1. Growing Up
George Washingmachine [left]: I started with music pretty early. I was born into a musical household; my mother played and taught classical guitar, so it was alright to be a musician in my house.
Stuie French [right]: I started playing the guitar at nine and fell in love with it. I was hearing classic old country records around the house, and that’s what I wanted to play.
2. Inspirations
GW: Stuff Smith, he’s a black American jazz violin player – and so many others. That’s a tricky questions.
Andrew Richardson: All the old and new Western swing artists. Bob Wills is the father of Western swing, though.
3. Your Band
GW: Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Felicity Urquhart [centre] leads the Spin Drifters charge. She’s sharing the stage with Stuie French, Michael Vidale, Garry Steel, Andrew Richardson, Hamish Stuart, Claire O’Meara, me and Michel Rose. I was in a band similar to the Spin Drifters in 2001, the Twang Dynasty, doing a lot of this Western swing, with Felicity and Stuie French and Michel Rose. We did some shows up in Tamworth, and here in Sydney.
4. The Music You Make
GW: It’s country meets the city – country roots for straw bales and playing fiddle out in the barn [or] playing in a jazz venue.
AR: Expect lightning fast twin fiddles, Tex-Mex, Louisiana blues, pedal steel, classic country and plenty of mayhem.
SF: Fresh, rootsy music played with passion – there’s no gimmicks, it’s all about being able to play well. You’ll hear the hillbilly roots in there too.
5. Music, Right Here, Right Now
GW: Claire and I are up in Airlie Beach with Wanita and The Honky Tonk Bar Dwellers, she’s great! I listen to nothing but vinyl at home – Steely Dan, The Beatles, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, a bit of Sinatra of late (of course) and mixing it up with Ravel, Debussy, Frank Zappa.
Spin Drifters playThe Basementon Monday November 16, Monday December 7 and Monday January 11.