From the heart of Sydney Jack Nolan has been captivating audiences with his unique blend of songwriting and performance since the mid-1990s.
His music is a tapestry of “mysterious and shimmering chords,” affectionately known as ‘Darlinghurst Country’ – a captivating fusion of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and ambient atmospheres. Nolan’s passion for both intensely charged electric guitar and delicate finger-picked acoustic work creates a sound that is both raw and refined.
Notably, in the early 2000’s Jack fronted – and was the main songwriter of – the legendary band The Kelly Gang featuring members of The Hoodoo Gurus and Midnight Oil. Among all the powerful live shows, the band recorded 'Looking For The Sun', a hidden gem with Jack handling guitar and lead vocals, Rob Hirst handling drums, Rick Grossman on bass, and Martin Rotsey on electric guitar.
Later prolific output included critically acclaimed albums, including 2018’s 'Our Waverley Star', 2021’s 'Gabriel', 2023’s 'Jindabyne', and 2024’s 'Songs for Hemingway'.
In September Nolan unveiled his highly anticipated fourth collaboration with Nashville producer/ musician Justin Weaver: ‘The Lonely Petunia’.
The album showcases a beautiful evolution in his sound, embracing acoustic instruments like mandolin, resonator slide, piano, strings, and percussive drums. This testament to Nolan’s masterful storytelling invites listeners on a journey through ethereal soundscapes, ultimately leading them back to the fundamental tenets of love, reality, family, and community.
I sound like… Not a fair question! Perhaps I’ll mention some of my heroes and you can mix it all up in that, Dylan, Stones circa 1970, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash aarrrgg there’s too many.
Our first gig was… in Collingwood at a venue I can’t remember the name of, I was very young and very nervous.
In the studio I usually... Go into a magical space where time is like a dream, where all people I work with these days are great people first and great musician second, that makes a big difference.
If I could tour with anyone... A crack band made up of my friends and work colleagues in Sydney & Nashville.
Social media is… a beautiful garden infested with weeds that I need to wade my way through. Most of the bad stuff isn't ‘social’ and most of the good stuff is ephemeral.
My favourite app at the moment is… My Polytune guitar tuner app, I use it every day for all my different tunings, but always try and tune it with my ear first before fine-tuning.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time… I remember once I apologised mid-song to the audience for making a mistake. One well-known musician on stage was seething with me - we're still friends - I've never reminded or mentioned to him any of his on many stage blunders, we all make them, but at that time I remember whipping myself. Now I just laugh. Play on play on
Life on the road can be... It's been a long time since I've technically been on the road, gigs are hard to get and I'm travelling now to country areas for one-offs which has been fun, sharing stories with my dear friend drummer Hamish Stewart who normally joins me in the car. We have a long history, he knows everyone in music and we laugh and laugh and laugh.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that our rider contains… sparkling mineral water and any alcohol the band wants.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... let's just say I haven't had a my altering substance for 31 years, you can work out the rest.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Nashville, full of thousands of multi-instrumentalists, the flock to the city each year looking to play.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party… RFK Jnr, I had his brother Max for dinner with his family a few years ago. That was a very cool day.
Bob Dylan so I could ask him a million questions about some of his recordings, whether I'd get an answer or not is another thing.
Charlie Watts, one of my favourite musicians. The guy was so cool, and I believe a big reason the Stones were so great in that era:, pre-click track, the way he would increase and decrease the tempo and keep those guys in line was impeccable – not to mention his sensibility, his playing.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Eggs on toast.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? Love dogs just not yours. I lost my bulldog Francesca earlier this year.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Don't drink so send me a case with a 1939 Martin D 45 inside it.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was… Yesterday, one hour of physical exercise a day mandatory good for the head good for the heart good for the mood good for the music.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Anything to do with gardening.
Do you have any phobias... Yeah I hate wasps and hornets things like that. I think from a past life I was traumatised, spiders don't bother me and other things like that. Just wasps.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? Don’t watch much TV too old for reality shows - I think they're ridiculous, sorry.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I'm always pranking my grandkids. They think I'm hilarious, I show off in front of them hide from them all that kind of stuff.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? I'd rather answer that by saying the fictional character that doesn't describe me – Anton Chigurh. Scary scary dude check out the movie if you don't know it.
Last show you binge-watched? Fargo. Super television. I could watch the Sopranos again.
