Half a lifetime ago, Slide Milligan played in an assortment of hard rock bands touring the Australian landscape throughout the '80s and '90s.
After giving up his 'musical dreams' to pursue a trade in rural fencing, Slide would tinker from time to time with his slide guitar, gradually writing a collection of songs that weren't your 'usual roots music fare'.The first song he wrote in this manner was 'Feelin' Fine' – Slide's ode to an Aussie summer; a country, indie-rock crossover soaked in Americana and blues soul – a mix of classic Aussie pub rock, Waylon Jennings-flavoured country and a sprinkling of Pink Floyd psych.
"'Feelin' Fine' is the first song I wrote for both guitar and lyrics since I was working as a full-time rural fencer," begins Slide.
"Once I bought my first slide guitar and had taken on my full-time work as a trade, I would tinker around every now and again with a few beers and really this one came naturally.
"It was nice to not have any band politics, feelings of needing to 'make it' or caring for what I wanted to write.
"All I was thinking is 'lets make an ode to Aussie summer' even though I was working 12-hour days in the scorching heat."
With the song released last month, Slide called upon his family and close friends to gather for a backyard barbie that doubled as a film shoot for a 'Feelin' Fine' music video, which scenestr is stoked to premiere today. Enjoy.
"For the music video we were going to put a show on in my shed out back of the house, but alas COVID shattered all those dreams, but I liked that because really in the end I thought 'that's done anyways'," Slide says.
"Why not just get my family, my closest and do what we actually do, a small BBQ, good chat, cricket, many, many cans until the neighbours tell us to tone it down, and that's what we did."
A song originally written in a heartbeat almost a decade ago, 'Feelin' Fine' would have remained dormant without a chance encounter with Australian expat and indie impresario Andy Clockwise who happened to be back in the country due to COVID.
"['Feelin' Fine'] took me eight minutes to write and stayed for eight years in the vault. So that being said it feels amazing to release it to the world and even more amazing that people seem to enjoy it.
"I wanted to make a song that transported me back to my youth in Australia, an '80s Aussie coastline with hot chips from a kiosk (do kids know what a kiosk is?) and carefree summer days and balmy nights in small coastal towns.
"Luckily I was doing a fence on Andy Clockwise's property and he'd just came back from LA because of COVID.
"I played him some of my stuff, the guy is a genius and made this sound that I'd been searching for years; needless to say I did a deal on the fence ha ha."
