Vikki Thorn, aka ThornBird, released her debut self-titled solo album in March 2022. As one third of legendary Australian folk band The Waifs, ‘ThornBird’ is Vikki’s maiden flight into telling her own stories with her own sound, developed over years of recording, touring, living abroad and in the south of Western Australia.
“I had some stories to tell & I don’t know how to do anything else. Something about songs sitting around in a box or unlabelled voice memos seems like an abandoned game of solitaire. May as well finish up and put your cards away - fortunately the cards lined up and I wanted to,” Vikki said on writing the album.
“I wanted to make an album that has its own sway and swagger, untethered from a musical past that was defined by a couple of hippy kids traveling in a camper van and went on to have a hit song and win a couple of ARIAs. It’s a good story and it still is a great journey. As a musician and a Mother I’ve lived a few lives since, this collection of songs reflect that,” she continued.
For the band ThornBird’s first choice was Ben Franz (bass player with The Waifs). He was in WA and the two started gigging together as a duo, all the while Thorn was keeping her ears open and reconnecting with the Perth music scene.
“Even though I am from WA I hadn’t lived here for 25 years so I didn’t know a lot of local players,” Vikki said. “One night in my hometown I went to the pub and these guys from Perth were playing some dirty blues/folk in the corner. They were swaying around with their instruments not paying attention to anyone that cared to listen. It was loose, so loose that it felt like they were skating, but they rode that edge for an hour. You can tell when a band has been playing together for a long time - the music is a natural conversation It was raw and edgy. I wanted to make a record with these guys.”
These guys were Perth stalwarts Luke Dux (The Floors, Kill Devil Hills) on guitar and Todd Pickett (Kill Devil Hills & Southern River Band) on drums. Thorn reached out and they were keen. The album was recorded over 7 days in November 2020 at RADA Studios with Dan Carroll (Southern River Band) in the producer/engineer seat.
‘ThornBird’ side steps the confessional folk of The Waifs to indulge in her love for Americana and roots music, country and blues folk. It is with a slightly heavier groove that she moves out on her own. From her experience of living in the canyons of the US, to the inspiring women she met along the way. There are songs about love and friendship and made with a band that just clicked.
The songs meander between the ‘Stones - esque vibe’ of single ‘Bullets and Heartache’, a wild west ode to love and relationships with big vocal harmonies, to the laid back calypso of the feel-good singalong ‘All the Things’. First single ‘Tempest’ tells the story of a truck stop waitress dreaming of moving to Sydney whilst new single ‘Utah Skyline’ is a driving upbeat song evoking vast landscapes with a 70’s era harmony vibe. (think: America).
ThornBird has wasted no time in taking her new songs on the road, starting with a series of WA shows earlier this year, and are now headed east for a run of festivals and shows in the Spring of ’22. PERFORMING AT MILTON THEATRE
FRI 7 OCTOBER 8pm
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3xmNy3R
Check out ThornBird here
Thursday October 6th: An evening with @thornbirdmusic {Vikki Thorn from The Waifs } Candelo Town Hall ……..
“I wanted to make an album that has its own sway and swagger, untethered from a musical past that was defined by a couple of hippy kids traveling in a camper van and went on to have a hit song and win a couple of ARIAs. It’s a good story and it still is a great journey. As a musician and a mother I’ve lived a few lives since, this collection of songs reflect that” -Vikki Thorn
The intertwining influence of the American desert sands and the salty Australian air present a spectacular evolution of an artist that has already embedded herself into the veins of music lovers across the world.
Musicians: Vikki Thorn, Luke Dux and Ben Franz. ……….
Supper Available from 7pm. Food by @cowsnestfarm Local Support - Alice Wiebe
***TICKETS ON SALE NOW***
More info at candeloartssociety.org
