The New Graces

Every now and again, I run across a new band or artist that I had not heard of previously. Some are noteworthy while some are outstanding. Here is an outstanding band called New Graces:

New Graces comprises Melanie Horsnell, Kate Burke and Robyn Martin. All are seasoned identities in the Australian music scene. Songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, their music is flavoured with guitar, double bass, mandolin, fiddle, banjo and three part harmonies plus a little desert heat-haze that could only be Australian.

New Graces

“Songs that feel like a walk along a dusty country road – evocative, warm, connected with the land and its people…”

Between them, they weave tales of farmers, hippies, mothers, seafarers, history, lovers, the ordinary, and the mysterious. Their songs tell stories of their Australia: desert country steeped in history, wild bush dances, snowy mountains and remote swimming holes, generations of family life on the land, waking up in a sunny Sydney bedroom, returning to favourite old pub to play music with friends.

About The New Graces – Three Australian Songwriters:

Melanie Horsnell has been described by The Sydney Morning Herald as having a voice of ‘the utmost delicateness’. She has released over 10 albums and has toured with Glen Hansard and the Frames, Jason Mraz, Bernard Fanning, Lou Rhodes, Slaid Cleaves and Sarah Blasko as well as touring solo throughout Europe and Australia. Melanie has written songs with Wendy Matthews and Catherine Britt and for film and television. She has just returned from showcasing at the International Folk Alliance in Montreal.

Multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter Kate Burke has won much acclaim as a member of folk duo Kate and Ruth and Irish/Australian traditional band Trouble In The Kitchen. Geologist, science communication expert, session guitarist, producer and composer of music for film and television, Kate brings a swag of experience to the trio. She has performed at festivals and venues across Australia and internationally alongside artists such as Andy Irvine and Luke Plumb (Shooglenifty).

Robyn Martin grew up in remote coastal desert town of Ceduna. Like all her siblings, Robyn was called Spin by her teachers at Ceduna Area School after her fathers nickname. She started playing bass at age 13 in family band Spineffex. The band played country festivals and SA pubs and clubs. At age 16 Robyn found herself adjusting to culture shock in the alternative culture hub of Lismore, taking time off school to tour with her sister, Jodi Martin, opening for The Waifs, Wendy Matthews, Arlo Guthrie, Glen Hansard and The Frames. Robyn is a sought after session bass player who has worked with UK bluegrass outfit Flats and Sharps, Claire Anne Taylor, Heath Cullen, Jodi Martin, and Kate Fagan.