Biography
Connecting with the simplicity of life, while laying bare the bones of the human condition, is what Dear Orphans and their music are all about.
The band comprises singer-songwriters Nick Payne and Lyn Taylor, with Carlyn Chen (Fiddle) Paul Sun (Double Bass) and Jolyon Gray (Dobro), rounding out a unique mix of folk, bluegrass and americana.
The current lineup have been playing together since 2011 having played numerous festivals such as the Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Karuah Bluegrass Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival, to name a few.
“Our music persists in a way that other music doesn’t. It has the ability to stick with you for a long time. We are influenced by traditional bluegrass,” says Nick. He adds: “What I love about bluegrass is that it’s music written by people battling with real life. And sometimes the reasons they are writing and playing that music are to rise above that and set their sights on something higher.”
In the early years, and featuring spectacularly on their first album, was Mike Kirkley on pedal steel: “a big influence on our sound” according to Nick. “Mike helped us transition from being a duo hanging out at singer-songwriter nights to being a ‘real’ band,” says Lyn.
After 7 years of friendship based on their love of music, Nick and Lyn formed Dear Orphans in 2006. Dreaming of life as a musician, Nick’s wanderlust saw him move from big city Sydney to country Australia. His passion for country life became the driving force behind the creation of Dear Orphans. “It’s about getting to the roots of the road, getting away from the city, stripping back to the bare bones and just playing.” Melding innocence and purity of melody, while sometimes tapping into darker themes within her lyrics, Lyn has drawn on her own country roots to create some of the most haunting songs of Dear Orphans’ repertoire.
The pivotal moment in the band’s destiny came when they organised a series of monthly gigs in 2008, which became The Orphanage Sessions. The café sessions had a special atmosphere with an intimacy between the performers and the audience and Dear Orphans built up a real fanbase. “The Orphanage Sessions allowed us to meet some amazing people, and I hope one day we can revisit them” - Lyn.
Dear Orphans’ released their debut, self-titled album in 2009 and followed that up with their EP “Midnight At Annandale” in 2011. They followed that up with the release of their first official music video for the track “Castlereagh” featuring footage from Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival 2011.
Nick has been working on his own solo album which is available for pre-order now at https://pozible.com/project/pre-order-nick-paynes-new-album