Supergroups, contrary to mainstream opinion, aren’t just groups that are really famous, or even really good. Nay, supergroups are when musicians who are known for being in other groups (or performing on their own) come together, motivated by a love of performing, feelings of charity, or the dump trucks of money driven up to their houses.
Luckily, Brisbane-and-Melbourne’s newest supergroup The Wilson Pickers fits firmly into the first category, with each of the members bringing a solid reputation into this outing. Ben Salter from The Gin Club, Andrew Morris, ex-Palladium frontman turned solo artist, and Danny Widdicombe represent sunny Queensland, while Sime Nugent and John Bedggood fly the Victorian flag. With five superb musicians in the band, there was always going to be high expectations for their debut album Land Of The Powerful Owl, but it meets them all, and passes with flying colours.
Of course, these five musos have similar styles (it’s not like they’re being paired with Britney Spears here), and alt-country and blues numbers are the order of the day here. Each band member does lead vocals on some tracks, but it’s the group numbers that really shine, like the sparse I Won’t Tell and the Neil-Young inspired Gold River. Brilliant acoustic guitar sits alongside banjo, harmonica and violin, giving tracks like How Long? and Little Old Man an authentic country twang. There’s some opportunities for some country-foot-stomping during Graves Or Gold, and the slower bluesy numbers work well, especially closer Barman Blues.
Each of the five vocalists put in their standard excellent performances, suiting the music perfectly – there’s a reason these guys cite influences of the likes of Steve Earle, Willy Nelson and Gillian Welch. There’s an authenticity to these songs, but also a laidback versatility. This album was originally recorded as demo, in a single four-hour session. Even listening to the newly remastered version that has been released, you get the feeling that it wasn’t even a rush, and they could have gotten two albums from that session if they really wanted to.
The Wilson Pickers will be touring more regularly now, including an album tour later in October, and their live show is even better than their recordings. It’s hard to imagine, because Land Of The Powerful Owl is a superb debut, full of the rich soul that each of these musicians bring to every performance. It’s a great Sunday afternoon album for sitting out on the deck and knocking back a few beers with friends. It’s the kind of album you’d only expect to work from an artist from the depths of Nashville, and it’s great to see the Australian alt-country bluegrass flag being flown so freely.
