Here's Five: Jamestown Revival

In true southern fairytale fashion, at the core of country-folk act Jamestown Revival sits a story of a friendship stretching back more than a decade. Founding members Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay grew up together in the idyllic Texan town of Magnolia, where the two friends pored over the narrative works of the likes of Willie Nelson and John Prine. Inspired by the wealth of material at their fingertips and the nature surrounding them, the pair wrote their first song together at age 15.

Although a fork in the road pulled them towards solo careers, Chance and Clay re-joined forces in 2010 to form Jametown Revival and went on to release their debut record Utah last year. With a show coming up on New Zealand soil this month as part of the second South Fork Americana Fest, the duo shared with UnderTheRadar five songs that have influenced their sound over the years...

1. Roger Miller - Dang Me
JONATHAN: We've always been drawn to Roger Miller's jangly style of songwriting. He's almost whimsical at times. Listening to guys like him can remind you not to take yourself so damn seriously.

2. John Prine - Paradise
JONATHAN: John Prine is the most subtle genius I've ever heard. He drops some really heavy lines in the most casual way imaginable. He's got a way of distilling down some hard-to-touch subject matter that is nothing short of incredible. Every time I listen to one of his songs, I find something new that I never fully appreciated before.

3. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on The Bayou
JONATHAN: We listened to a ton of Creedence when we were really developing our musical bibliography. That song never gets old. It truly takes you down south.

4. Merle Haggard - Mama Tried
ZACH: Merle was a constant companion for us when you moved out to California and a real inspiration. Everyone loves to tell you that making a living playing music is a bad idea, especially when you're starting out. This song speaks to the that side of us that is willing to throw caution to the wind and also to just being young and stubborn.

5. Willie Nelson- Devil in a Sleeping Bag
ZACH: Being from Texas, Willie Nelson is a mandatory stop on anyone's musical journey. We were slow to come around to it, but once we did, there's not much else we could listen to. We could list just about any one of his songs here, but this one is a favorite every time we come home from tour. It got an awful lot of play early on when we were just starting out, traveling around and sleeping in the back of our cars at truck stops.

Jamestown Revival will be performing at The Tuning Fork in Auckland on Sunday 18th October as part of the Southern Fork Americana Fest, head over here for more details.