Trunk Road – Live in the Studio

Trunk Road, Live in the studio, 2010: An Independent release

Debut album recorded in Valley Sound Recording Studios in Dairyville, NSW, and with sound engineer Peter Dyball, “Live in the Studio” in just three days. As the title suggests, all eleven tracks were recorded completely live, with no editing or overdubbing of any kind, making this a truly representative recording of an entertaining and talented live band. Track listing:

1. Bury me deep. Music and lyrics, Vic Manuel
2. River runs deep. Music and lyrics, Kym Pitman
3. The way it used to be. Music and lyrics, Vic Manuel
4. Fire Storm. Music and lyrics, Tim Hulsman
5. Love is a terrible thing. Music and lyrics, Vic Manuel
6. Song of a thousand voices. Music and lyrics, Kym Pitman
7. Dead man’s garden. Music and lyrics, Tim Hulsman
8. Lay me down. Music and lyrics, Tim Hulsman
9. I believe. Music and lyrics, Vic Manuel
10. Big old tree. Music and lyrics, Kym Pitman
11. That ain’t me. Music and lyrics, Tim Hulsman

Trunk Road is:

Vic Manuel ~ Guitar, ukulele, vocals Tim Hulsman ~ Dobro lap slide, guitar, violin, vocals Kym Pitman ~ Fiddle, guitar, viola, banjo, vocals Chris Judd ~ Ukulele, jaws harp, vocals Will Pregnell ~ Upright bass, vocals Nina Grant ~ Piano, guitar, flute, bass, percussion, vocals

 

An exciting collective of talented songwriters and musicians sharing original and poignant songs of our time, arranged with rich harmonies and luscious acoustic instrumentation. Evoking the new and the old, Trunk Road is a refreshingly contemporary folk/roots experience. They often classify themselves as “a hillbilly porch jam band”, but are much more than that.

A melting pot of the passionate and unique song writing styles of Vic Manuel, Kym Pitman and Tim Hulsman, Trunk Road treats its audience to a unique and captivating blend of poetic lyrics, rich harmonies and acoustic instrumentation including dobro, ukulele, fiddle, guitar, banjo, piano and upright bass. This highly entertaining, original, contemporary band constitutes moving lyrics and storylines with echoes of its musical roots in old-timey, folk, boogie, blues and there’s a hint of gospel in their huge six part harmonies. This remarkable line up of creative talent is an energetic and moving musical experience not to be missed!

The Band Vic Manuel ~ Guitar, ukulele, vocals
Tim Hulsman ~ Dobro lap slide, guitar, violin, vocals
Kym Pitman ~ Fiddle, guitar, viola, banjo, vocals
Chris Judd ~ Ukulele, jaws harp, vocals
Will Pregnell ~ Upright bass, guitar, vocals
Nina Grant ~ Piano, guitar, flute, bass, percussion, vocals

Trunk Road: History

Trunk Road 76 was originally the name of the road from the coast, through the centre of Bellingen, and up the mountain to Dorrigo on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Authorities later changed the name to ‘Waterfall Way’. The collective now calling itself Trunk Road is made up of musicians and songwriters who are all part of this community.

The core of this band evolved from a regular jam session at Heritage Music, the local music/guitar shop in the main street of Bellingen. These sessions grew over the next couple of years and became a forum for the participants to learn and enjoy each other’s songs and stories. With time, the retelling of these stories became more and more refined and the group began to realise that through an organic process they had brought together an exciting and unique contemporary folk sound. The lights were kept on late in the front room of Heritage Music on Thursday nights, and sweet harmonies floated into the night air. Locals started to take an interest in what was happening and demanded to hear a public performance. Thus Trunk Road was born out of the community’s desire to hear them play.

In July 2010 Trunk Road went into Valley Sound Recording Studios in Dairyville, NSW, and with sound engineer Peter Dyball, recorded their acclaimed debut album “Live in the Studio” in just three days. As the title suggests, all eleven tracks were recorded completely live, with no editing or overdubbing of any kind, making this a truly representative recording of an entertaining and talented live band. Their subsequent album launch was a solid success and the beginnings of a great journey for the band.

Trunk Road: The Song Writers

Vic Manuel:

A singer/song-writer since the age of fifteen, has a great talent for telling stories simply, through beautifully arranged songs, sung with a sweet and soulful voice. Since 1969, Vic’s music has evolved through several music genres, band line-ups and geographical locations. He moved to the USA in 2000 where he worked with Eric Schoenberg setting up vintage acoustic instruments. Here, surrounded by old-timey folk styles, Vic continued to write songs, develop his fingerpicking style and master the ukulele. Vic performed his songs across America and returned to Australia to set up the acoustic instrument shop Heritage Music in Bellingen, the home of Trunk Road.

Kym Pitman

Born in South Australia (Kuana country), Kym began performing, as a teenaged singer/ songwriter, in Adelaide’s music bars and cafes, in the late seventies. She now lives in regional NSW (Gumbaynggirr country). She has recorded three albums and performed extensively on Australia’s festival circuit. Kym’s songs are primarily an expression of place and ecological connection. They are born of a love for Australia’s wild landscapes. As a singer and multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, violin, viola and banjo, Kym’s beautiful voice and soulful performances enchant her audiences. Kym is also dedicated to rites of passage work with teenagers involving wilderness treks and theatre productions. This work continues to inspire her music.

Tim Hulsman

Tim “writes a great love song” and has been described as “sulky, slidey, silky, smoothy, bluesy, country…” Songs of love and loss, freedom and exile, and a natural fascination with death, are inspired by his observations of “the human experience” and also his healthy imagination and sense of humour. Tim has performed for over 15 years from Tasmania through Victoria and NSW to festivals both national and international. His latest solo album – ‘the Singing Tree’ is a moody selection of songs encapsulating his unique story telling style. To the Trunk Road palette, Tim contributes his rich earthy, baritone voice, lap slide, acoustic guitar, and violin.

 

CD Review by John Williams

This is the debut CD from Trunk Road, a six piece band from the Bellingen area of New South Wales. They tried to create a live feel in the recording studio so the listener could have an experience as close as possible to seeing the band in person. Hence the title. And I think they did it.

The instrumental work is tight and very well executed and I enjoyed all the lead vocals and harmonies. I like the fact that the tracks were recorded ‘live’ without a lot of mixing. It creates a great, realistic sound which was the band’s aim.

There are eleven songs on the CD, all written by various members of the band. The opening track ‘Bury Me Deep’ written and sung by Vic Manuel (guitar and ukelele) is a catchy tune with great lyrics and is a great introduction to the band. I especially liked the last verse about his final contribution to tax! He has a soft, easy to listen to voice and sells his lyrics well. He does the same on three other self composed tracks on the CD. Of these I really liked ‘Love is a Terrible Thing’ which had an almost Leonard Cohen feel to it. Kym Pitman (guitar, violin, viola, banjo) wrote and performs ‘River Runs Deep’. This is another catchy tune with lovely vocals. Kym also sings on two other self composed tracks. Tim Hulsman (guitar, slide resonator, violin and body percussion) is the other writer and performs four tracks on the album. He also is easy to listen to and writes great lyrics.

The other band members are Chris Judd (ukulele, jaw harp), Will Pregnell (upright bass, acoustic bass) and Nina Grant (piano, guitar, flute and percussion). All six are talented musicians and this makes for a great listening experience. I can recommend this CD