If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Son of a gun, I reckon ‘bush-psych’ is one of those genres that should exist,” well, have I got a name for you.
That name is William Crighton, the Australian musician originally from Dubbo, who launched his career 25 years ago. However, his musical journey really begins in earnest with the release of his self-titled 2016 album.
Remarkable in his musical approach thanks to a profound compositional and lyrical sense that manages to intertwine time, place, country, and emotion in a raw, yet profound mix, Crighton’s work has been recognised as, I believe the technical term is ‘pretty bloody good’, having taken home the ARIA Award for Best Blues And Roots Album off the back of 2022’s Water And Dust.
Today, Crighton is back with another corker of a record, Colonial Drift. If you’re in the mood for a good time, I implore you to pop those headphones on, sit back, and let him transport you with his myriad musical talents.
This week (well, we recorded this over a month ago), I was lucky enough to be joined by William Crighton for a chat about his new record, his musical past, and everything else. The audio is a bit spotty due to a poor internet connection, but I won’t fret if you don’t.
Anyway, have a listen to William Crighton’s Colonial Drift, have a listen to our chat, buy a ticket to his upcoming tour, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.
William Crighton’s Trusty Chords
William’s One Influential Artist
- Neil Young
William’s Three Impactful Albums
- Midnight Oil – Red Sails In The Sunset (1984)
- Midnight Oil – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982)
- Midnight Oil – Diesel And Dust (1987)
One of the above Midnight Oil albums, and the following two:
- Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Zuma (1975)
- Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965) And two honourable mentions:
- Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
- John Williamson – Mulga To Mangoes (1994)
William’s Five Trusty Songs
- Neil Young – ‘Cortez The Killer’ (1975)
- Midnight Oil – ‘The Dead Heart’ (1986)
- Midnight Oil – ‘Kosciusko’ (1984)
- John Newton – ‘Amazing Grace’ (1779)
- Marvin Gaye – ‘What’s Going On’ (1971)