5.30pm - 8pm
MELBOURNE, AU (January2026) – There is a profound difference between playing the blues and living them. For award winning singer - songwriter Julian James, that distinction has dissolved over years spent living full-time in a bus, traversing the asphalt veins of Australia and Europe.
On February 6, 2026, James and his band, The Moonshine State, will release Prey to the Crow, a record that doesn't just reference the road it sounds like it. The Sound of the Road Produced by ARIA Award-winner Matt Fell, Prey to the Crow is a masterclass in modern Hill Country blues — a style defined by hypnotic, driving rhythms and raw, unvarnished storytelling. While there cord captures the thunderous groove of The Moonshine State in full flight, its soul is rooted inJ ames’s reality: the intimate, high-wire act of touring as a duo with his wife and musical partner, Beci Kate. That tension — between the solitude of the highway and the sweat-soaked energy of a festival stage — fuels the album’s 11tracks.
TheTorchbearer Moment
In a career - defining collaboration,the album features a guest appearance by Blues Hall of Fame Charlie Mussel white on are imagined version of the the Muddy Waters classic, "Catfish." Musselwhite’s harmonica acts as a stamp of authenticity, bridging the gap between the Delta’s history and James’s distinctively Australian interpretation. It is an upbeat, swampy reinterpretation that honors the past while pushing the sound forward
Artist Statement
This record comes from years of living on the road, "says Julian James." Beci and I live in a bus and we’re almost always ontour. Thesesongs didn't come from a writing room; they grew out of real places, real nights, and real people we’ve met along the way. Having Pete, Matt, and the Hussy Hicks involved felt natural,and getting Charlie to play harp on 'Catfish' was a dream come true.
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