Nominated
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
The Age Music Victoria Awards 2018
"Mastwyk’s second outing explodes the delicate poise of excellent debut Mornin, Evenin with lashings of cosmic American pedal steel and psych-guitar glitz.
Winning Streak will be a hard album to top in 2018"
COUNTRY UPDATE
BIO
Melbourne artist Ben Mastwyk is a prolific songwriter with a unique method of writing on the move. Walking the streets, riding planes, trains and highways, “There’s something about the rhythm of the world rolling by and the constant stream of scenes and characters that stimulate the process” he explains. A dynamic performer with a flair for Opry-esque showmanship, Mastwyk and his band THE MILLION$, have been described as a unique blend of cosmic-country, R&B & psychedelic-honky tonk.
His 2015 debut album ‘Mornin Evenin’ received strong reviews, a nomination for BEST COUNTRY ALBUM (The Age Music Victoria Awards) and an invitation to perform at Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe as part of the Americana Festival. Rhythms Magazine called his songs “Rich with meaning and truth…real and raw, just as true country music should be”. Unpaved described his brand of Americana as “straight-up country from the Hank Williams school via Townes Van Zandt & Willie Nelson."
Mastwyk went on to tour the record throughout Australia, New Zealand and the USA with performance highlights including supports for Sam Outlaw, Robbie Fulks and Luke Elliot.
Mastwyk’s sophomore album WINNING STREAK saw his next chapter of songs erupt into swaggering, psychedelic bar-room gems. Again the bulk of writing for the record happened whilst traveling across the USA. But this time he wrote to make sense of his shifting and difficult reality as his longtime marriage was coming to an end. Recorded at Melbourne’s SHRIMP SHACK STUDIOS with guitarist/producer Michael Hubbard, Country Update described it as “Seventies country-soul glam with lashings of cosmic American pedal steel and psych-guitar glitz.”
After sneak-peaking the record at a single launch for MIA LA in September 2017, WINNING STREAK officially launched at the Melba Spiegeltent in June 2018. With support from Freya Josephine Hollick, Mastwyk and his band THE MILLION$ delivered a high-energy performance in their signature gold jackets.
The saxophone laden “Seventies country-soul glam” of second single THIS COUNTRY was picked for national rotation on ABC radio. It’s subsequent video premiered by Post To Wire, which they likened to "some lost footage from a 70s TV show" before going on to air on the national Country Music Channel.
The album’s third single HAPPINESS, a duet with ANGIE HART (Frente!) received national rotation on ABC Country after premiering on Henry Wagon’s Tower of Song. The accompanying clip premiered on US alt-country site NO DEPRESSION.
With a fourth single shortly to be released and new tour dates to be announced, including shows at The Tamworth Music Festival, Winning Streak continues to fuel Mastwyk’s expanding musical journey.
