Troy Cassar-Daley brings something special back to Wiradjuri Country

Troy Cassar-Daley hasn’t done a solo tour since 2019, but the country music icon hasn’t been idle, performing across Australia with rock legend Ian Moss and recording a new album.

The 55-year-old hit the road again in May for the ‘Between the Fires’ tour and will perform in the Riverina this Friday and Saturday.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Riverina; Wagga and Albury have been really kind to me over the years and I love driving across the Hay Plains,” he said.

“There’s just something about when it gets real flat and there’s nothing to see but just these beautiful, big old plains and it always gets me.”

“Between the Fires” is Troy’s 12th studio album and his most personal, as he unpacked the grief of losing his mother by returning to the family home at Halfway Creek on Gumbaynggirr country in Northern NSW.

“When I lost my mum, I went into this little bit of a reflective mode and decided to do a lot of my mourning back at our old house where I grew up,” he explained.

“I just had this feeling of emptiness and thought that there wasn’t much to talk about as far as songwriting went, but as I sat on the veranda in the mornings with my coffee, I got a feel for the sound of the place and I thought, I’ll just write and see what comes out. ”

As the songs began to flow, Troy reached out to music industry friends to explore the idea of recording in the old homestead.

The Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung man said there was something powerful about being on Country.

“The beautiful part of this project is that it’s only going to sound like Mum’s house. It’s not going to sound like a studio, and God, what a gift it was to do that!” he said.

“We got all the gear set up and had a big drum kit and the steel guitar and bass were all in my lounge room where I learned to play guitar along with the records, and I was in Mum’s art room, and we had the recorder out in the kitchen and we were making music in that old house again.

“I don’t think there’s any better privilege in a musician’s life to do that.”

The resulting album is raw and deeply personal as the veteran songwriter lays bare his grief and sorrow and looks for the light in the darkness.

“My heart was broken and empty when I started this project, but it became fuller and fuller the more songs I wrote at Mum’s house,” he said.

“Writing these songs was medicine and with each song that I play live in amongst the set with all the old songs, I feel like it’s a step forward, and sharing them now with other people really gives me a chance to share the journey that I took.”

Troy’s voice has matured with his songwriting and there is a rich traditional country music sensibility through the album with shades of the greats such as Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.

The gentle and heartbreaking Some Days reflects on the loss of both Troy’s mother and his father and the challenge of marching forward through grief.

“On a gig the other day in Adelaide, while I was playing Some Days, I didn’t have anywhere I could actually look in the crowd because there were so many people just losing their s—,” he said.

“I thought, if I look at him, I want to cry. If I look at her, I want to cry, so I just stared up into a corner of the room while I delivered the tune, and I was able to just hold it together.

“Being about losing Mum and Dad, it’s such a big adjustment in your life and I say to people in the setup, you really must allow yourself to have bad days.”

Another important story Troy shares on the album is that of the Wiradjuri warrior Windradyne who stood up against colonial attacks and the dispossession of his people.

The first-person narrative puts ‘western’ back in the genre and Troy said the story of first contact and cultural pride had resonated with audiences.

“It’s an incredibly important truth in our country and in our history and it’s important for us to keep telling these stories, as uncomfortable as some of them are, because it actually brings us together,” he said.

“Bringing a Wiradjuri story to the country itself is also important, and I feel privileged to bring it back like Jimmy Little used to sing about with the tribal boomerang [Yorta Yorta Man], you’re always returning with something.

“I look forward to bringing this show to Wiradjuri Country. It’s a deep dive and a rodeo ride of emotion and if you feel you’re ready to put your foot in the stirrup with me, I think you’ll come away with something special.”

Troy Cassar-Daly will be performing in Albury on Friday and Wagga Wagga on Saturday.