The only time I have seen Mitchell Steele perform live was over a decade ago, upstairs at the Tudor Hotel in Tamworth during the Country Music Festival. Clearly it made an impression because I remember it clearly: the crowd in that hot room in January, his voice, the way he held our attention, and how he did not shy away from what was a very close audience connection in that space.

He did not release music at that time. Occasionally I would wonder what had happened to him and if he would resurface in the country music space. Then I saw that he was at this year’s Senior Academy of Country Music and that was the signal that he was back. Then I heard he was working on music and that a single was on its way, and I was, at the very least, curious as to what it might be.

When I finally heard the single, ‘Worn Out West’, it was worth waiting for. A decade worth waiting for? Yes. Steele’s voice is wonderful, and so is the story in this song, which he wrote with Kasey Chambers and Brandon Dodd and which they produced, as they did Steele’s album, which does not yet have a release date but suffice to say that there’s a good chance it too will be worth the wait.

I interviewed Steele about the song and his story, and he has had – still has – quite the life. He grew up in a musical family, on the land, working hard as country people have to because it’s a seven-day-a-week job, being on the land. He left school at fifteen to become a stockman, then found work in music on the Gold Coast. He’s mostly been moving between music and the land, between inland and seaside, since.

Steele is fully engaged in all parts of his life, and it is always a privilege to speak to someone who is passionate about what they do. It was clear to me – as it will hopefully be to you when you watch or listen to the interview – that in the years since I saw him perform in Tamworth he’s been forming himself as an artist, understanding both himself and the world better, and figuring out what sort of artist he wants to be. That’s why this one song is so good. That’s why the album is likely to be great.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Mitchell Steele in this chat. I certainly did!

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Something is in the water in the Victorian town of Castlemaine, in an artistic sense. That’s the impression I had from talking to Al Carr and Pete Daly, two of the four members of Castlemaine band Bad Debts. Carr, Daly and the two other members, Mitch Dillon and Al Stanley, are locals whose proximity has led to the creation of an endeavour that none of them was really seeking or expecting.

As I found out when interviewing them about Bad Debts’ debut album, Under Kalimna Skies, Carr and Daly met because they have children going to the same school, not through music circles, although Carr has released three solo albums, amongst other things, and Daly was previously in Melbourne band Blueriver. The collaboration began as the two of them jamming together, then added Dillon and Stanley, who have also been creating music (separately) for years.

‘We were kind of having a bit of fun,’ Carr says, ‘then it got serious all of a sudden!’

It got serious in the form of 13 songs, with the writing shared amongst Carr, Daly and Dillon, making one album, recorded in Castlemaine, and it’s remained serious because, as I found out, they are already well into making their second album.

Part of what I found so interesting about the conversation is that Carr and Daly were well established in their lives at the time they met and became friends. The easier path would have been for Carr to keep making his music and not take up Carr’s suggestion that they jam in his shed. He wasn’t looking for a new musical enterprise.

All four men, however, have embraced newness and the result is a whole body of work that wouldn’t have existed without each of them taking the sort of chance that seems effortless when you’re in your twenties and somehow so much harder when you have kids at school and homes to run. They probably don’t think of it as inspiring but it is – if nothing else, it’s a reminder that if we don’t take chances we never find out what may come of them, whom we may meet and what we may create. Bad Debts turned out to be a safe bet, and they intend to keep backing it.

A note on the audio: sometimes Daly’s wifi dropped out, so things were a little patchy. But that’s podcasting in real life and not in a studio! Occasionally the internet goes wonky.

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If you’ve ever seen Christie Lamb play live you’ll know just how compelling a musical presence she is, with her powerful vocals and inherent musicality. She’s played in all sorts of places, from private events to arena tours, and each step of her career has seen her develop further as an artist. Her artistry has also been developed through tertiary studies, and music is now part of who she is.

Lamb’s latest album, Dare, is the natural follow-up to Truth from 2022, and also an evolution in sound and storytelling. As Lamb is now a mother to Charlotte, with husband and longtime musical collaborator Jonathan English, the new album reflects the family side of her life as well as the fact that motherhood has not meant that she wants to stay home all the time. She’s a working artist, with the atypical lifestyle that brings, and she her songs reflect her reality as well as being relatable to anyone not only balancing work and family life but looking for meaning in both.

Some of the songs on the album were, she tells me during this interview, developed with specific themes in mind while others developed organically. ‘You kind of let the song dictate to you in a way,’ she says, ‘whether it's from a title or a concept or just a feel of a song.’

Lamb clearly approaches the creative process with an open mind and sense of adventure. As she says, ‘Dare to suck. Throw ideas out there [even] if it sounds cheesy or you think it's a bit cringe.’ It’s safe to say, however, that none of the songs on Dare are even remotely cringe! They are, in fact, incredibly earwormy, and you will find yourself being kept company by them, in a great way, for a long time to come.

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