Australian bluegrass band The Stetson Family have an excellent new single, ‘Dollar In My Hand’. The band’s lead singer, Nadine Budge, delivers a powerful vocal with an edge and a touch of grit. Her voice is swept along by flowing musical currents underpinned by John Bartholomeusz’s rhythmic strum and warm double bass from Luke Richardson. Flourishes of fiddle from Greg Field and banjo from Colin Swan add absorbing layers and the result is an upbeat, atmospheric bluegrass song.
Budge says of the song: “‘Dollar’ draws on many aspects of lives lived with greed and a sense that you always have to have more and be ahead of the pack or you’ll get ‘left behind’. These days we see so many people sell their souls to get ahead. Be careful what you wish for!”
The moody video was filmed by the Yarra River in Melbourne by Zoe Bartholomeusz, and produced and directed by Budge. She says of the video: “The ‘Dollar In My Hand’ video is shot in black and white in an Australian bush setting at night with lights shining on the band, trees and trails to give shadow and light, a dynamic that offers a darkness with the intention to express the greed and desperation in the content of the song.”
The song is taken from the forthcoming album ‘The Stars, If You Look Closely’, due for release on 19th April 2024. The band’s fourth album – and first for nine years – features eleven original songs, ranging from uptempo, foot-stomping bluegrass to more delicate ballads. The well-received third album, ‘True North’, included the song ‘O Winding River’, which was one of ten songs selected from around the world to be showcased in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference and festival. After bonding over the music of ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’, the band have been making music for 16 years, perfecting their fluent Americana and gorgeous harmonies. Enjoy.
