by Robert Dunstan

The marriage of Australian country singer Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, a rock singer with Brisbane band Pretty Violet Stain and a solo artist with two albums to his credit, was, perhaps, an unlikely one. The fact that their musical partnership has delivered a number one album called Rattlin’ Bones is ever harder to believe given that the 14-song affair, produced by Nash Chambers and Shane at Jimmy Barnes’ Freight Train Studios, is a very acoustic and quite dark country album. We speak over the telephone to Kasey and Shane a couple of hours after they’ve appeared on Channel Nine’s The Today Show and begin by saying that their performance of the album’s title song was screened in sepia-tone to great effect.

“Oh wow, really,” Kasey laughs. “That’s great! I never look at the television monitors whenever I’m singing in a TV studio, so had no idea. Wow! I hope someone taped it for us.

“And it’s always fun to sing at 8am in the morning,” she wryly adds.

I couldn’t make out who the double bass player was due to Shane’s hat was obscuring my view.

“Good,” Shane laughs.

“It was James Gilliard,” Kasey says of the one time Mondo Rock bass player who now plays on Rattlin’ Bones.

Kasey and Shane then went on to say they are both very excited about the release of Rattlin’ Bones and I gather that the idea came about when they were doing regular gigs in their local pub as The Lost Dogs.

“Yeah, those gigs had a huge influence on the record,” Kasey states. “Perhaps we didn’t realise it at the time but looking back, we played for a year every week at that pub doing covers and some new of our own stuff. And because there are three singers in that band, myself, Shane and my dad [Bill Chambers], you soon learn to sing harmonies a lot better and work as a back-up singer. So I was learning that I don’t always have to out the front and it was actually rather fun.”

Kasey and Shane then started writing for an album they would record together.

“We’d been talking about doing an album about this time last year,” Shane announces. “And it seemed like the right time as we’d both taken time off – Kasey had released and toured Carnival and I’d toured my own album [Faith And Science]. And, with Kase and I having a baby and being at home a lot, we didn’t have to reschedule any time to actually sit down and write songs.

“So the songs were written in-between changing nappies and feeding times,” Kasey says.

“And being creative together was quite a new thing for us,” Shane adds.

Rattlin’ Bones was recorded by Nash Chambers and Shane over the course of a week at Jimmy Barnes’ Freight Train Studios.

“Nash has worked there a bit on Jimmy’s last record [Out In The Blue] and Jimmy and his family were going overseas so we stayed and lived there for a week with the kids and mum who was doing all the cooking,” Kasey states. ‘That was really good because there’s nothing worse than having to get up every day and drive somewhere. It destroys the whole creative process but if you can just kind of wake up and start recording, it’s much better. We got to concentrate on living with the record.”

The completed album has been referred to as country Goth.

“We’re beginning to like that term,” Kasey giggles. “That’s kinda what it is because there’s certainly a bit of darkness there. But I don’t know where it comes from. I think it might be the sound because if you play a banjo in a minor key, it can sound quite dark.”

Shane admits that being a member of the Chambers’ clan has given him more of an understanding of country music.

“I’ve always enjoyed it and Kasey and I grew up listening to quite similar music but, professionally, we moved in different circles. But getting to know Kase, Nash and her dad has certainly fostered my enjoyment and appreciation for country music.

“But this record isn’t that far away from the kind of music that Kasey and I listen to at home,” Shane adds.

Neither are concerned about how the album will be received.

“I think it’s good to reinvent yourself all the time as it keeps it enjoyable,” Shane reasons. “And

“Shane was actually more into doing this album than I was,” Kasey then adds. “And you just do what feels right at the time.”

“I like artists who constantly change with total disregard for any repercussions,” Shane says. “For example, Neil Young. Neil Young is probably my favourite artist but there are one of two of his albums I’ve listened to once or twice and won’t go back to. But I really respect him for that.”

“There’s no point worrying about how many people are going to like what you do,” Kasey suggests. “If Rattlin’ Bones is too country for some people, then they might like the next album I make because it’s going to be different again. Some people didn’t like Carnival and some did.

“It’s like I love Lucinda Williams – she’s probably my all-time favourite artist, but there’s an album of hers, World Without Tears, that I rarely listen to because it’s just not one of my favourites but it doesn’t stop me from being a fan.”

A extensive tour has been announced that goes until the end of July with an Adelaide date likely to happen in August some time.

“It’s just a totally acoustic tour,” Kasey says in conclusion. “It’s just Shane, me and dad out on the road with about a billion kids. But it works really well because between them, Shane and dad play a lot of different instruments. And it’ll be the new record as well as songs from my solo albums and from Shane’s records and dad’s albums. And doing some of my songs acoustically with different instruments has made them really fresh again.”

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson’s Rattlin’ Bones is out now via Liberation Music.