Personal touch never stronger for Troy
By Tim Howard
On tour again for the first time since 2019, Australian country music singer/songwriter Troy Cassar-Daley, will showcase the most personal music he has written in his 30-plus year career.
The 33-date national tour kicks off in Pomona, Queensland this week, then heads to the Casino RSM on May 30.
He will play six shows at venues on the North Coast
The tour combines with the May 10 release of his latest album, Between the Fires.
Troy says the album, which was written as he dealt with the death, in mid-2022, of his mum, Gumbaynggirr Elder Auntie Irene Daley, was the most personal music he was written.
“Losing mum was the most confronting experience of my life,” he said. “It took me 12 months to unpack that stuff, but writing music has really helped me heal.
“Performing these songs is going to be very personal. It’s me living out how I came to terms with mum’s passing.”
He wrote and recorded the album in his mum’s home at Halfway Creek, south of Grafton, which has added another layer of feeling to the album.
“Mum’s spirit was very much there, almost overseeing what was being made,” he said.
“The song Somedays is about mum not being part of my life any more.”
He said writing the album brought home the loss of both his mum and dad.
“The simple fact that you can’t just pick up the phone and just say ‘hi mum’ or ‘hi dad’ really comes home to you,” he said.
“I never thought I’d be making a record around those emotions.
“But it shines a light for you on the track to find your way ahead.”
The period after his mum’s death also put pressure on his marriage to wife Laurel and Troy has said the album title Between Two Fires was inspired by his feelings during that time.
Although the music is the most intensely personal he has written Troy is looking forward to sharing it with his audience, particularly on the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast.
“There are people, family and friends, who will be in the audience, who saw me get into fights under the trees at school,” he said.
“Now they’re seeing me up on stage writing and singing music as a career.
“These shows are very special because of that.”
He said revealing his most personal feelings was part of his role as a singer/songwriter.
“If a musician doesn’t have anything to say, it’s not worth them getting up there to perform,” he said.
Troy said his 90-minute show will be packed with music picked from his 30-year career but will include five songs from his new album.
He said a song like Old Road Home, from Between the Fires, would resonate with a lot of people on the Northern Rivers.
“It’s an old bloke recalling what it’s like to drive from Brisbane down to Coffs Harbour,” he said.
“Remembering all those little places you use to call into and the stories that go with them.”
Writing and singing about such personal experiences has made Troy – a proud Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung man – one of Australian music’s most powerful story tellers.
It has also brought him countless awards, including 40 Golden Guitars, five ARIA awards, four CMAA Entertainer of the Year titles, and three APRA Song of the Year awards.
There have also been 32 number-one chart singles and numerous gold and platinum albums that confirm him as an icon of Australian music.
But he also realises the importance of passing the baton and the Between the Fires tour will also allow him to showcase some of the next generation of musicians.
Troy Cassar-Daley will perform in Northern NSW on:
- May 30 – Casino RSM – Casino – NSW
- May 31 – Twin Towns Showroom – Tweed Heads – NSW
- June 6 – South West Rocks Country Club
- June 7 – Coffs Harbour CEX
- June 8 – Yamba Yamba Bowls
- June 9 – Coutts Crossing Coronation Hall
To get tickets, go to the offical Troy Cassar-Daley website.
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