Since his first release as frontman of Brisbane’s Pretty Violet Stain in 1997, Shane Nicholson has demonstrated he’s far more than just a country musician, lending his talents to performing, producing, and developing talent, and even building his own guitar pedals. His gentle, reverent fingerpicking style recalls American luminaries such as Jason Isbell and Josh Ritter, and he’s released singles calling out his admiration for both Neil Young (“Harvest on Vinyl”) and John Prine (“Don’t Take John Prine”). His international sound has resulted in nominations at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville, as well as plenty of gongs in his native land, particularly for the two albums he recorded with then-wife Kasey Chambers (2008’s Rattlin’ Bones and 2012’s Wreck & Ruin). Nicholson can turn his hand to all facets of country, from the traditional stomp of “Bad Machines” to the mandolin-led “Wither on the Vine” to the rich slide guitar of “Jimmie Rodgers Was a Vampire”—he’s as much a fan and student of country as he is a talented singer-songwriter.