East Coast Tour and New Single for

MICHAEL WAUGH

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Michael Waugh

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I’m excited to announce dates for my East Coast tour promoting the new album, accompanied by my good friend, Rich Davies. To celebrate, today I’m launching the video for Willy’s Chickens, the fourth single from my album The Asphalt & The Oval.

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 “…unguarded intimacy is part of his overwhelming charm… I can recommend the entire collection of 13 tracks, which together offer a masterclass in songwriting… When Michael Waugh opens his mouth, you should listen” 
Andrew McMillen, Music Editor The Australian (Album of the week, 4.5 star review)

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Current tour dates take us to Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne – but plans are well underway to later in the year visit a lot of other towns and cities where I’ve heard from fans. The double-header shows are with Rich Davies, a wonderful Melbourne based singer-songwriter who draws from his Scottish upbringing and love of Springsteen in folk-inspired story songs that earned him a nomination at this year’s Golden Guitar Awards for his composition ‘Dirt Under My Nails’ (covered by The Bushwackers and nominated for Heritage Song of the Year).

Willy’s Chickens has already received airplay on ABC Local, 2GB and 3AW and it has been a crowd favourite at shows – including the gorgeous sell-out launch show at Melbourne’s The Spotted Mallard.

The song is about my mum and a group of rural women from my hometown community – and about the home delivery of a box of chickens that was infamous in my family. I love that I now get to pass on this story about the day my mum told Mrs Manson where she could stick a box of chickens…

The women from Willy’s chicken factory line worked, tarred with feathers and blood, and with their hands in the ass of a Sunday dinner – for very little pay. Mum would stand with her hands in the air, on wet concrete, while chicken carcasses would fly at her head for 10 hours a day. And yet, she’d come home with tales of these gutsy country women, and how they would tell each other stories and laugh all day through some very uncomfortable and tough working conditions. Dad used to call them ‘the old chooks from Willy’s’ – though he was too scared to ever say it to their faces. The strength, humour and down to earth nature of those women is what I most remember and love.

I am so delighted that visual artist, Rachel Joy, agreed to animate this story for the music video. Rachel is someone who I have long admired for her politics and her integrity – her strength reminds me of those women that I knew from Willy’s. She chose the form of cranky animation, an old style of shadow puppetry where a long role of animated art is hand-cranked through a light box. I really think that it perfectly captures the idea of this family legend brought to life. When she showed it to me, she said that I had to hold it in my arms – almost like I was embracing the story.

Director, Katrina Wilson, previously worked on the music video for Maffra Under 10s. With this video, she has given colour and movement to Rachel’s work in a clever way, that captures the humour and movement of the art and the song beautifully.

I’m looking forward to sharing songs from ‘The Asphalt & The Oval’ with Rich Davies:

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Tour Dates:

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Michael Waugh

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AMNPLIFY – DB