Brittany Maggs, Olive Mae, Michael Carpenter & The Banks Brothers Lead This Week's 'Grass Roots'

Every week, ABC Country's Grass Roots program shines a light on the best independently released Australian country content. Selected from the hundreds of new tracks submitted, the one-hour program is now available on demand as well as premiering each Monday at 9 pm on ABC Country, showing the health of Aussie country music across all its sub-genres. Here are four of this week's tracks you should have on your radar. 

Head here to have a listen to this week’s full episode of Grass Roots.

Michael Carpenter & The Banks Brothers - Self-Taught Medicine Man

Michael Carpenter & The Banks Brothers’ new single, Self-Taught Medicine, is a Zane Banks special – a traditional country meets bluegrass tune that highlights the band’s guitar playing and storytelling abilities. The song has been described as “A great mix of our brand of traditional country and bar-room country rock” by the band themselves.

Taking the group’s previous Golden Guitar nominated showings up a notch, Self-Taught Medicine is one for the traditional country music enthusiasts, a story of embracing one’s demons and exorcising them via twanging guitars and sinewy steel.

Brittany Maggs - This Town

A bit more pop-oriented but still a traditional country tune, the latest from Brittany Maggs explores the vibrant period of her living in Nashville. From her early musical beginnings covering the likes of Taylor Swift (All Too Well), Olivia Rodrigo (Driver’s Licence) and Linkin Park (Numb), it seems that Maggs has well and truly now found her place in country music.

Co-written with Troy Kemp, one-half of the country music duo McAllister Kemp, Maggs’ distinctive vocals shine through the lively new number. With a music video filmed at Brisbane bar Johnny Ringo’s, the Dural, NSW-based singer radiates joy and positivity as she discovers her second home in Nashville.

Olive Mae - Hit The Road

Western Australian artist Olive Mae also brings happiness to the table with her effortlessly fun Hit The Road, sang in an unmistakable Australian accent.

Hit The Road quickly became the theme song for Mae’s travels and touring (as well as the title track of her forthcoming debut EP in 2024). An upbeat folk-meets-country track, Hit The Road reminds listeners that there’s no such thing as “the right time” to get out of your comfort zone, so why not take a leap and go for it?

Mae is currently in Queensland and in January, will Hit The Road and make her debut at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.