West Texas Crude launch album
13 June 2010
Local Hall band West Texas Crude have launched their first album "Writing on the Wall" at a party in the Hall Pavilion. The band has been together since 1995 and its Tuesday night practices have become legendary. Its members have all played in other bands and bring a mixture of country, folk, blues and rock. The band plays charity gigs including for the local Fire Brigades and the Hall community and donates any earnings to charity.
Most of the songs on its first recently released album, "Writing on the Wall" were written between 2004 and 2010 by Hugh Watson and Matthew Herbert. There are a couple of old ones as well. In general Hugh writes the lyrics and Matthew the music then Matthew shows his multi-talented musicianship by playing many of the instruments. Stephen Webb brought his extraordinary drumming skills to several songs and Phillip Williams can be heard harmonizing and playing blues harp in a couple too. Greg Clift, Greg Turnbull and Andrew Purdham also join the band to play live.
Their songs include ballads about Hugh and Matthew's home town of Bega including "The Battler" about Jimmy Sharman's boxing tent and "Jimmy's not coming to school today" about the exploitation of Aboriginal kids in Bega in the 1950s and 60s. Another ballad tells the life of Hugh's convict relative Hannah Railton, while "The Rain" relates the struggles of Australian famers in drought. "Dear Leader's Country Band" is a funny song about Kim Jong-Il and his antics.
The album is on sale in the Hall Premier Store with $5 from every sale going to the Hall Bushfire Brigade.
Matthew and Hugh are to be interviewed about the album by Louise Maher on ABC 666 at 3pm on Wednesday 16th June.