The Stumblers

There's a real warmth and humour running through The Stumblers' music. Where does that side of the band come from? 

We are a fun loving crew, always quick with a gag, but credit where credit is due - me! As the songwriter, I write songs that I would like to listen to, and I love joyful music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. We love playing Loretta Lynn’s “You’re the reason our kids are ugly” for that reason, and that style of duet is an inspiration. In my family, we all think we’re comedians, and it can be a brutal race to the punchline! The band also prides itself on its “hang value”, as in whether we’re playing music or not, we still love hanging with each other. Humour is a big part of that. Same with Dan and my’s relationship, we are always laughing and joking and poking gentle fun at each other. My favourite TV and movies are comedies, I live and die by The Simpsons and anything concerning Tina Fey, I’m not interested in anything that bums me out. 

Sarah and Dan, you're married as well as being songwriting partners. How does that dynamic shape the way you write together? 

I credit Dan with sharing the songwriting but not in the conventional sense. I write the songs independently but will always take them to him to workshop and ask the most important question - what do you think? Banger or clanger?. Dan  is a talented songwriter in his own right, and has his own bands and projects, and with a deep knowledge of music across all genres, he has an excellent ear for lyrics and structure. We’ve always just worked independently, maybe as a pair of control freaks, writing together wouldn’t work that well. Dan hasn’t had the deep immersion in country music that i’ve grown up with, as much as he enjoys it now. He’s got broad tastes - metal to yacht rock, but these days i’m 100% country. He does inspire me though, i’ve written a lot of songs based on his antics and adventures, like Nashville - the story of him staying for “one more beer” then waking up on a porch swing at a stranger’s house after being whisked away but some enthusiastic college kids, or The Canal, the story of a nefarious friend who came to stay for a night and didn’t leave for many dark months. Being in a band with your husband has plenty of challenges, including the inevitable bickering in the rehearsal room and hard conversations about guitar tone or style, as well as constantly paying babysitters for every gig. But it’s also a beautiful and joyful thing to share between two people who love to listen to and perform music so much.

Country music has always been great at turning everyday characters and situations into songs. What kinds of stories tend to grab your attention?  These days I’m drawn to authentic experiences, that I’ve experienced or witnessed. Our (former) travels are a source of inspiration, as well as more amusing anecdotes that are converted into song. I like the energy it brings between Dan and I on stage when we relive the tales in front of a chuckling audience. But also more thoughtful and reflective topics, like the sadness and isolation of an estranged relationship, captured in our song Hollow Heart. Sometimes it’s just a tagline, like the song Sisters Beware - something written on the back of a ladies toilet door in a Perth pub about some musician of ill-repute. One line can build a whole story, and there’s got to be a story, usually told in 3 acts. I can’t be writing songs about hooking up with cowboys these days, that’s not where I am in life, and I believe there is a large audience in the same stage of life as us who can appreciate our tales of domestic bliss and other comical ideas.

Your influences include Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Gram Parsons and The Byrds. What do you think those artists got right about country and folk songwriting?

Loretta had a revolutionary way of capturing the hard truths of domestic life, usually with a generous dose of humour thrown in. All the stay at home mothers of her generation finally had a voice at a pivotal moment of change for women in American culture. The music was never complicated, the craft was in the narrative, so honest and unfiltered in songs like The Pill and Don’t Come A Drinkin’. Gram Parsons and The Byrds brought country music to the California cool kids, with their exquisite harmonies and skilled musicianship and craft. They’re the other end of the songwriting spectrum, with more complex chord structures, beyond the usual 3 chord patterns. We do love that 60s and 70s California country sound and those Gram and Emmy Lou harmonies. Return of the Grievous Angel and You Ain’t Goin Nowhere are two of our favourite covers to perform. We tend to include harmonies in all of our songs. We’ve got enough singers! Only recently have I dug deep into more modern artists like Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell, and I’m glad I did, because they’ve taught me that you can create a unique, modern sound while still utilising all the traditional components of mountain country music, embracing that old world yet somehow making it sound so new. I hope we can achieve this too, by leaning on our own Australian country roots.

There's something quite old-school about the idea of a band telling stories, harmonising and getting a room dancing. Do you feel connected to that tradition?

Absolutely, I hate being bored at a gig, and that happens. The beauty of this music is you don’t need to overthink it, it’s meant for rowdy beer halls not silent jazz clubs. Drinking and dancing is a great way for the audience to show appreciation to the band. I love the old Celtic folk tunes, the Appalachian and Bluegrass traditions of harmonies and high speed fiddle and banjo. It’s a huge buzz to get the room on their feet or at least smiling and tapping along to the rhythm. I feel a band needs to be more than a live version of their recording, if people have made the effort to come to a show, otherwise they may as well have stayed home. It’s hard enough to get people to come to see original music, I think it’s critical to entertain the hell out of them while you’ve got them, with everything you’ve got. Who doesn’t like harmonies and a funny story? Who wouldn’t want to see a glittering, rhinestoned band in full sparkling costume? I know I do.

Beyond the vintage country influences, what do you think makes The Stumblers sound like The Stumblers, and where do you see the band heading from here?

We definitely don’t just follow a formula. I listen to such a variety of country music, from Dolly Parton to Tyler Childers to William Alexander to Bella White to Waylon Jennings and of course, Johnny Cash, all those influences come across at various points, infused and intermingled with each other, it’s never just a copy of an existing artist. I think my lyrics have a certain style, reflective of my personality. Humorous but direct and authentic. Our sound is a combination of so much talent, with the benefit of musicians and a producer from outside of country music (Alex Arpino, look him up on Spotify), so the songs won’t be a dull genre exercise. We have an Irish-folk fiddle player, a classical pianist, a bass player who is actually a classical violinist, and two rock and roll legends on drums and mandolin. That formula can’t help but generate a unique sound!

We’ve all been around the traps a long time, but I believe we have the right ingredients to make some quality music and memorable performances. I want to share as much of our music with as many people as possible, and entertain as many audiences as we can. I never want to turn down any gig if I can help it. We’d love to tour the southern states of the US, but at the moment we’re happy touring WA and bringing as much joy as we can to as many country towns that will have us.