Wow, what an amazing couple of weeks. The Mt Beauty festival was fantastic -- beautiful weather, great venues and great audiences. Then myself and The Industrious Felons headed up to play the Wintermoon Festival, in Cameron's Pocket about an hour from Mackay. What a stunning festival! I had heard so much about Wintermoon over the years from musician friends, so I was really happy to be on the bill. Everything I heard was true. We had an incredible time. Flawless weather, wonderful organisers and volunteers, enthusiastic audiences, great camaraderie between performers. All in all, two of the best festival experiences we have ever had. Cheers....

Hey, I'm heading off tomorrow to play the Mt Beauty Music Festival, in northern Victoria, over the coming weekend 27-29 April. Mt Beauty is a beautuiful spot about 350k north-east of Melbourne. Rough Red played this festival back in 2003, and we have very fond memories of the place. I'll be joined by the Industrious Felons -- Dave Parnell and John Barr. The festival has a great line-up, including blues master Geoff Achison, and one of my favourite bands, Sal Kimber & The Rollin' Wheel. Look forward to catching up with some Victorian friends....cheers

Hi folks, I'm heading south tomorrow with ROUGH RED to play the National Folk Festival, held over the Easter long weekend in Canberra. The Reds have been busy rehearsing a new show, so we are looking forward to our three performances down there. For full details of the festival, check out www.folkfestival.org.au or www.roughred.com

Hey folks, I've had some great gigs the last couple of weeks. The Maleny show and the Gold Coast open air concert were really good, and the Canberra gig st the Merry Muse was great. Trev Dunham did a terrific job sitting in with me and JB, giving the show a different spin. This weekend, I have two shows -- in Byron Bay and Brisbane --- playing with one of Australia's finest jazz pianists Dave Spicer. Dave played on a couple of tracks on TEMPLE DOG, and it will be a lot of fun to interpret the whole album with him at both these shows.

Also, I'll be playing live on air at Byron's great community radio station Bay FM, on Paul Martin's "Crossroads" program, from 6pm this Thursday February 16th. Check the gig section for full show details...

Hi folks, Due to circumstances beyond his control, my regular sidekick Dave Parnell is unable to come on the road for the Blue Mountains and Canberra gigs (Feb 9 & 10), which is a great loss. The good news is that our good mate Trev Dunham is going to slot into the seat. Trev did an amazing job sitting in with Rough Red at Major's Creek last November, so he'll slot right in with JB and me as part of The Industrious Felons. Trev will play his cocktail drum kit and percussion, plus guitar in a few songs. Looking forward to all the shows in February.....

Hi folks, I'm back on the road again in February, after a couple of months off. Spent some time with family in Bali, in a beautiful village called Seseh, overlooking rice paddies. A great place to recharge the batteries, and come up with some new ideas.

I have a bunch of shows in February, from the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, down to the Blue Mountains and Canberra, and back up to Byron Bay and Brisbane. I'm playing with different lineups for many of the gigs, just to keep things interesting. Full details, booking info etc is here on the web site. Hope to see you sometime during the month.

Cheers, Steve

Hi Folks, Well 2011 is almost over. It's been a milestone year for me, with the release of my first solo record, and the great response I have had to it. If you bought a copy of TEMPLE DOG, I thank you, and hope that you are still enjoying it. The year has also seen Rough Red playing some new festivals, and actually working on some new ideas for next year.

I'm off the road for the months of December and January, doing a fair bit of writing, holidaying with the family, and gearing up to re-set up my studio next year.  I have a busy February coming up, with gigs from the Sunshine Coast through to Sydney. More details on that in the New Year. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas, a good break, and a great 2012.

Best, Steve

Really happy to be heading down south this week to play at the Music At The Creek Festival, in Major's Creek, just near Braidwood in NSW, from Friday 11 November to Sunday 13 November. From all reports, it's a great festival in a beautiful setting. I'm playing a show on Saturday early evening, in the Church. I'll be joined onstage by my great mate and regular touring companion, John Barr, on bass.

Rough Red is also playing three shows, on Friday night, the late set on Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately our drummer Dave Parnell can't be with us, so we have asked our good friend and Canberra legend Trev Dunham to sit in with the band. Should be a lot of fun, hope to see you there....Full program at www.musicatthecreek.com

Hi folks, Firstly I want to say thank you to the many people who sent through their best wishes after my stint in hospital a few weeks back. I had to cancel the first ever gigs of my career, at the Gold Coast Acoustic Music Festival and The Nook, but after a few weeks recovery, I am back into the swing of things now.

This Saturday night October 8, will be a huge party night at the Music Kafe in Brisbane's West End. It is actually my son's birthday, and he been able to do what has been virtually impossible in recent years -- he has coerced both ROUGH RED and the TWENTYSEVENS to perform on the same night. The Reds will be onstage for a couple of sets from 8pm, and the twentysevens, who will be adding a few guests during their sets, will take the stage from 10pm. Don't expect any ballads or sensitive story-telling --- this will be a take-no-prisoners party night..!

Then the next day, I will be heading down to Byron Bay to play at the Byron Bay Golf Club, from 2pm, with the STEVE TYSON & THE INDUSTRIOUS FELONS trio line-up, that's me, Dave Parnell and John Barr.

The following Tuesday, October 11, the same line-up will be at the BUg, at the New Farm Bowls Club in Brisbane. We will be onstage at around 9.15pm.

Saturday October 15 will see me and Dave, in the duo format, back at the early session at the Music Kafe. From 7pm for a couple of sets, we will be trialling a bunch of my new songs.

Hope to see you at one of the shows, cheers Steve

Hi folks, we are really pleased to be able to tell you that the entire Red Music catalogue is now available on i tunes. So you can now download songs from Steve Tyson's solo album TEMPLE DOG, John Fegan's solo album FOXTALES, Peter Harvey's solo album SHANGHAI PLY, or any song from the ROUGH RED albums, or anything from the TWENTYSEVENS records. As you would know, you can download entire albums, or you can just buy individual songs. Happy shopping..!

Hi folks, I am back in Byron Bay this week to play one of the great venues in the region, The Rails in Jonson St, on Wednesday 17th.  I'll be joined Dave Parnell, and we kick off at 7pm. As well as playing all of TEMPLE DOG, we have a whole set of new songs I've written over the past six months to debut. And then on Saturday 20th, an event even rarer than a full line-up Rough Red gig ....and that is the return of the twentysevens. Yes, the blues trio that toured the UK supporting the legendary Status Quo back in 2006, is back to play a rare show after some intense lobbying by a few people..! I will be strapping the electric guitar back on, JB is back on the 5 string bass, and Dave gets to play a full size drum kit for the first time in a while. The twentysevens hit the stage at the Music Kafe, at the very rock & roll time of 11pm....If you are still awake at that time, we hope to see you there.

Finally, I am really happy to get yet another great review for TEMPLE DOG, in this month's edition of Trad & Now magazine. The review is in the PRESS section here. Cheers, Steve

Hi folks, I am over the moon to get another 4 star review for TEMPLE DOG in this weekend's Courier Mail. The review is by respected music writer Noel Mengel, and can be read in the read in the PRESS section here.....

Hi folks, Just a reminder that the full Rough Red line-up plays a rare show at Brisbane Unplugged (BUg) tomorrow night, Tuesday July 26th. There are blackboard performances from 7.30, including a set from the newly formed Kara-Mia's Secret, featuring the great voice of Karen Anderson, my sidekick Dave Parnell on guitar, and our good mate Ian Shawsmnith also on guitar. They will be playing new originals penned by the three of them, and they sound great. Rough Red will be on stage circa 9.30pm. Cheers,

Steve

Hi folks, To see some photos taken by Dave's son Matthew of our gig at the Roxbury in Sydney last week, go to www.mirrorfilmlighting.com/photos/ 

Hi folks,
 very excited to be heading off tomorrow for a short tour down south. With a trio version of The Industrious Felons – Dave Parnell and John Barr --- we will be playing three shows in Wollongong, Sydney, and Canberra.

Gigs and dates are –
Friday July 1: Illawarra Folk Club, Wollongong
Saturday July 2: The Roxbury, Glebe, Sydney
Sunday July 3: The Artist's Shed, Queanbeyan

Full details are in the gig guide here on the web site. If you live down that way, we would love to see you at one of the shows. The record has been getting good support from community radio in all those regions, for which I am very grateful.
Cheers, Steve

Hi folks, I am very excited to have a DEDICATED YOU TUBE SITE, with a direct connection here from the web site. A few weeks back, we recorded seven tracks live in a sound studio, in various guises. There are 4 tracks with the full Industrious Felons band (Dave, JB, and Chrissy), a couple of tracks with the trio that will be touring soon (Dave and JB), and one track with just Dave and me. The shoot was done by my great mate Ian Shawsmith and his brother Steve, the Videosmiths, who operate as part of Ian''s creative business Shaw Creative. If you are looking for any work to be done in the art or video field, these guys are the best.... www.shawcreative.com.au  I hope you enjoy the tracks..!

I was very happy to get a 4 star review for TEMPLE DOG by leading music journalist Tony Hillier in the Weekend Australian. If you didn''t see it, you can read the full review in the PRESS section here on the web site. My thanks to Tony for his encouraging words....

G''day folks, I have three shows coming up in May.
Dave and I had a great midday gig at The Music Kafe in Brisbane last week, so we are really pleased to be playing two more shows there this month. We''ll be there on Friday May 13th, from 6pm to 8pm, and on Friday May 27th, from 5pm to 7pm. Music Kafe is at 185 Boundary St, West End. In between, I''ll be playing down at my local, The Treehouse at Belongil, in Byron Bay, on Sunday May 22nd, an early evening show from 5pm to 7pm.
Dave will be on stage with me again, and we will be introducing a few instrument changes to the show. Hope you can get along to one of the May gigs. Just want to say thanks also to the Folk Rag for publishing the profile on me in the upcoming May edition, and also to Cathy Bell for the great review of TEMPLE DOG. Cheers....

Hi folks, We have a couple of shows coming up in Brisbane this month. This Saturday April 16, I am playing with the full Industrious Felons line-up as special guests with our good friends Stockade, at a house concert/live poetry recording. The gig, being hosted by Stockade's Chrissy and Chuck Euston, is fully booked out.  Then on Saturday afternoon April 30th, I am returning to the venue which we have played many times over the years in the twentysevens, The Music Kafe, in West End. The venue hosts acoustic sessions on Saturdays, so I am really looking forward to getting back there. Dave Parnell will be joining me onstage, and we will play a couple of sets from 12pm to 2pm. Hope you can make that one... cheers

Hi folks, Thank you to everyone who came along to the album launch shows. It was a great month, and it was fantastic to play the shows with The Industrious Felons -- Dave, JB, and Chrissy. The line-up worked incredibly well. Dave just gets better and better at juggling between the cocktail drum kit and acoustic guitar. JB went back to his 4 string basses (he plays 5 string in Rough Red), including a fretless, and he had a license to play outside the square. Chrissy is just pure class, and added the icing on accordion, mandolin, harmonica, and whistle. The good news is, we want to keep playing shows in this format, so I'll keep you posted about future gigs with The Felons. In the meantime, I've been playing a few solo gigs in and around Byron Bay this past week. I am back at a cool new venue, the Chameleon Global Cafe, this Thursday March 31 from 7pm. Check the GIG section for details if you are down this way. I've had great local support here on Bay FM, especially from Paul who hosts the Crossroads program on Thursday evenings. The album seems to be starting to get some nice support from community radio stations around the country, and for that I am very grateful. Cheers....

TRAD & NOW INTERVIEW with STEVE TYSON

Steve Tyson is best known as the guitarist/mandolin player from Rough Red, one of the better known and most travelled bands on the Australian folk scene. Rough Red has released six albums over the past two decades, toured Europe five times, but took a break in 2004, reforming in late 2009, and is now back playing the festival circuit. In amongst all that, Steve has just completed his debut solo album TEMPLE DOG, which he releases this month, and will launch at a series of shows around South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Trad & Now caught up with Steve to find out how the record came about.....

T&N: So, first the obvious question.... why a solo album? 

ST : I’ve always been a major contributing writer in Rough Red, but the band is full of great writers. We have one of the greatest lyricists in the country, in John Fegan, and in the past, I’ve always been content to supply the tunes to marry up with John’s lyrics. But over the years, I have done a lot of travelling with my wife Karen and my family, quite apart from the many adventures The Reds have had touring Europe. Karen and I have been to India three times, Japan, Russia, Bhutan, Vietnam and a bunch of other places where the culture and stories have fascinated me. I had a notebook full of half-written lyrics, and song ideas, but I never really thought of them as potential Rough Red songs. I turned a few of these journal entries into songs. When the Reds split, I formed a trio with Dave Parnell and John Barr from the band. We wanted to do something completely different to Rough Red, and we essentially became an electric guitar based, blues/roots type band, called the twentysevens (yes, with a small”t”, just to be arty).

We spent a year in the studio before we played a gig, and recorded an album which probably sent mixed messages in a musical sense.... it certainly sent mixed messages to us! But some of those notebook songs of mine became the core of the album.

T&N: The twentysevens did some interesting things, like a UK tour supporting Status Quo?

ST: Yes, that’s right. We did a support show for Quo on the Gold Coast in early 2006, got on really well with them, and they invited us to come to the UK at the end of the year to open for them on their annual Winter Tour. We did 31 gigs in 42 days, playing theatres and arenas such as Wembley, Manchester, Birmingham. It was an incredible experience. We became very much an electric band to do that tour, and recorded a couple more albums which were a bit more focussed. 

T&N: So, from the twentysevens to a solo record?

ST: Well, the defining moment for me was in early 2009. I was living in Paris with my family for a couple of months. Every day, I would go and sit in this cafe around the corner from our apartment, and pretend I was Ernest Hemingway. I joke about that, but it’s actually true. I have always had this desire to write a novel. About what I have no idea! So I really did sit there every day and try to write something, but invariably, I would turn to my notebook. Around this time, I had also begun to collect some stories about my family history, and things that were very relevant to me in a family sense.... and the floodgates just opened and I started turning all these ideas into poems, lyrics. I realised that a few particular songs I had written for the twentysevens were the start of the process. I realised that these were going to be songs of a personal nature, including love songs, which nobody else but me could possibly sing. They weren’t Rough Red songs, they weren’t twentysevens songs, they just had to be my songs.

T&N: You began recording the songs when you came back to Australia?

ST: I had something like eighteen songs. I purposely left my guitar behind when I was living in Paris. I wanted to write a novel. So it was a really interesting process for me. Tunes would just come into my head as I wrote the lyrics. I would envisage chord shapes and jot them down. As soon as I got back to Brisbane, I started work with Dave Parnell on putting down all these ideas. I wrote and re-wrote in the studio. Over the course of the next 18 months, we came up with the final thirteen tracks.

T&N: Whilst at its heart, it is a folk album, there are some pretty diverse sounds on the record....

ST: I have this philosophy of “whatever serves the song”. It is essentially I guess a collection of contemporary folk songs. But if we thought it needed a slightly different approach to get the song to tell its story properly, then we would go that way. 

T&N: A couple of the songs are almost jazz, for example?

ST: Yeh. The song “Yesterday Was Free, Today It’s a Dollar-Fifty” is the story of a friend of mine who was living in New York at the time of 9-11. He told Karen and I this story when we met up with him in Paris. It is an incredible tale. The day after he told me what had happened to him, I wrote that song in my cafe. Because it was set in New York, my memories of that city are wandering around Greenwich Village, going from jazz club to jazz club. I just kept hearing that. So when we recorded the song, we brought in three great jazz players, young guys who used to play with my daughter in Brisbane. I showed them how I play it acoustically in folk clubs, and said, even though this is a heart-wrenching story, I want you to interpret it your way. The song “Old Whores” (which really has nothing to do with hookers as such!) went one step further. The chords I wrote really lent themselves to a jazz approach, and when I put it down with these guys, I didn’t even bother adding my guitar, it didn’t need it, it’s just piano, double bass, and drums.

T&N: Then there are plenty of tracks which are very stripped back, just your acoustic guitar or mandolin, and cello, or accordion.....

ST: I was blessed to be able to bring in some fantastic players who made great contributions. Chrissy Euston from Stockade plays accordion and harmonica; Joe Cryle (son of Brisbane folk legend Mark) played pedal steel and dobro; a young guy Ben Hooper, a really talented singer-songwriter in his own right, played cello; Dave Lee is a violin genius; the jazz guys are Dave Spicer on piano, Lee Matthews on double bass, and Dave Cotgreave on drums; Sarah Collyer is a terrific jazz singer and songwriter, and she duets with me on one song (sort of like Billie Holliday singing with Jeff Bridges!); my old mates John Barr and Gary Meehan played bass. Another good friend James Boland helped engineer – he was our FOH guy on one of the twentysevens European tours. The constant throughout was Dave Parnell. Dave is the drummer in Rough Red, but he has developed into an amazing engineer and producer. He mixed the album, and mastered it. He has also become a very good finger picking guitar player. He is my sounding board, tells me when I’m singing flat (often!), and has great ideas.

T&N: So you are launching the album this month?

ST: Yes, I’ve put together a great little band, The Industrious Felons, to do these shows. Dave is there of course, playing drums and guitar, John Barr from Rough Red and the twentysevens plays bass, and Chrissy Euston is playing accordion, mandolin, and harmonica. In my normal shows, I just play with Dave, which really works well, but it will be great fun to get the songs out there with a band. Down the track, I’ll continue to do shows in whatever format suits the situation.

T&N: Future plans?

ST: Well we only used thirteen songs on the record. I did re-record a few of the twentysevens songs which I realised were very important to me. I still have a bunch of half recorded songs, plus some new ones I’ve written, so we’ll probably start work on the next album as soon as I get my studio set up again. We have not long ago moved permanently to Byron Bay, so my studio stuff is scattered all over the place. Plus we plan to start work on a new Rough Red album in the second half of the year.

T&N: the twentysevens? 

ST: I guess it is on the back-burner for a while. The three of us are involved in the Reds and my solo project anyway, and I guess it is fair to say we prefer playing and working in the folk/roots world. Rock and roll is way too competitive!

Hi folks, I am very happy to let you know that my album is finally complete, and will be released this week. I am launching the record at a series of shows throughout March, around South East Queensland and Byron Bay. Check out the gig guide for full details. The album will be available at all of these shows, or through the web site right here. I am really excited to be playing the gigs with a band we have especially put together, and we will be performing as STEVE TYSON & THE INDUSTRIOUS FELONS. The band includes my regular collabotator Dave Parnell on drums and guitar, John Barr (from Rough Red) on bass, and Chrissy Euston (from Stockade) on accordion, mandolin, and harmonica. I can't wait to showcase the album with this great bunch of players. I hope you can get along to some of the shows .. cheers, Steve

Hi again, we have another special gig this Friday night February 25 down at Inspire Gallery & Bar, West End, Brisbane. I will be joining two great, but very different singer-songwriters, Steve Case and Sarah Collyer, for The Three SSS's. Steve C writes laconic, blues infused tunes, and Sarah is more in the vein of jazz/pop. We'll swap songs over the course of three sets, but here's the fun bit. Sarah sings back-up for Steve C, Dave and I accompany Sarah, and Sarah sings a duet with me on one of my songs. Great fun.... hope you can make it down from around 7.30pm.

G'day folks, I am very excited to be telling you that I am playing a gig on Saturday February 19th, supporting the great Irish singer-songwriter Kieran Halpin, at the Sowelu Listening Room, 83 Latrobe Tce, Paddington, Brisbane. Kieran is one of the hardest working musicians in the world, constantly touring between his home in Scotland, throughout Germany and Holland, with the occasional stint down here in Australia and New Zealand. With Rough Red, we have toured with him in Germany, and we have become great friends. Kieran is one of those rare performers that can stir up all sorts of emotions with the strength of his voice, the power of his lyrics, and his dry Irish wit. He has had songs covered by the likes of Delores Keane and Vin Garbutt, and has recorded some 17 albums during his long career. You can check out more about him and his Australian tour at www.kieranhalpin.com Dave and I will be onstage around 7.30pm to play a set before Kieran performs. Don't miss this one. Tickets for this gig can be secured by calling 0403 124200. 

The Reds head down to the town of Bulli in NSW to play one of our favourite festivala, the Illawarra Folk Festival, from 14 to 16 January. Check out the festival web site for more information wwww.illawarrafolkfestival.com.au

Inspire Bar
John Fegan, Steve Tyson, Peter harvey
"From Rough Red preforming solo & together"

Hi folks....
well, we had a big month in the studio, and have now finished putting down all the parts by additional players. Last week, we had violin/fiddle maestro Dave Lee come in, and play on three tracks. Dave is a well known figure in country music circles, having played with Keith Urban and a bunch of other big names, and he is an extraordinary musician. I have been blessed to also get Joe Cryle (son of local folk legend Mark) to play pedal steel and dobro, Crissy Euston adding such tasteful accordion and harmonica, the talented Ben Hooper ( a great songwriter and performer in his own right) playing very sweet cello, and my great mates John Barr and Gary Meehan puting down bass tracks.

We also recorded two tracks featuring three amazing jazz players -- Dave Spicer on piano, Lee Matthews on double bass, and Dave Cotgreave on drums. My songs are often described as "contemporary folk", but I have this philosophy of "whatever serves the song", and if that meant approaching some tracks from a bit left field, then that's what we have done. The two Daves and Lee really brought something great to the table with their approach to these couple of tracks.

Add to that the incredible voice of Sarah Collyer dueting with me on one of those tracks, and I have been beside myself with joy about what all these wonderful players have added to my songs. Helping pull all this together behind the desk has been James Boland, a great engineer with great ears. The "we" I keep referring to is of course myself, and my great mate and long time collaborator, Dave Parnell. Dave is co-producing this record with me, and I simply could not have done it wihout him.

The next month will see Dave putting down a bunch of parts, before getting into the mixing process. I hope to have the record out and available by Christmas, but in between, I have to move house, and go to Melbourne for the birth of my daughter's baby, so we'll see how we go! The stuff we have to do will keep us off the road for a couple of months, before Dave and I do a Christmas gig at Inspire on December 16. Keep in touch, cheers!

Hi All,
 
Sorry for the late notice with this one, but it's been a full-on few weeks ..... a busy time in the studio working with some great musicians all contributing to the solo album, a gig accompanying the wonderfully talented Sarah Collyer at RedFest, not to mention packing boxes to move house, school musicals etc etc.
 
Anyway, Dave and I have a gig back at Inspire Gallery & Bar at West End, this Friday night, September 17, at 7.30pm. Last month's gig with the Three Steves went off really well, and it was a pleasure to share the stage with the other Steves, Case and Grady. The concept worked well, and we are planning to do it again sometime down the track.
 
But for this week, it is just back to Dave and I. We've been working on a few new arrangements, some new tunes, and the mandolin has been given an airing, so we are looking forward to trotting those out on Friday night. 
 
Inspire is at 71 V ulture St, West End, so we hope to catch you there. Somebody made these nice comments at a recent show, incorporated on the attached poster!
 
Cheers,
Steve