Description
CD Review by Ian Dearden
TN164 July 24
Tracing their roots to a group of ANU students who formed “Franklyn B Paverty & the Platte Valley Crooners” in the early 1970s, this Canberra-based group of musicians, operating variously under that name, or shorter versions including ‘Franklyn B Paverty’, ‘Paverty Bush Band’, ‘Paverty or ‘The Pavs’, and with a long list of alumni, are one of the great survivors of the Australian bush music scene.
Currently, you can find them still performing in and around Canberra and the region under the Paverty Bush Band monicker.
‘Trip to Trundle’ is the second last of seven albums they have released since their debut album, ‘Paverty Stricken’, was issued in 1976.
The repertoire draws squarely from the bush band tradition, drawing on the strictly traditional (‘Broken Down Squatter’, ‘Lachlan Tigers’, ‘Convict Maid’, ‘Tomahawkin’ Fred’, ‘Billy Of Tea’), and the likes of Henry Lawson (‘Never Never Land’, ‘Break Of Day’, ‘Scots Of The Riverina’), Slim Dusty (‘When The Rain Tumbles Down In July’), Eric Bogle (‘Shelter’) as well as some very tasty traditional and original tunes (‘Trip To Trundle/Beyond Bogan Gate’, ‘Pine Tree Flat/Sweet Marie’).
What is most striking about the band, though, is the musicianship.
The vocals, shared amongst all of the line up on this album (Mal Bennett, Bob Buckley, Graham Chalker, Peter Hobson, Peter Logue, Bryan Rae) are superb, both as solo and harmony singers, and the instrumental playing is equally impeccable, with band members (all of them multi-instrumentalists) variously playing acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass, flute, tin whistle, mandolin, snare, lagerphone, bouzouki, accordion, piano, harmonica and spoons.
All of this has been delightfully produced (by the band) and superbly recorded and mixed (by Tony Hunter at Artsound FM in Canberra).
This is a terrific addition to the collection of anyone with an interest in Australian bush music.
Ed. This album is out of stock and no longer available from the Trad&Now website. It can be heard from time to time on Trad&Now Live!
One other album of theirs however, “With a Swag on my Shoulder” is available from the website
