As an ARIA and 21 x Golden Guitar award winning artist, Sara Storer is well known across the great southern land for her fair dinkum, roots orientated country music. It’s been 3 years since the release of her ARIA nominated album Raindance. Today Sara returns, teaming up with sibling Greg Storer under the moniker Storer, with the release of their first single ‘Show Me’ from their forthcoming album.
The genetic bond between siblings and their offspring has often resulted in some of the most creative and successful musical collaborations in history. Neil and Tim Finn, the Gibb brothers, The Carpenters and closer to home, Nick and Tom Wolfe of the Wolfe Brothers, to name just a few. Sara and Greg have clearly tapped into that magic with their rousing single, ‘Show Me’ .
Sara’s musical journey began in 2000 with her debut album, Chasing Buffalo, while Greg was (and still is) a working farmer in Western NSW. Greg eventually showed that talent is in the Storer blood with his songwriting contributions on Sara’s second album, and the release of his solo album in 2010 which earned high praise from fans and critics alike. He’s now a permanent fixture at Sara’s shows and constant writing partner – they even shared a Golden Guitar win for their collaboration ‘When I Was a Boy’. Yet this is the first time in over 20 years of storytelling together, that the two have recorded a full album under a band name.
The up-tempo first single, ‘Show Me’, is straight shooting country stomper, centered around the age-old idiom of ‘practice what you preach’. “You tell me to walk in a straight line and I say how is that done? Show me,” they sing in the song’s emphatic chorus with a rare tone quality only heard when siblings harmonise with each other.
“The idea came to me when I heard someone was running my family down,” admits Sara. Although she claims the drama wasn’t worth the time of day it was enough to inspire her to put pen to paper. “That got the ball rolling and Greg jumped on a verse too.”
The weave of banjo and guitar that ebbs and flows beneath Sara and Greg’s vocals was constructed by long-time collaborator and first-time producer, James Gillard (Kevin Bennett). “I first met James when he recorded bass on my debut album,” recalls Sara. “Since then, he has played bass/acoustic guitar both in studio sessions or in the band for me over my 25 year career in country music. It wasn’t until I heard his production on his own EP that he and his wife Shanley made that I secretly held the idea of maybe working with James down the track, when timing was right. And this album was the perfect time for a change.”
The band name Storer extends to more than just Sara and Greg, as Greg’s daughters Pip and Bonnie featured heavily in the recording of the new material. “Bonnie and Pip jumped on a couple of songs and turned it into a bit of a family affair,” smiles Sara. Gillard also pulled together a formidable line-up of Aussie players to round out the performance, including Rod McCormack, Michael Moko and Scott Hills. “The songs were heard; the playing was heartfelt. It was a fresh change and so inspirational to be working with James in the studio.”
In addition to the new single, the Storer’s will be headed on tour in 2023. “We will be singing a bunch of new songs off the forthcoming STORER album as well as some oldies that people will know,” says Sara. The band will wind through rural and metro Australia, beginning with a show in the country capital, Tamworth, and finishing in in the Northern Territory. “We sing about our country men and women, and we know it’s important to bring our stories to these towns and regions… especially Greg, who has just jumped off a tractor himself to be there.”
Paul Kelly described Sara as a pillar of authenticity in country music; “She’s found her own restraint and steel and lets her songs do their sweet, sly work.” While music journalist Susan Jarvis said of Greg, “Greg knows and understands, and has a rare gift for conveying humour, pathos, love, and fear through his music.” These are two storytellers highly regarded in their own right, finally coming together to tell the story of their Australia.