Today, ARIA and three-time Golden Guitar nominee Angus Gill released “Whittling Away,” a duet written and performed with the legendary Jim Lauderdale, that highlights the resilience and strength people are displaying in the midst of these trying times. The track appears on Gill’s forthcoming LP The Scrapbook, due out September 24th via Rivershack Records/MGM.
“Despite growing up far from bluegrass music’s native home, he says that the sound has called to him since he was a child,” said Bluegrass Today of Gill, who hails from New South Wales, Australia. Gill told Bluegrass Today that “Whittling Away” was initially inspired by the heroic struggles his mom went through getting her mother into a nursing home, and it actually served as the catalyst for the entire album.
“I have always wanted to record a bluegrass album with players that are incredibly passionate about the genre, and know it like the bow of their fiddle or the metal picks on the tops of their fingers…people that have bluegrass in their blood,” Gill told Bluegrass Today.
“I had half a dozen bluegrass songs that I had written from several years ago that I restructured or altered for this project. I wrote a few new ones and then we had all of the songs for a new record. I called up Tim (Crouch) and asked him if he would play and co-produce the album with me, and we brought Randy (Kohrs), Clay (Hess), and Tony (Wray) onto the project and recorded it all remotely at the start of 2021,” he added. “It’s pretty cool because it sounds like we were all playing in the same room, despite being over 15,000 kms away.”
“Angus is one of the most creative and talented people I’ve ever worked with,” said Lauderdale of the collaboration. “It was an honor to get to write with and sing with him. I hope we can do much more down the road!” “Whittling Away” follows the release of album single “Always On The Run.”
Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Scrapbook features Gill backed by a stellar lineup of Grammy-winning musicians and affords him the chance to show a different side to his well-honed songwriting and musicianship. Along with his duet with Lauderdale, Gill also recorded a duet with bluegrass icon Jerry Salley which appears on The Scrapbook.
Previously, Gill has supported country music superstar Kris Kristofferson and collaborated with music legends including Steve Earle, Adam Harvey, James Blundell, Gina Jeffreys, Diesel, and many more. Gill is one of the youngest Australians ever to have performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he shared the stage with Charles Esten, who is also featured on the album. Pre-save and pre-order The Scrapbook HERE.
THE SCRAPBOOK TRACK LISTING:
Always on the Run (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)
Samson (Angus Gill/Bill DiLuigi/Kirsti Manna)
Whittling Away featuring Jim Lauderdale (Angus Gill/Jim Lauderdale)
Caught Between a Rock and a Heartache (Angus Gill/Rivers Rutherford)
Feet of Clay (Angus Gill/Charles Esten)
Let’s Have a Drink (To Not Drinking Again) featuring Jerry Salley (Angus Gill/Jerry Salley/Bill
Whyte/Aaron Wilburn)
The Scrapbook (Angus Gill/Bill Whyte)
Put ‘Er There (Angus Gill/Gary Burr)
Still Missing (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)
Heartquake (Angus Gill/Thomm Jutz)
Forget Me Not (Angus Gill/Bill DiLuigi/Kirsti Manna)
