Other Side of the Rock

Singer-songwriter Shane Howard is a quiet legend in Australia. Born of Irish-Catholic heritage and raised in rural Victoria, he’s one of the few ‘whitefella’ songmen who’s not only pursued his own folk/rock career, but also made a lasting contribution to the indigenous music scene. On his first visit to the Central Australian monolith Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) in 1981, Howard was struck by the vast desert expanses and the depth of ongoing spiritual connection to the land that he found within Aboriginal culture. His original Goanna Band’s massive 1982 hit single ‘Solid Rock’ became the first mainstream song to address indigenous rights. He has subsequently released a dozen solo albums, produced several Aboriginal artists such as Archie Roach, the Pigram Brothers and Joe Geia, and in recent years has been an integral member of the all-star Black Arm Band.

Howard is celebrating his 30-year journey by freshening up his back catalogue. On Other Side of the Rock, he re-recorded 13 new versions of songs taken across his career. Some of the reinterpretations are startling, such as the opening ‘Solid Rock (Sacred Ground)’. Originally a four-minute anthemic rocker, here it’s been transformed into a sprawling, considerably slowed-down acoustic opus, with fiddle, uillean pipes and didgeridoo. Another souped-up version of the same song features an Aboriginal children’s choir singing in Pitjantjatjara language. With other indigenous guests including Archie Roach, Emma Donovan, Mark Atkins and Bart Willoughby, Other Side of the Rock solidifies Howard’s important role in fostering closer white/black musical relations.