What’s next for The Stillsons?

We're planning on touring for most of next year. We have a east coast tour planned in Jan and April, WA, regional Victoria, and of course South Australia!

 

You can catch The Stillsons live in Adelaide on Saturday, the 19th of November, at The Wheatsheaf Hotel and on Sunday, the 20th of November, at the Grace Emily.

The Stillsons’ second album, ‘Earnest’, was released through FUSE Group and is available in all Title record stores and online on iTunes or www.thestillsons.com

 

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