Jeff Lang (born 9 November 1969) is an Australian guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and music producer. who plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, cümbüş and drums.

He is a three-time ARIA Award winner, for his albums Rolling Through This World (2002), Djan Djan (2010) and Carried in Mind (2012). Lang has performed at numerous international festivals. Lang said the band's disbandment was a "purely instinctive decision" and one he has never looked back from.

1994–2003: career beginnings

In 1994, Lang self-released his debut studio album titled, Ravenswood, which was followed by a live recording titled Disturbed Folk in 1995.

In 1996, Lang released Native Dog Creek on Black Market Music. The album was named Best Australian Blues Album in Rhythms Magazine's readers' poll.

In April 2005, Lang collaborated with Chris Whitley and went on to release Dislocation Blues in August 2006. The album peaked at number 64 on the ARIA Charts. Half Seas Over was released in 2008 and Chimeradour in 2009. All three albums were released on ABC Roots and all were nominated for ARIA Awards. Chris Whitley died in November 2005.

In 2009, Lang collaborated with Mamadou Diabate and Bobby Singh on the album Djan Djan. The album was released in 2010. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010, the album won Best World Music Album.

In 2011, Lang released Carried in Mind. Also in 2012, Lang added vocals to Maru Tarang's album Blue City.

thumb|right|Lang, 2014

In May 2014, Lang released the soundtrack to the TV series The Gods of Wheat Street. This won Lang his first APRA Award at the APRA Music Awards of 2014, where he won Best Television Theme.

Over the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 Lang and Alison Ferrier formed the band High Ace and released Snow Cap Menace on Furry Records in 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:11em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"| Details

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart positions

|-

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | AUS<br>

|-

! scope="row"| Ravenswood

|

  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JL941 CD)</small>
  • Format: CD

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Native Dog Creek

|

  • Released: 1996
  • Label: Black Market Music <small>(BMM 206.2)</small>
  • Format: CD

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Cedar Grove

|

  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JL9801CD)</small>
  • Format: CD

| —

|-

! scope="row"| The Silverbacks

|

  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JL9801CD)</small>
  • Format: CD <small>(Limited to 500 copies)</small>

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Everything Is Still

|

  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JLCD2001)</small>
  • Format: CD

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Rolling Through This World

|

  • Released: 2002
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JLCD2002)</small>
  • Format: CD

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Whatever Makes You Happy

|

  • Released: July 2004
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Classics <small>(13930 /13932)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| 91

|-

! scope="row"| You Have to Dig Deep to Bury Daddy

|

  • Released: 2005
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Classics / Warner <small>(14500)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Dislocation Blues

|

  • Released: August 2006
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Roots <small>(11777790)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| 64

|-

! scope="row"| Half Seas Over

|

  • Released: August 2008
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Roots <small>(1777791)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| The Blessed South (Songs by Melbourne Songwriters)

|

  • Released: 2008
  • Label:
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Chimeradour

|

  • Released: 2009
  • Label: ABC Roots <small>(2717429)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Djan Djan

|

  • Released: March 2010
  • Label: ABC Roots / Universal <small>(2723504)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Carried in Mind

|

  • Released: September 2011
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Music <small>(2780478)</small>
  • Format: CD, 2xCD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| I Live in My Head a Lot These Days

|

  • Released: 16 May 2014
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Music <small>(3765640)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Alone in Bad Company

|

  • Released: February 2017
  • Label: Jeff Lang, ABC Music <small>(5730477)</small>
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming

| —

|-

! scope="row"| Next They Come for You

|

  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Fury Records
  • Format: LP

| —

|-

|}

Soundtracks

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ List of live albums with selected details

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:18em;"| album details

|-

! scope="row"| The Gods of Wheat Street

|

  • Released: 12 May 2014
  • Label: The Gods of Wheat Street, ABC Music
  • Formats: DD

|-

|}

Live albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ List of live albums with selected details

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:18em;"| album details

|-

! scope="row"| Disturbed Folk

|

  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JL951CD)</small>
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live at Criterion Hotel and Stooges Restaurant in Queensland in March 1995.

|-

! scope="row"| Live at the Vineyard

|

  • Released: 1996
  • Label: Crossing Record Company
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live at Burge Winery in April 1996

|-

! scope="row"| A Crowd In Every Face – Live '96 – '97

|

  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Jeff Lang
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live in various locations across 1996 and 1997.

|-

! scope="row"| Real Scars

|

  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Jeff Lang
  • Formats: CD
  • Bonus Disc with first 1,000 copies of Cedar Grove album.
  • Recorded live at The Esplanade, St. Kilda on 6 February 1998 and St. Andrews Hotel, Victoria on 18 April 1998.

|-

! scope="row"| Disturbed Folk Vol. 2

|

  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Jeff Lang <small>(JLCD 990)</small>
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live in Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle.

|-

! scope="row"| No Point Slowing Down (Live in the USA)

|

  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Redbird Records <small>(RB1005)</small>
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live in New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

|-

! scope="row"| Engines Moan

|

  • Released: 2009 <small>(Japanese only release)</small>
  • Label:
  • Formats: CD
  • Recorded live at Northcote Social Club, Victoria.

|}

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ List of compilations with selected details

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:18em;"| album details

|-

! scope="row"| Prepare Me Well: A Jeff Lang Anthology 1994–2006

|

  • Released: 2006
  • Label: ABC Music <small>(5144214252)</small>
  • Formats: CD, CD+DVD

|-

! scope="row"| Rarities 1994 – 2012

|

  • Released: 2016
  • Label: Red Hair Records <small>(8105716201501)</small>
  • Formats: LP
  • Compilation of live, studio outtakes, demos and alternate versions.

|}

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. They commenced in 2006

|-

| 2010

|Chimeradour

| Best Independent Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards have been presented annually since 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". Lang has been nominated for one award.

|-

| 2014 || "The Gods of Wheat Street" || Best Television Theme ||

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Lang has won 3&nbsp;awards from 10&nbsp;nominations.

|-

| 1999

| Cedar Grove

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2001

| Everything Is Still

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2002

| Rolling Through This World

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2004

| Whatever Makes You Happy

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2005

| You Have to Dig Deep to Bury Daddy

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2007

| Dislocation Blues

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2008

| Half Seas Over

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| 2010

| Djan Djan

| Best World Music Album

|

|-

| Chimeradour

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

| 2012

| Carried in Mind

| Best Blues and Roots Album

|

|-

Equipment

thumb

Lang primarily plays acoustic guitars, although he has an unorthodox way of amplifying them, running a combination of a built-in microphone and a Sunrise magnetic pick-up together for his clean acoustic sound, while also running the output of the Sunrise pick-up through various effects through an electric guitar amplifier allowing him to obtain both acoustic and distorted electric guitar tones from the same guitar. This approach has been hugely influential in the Australian scene, particularly after the well-known guitarist John Butler was inspired by Lang's playing and sound to pursue a very similar setup.

References

  • Jeff Lang's website