July 2009 : The Hired Guns Have Mixed Their New Album !
Photo's of the band, by the band ( and our mate Deb )
Guns @ Soundpark studios, North Fitzroy Melbourne Aug/Sept 08
More details as they come to hand ... and yep, we'll post some new tunes soon ( ie newer than 2002! )
Below : Photos courtesy of Santana Sandow ... THE HIRED GUNS @ The Standard ( Fitzroy )
A basement full of tapes ... A songwriting circle of people who love to write as much as play ... The Hired Guns formed in 1996, comprising folks from melbournes melting pot of hacks, gig sluts, music-mafia and vinyl sniffing rock-obsessives, indulging their mutual love of late 60s/early 70s country rock.
After playing scores of gigs around Melbourne and contributing several tracks to compilation albums, the band released their debut album, "Between Here & The Night", on Sydney's Laughing Outlaw Records label, in early 2002. The album was critically acclaimed, both in Australia and Europe.
The side-project status of the band means that there's often months (perhaps years!) between drinks, but the Guns are due to step up and record their difficult second album (for which demos were recorded last year) some time in late 2007.
REVIEWS:
"Like all music lovers I have a number of albums that I can always return to when I want to recall an old friend, place or time. Albums that are, in fact, a major part of my life and never fail to give me whatever I need from them. Now the Hired Guns from Melbourne have just released their debut and straight away it is obvious that this collection is another one which is never going to be far out of my reach. This album really is a contender for my best album of 2003."
- pennyblackmusic.com
"The Hired Guns prove they have impressive songwriting chops."
- Amplifier (US)
"We're a little behind in getting to this excellent record by Melbourne's The Hired Guns- it came out in May, but to be completely honest, it's been stuck in one of my CD players (for good reasons), and it's only now that I have got around to reviewing it rather than just living with it. I really can't recommend this one highly enough- The Hired Guns deserve tremendous success and huge record sales. Go make a start towards their first platinum record."
- Americana-UK Website (4/5 stars)
"This will appeal to all fans of any form of alt-country; the almost retro sound gives it a familiar feel, but further listening shows this to be a disc with a unique edge."
- Fishrecords.co.uk
"The Hired Guns are a five-piece based in Melbourne, and come across as a kind of Aussie counterpart to Lambchop, if slightly more retro in sound, though with a comparable roots-country sensibility and a markedly similar approach to melodic construction. This really is a genuinely likeable album, recorded with a fine sense of space, which proves ever more satisfying on further plays."
- NetRhythms Website
"I enjoyed this album a great deal. It has a degree of intimacy that is seldom found these days and made me want to play it over and again just to bask in the warmth and charm it exudes. Between Here and the Night is a brilliant set - one certainly to cherish."
- AltCountryTab Website (4.5/5 stars)