It's AlfanAnt's time (and you should check them at Solbar on Friday night)
It may have taken nearly 20 years since they each started playing music, but suddenly things are really starting to happen for the Alt- Folk-Country Duo, AlfanAnt (Ant McKenna and Alf).
From January to March 2018 the duo embarked on an East Coast Tour to support the release of debut EP Lucky, which saw them play venues from Cygnet, Tasmania to Queensland to Port Lincoln in South Australia and a swag of venues in between. Racking up new fans, friends and many, many more stories that the pair parlay onstage in their now infamous between song banter.
The duo now finds themselves unexpected finalists in the Queensland Music Awards with their track Comes a Time, keeping company with the likes of Karl S Williams and Ruby Gilbert. Unexpected for a number of reasons, none more so than the fact that Alf now resides in Launceston, Tasmania!
The song has been included in the "Blues and Roots" category and even though the duo have attempted to cover all bases with the “Alf-Folk/Country tag, "Blues and Roots" didn’t make it into the moniker!
But there are no complaints from the pair.
Ant recalls the process of writing of Comes a Time. “I played the song to Alf one night and he loved it but both of us knew it wasn't quite right. Alf asked if he could have a go at singing it and in doing so, changed the phrasing of the lyrics across the chords. We both loved it right away. Alf even added the last verse to make it a true co-write.
Sound Engineering Wizard, Yanto Browning, gave the song an extra bit of luck. As he finished off the mix he made the off-cuff remark, “Well, it won’t win me any ARIA’s but it’s not bad!”
Not Bad indeed! “It’s a cliche, yes, but we truely are just so incredibly honoured to be a Finalist at the QMA’s!" says Alf.
So what’s next for our Alt-Folk/Country (Blues/Roots) Samaritans?
The immediate future will consist of more touring, with The Queensland Music Award Night squeezed in there come May 14th!
AlfanAnt play SE Queensland again at the start of May and Tassie at the end. They plan to record again later in the year in preparation for the release of their debut album.
20 years may sound like a long time but AlfanAnt sound, tour and play with just as much enthusiasm as they did back in late 90’s and 2000’s. Come and check them out before they're huge!
May 4 The Solbar, Maroochydore
May 5 Mr Henderson, Sandgate
May 6 The Beach Carnivale, Cotton Tree
May 31 The Republic Hotel, Hobart
June 1 The Red Velvet Lounge, Cygnet
June 2 The Royal Oak, Launceston
June 3 The Forth Pub, Forth