The DIG 25: Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham

Two remarkable Australian songwriters, one kitchen table and 25 questions about music, life, the road and why you can never have too much denim.

There's something fitting about catching up with Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham for The DIG 25 and discovering they're sitting opposite each other at their kitchen bench, answering the same questions while discussing the details of their next tour. It's a pretty good snapshot of their lives together, where music, family and the everyday business of getting things done are all part of the same conversation.

Felicity has long been one of Australia's most respected country music voices, while Josh's journey with The Waifs has taken him from the pubs of Western Australia to some of the world's great stages. Together, they've found a musical partnership built around thoughtful songwriting, beautiful harmonies and a shared appreciation for the stories that make life interesting.

Their answers reveal a few things you might expect, including a mutual love of great songwriting, good boots and denim. But there are also stories about Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, an unforgettable Polish restaurant in London and a pub in Broome that changed the course of Australian music.

And while they might share a kitchen bench, they don't always share the same answers.

The DIG 25

1. Where are you right now, and what can you see from where you're sitting?
Felicity: Across from Josh Cunningham in our kitchen, having a cuppa after dinner and talking about our upcoming weekend tour details.
Josh: Kitchen island bench. Felicity Urquhart on the other side looking back at me over her computer as she answers 25 questions.

2. What's the first record you remember falling in love with?
Felicity: A Dolly Parton greatest hits cassette my parents had.
Josh: Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.

3. What's the best lyric you've ever heard?
Felicity: ‘Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down’ by Kris Kristofferson.
Josh: The opening line of ‘Amazing Grace’.

4. Who's the greatest storyteller in music?
Felicity: John Prine.
Josh: Bob Dylan.

5. What's an artist people would be surprised to find in your record collection?
Felicity: Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Josh: Probably not that surprising, but I do remember my dad being surprised when, as a teenager, he discovered my favourite record was the Nat King Cole Trio.

6. Vinyl, CD, cassette or streaming, and why?
Felicity: CDs, because I do the majority of my listening to albums in my car, which still has a CD player.
Josh: Anything other than streaming. Physical reality is where it's at. Records are cool, a literal work of art that takes me back to my golden days of youth.

7. What's the first concert you ever went to?
Felicity: A John Williamson concert in Tamworth during the Country Music Festival.
Josh: Lots of gigs beforehand, but the first proper concert was The Rolling Stones at Perry Lakes Stadium in Perth in April 1995.

8. What's the best live show you've ever seen?
Felicity: A double headline show with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band and Bonnie Raitt with her band.
Josh: Watching the Finn Brothers at WaveAid from side stage. Just the two of them sitting on chairs with acoustic guitars and various foot-operated parts of a drum kit, as they had 50,000 people in pure singalong bliss.

9. Who's the best live performer you've ever shared a stage with, and who would you love to share one with?
Felicity: Mark Seymour. He's such a powerful performer and songwriter, and we've worked together a couple of times. I'd love to sing a duet with Willie Nelson.
Josh: Even though it was only soundcheck, I did share the stage of the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan with Bob Dylan when he jammed with The Waifs while we were on tour opening for him. Impossible to do now, but I'd love to have shared the stage with Ray Charles. I did get to watch him side stage, and he was from another world.

10. What's your favourite song to play live right now?
Felicity: Depends on the day. So today it's ‘New Frontier’.
Josh: The one I'm currently writing.

11. Is there one of your songs you wish more people knew?
Felicity: ‘Everything Around You’.
Josh: ‘We'll Never Get Out of Love Alive’.

12. What usually comes first for you: words, melody, riff or something else?
Felicity: It usually goes hand in hand.
Josh: All of the above at different times, but it's best if it all happens together at once.

13. Do you know when you've written a good song, or does it take time?
Felicity: Sometimes a song can feel like it has a certain extra something special, and there are songs that take a while to come into their own for whatever reason.
Josh: I always think they're good. And then I usually think they suck before eventually settling somewhere in between.

14. What's the best road-trip album ever made?
Felicity: Paul Simon's Graceland.
Josh: Tim O'Brien's Traveler.

15. What's the best town you've discovered because music took you there?
Felicity: Nashville.
Josh: That's an unfair question. So many amazing places. Nashville, San Francisco, New York, London, Melbourne. I could keep going.

16. What's the best venue you've ever played?
Felicity: The Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Such a beautiful venue.
Josh: That's an unfair question too. The Tivoli in Brisbane is up there as an indoor venue, and the main stage at Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado is pretty amazing as far as outdoor venues go.

17. What's your favourite Australian pub?
Felicity: The Imperial Hotel in Eumundi.
Josh: The Roey in Broome, because going there for the first time truly set the course of my life when I met Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn and we formed The Waifs.

18. What's the best meal you've ever had on the road?
Felicity: Grunske's by the River in Bundaberg, Queensland.
Josh: A Polish restaurant in Shepherd's Bush in the UK. It wasn't a formal ‘order off the menu’ type of meal, more like eating in the home of a warm host who brought you out a continual succession of deliciousness. I remember pickled herring, barszcz, a delicious beetroot soup, gołąbki, stuffed cabbage leaves, pierogi, potatoey, cheesy dumplings, roast potatoes, the best part of any meal, steamed veggies and whatever the chef happened to be cooking up. I looked forward to going back every time I was in London and used to long for it when I wasn't there.

19. Beer, wine, whiskey, coffee or something else?
Felicity: Black, strong tea is my everyday go-to.
Josh: Water.

20. What does your perfect Sunday look like?
Felicity: Tea delivered by a family member and then a stroll through a local market.
Josh: Never the same.

21. City, coast, country or bush?
Felicity: Coast.
Josh: Bush.

22. Sunrise or sunset?
Felicity: Sunset.
Josh: Sunrise.

23. Boots or sneakers?
Felicity: Boots.
Josh: Boots.

24. Double denim: yes or no?
Felicity: Absolutely YESSS!
Josh: Yes. Triple or quad even.

25. Finish this sentence: Denim is good because…
Felicity: You can't go wrong.
Josh: It's comfortable, durable, personal, versatile, natural and just looks and feels so darn good.

Twenty-five questions later, it's clear that Felicity and Josh share a deep love of music, songwriting and the sort of experiences that stay with you long after the gig is over. They don't always agree on the finer details. Felicity prefers the coast, Josh heads for the bush. One enjoys a sunset, the other a sunrise. Felicity's happy with a strong cup of tea, while Josh keeps things even simpler with water.

But when it comes to great songs, memorable performances and a decent pair of boots, they're very much on the same page.

And the denim? Well, Felicity reckons you can't go wrong, while Josh is prepared to take it all the way to quadruple.

We reckon that settles it.