Zac & George: From schoolyard jams to the open road

Some of the best musical partnerships begin without much of a plan.

Two mates pick up their instruments, start playing together and discover they enjoy making music more than just about anything else. 

There's no grand strategy, no five-year career plan, just a shared love of playing songs. For Australian country duo Zac & George, that's pretty much how it all started. What began as two schoolboys spending every spare minute in the music room has grown into a career built around songwriting, touring and a friendship that has remained at the centre of everything they do.

When I caught up with the boys, they were on the road again, which seems a pretty natural place to find them these days. Their debut album, Call It A Day, had been a long time coming, and with a Queensland tour ahead, there was plenty to talk about. But before getting into the new music, I was interested in how two young blokes from different parts of New South Wales ended up building a musical career together.

Zac grew up around Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, while George comes from the Yass Valley, where the country lifestyle remains a big part of who he is. Their paths crossed when they were just twelve years old, attending school in Sydney. Music quickly became the common ground

‘We just grew up playing music together,’ Zac tells me. ‘Recess, lunchtimes, after school, you name it, we were playing music down in the music centre. We never really thought at the time that it'd be a career. We just loved doing it.’

When school finished, neither was particularly interested in putting the instruments away. Instead, they decided to take what they called a gap year, playing pubs and seeing where the music might lead. That meant learning the realities of performing in front of audiences, writing their own material and gradually finding their place in the Australian country scene. A first trip to Tamworth followed, along with more festivals, more shows and the beginnings of something that was clearly becoming more than a temporary adventure.

‘We had our gap year playing in pubs and whatnot, and didn't really look back,’ Zac laughs.

There's something wonderfully Australian about that beginning. Two mates, a few instruments, a willingness to get out on the road and enough enthusiasm to keep going when the sensible option might have been to find a more conventional job. But there's also an interesting contrast in their backgrounds, and it's one that continues to influence the music they make.

George grew up in a small country community of around 300 people, where knowing your neighbours wasn't unusual and familiar faces could remain behind the counter at the local post office for decades. When I asked what country life gives you that people growing up in the city might not fully appreciate, he didn't hesitate.

‘The appreciation for people, the sense of community is really strong,’ he says. ‘When you're from a small town, you do know a lot of the people and you care about a lot of the people around where you live.’

Then there's the space, something that becomes particularly noticeable when you spend much of your life travelling between busy cities and crowded venues.

‘You don't realise how busy it is in a city until you go out into the country and realise that you can just listen to birds. You can't hear a siren, you can't hear a car. You might hear a tractor, but that's alright. It's just so peaceful and so quiet.’

Zac's upbringing around Newcastle brought a different perspective, one shaped more by the coastal and industrial character of the region. Rather than trying to present themselves as something they're not, the pair have made a conscious decision to allow both backgrounds to sit naturally within their music.

‘I'm from the land, and I really appreciate and am proud of that,’ George explains. ‘Zac's from the steel town, Newcastle, so trying to have that honesty and realness in our music is something we intentionally try to bring out. Make it make sense for both of our worlds. It's really just both of us appreciating the little things in life.’

That idea of keeping things genuine runs through much of our conversation, particularly when we get onto Call It A Day. The album has been taking shape for around two years, with the duo wanting to build on the uplifting sound and message of the title track. Rather than simply collecting songs they'd written along the way, they wanted a project that felt connected, both musically and personally.

‘We were loving playing that song live,’ Zac says. ‘We wanted to build a project around that style of song and that uplifting message in the music, and we're pretty happy with where we've landed.’

One song in particular pushed them into territory they hadn't explored before. ‘More Than a Song’ came out of a writing session with friends in Brisbane, where the conversation turned towards the duo's own story. Their collaborators pointed out that while Zac & George had released plenty of upbeat singles, along with the occasional breakup song, they hadn't really written about the friendship and shared experiences that had brought them this far.

‘They said, “You guys put out a lot of singles, and they're all very fun songs, but you haven't got a song about your story. We'd love to write a song today telling your story.”’

It was a different approach for the pair, requiring them to look back at their childhood friendship, the school music room, the early pub gigs and the years spent chasing opportunities together.

‘We'd never actually dug that deep or gone that way before,’ they explain. ‘So it was challenging, but also easy in a way, because you were just reflecting on all these positive things that you grew up doing. It all just sort of flowed out.’ 

It's often those songs that reveal the most about an artist. Writing about love, heartbreak or a good night out is one thing, but turning the attention towards your own life can be a little more confronting. For Zac & George, it seems to have helped bring the story behind the music into sharper focus.

Of course, their musical influences extend well beyond Australia. The pair have spent time in Nashville, an experience that has played an important role in shaping their approach to songwriting and the contemporary country sound they're developing.
What struck them wasn't simply the quality of the musicians, but the extraordinary commitment to the craft. Nashville might be the spiritual home of American country music, but it's also become an international meeting place for songwriters and performers from across the world.

‘It wasn't just Americans,’ George recalls. ‘There were Aussies, people from Ireland, the UK, New Zealand, all over the world. They've come to Nashville as a bit of a hub.’ The pace of songwriting was another eye-opener.

‘The passion for writing and the passion for the industry is very strong there. There are people we write with who'll write three songs a day, five days a week. They just truly love the music. It's an incredible part of the world to be in as a musician.’

That environment clearly left its mark. Both admit they've been drawn to the contemporary American country sound for some time, and working alongside Nashville writers helped give them a clearer understanding of where they wanted to take their own music.
‘We fell in love with that US sound from an early stage,’ they explain. ‘The more we wrote with people over there, it was infectious to us.’

It's an interesting time to be making country music in Australia. The genre has moved well beyond the traditional boundaries that once defined it, with younger audiences embracing artists who draw from country, rock, pop and Americana. For Zac & George, the growing popularity of the music comes down to something much simpler than changing trends or production styles.

‘I think it's the realness of country music,’ George says. ‘It's easy to get caught up in trends and whatever's going on, but having real stories and a real connection with people is the backbone of country music. There's heartbreak songs, love songs, sad songs and upbeat songs, but the core is that it comes from a genuine place. I think people are really appreciating that at the moment.’

It's a point worth making. Country music has always been at its strongest when it reflects real lives, whether that's a bloke working on the land, someone navigating a relationship or a young musician trying to work out where they belong. The sound might change, the audiences might grow and the stages might get bigger, but the storytelling remains the common thread.

And bigger audiences are certainly becoming part of the Zac & George story. Their first dedicated Queensland tour has been a significant milestone, with Brisbane selling out and shows taking them through the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.
‘To sell out Brisbane is massive for us,’ Zac says. ‘To be able to go to a city and have so many people want to hear our music is awesome.’
They've played festivals in some of those regions before, but heading back with their own shows gives them a different opportunity to connect with audiences. 

There's also the satisfaction of taking a collection of songs that began in writing rooms and rehearsals and hearing people sing them back.

Plans are already taking shape for more touring through New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, where the boys say fans have been particularly vocal on social media about wanting them to visit. The United States remains another possibility, with a substantial proportion of their Facebook audience based there.

‘We love the US,’ they tell me. ‘We want to respect where people like our music and listen to our music, so we're more than open to going wherever the opportunities take us. But Australia is home. It's always been where we've come from.’

Before the Queensland run, they were also preparing to head to Tasmania with the band and crew to try out some of the new songs live and put the finishing touches on the setlist. It's the sort of practical preparation that goes into making a show work, testing arrangements, seeing what connects and making sure the night delivers the energy they want.

Naturally, being Denim Is Good, I couldn't let the conversation finish without getting away from the music for a moment and talking about two of our favourite subjects: the open road and a good country pub.

I put a simple proposition to the boys. An old ute, a full tank of petrol and three days with absolutely nowhere to be. Where would they go? George didn't need much time to think about it.

‘I would love to go somewhere quiet fishing. Just take the swag, take the ute, throw the fridge or the esky in the back, turn the phone off and enjoy some peace and quiet with nature. For me, that's a no-brainer.’

Zac's answer was a little less planned.

‘I'd probably love to head north, even past Newcastle, and just go up. Bit of an adventure. See what happens. See how far one tank gets you.’

There was some laughter about the cost of fuel and whether there'd be enough left to make it home, but the answers probably tell you as much about their personalities as any discussion about musical influences. George is happy finding a quiet spot away from everything, while Zac seems more interested in the journey and wherever the road might lead.

Then came the question of country pubs, another subject that tends to bring out a few good stories.
The Sir George at Jugiong was the first place mentioned, a beautifully restored country pub that's become a popular stop for travellers along the Hume Highway.

‘They've done a really nice job of that pub,’ Zac says. ‘They've got the café off the side, and it's a prime spot to stop when you're driving on the highway. It still has that country feel about it, but they've done it up really well.’

The other pub story was a little less polished, and probably all the better for it.
Years ago, when the boys were around eighteen, they were heading to the races somewhere west of the Blue Mountains when a cousin's car broke down. With little or no phone reception, they ended up at a country pub trying to organise a tow truck. The exact location has long since disappeared from memory, but the experience clearly hasn't.

‘It was the most Australian pub I've ever walked into,’ they laugh. ‘I wish I could remember the name of it, but shout-out to that pub!’
It's the sort of story anyone who's spent time travelling regional Australia can appreciate. Sometimes the places you remember most aren't the ones you planned to visit. They're the pubs you stumble into when something goes wrong, the people who help you out and the unexpected detours that become part of the journey.

By the time we wrapped up our conversation, Zac & George were already looking towards the next run of shows, with plenty of enthusiasm for getting the new album in front of audiences. They were particularly excited about playing the Great Western Hotel in Rockhampton, a venue that knows a thing or two about country music and bringing people together for a good night out.

What stayed with me after our chat wasn't just their excitement about the album or the growing crowds, but how naturally they spoke about the friendship behind it all. There was no sense of two artists trying to manufacture an image or fit neatly into somebody else's idea of what a country act should be. They're two mates who met at twelve, spent their school years making music and decided to see how far it could take them.

Nashville has helped shape their sound, the Australian country scene has given them a place to grow, and Call It A Day represents another important step forward. But beneath it all, the same things seem to matter: good songs, good people and enjoying the ride.
Not bad for a gap year that never really ended.