Award winning songwriter and staunch Country traditionalist,
Blake Dantier is back with his latest single
'Don't Say When'. It comes ahead of the release of his highly anticipated debut album '
Dry Season', out on 25
th March and available for pre order now.
"It's got to be the most personal track on the album," admits
Dantier. The mid-tempo ballad reveals a more sensitive side to the songwriter, who is better known for his good time drinking songs like
'Last Call' and
'Wish You Were My Beer'.
"I wrote 'Don't Say When' for my Grandad, who passed a few years back," he says.
"Grandad was a lover of fine scotch and red wine, but I'd always been too young to share a drink with him. This song is about having that drink - cracking open a bottle, starting to pour and not saying when."
Produced by
Simon Johnson at
Hillbilly Hut studios,
Dantier insisted 'Don't Say When' feature an accordion part, as a nod to his grandfather.
"I can't play anything close to what he could," jokes
Dantier "but I'll learn one day". Shot and directed by
Duncan Toombs of
The Filmery, the video sees
Dantier immersed in a maze of art and upcycled furniture and features his grandfather's beloved accordion in the flesh.
The road to the debut album has been full of bumps and detours (starts with C and rhymes with 'over it') but that hasn't stopped
Dantier from blazing a clear path. Four of his self-penned singles from the upcoming album featured in the
CountryTown Hot 50 airplay chart, with
'Last Call' peaking at
#8. He was also the winner of two
Tamworth Songwriters Salute Awards in 2021. He shares the wins with his fiancée and
Golden Guitar award nominee,
Cass Hopetoun, with whom he wrote the
#1 airplay hit
'Typical Bride'.
Dantier even attracted the attention of
Adam Harvey, who duets with him on the album track,
'You Don't Mix Whiskey'.
"It's been a hot minute since we started this album and I'm so keen to get out there and play it," chirps
Dantier. Fans won't have to wait too much longer as he will be launching the album with shows in the Blue Mountains and Sydney, as well as a special double bill with fellow honky-tonkers,
Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers. He'll then be hitting the road with his fiancé
Cass Hopetoun, performing at
Meatstock Toowoomba and opening for
Jayne Denham.
Blake Dantier has yet again proved his versatility as a songwriter with
'Don't Say When'; its heartfelt story packs a punch that lingers like a barrel aged single malt. You can see why
The Music Network named him
"One of the most exciting prospects on the local country scene"! If this is just a taste of what's to come, then the debut album is sure to be nothing but top shelf.
SHOW DATES:
Friday 25th March – Dry Season Album Launch – The Baroque Room – Katoomba (w/ Rachael Brady)
Thursday 31
st March – Shady Pines Saloon – Sydney, NSW
Friday 8
th April – Meatstock – Toowoomba, QLD
Thursday 21
st April – 50
th Anniversary Concert – TCMF2022 – Tamworth, NSW
Friday 22
nd April – Big Golden Guitar – Tamworth, NSW
Thursday 28
th April - The Malt Shovel Taphouse – Birtinya, QLD (w/Jayne Denham)
Friday 29
th April - Bay Tavern - Hervey Bay, QLD (w/ Jayne Denham)
Saturday 30
th April - Racehorse Hotel – Ipswich, QLD (w/ Jayne Denham)
Thursday 9
th June – The Vanguard – Sydney, NSW (w/ Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers)
Thursday 4
th August – Hallam Hotel – Melbourne, VIC (w/ Jayne Denham)
Friday 5
th August – Gateway Hotel – Geelong, VIC (w/ Jayne Denham)