WILLIAM Crighton's friendship with fellow singer-songwriter Liz Stringer was forged while hanging out together in Germany and France on Midnight Oil's farewell tour last year.
So when the blues-and-roots rockers decided to record a cover together, it had to be an Oils track.
This week the Hunter's Crighton and Melbourne's Stringer released their cover of The Oil's Golden Age from their 2002 album Capricornia, to promote their upcoming dual headline tour, which begins on Sunday in Fremantle.
Crighton and Stringer bring the tour to Newcastle's Cambridge Hotel on March 24.
The new version of Golden Age is more reserved than the original and was recorded live at Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie's Oceanic Studio in northern Sydney.
Crighton and Stringer share vocals and guitar duties, Moginie plays bass and Oils bandmate, Rob Hirst, chims in on drums, with Julieanne Crighton and Jay McAllister, aka Beans on Toast, on backing vocals.
Crighton described the recording experience as surreal.
"It was Liz's idea to do Golden Age," Crighton said. "When I sat down with her to go through it, the first line, 'All the screens are filled with heroes and losers but the sky's still filled with stars', sunk in and the song had me.
"The idea grew and everything aligned for us all to converge for a few hours and run some takes at Oceanic."
BEER RUN
ELECTRO-pop songstress Graace is playing Adamstown Bowling Club on Sunday and Stone & Wood is picking up the tab.
The free concert is part of the popular Byron Bay beer brand's promotional tour. Sales from a keg of Stone & Wood Pacific Ale will be donated to Reach Homeless Services Newcastle.
Graace is on stage at 4pm, with Newcastle surf-rock trio Lucky Day and Gypsy Tramp & The Thief warming up the crowd from 11am.
RECORD FAIR
GATHER your disposal cash together because the Newcastle Record and CD Fair is returning on April 2 at Hamilton's Uniting Church.
BACKGROUND NOISE
WE'RE hearing a major band, who has never played in Newcastle before, will be announcing an outside show in the next week or two. Stay tuned.
