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Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians

A van-side riff, a dust road memory, and a choice to lean back into the sound that fits—this conversation with Tom Mac moves fast and lands deep.

We open on travel as fuel for songwriting: a winter loop across the NT and WA, a four-wheel drive replacing a faithful van, and the freedom that turns hours into hooks. From there, we trace how Nomadic grew from an Instagram riff by Byron’s Pete McCready into a coastal-outback anthem with a video shot across the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It’s a song that smells like salt and red dust, and it already has the streams to prove it.
We also unpack why Australian country music is surging. Tom lays out the secret: loyalty that spans generations, family-friendly festivals, and a genre that blends pop, Americana, and even hip hop while keeping story at the center. If you’ve wondered why country suddenly feels everywhere, the answer is that it never stopped speaking to the everyday—work, roads, love, and Saturday nights that promise something real. Tom’s journey reflects that pull: a childhood steeped in music thanks to a teacher mum, early gigs that flipped a switch, and a detour into a pop rebrand that taught hard lessons about identity and momentum.
From those lessons came two things: a return to his core as Tom Mac and a booking agency built to protect and empower artists. We talk about turning scars into support and writing with purpose.

Tom performs Play It By Beer live, then turns the spotlight to Nomadic and a full-length album on the way: Dirt Road, named for the long driveway on the family farm and the path that leads back to yourself. If you love country that feels lived-in and modern, you’ll find plenty to hold on to here.
Stream Nomadic, share the episode with a friend who needs a road song.

What has Tom Mac been up to lately? Let's find out!

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