LifeMusicMedia’s Sunday Selection is your weekly view to Queensland Artists

Texas Tea are a two piece alt-country act from Brisbane, Australia. Texas Tea’s debut album, Take A Sip, featured heavily on radio from it’s release in 2006, including ABC, Triple R, PBS, Triple J, 4ZZZ. In 2006 and 2007 Texas Tea took out the Hot 100 on Brisbane’s 4ZzZfm with tracks ‘Macy and Me’ and ‘Whiskey and Wine’. These tracks also featured as finalists in the Q Music Awards and in 2007 APRA Songwriters Award. Tracks from Take A Sip have been used in several film projects including a film by Tropfest Winning Director Steve Baker and more recently in feature film written and directed by John Jarratt – Savages Crossing.

Their 2nd long player ’The Junkship Recordings’ is set to cement Texas Tea’s place in the country and alternative music scene in Australia. The album was recorded over the last year in several late night sessions at Junkship Studios with Producer and Engineer Jamie Trevaskis. Some have referred to the recording as a ‘masterpeice’. Stand out tracks on the album include; ‘Billy’ – a rollicky lament of loss, ‘The Cane Farmer’s Song’ – a sinister spiritual prayer for rain and ‘The Ferry Song’ – a tragic story of a relationship slowly drowning.

Kate and Ben are dual songwriters for the band. Their sound is lyrically driven and has been descirbed as “uniquely Brisbane”. The two have a curious blend of instrumentation for their live shows. They synchronously combine vocals, guitars, harmonica and foot percussion (with Ben on kick drum and Kate on the high-hat tamborine).

Texas Tea have been compared to such artists as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Mazzy Starr, Carter and Cash, Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen and they have shared the stage with Iron and Wine (USA), The Handsome Family (USA), The Mountain Goats (USA), Jeff Lang, The Darling Downs (Kim Salmon and Ron Peno), Art of Fighting, The Devastations and many other fine acts.

Texas Tea have toured all over the East Coast of Australia and also Germany, Netherlands and France where they have strong support.