Paula from Tasmania
BY PAULA XIBERRAS
NO VANITIES WITH THIS TOM WOLFE Tom Wolfe, of the Wolfe Brothers, shares his name with US author Tom Wolfe, famous for his novel ‘Bonfire of The Vanities’. Well Tassie’s own Tom Wolfe has no vanities. In fact Tom and his brother Nick, even though they tour the world, still maintain their homes on the farm here in Tassie. When we catch up for a chat, Tom says to me as he looks out of his farm window, the guys have remained authentic. He adds many country artists no longer live in a rural environment but in the suburbs. He talks about his group the Wolfe Brothers, although now international artists, have remained on their Tassie farms. This latest album is one of nostalgia, a trip back to the early days on the farm, the long days of summer as they rode their BMX bikes listening to 80’s music on their Walkmans, including Metallica. It’s been nearly a decade in the music industry for the guys, and the latest album, their fifth, was recorded in Nashville and some via zoom, and marks their first international release through BMG. The album titled ‘Kids on Cassette’ has achieved six in the overall charts and stands as the number one country album. As the name suggests, the album is a nostalgic look back at the Wolfe Brothers’ early life on the family farm. What the guys wanted to do with this album, says Tom, was create songs that could be heard anywhere at anytime but also songs that were part of their childhood memories. Something that makes this album a little different is that Tom says the guys have decided to explore duets and the list is pretty impressive, including LoCash. This, says Tom, was a great experience. The Wolfe Brothers supported LoCash on their tour in the American Midwest. Tom says they loved LoCash’s energy and they were nice guys to boot! Another duet 80 | THE IRISH SCENE
is with Amy Shepherd, and also one with Jack Jones, someone the guys have always wanted to work with. Tom tells me while COVID has impacted the band in the performance and gig situation, it has also allowed them the time to concentrate on their creativity and being immersed in the music making process and remote recording. And when the boys are remote from and missing Tassie they get nostalgic just as much as the new album, craving cooking and that’s when they find themselves at the southern hospitality of US dining at Cracker Barrel indulging in country food and biscuits called ‘scones’. ‘KIDS ON CASSETTE’ BY THE WOLFE BROTHERS IS OUT NOW, AND THEY WILL BE PERFORMING SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER 2021 AT WREST POINT ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, HOBART, TASMANIA. CHECK THEIR WEBSITE FOR MORE DATES.
