The Whitmans Black Stump 'Kookaburra' Gives Clarity To Tim Freedman Stories - Noise11.com
The Whitlams Black Stump Band Kookaburra

The Whitmans Black Stump ‘Kookaburra’ Gives Clarity To Tim Freedman Stories

by Paul Cashmere on March 8, 2024

in News

Tim Freedman has been slow cookin’ ‘Kookaburra’ for a few years and slowing serving courses since 2021.

‘Kookaburra’ combines The Whitlams Black Stump Band releases of 2021 to 2023 ’50 Again’, ‘The Day John Sattler Broek his Jaw’, ‘Blow Up The Pokies’ and ‘Kate Kelly’ with nine other stories, some new, some old and one borrowed.

One of borrowed is the Neil Young song ‘Birds’ at the end of ‘Kookaburra’ creating a bookend with track one ‘Man About A Dog’ (previously on 2022’s Whitlams’ album ‘Sancho) with the lyric ‘”Put on Neil Young at Massey Hall ’72 or 3’”.

Perry Keyes ‘The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw’ and Bernie Hayes ‘Your Boyfriend’s Back In Town’ are two “borrowed” songs Tim felt needed to be country songs.

The Whitlams Black Stump is a countrified take on the music of Tim Freedman. “Country music has a strong sense of time and place,” Tim said in a statement. Who better to make that happen that Felicity Urquhart on ‘Kate Kelly’, a story about Ned Kelly’s sister.

Tim Freedman is first and foremost a storyteller who puts his stories to music. He is definitely not a country artist but this album is flavoured with country seasoning. If anything, ‘Kookaburra’ has more in common with early Eagles and Jackson Browne. By stripping back the sound, Tim amplifies the words. A lot of fans will now focus on these stories with more clarity.

CD
Man About a Dog
No Aphrodisiac
Fallen Leaves
In the Last Life
The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw
You Sound Like Louis Burdett
Your Boyfriends Back in Town
Nobody Wants to be You
Theres No One
Blow Up the Pokies
50 Again
Witness Protection Scheme
Birds

There are a stack of dates coming up to hear the songs performed live.

KOOKABURRA TOUR DATES:

Fri 8 March – Lizotte’s, Newcastle – NSW – SOLD OUT
Sat 9 March – Blazes @ West Tamworth League Club, Tamworth – NSW
Sun 10 March – Avoca Beach Theatre, Avoca – NSW – SOLD OUT
Sun 31 March – Bluesfest Byron Bay – NSW
Fri 26 April – Hopgood Theatre, Noarlunga – SA
Sat 27 April – The Gov, Adelaide – SA
Thu 2 May – Springlake Hotel, Brisbane – QLD *
Fri 3 May – Imperial Hotel, Eumundi – QLD
Sat 4 May – Princess Theatre, Brisbane – QLD
Tue 7 May – Piano Bar, Bendigo – VIC *
Wed 8 May – Piano Bar, Ballarat – VIC *
Thu 9 May – Piano Bar, Geelong – VIC *
Fri 10 May – Kindred Bandroom, Footscray – VIC
Sat 11 May – Memo Music Hall, St Kilda – VIC
Thu 16 May – Wilder Tasmania, Gowrie Park – TAS *
Fri 17 May – Royal Oak, Launceston – TAS * – SOLD OUT
Sat 18 May – Forth Pub, Forth – TAS
Sun 19 May – Longley International Hotel, Longley – TAS
Thu 23 May – Resin Brewing, Bulli – NSW * – SOLD OUT
Fri 24 May – Tallagandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo – NSW * – SOLD OUT
Sun 26 May – Dangar Island Bowling Club, Dangar Island – NSW * – SOLD OUT
Thu 30 May – Avoca Beach Theatre, Avoca – NSW
Fri 31 May – Factory Theatre, Marrickville – NSW
Sat 1 June – Avalon Beach RSL, Avalon – NSW

* Black Stump Duo – Tim and Ollie

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