Halfway, a band with strong QUT connections is up for an International Songwriting Competition award which coincides with the launch of its new, Nashville-recorded album, The Golden Halfway Record.
Halfway, which features QUT Creative Industries music lecturer and former Go-Betweens member John Willsteed on guitar, is a strong contender to take out the Americana category of the awards for Dulcify.
The song, written by band founder John Busby, is from the album Any Old Love which was mixed and recorded by Professor Phil Graham, head of QUT’s Music and Sound at the university’s Gasworks Studio. Produced by Robert Forster it was released in 2014 to critical acclaim.
Dulcify, an ode to a legendary racehorse tragically put down after breaking its pelvis in the 1979 Melbourne Cup, won Song of Year and Best Country Song in the 2015 Queensland Music Awards.
The Americana category of the International Songwriting Competition covers progressive, roots country music; an alternative to mainstream country.
Competition judges include Tom Waits, Lorde, Bill Withers, Kesha and Moby.
“Americana is a style of music that encompasses a broad range of artists like Townes van Zandt, The Band, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris, so it’s nice to consider Halfway in such company,” said Mr Willsteed.
The winners of the International Songwriting Competition are expected to be announced in early May. In the meantime, the band will officially launch The Golden Halfway Album at The Triffid in Brisbane on 29 April.
Released through ABC Music, The Golden Halfway Album was produced by Mark Nevers in Nashville, Tennessee. Nevers has previously worked with the likes of Lambchop, Calexico and Bonnie Prince Billy. It’s already receiving rave reviews from Australian music press and this week debuted at number 16 in the Aria album charts and number two in the country charts.
“Halfway has its roots in Rockhampton where founders John Busby, Elwin Hawtin and Chris Dale are from but the work we do and the way we approach it is an ongoing research project for QUT as well,” said Mr Willsteed.
QUT is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the ATN (Australian Technology Network of Universities).
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
