Danny Widdicombe

I have a brand new album of old-time, Willie Nelson inspired, cowboy songs, with a brand new band of country music virtuosos, and I need your help to press these recordings onto hot, black, delicious vinyl. 

The New Album is called One Note at a Time

Here's the back story...

In March 2025, I invited some of Australia’s most renowned country musicians to gather at Alchemix Studios in South Brisbane. I’d only just finished writing a swag of new songs the week before, and I was curious to see what might happen if I brought together a band of virtuosos, sat in a room with them, and simply pressed record. I'd written all the tunes on nylon string guitar in homage to Willie Nelson, and wanted to record in them the same way he recorded his 1975 classic album Red Headed Stranger.

My first call was to Michel Rose (Slim Dusty, Troy Cassar-Daley and many more) — without doubt Australia’s leading exponent of the pedal steel guitar. Over the last few years we’d become close friends through our shared love of the instrument, and through Michel’s involvement in a theatre show I curated, performing Neil Young’s Harvest with The Honey Sliders. Michel suggested I call Gus Fenwick (Brian Cadd, John Williamson) on bass and Doug Gallacher (Slim Dusty, John Williamson and many more) on drums — so that’s exactly what I did.

I already knew I wanted Luke “Fiddleboy” Moller (Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Kasey Chambers and many more) on fiddle and mandolin, and Brendan St. Ledger (Wendy Matthews and many more) on piano. Both of these players melt my heart when I hear them play.

It was a beautiful autumn day in Brisbane when we all met in the studio car park. Everyone in the band — apart from Luke — is older than me, and they’ve all played with some of the biggest artists in the country and around the world. Even so, there was a real buzz of anticipation during those first introductions and quick conversations about the songs. Moments like that matter — when you’re about to create together, that first eye contact and respectful handshake can set the tone for everything that follows.

Alchemix is the studio where the soundtrack to the kids’ show Bluey is recorded. The live room has an enormously high  ceiling and an inspiring sense of space. We set ourselves up in a circle to maximise communication while recording, and with studio owner Marly engineering the session, we knew we were in very good hands.

I arrived with six brand new songs and a couple of covers, but I had absolutely no expectation that we’d get through all eight. From the first note, though, everything just clicked. By lunchtime we had two songs in the can and still had five hours of studio time left. I grabbed lunch for everyone from the Greek food warehouse across the road, and the energy stayed high — the vibes were good and the music was flowing freely.

Remarkably, by the end of the day we’d recorded all six of my new songs, along with a cover of the tune Willie Nelson made famous, “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain,” and a pedal steel instrumental, “Blue Jade.”

Not long after the session I was pulled back into the relentless touring schedule of my band The Honey Sliders. We were playing every week, and I handle the bookings and logistics as well as leading the band on stage, so the following months were a blur. Our front-of-house sound engineer, Heath Storrie, offered to mix the new recordings, so we started with the Willie Nelson cover. It sounded so sweet that we released it in time for Willie’s 92nd birthday. I made a film clip to go with it, and we played a launch show for the single — and from that moment the band really came to life.

I called the group The Wandrin’ Stars. The name comes from the classic song I Was Born Under a Wandrin' Star that I’d heard in the cowboy film Paint Your Wagon, and the word “Wandrin’” also hints at the spirit of the project — a fluid group of musicians who can drift in and out depending on who’s available.

Fast forward to 2026 and the album is finished. I added a couple of instrumentals recorded at my home studio, Butter Chicken, and Heath mixed the rest of the tracks. As I write this, the album artwork is still being created, but soon everything will be ready to press onto vinyl and CD.

I’m incredibly proud of these songs. They arrived in a burst of creativity — all written in a single week when I felt completely connected to the craft of songwriting and simply let the music flow.

With your help through this campaign, we can bring these recordings to life on vinyl and CD.

I hope you love these songs as much as I do.

This Pozible campaign is about helping bring these recordings into the physical world. I’m ready to press the album onto vinyl — but I need your help to make it happen.

Back in March 2025, I personally covered the cost of the studio time and the musicians who helped bring these songs to life. Since then, I’ve also paid Heath Storrie to mix the recordings and Paul Blakey to master them. I’ll also be covering the cost of the album artwork by Borley Design, along with the promotion needed to get the music out into the world.

What this campaign will fund is the vinyl pressing itself.

This is old-time cowboy music — essentially my homage to my hero Willie Nelson — and it just feels right for it to live on vinyl. Streaming might be convenient, but there’s something special about holding a record in your hands, placing the needle down, and listening to the music the way it was meant to be heard.

I’m planning to press 150 copies of the album on vinyl through local Brisbane / Meanjin manufacturer Suitcase Records. The total cost for this, including GST, is $3,465.

If the campaign happens to raise more than the amount needed for the vinyl pressing, I’ll also look at pressing CD copies so the music can reach even more listeners.

In a time when AI and digital technology seem to be creeping into everything, this project was about going back to the roots of music — real musicians, playing together in a room, recording live. It’s an acoustic record made in the old way, and it feels only right that it should exist in a physical form you can hold, collect, and treasure.

With your support, we can press these songs onto vinyl and send them out into the world.