Things of Stone and Wood are back, and they are in fine acoustic form, indeed.
Rae Street, that first album in 23 years, is out TODAY and available here:
Things of Stone and Wood – Rae Street
And the band’s ‘Original Duo’ (Greg and Mikey) March/April/May Rae St Album Launch Tour, which continues to the end of May, has kicked off in WA. An extra Melbourne show has just been added.
The album was preceded by the double a-side single “You’d Gone Before You Went/The Windmills Turn”, which are exemplars of the melodic and harmonically pleasing style that has helped establish them as a near 40-year Australian folk-rock institution, but here, they embrace a new millennium bedroom-folk aesthetic (recorded, as they were, in a converted bedroom).
While musically and lyrically spartan, “You’d Gone Before You Went” is a deeply moving account of Greg Arnold’s experience of losing his mother to Alzheimer’s. A direct vocal, lush backing vocals and minimalist instrumentation are subtly combined to deliver one of the finest hours in the catalogue of this APRA and ARIA awarded songwriter.
“The Windmills Turn” is a rollicking and classically joyous Things of Stone and Wood Celtic-Hippie clap-along-sing-along. Accordions, melodicas, hand drums, shakers and lush backing vocals (again – as always) bring the party, which all serve to underpin the more reflective mood of the lyric, which is a study of the quixotic life of a musician.
THINGS OF STONE AND WOOD – THE ORIGINAL DUO – RAE ST ALBUM LAUNCH TOUR –
Wed Mar 11 Ellington Jazz Club, Perth WA – SOLD OUT
Thu Mar 12 The River, Margaret River WA
Fri Mar 13 Clancy’s Fremantle WA
Thu 19 & Fri Mar 20 Junk Bar, Brisbane Qld (2 Shows) – SELLING FAST
Sat Mar 21 The Presynct, Nambour Qld
Fri Mar 27 Django Bar, Sydney NSW
Sat Mar 28 Smith’s Alternative, Canberra ACT
Fri 24 & Sat 25 April Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne Vic – SOLD OUT
Fri 24 & Sat 25 April Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne Vic – NEW SHOW
Fri May 1 Old Church of the Hill, Bendigo VIC
Thu May 21 Wheatsheaf, Adelaide SA (Band Show)
Fri May 22 Avoca Beach Theatre, Avoca Beach NSW (Band Show)
Tickets: thingsofstoneandwood.com
THE ORIGINAL DUO RAE ST ALBUM LAUNCH TOUR
It was 1989. The end of one decade and the start of something new. Michael Allen – Mikey to his mates – appeared on the doorstep of Greg Arnold’s Carlton share house in Melbourne, Australia with beers in hand and harmonies in head. “There were no gigs to hustle and no recordings to make,” Greg says. “We sang and drank for the fun of it.”
Nearly 40 years on, buoyed by their massive hit “Happy Birthday Helen”, Things of Stone and Wood have had two Top 10 albums, a Top 10 single and five Top 50 hits, plus a chart hit in Germany. The band has also won an ARIA Award, and singer Greg Arnold was proclaimed Songwriter of the Year at the APRA Music Awards.
Now Greg and Mikey (also an APRA award winner), who started the whole shebang are doing a special run of shows as Things of Stone and Wood (The Original Duo) to launch the band’s brand-new acoustic album Rae St. Recorded at home in Melbourne, it is the first of two albums that they are releasing in 2026 (and their first album since 2003). On Rae St the band demonstrate that they are still an artistic folk-rocking force, and they have delivered an innovative and emotional collection of new millennium acoustic songs.
So, come along and hear the new album alongside stripped back (but still rocking) versions of hits like “Happy Birthday Helen”, “Wildflowers”, “Rock This Boat” and “Share This Wine” that have all become part of the Australian songbook.
Every Things of Stone and Wood show has always been full of energy and passion. Don’t miss your chance to see this special version of “Melbourne’s most inspired and inspiring acoustic band” (Michael Dwyer).