It’s the tour we’ve all been waiting for! Gillian Welch and David Rawlings – the pillar of the modern acoustic music world – finally make their way to Australia in a highly-anticipated and musically intimate run of shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

With careers spanning over 25 years, the masters of American folk are celebrating the release of their latest masterpiece, Woodland –the Grammy Award-winning duo’s first album together in 13 years.

After moving to Nashville in the early 1990s, Welch was launched into the public consciousness when Emmylou Harris recorded a cover of Welch’s Orphan Girl. Her career continued to flourish as her 1996 debut Revival, produced by T Bone Burnett, was released to critical acclaim.

Firmly on the roots music map following the release, Welch followed up that Grammy-nominated album release with 1998’s Hell Among The Yearlings, a stark duet record with Rawlings, further solidifying the duo as a force in the folk music scene.

For her work as executive producer as well as a performer and songwriter on the eight times platinum O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Welch was awarded the Album of the Year Grammy and was simultaneously nominated for her own Time (The Revelator) which Rolling Stone called one of the best albums of the 2000s and is widely considered by critics to be one of the best albums of all time. This release was Welch-Rawlings’ first on their own record label, Acony Records, helping to establish the duo’s fierce commitment to independent music.

Experience Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in this exclusive program of Melbourne and Sydney engagements, following on from their 40+ date tour crisscrossing the USA in honour of their highly-praised Woodland.

‘…where much of the Americana genre bemoans what’s gone, Woodland plays like a humble offering on the altar of what remains; a poesy to the inherent poignancy of preservation. For every glance back, another lingers on what lies ahead. And for each loss, a new discovery.’ – Rolling Stone

‘The intuitive bond between the two musicians remains at the forefront of their terrific new album, full of quiet adventures and clear empathy.’ – Pitchfork

Brian Taranto24 January 2025

GOOD TIMES