TasWeekend: Band of Wolfe Brothers
Tom Wolfe looks back with affection at his boyhood influences, his dad’s musical legacy, his mum’s unwavering support and, after years of perserverance, his band’s biggest honour at this year’s Country Music Awards.
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COUNTRY kid Tom Wolfe wasn’t a huge fan of school. But one thing he always looked forward to was the fun-filled 30-minute bus ride to and from class each day. Because while many of his classmates — who lived closer to Kingston — lazed in bed for a few extra minutes, Tom and his older brother Nick were up bright and early on their family farm at Neika, ready to meet the bus at the end of their street.
Looking back, Tom says he has fond memories of clambering on to the bus each day. Because it was during those bumpy bus rides that the foundations for his hugely successful band The Wolfe Brothers were laid.
The band rose to fame on reality TV show Australia’s Got Talent seven years ago, with the down-to-earth Tassie boys rocketing into the loungerooms — and hearts — of viewers across the nation. And although they finished in second place they’ve since proved to be winners, most recently picking up four prestigious Golden Guitar Awards at Australia’s Country Music Awards, in Tamworth.
Originally a four-man act, The Wolfe Brothers began with Tom, Nick and mates Brodie Rainbird and Casey Kostiuk. Casey later left the band due to family commitments, but the men remain firm friends and he still tours with the band when he can.
They’ve released four studio albums, have toured extensively, recorded in Nashville the home of country music in the US , and have attracted praise from some of the world’s biggest names in country music. And it all began on the school bus.
“Casey was the first drummer I ever played with back at primary school … we actually met on the bus when we were about 12,’’ Tom explains. “He went to Kingston Primary School and I went to St Aloysius...we’d both have drumsticks and we’d be playing drums on the seats. But high school is where it all really began … it is where we all met Brodie.
“And we were all on the bus playing music together. It was a pretty influential time — but we just didn’t know it yet.’’
All four attended Kingston High School, where music was their favourite subject.
“We were the last ones to come through the pre-YouTube age … we’d always be listening to CDs after school or watching VHS tapes,’’ Tom recalls.
When they were growing up, the four bandmates all lived very close to each other. “Casey was on the same road as us and Brodie was just three or four minutes down the road,” he says. “Brodie was right into Van Halen.
“And there was a good period of our life where we were completely obsessed with Metallica. That was how we learnt to play — listening to Metallica songs and figuring out the riffs.’’
The boys followed different paths after Year 10 — Nick, Brodie and Casey went to college while Tom, who was keen to farewell school as quickly as possible, became an apprentice carpenter.
But they continued to play music together, performing regular pub gigs around the state.
The band certainly never expected to be playing alongside idols like Lee Kernaghan or edging out industry heavyweights like Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley to win four Golden Guitar awards last month. Tom admits he still hasn’t recovered from the shock of winning four of the five categories the band was nominated in, and still has no idea what to do with the gleaming hulks of metal that currently sit on the coffee table in his living room.
“I think I’m going to have to build a shelf or something, to give them pride of place,’’ he laughs. The band scored a Song of the Year gong for Ain’t Seen It Yet and Album of the Year award for their fourth album Country Heart.
They also won Contemporary Country Album of the Year and Group or Duo of the Year awards.
The wins were a long time coming, with the band previously (and unsuccessfully) nominated for 13 Golden Guitars. And while he’s modest about the recent prize haul, Tom admits he and his bandmates were quietly confident this time around.
“It was one of the best feelings, ever,’’ he recalls of accepting the awards on stage in front of his mum and many of his country music idols.
“We did sort of think it might be our year, we might get one,’’ he says. “We thought if we had any chance it would be with this album.”
But winning four was beyond anything the men could have imagined. “The night, the way it was, was way beyond anything we’d ever expected,’’ explains Tom, who still lives and works on the property his family has farmed for four generations when he’s not making music. “It was mind-blowing ... I’m still blown away,’’ he says.
Being congratulated by Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers and INXS rocker Andrew Farriss was the icing on the cake — with The Wolfe Brothers now planning to write songs with Farriss later this year.
“It is so nice to have [the awards] and be part of that club of Golden Guitar winners — there are so many people we respect so much, it’s so special to us,’’ Tom says.
Kernaghan has been one of the band’s biggest mentors, inviting The Wolfe Brothers to tour with him while also recording a duet with the band called Damn Good Mates.
“Lee’s probably been one of our biggest supporters,’’ says Tom, adding that Kernaghan had helped push the boys to be better performers. “He probably believed in us before we believed in us.’’
The fact that Kernaghan remains so down-to-earth, despite his huge international success, inspires Tom. “He’s at that level but he’s still a really top bloke,’’ Tom says. “And the reason he’s at that level is he cares about it so much.
“He’s always saying ‘How can we make this better? How can we play more songs? How can we make sure the audience is enjoying it more?’.
“It’s always about giving fans the best he possibly can.’’
Fans are one of the reasons The Wolfe Brothers auditioned for Australia’s Got Talent to begin with. “We were a pub band in Tassie who played all around Hobart as well as places like Devonport and the Great Lakes,’’ Tom explains. “We were wanting to get on the festival scene out of Tassie … but no one would really book us because one — no one had ever heard of us and two — travel is expensive.
“So we thought if we go on a TV show we might get some gigs out of it, we might get some exposure and book a few festivals. We thought ‘we’ve got nothing to lose’.’’
Although they missed out on the $250,000 first prize — which went to Andrew de Silva, a former member of 90s boy band CDB — Tom says they were ecstatic about the outcome.
The band impressed judges Brian McFadden, Dannii Minogue and Kyle Sandilands, with performances of their original songs attracting standing ovations from the audience.
“What has happened since then has well and truly exceeded what we thought would happen,’’ he admits. “We literally haven’t stopped touring since 2012 … we’ve just taken it by the horns and run with it.’’
Of course their bolstered TV profile helped their success, but Tom says they’ve put in a lot of hard work since then, while also adapting to changes in their personal lives as they all entered their 30s.
Casey stepped down as an official member of the group, as he struggled to juggle work and family commitments. He’s no longer involved in the creative side of writing and producing music but still tours with the band. Nick now lives in Launceston, where his wife works, while Brodie lives in Kingston. And Tom lives with his wife in one of three houses on the 16ha property at Neika, helping his mum Lee and his uncle Tony keep Wolfe’s Berry Farm running.
“We’re a good little team, we all help each other,’’ Tom explains of the band dynamics. “We’re so lucky — we’ve played so much together, we’ve done so many shows together, we know what each member is going to do when we play live.’’
He feels the band has recently reached a new maturity, a testament to the boys’ strong work ethic and honest lyrics. “We’re pretty good at going out putting on a live show,’’ Tom says. “And over the last 12 months I’ve really felt it come together in a whole new level. I think honestly it has come down to the songs.”
He says he thinks their Country Heart album is the most real and honest songwriting they’ve ever done. “And I think you can really feel that listening to the album,’’ he says.
“I keep getting told that for the first time people can hear that it’s three blokes who come from Tasmania who are proud of where they’re from. I think timing and maturity … things have all come together. Our live shows are getting bigger and bigger. It’s just incredible to see how much it is growing. It has been years and years of work and at the [Golden Guitar] awards it all came together.’’
Having his mum Lee at the awards ceremony was a highlight for Tom, especially in the wake of his dad Malcolm’s death in 2016. “Mum was so happy, it actually made it a little bit more special that mum was there,’’ he says. “Dad might have been the muso, but mum was often driving us to gigs.”
He says he has a vivid memory his mum picking him and his friends up at the Margate Tavern one night, many years ago. “She pulled up in a Datsun 180B, and there was fighting in the carpark,” he recalls. “Everyone knew her from school [she has worked at St Aloysius as a kingergarten aide for many years] and they instantly stopped doing the wrong thing and said ‘G’day Mrs Wolfe’. Driving us to gigs, driving us to practice — she was always there.”
Lee spent a week in Tamworth with the boys and attends many of the band’s Tassie gigs.
“I’m close to my family, especially more so since dad’s gone … those things in life really bring you together,’’ Tom says. “Since dad has been gone, mum has been really trying to live and make the most of life. You can’t be sad for the rest of your life. It’s great to see mum out travelling and coming to shows, she’s always got a smile on her face, that’s the best thing.’’
Tom remembers his Mum taking his older brother Nick to his first country concert — James Blundell — in the early 90s (Tom was too young to attend but is still envious of the signed poster his big brother returned home with that day).
The concert was at Wrest Point’s Tasman Room, a venue that has played an important role in the band’s musical development. Tom, Nick and Brodie attended a Keith Urban concert there in their late teens which cemented their passion for country music. The venue also features in Tom’s earlier memories with his dad, whose nickname was Mildoo.
“Dad was a drummer in a band called Midnight Revival and they played around Hobart for 47 years,’’ Tom says proudly. “It was great growing up because on our weekends we would be out on the farm with dad, with the rotary hoe or pruning or fencing, and then if we’d been good we’d get to go and do a sound check with him. He might have been playing at the Casino or the Queens Head or wherever. And if we were good, once the sound check was done, we would be able to play for a bit. I remember being a little kid, sitting in the Tasman Room, playing music — I would have been knocking on 10 then.’’
The family’s eclectic music collection provided inspiration for Tom, who remembers watching “cheesy” movies by The Beatles when he was younger and marvelling at the soundtracks.
“Dad didn’t just play drums, he also played the piano,’’ Tom reveals. “And when he’d had too many wines he’d get the piano accordion out. When we wanted to play music we always had these CD collections full of great stuff we could draw on. Music was always on in our house”.
Tom still enjoys being on the family farm, insisting that the fresh air is great for songwriting inspiration. “The best songs come when you don’t overthink it,’’ he says. “I’m a shocking overthinker … but being out on the farm helps with that.’’
There’s a firm focus on writing for the band’s next album this year, as well as releasing a few more singles from Country Heart, filming some music videos in Tasmania and touring. And while they’ve grown accustomed to playing for massive crowds at festivals and concert venues, the boys still love playing to a pub crowd. “We want to get back to some good country pubs,’’ Tom says of the four Tasmanian shows coming up in March and April. “You get 400-500 people crammed in there and it’s a lot of fun … some of the best nights you’ll ever have.’’
Of course the Longley International Hotel — their local — is firmly on the tour list.
“That’s where we did our first ever gig with dad — our band would do a set and dad’s band would do a set,’’ recalls Tom, adding that the pub’s new outdoor area was named the Mildoo Wolfe pavilion in his Dad’s honour.
“That’s pretty damn special to us.’’
The Wolfe Brothers will perform in Tasmania’s North East at Winnaleah Recreation Ground on March 2, Launceston’s Saloon Bar on April 12, Kempton’s Huntington Tavern on April 13 and Longley International Hotel on April 14. For more details visit thewolfebrothers.com
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