Still riding high from their Tamworth Country Music Festival debut, Two Tone Pony today unveil their lively new single, ‘Caroline’.
The track is a tangle of banjo and guitars, set to a driving backbeat, reminiscent of an Allman Brothers classic. “I was definitely channelling the Allman Brothers sound, in particular Dicky Betts the guitarist” reveals frontman, David Kirkpatrick .
Recorded with multi award winning producer Rod McCormack at his Central Coast hideaway, The Music Cellar, the two attempted to replicate Dicky Betts’ iconic sound. “Rod researched his sound and recorded my guitar solo in a simulated set up like his – very cool! We then got Rod to add his trademark banjo picking to contribute to the rolling guitar feel of the song.”
“I hear the sound of the steam whistle,” sings David’s storied vocal in the opening line. The idea for ‘Caroline’ began when David became fascinated with the paddle steamers that serviced the wool trade on the Murray Darling River. “I was taken by the fact that it was quite dangerous – the boats could become stranded in a tributary if the water level dropped and could be stuck for months before rains came and flooded the rivers again.”
Yet, ‘Caroline’ is not the name of the wearied paddle steamer in this somewhat sea shanty, but rather the woman who waits for her love to return. “I envisaged a young bloke who signs on for the money not really knowing what is in store and then finds himself stuck on the boat while his fiancé – Caroline – waits for him not knowing what has happened.”
The soon to be revealed video for ‘Caroline’ even incorporates a piece of living history, the Nepean Belle. A paddle steamer still in operation, criss-crossing the waters of Penrith’s Nepean River.
‘Caroline’ follows on from Two Tone Pony’s single, ‘Stormy Weather’, which peaked at #11 on the Country Songs Top 40 airplay chart, the third of which to climb the chart since the band’s debut last year.
Hitting the touring circuit for the first time in 2023, the band performed at the Half Way Bash in Charleville with Robbie Mortimer to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Slim Dusty’s song ‘Charleville’. More recently they made their Tamworth Country Music Festival debut performing 6 gigs in 8 days – including the Tamworth Songwriters Association awards night and the Toyota Fanzone stage.
Two Tone Pony have a modern sound that harps back to country’s roots, the perfect complement to their stories of Australian life and the land. Despite the success they’ve seen in the last year, one thing remains of utmost importance; “playing in a band of great friends and players and enjoying the music.” That comradery certainly shows in their distinctive music, and you can see them performing at Hardys Bay Club on Saturday 24th February. This is undoubtedly just the beginning for Two Tone Pony.