https://open.spotify.com/album/4aWV8ixvKQUGIVfL1J0vVc

https://timeatonandthehighwayroses.bandcamp.com/

Guitars & Vocals: Tim & Elliot Eaton – They’re not brothers, they’re father & son. 

Keyboards: Nick Kharitou – Musical Director role with Tim. Pals for 20 years.

Drums: Liam Merryfield Tompkins - Elliot’s band pal of almost 20 years.         

Bass: Brendon Kleem - Stingray or Double. Tim’s ‘bassman’ since 2004.               

Trumpet & Flugelhorn: Emma Kirkwood 

Trombone: Jacob Parks

Sax & Clarinet: Justin Fermino

A band pedigree that goes back to 1980 in Adelaide and includes MMM & JJJ ‘Live to Airs’ and Hottest 100’s in the 80’s & 90’s.

What brought them together?

Death, love and moving on.

Leigh Eaton, Tim’s wife & Elliot’s Ma, died very suddenly and unexpectedly in 2018. After the shock subsided Tim started writing again. Since the 1980’s Tim’s never really stopped writing, but this was a  different well to draw from.

Deep and dark, painful surely but also incredibly powerful and cathartic.

Some months after that terrible day, when he picked it up again, the very first noise out of his guitar is the actual opening chord of A’lass a Lantern, the title song of the album. (1 & 3/4 albums actually)

The 14 Songs, 62 + minutes flowed from there.

Tim worked the songs up with Nick and Brendon and with great trepidation approached Elliot to ask if he felt up to the role of guitar partner on what would inevitably be a very emotional project, for both of them. Elliot said yes and Liam followed. Months of rehearsal, preparation, and recording, including scoring and recording various parts for a horn section has produced an album of tearful beauty, power, catharsis and joy.

There’s one last card to introduce. It’s actually not just Tim and Elliot’s grief, as Liam’s mother Robyn died not long before Leigh, and they were also pals. Nicks son Dean, only 26, died just after Leigh.

Heaven help them, there was really only one thing for these lads to do, to realise their emotions in songs.

Produced by Sydney legend Tony Wall, A’lass A Lantern is an epic journey through agony, acceptance, honouring and moving on. As odd as it might seem, while it’s obviously a very emotional journey it’s also incredibly uplifting. Some songs are as at home at a funeral as others might be on a dance floor.

Tim Eaton & The Highway Roses are a remarkably connected band who have produced a landmark album, for use at both parties and funerals, with all their love. TE & THR