IT'S been a difficult year for Dashville chief Matt Johnston following the cancellation of The Gum Ball and Dashville Skyline music festivals due to COVID-19.
However, it hasn't dulled the music promoter's creativity. Johnston has donned his other hat, that of a singer-songwriter, to announce the release of his forthcoming single with his country-soul band Magpie Diaries.
The atmospheric six-minute Go Anywhere was written last year during the height of Magpie Diaries' extensive national tour for the album Sanctuary, which covered 3000 kilometres during one three-week leg.
The track was recorded in January at Vale Studios near Tamworth.
The lyrics "I don't want to go anywhere/ I just wanna stay with you/ The world is falling apart," were written for a different time, but have come to perfectly symbolise COVID-19 and its economic turmoil.
"We wanted to release it then and there [in March] but we had bigger issues to contend with, a lot of people were freaking out, our festival was being cancelled and there was a lot to deal with," Johnston said.
"Oh, and amongst all that we also just found out that Jess [Hartigan, Johnston's wife and Magpie Diaries' drummer) was eight weeks pregnant."
Magpie Diaries' Go Anywhere is out on July 17.
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