Outlaw Singers. They're the world-weary, tough yet romantic balladeers who you don't doubt for a second when they are singing their tunes about love, lust and life/death life on the road. Who we got? Waylon Jennings, Steve Young, Steve Earle (he knows how to make a girl swoon!), Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash. Who else? Gene Clark and Danny O'Keefe, maybe. And now you can add Australia's very own Larry Parkinson to that impressive list. And impress Larry certainly does. There's eleven tracks on this demo and must've heard them at least a dozen times - I just can't get enough of Larry. And all we are hearing is one voice, one acoustic guitar and a harmonica. We can't spot one overdub. To be able to pull this off shows a Major Talent at work. larry
The songs are so good, his playing spot-on and that voice make for a 10 out of 10 from this fan of country-slash-folk music. The first track 'Like A Gypsy' sets the scene, complete with harmonica solo and a memorable chorus. The lyrics throughout prove that Larry has been around for a while as '20 Years' states: "Twenty years of playing people's songs...wondering if I was a Daddy and I had a son". And I was right. He IS an outlaw: "Looking down the barrel of a gun" but then shows there's a teenager still lurking inside this troubadour: "Sitting there on the bus, I could not believe my luck, I said to her".
In his bio Larry writes that he plays every Sunday at Budgewoi Seafood's from 12:30 - 2:30am (that's the town of Budgewoi, NSW) so if you're in the area, we strongly recommend you head down and check out Larry. He writes: "My music stems from the conviction that the best song is a simple one, where you leave the hook line to do the work, and the rest is to go fishing and wait for the catch of the day.I've been playing for over 20 years in lesser known acts. I've been the man in the corner, or at the bistro taking requests, with a few residencies and many different styles. Music today seems really free and easy and I think people are listening more closely to words and letting the music and imaginations do the rest. My music draws from broad influences, sounds and stories from my life, which I hope to get out to the world as I move from live performance to recording." -SH
contact: 0409 355 482
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