Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers - The Bluegrass Sessions, Vol. 1 (2023)

The multi-Golden Guitar nominated Sydney traditional country ensemble, Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers, return with their 3rd full length album, “The Bluegrass Sessions, Vol. 1”, this time a bonafide sidestep into authentic, acoustic bluegrass tunes.

Both respectful of the traditions of the genre, but with the band’s unique spin on the music they love, the album features a great mix of up-tempo classics. It includes the singles ‘Road Man’, ‘If You’d Have Told Me’ and ‘Torn Piece of Paper’, memorable instrumentals and beautiful mid-tempo tunes, including the duet with Melody Moko on ‘Leaving Nowhere’.

Carpenter and the Banks Brothers have had a growing friendship over the last few years, with producer Carpenter using both brothers as session players in his famous Love Hz Studios in Sydney. The growing friendship led to a reasonably innocuous conversation just after the Tamworth Country Music festival in 2020, where Carpenter and Zane Banks joked about ‘starting a band where we played the type of music we loved, just for us’.

The album showcases a band truly revelling in what they’re doing, and just getting warmed up!