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Valley Road winds through rolling basalt hills, connecting two friends, Bec & Marty (Rebecca Howell and Marty Mckenna), who have been singing together for over a decade. They weave their experiences into songs of people and place (usually sitting around Marty’s farmhouse kitchen table), bringing an Australian perspective to their diverse folk influences. Bec could sing before she could speak, and honed her instinct for harmony through years spent in the Australian Girls Choir, and now lives off-grid in the Central Victorian bush. Marty grew up singing to the sheep on his family farm, with his dad, where he still tends the flock to this day. The farm provides a perfect setting for the duo to explore their shared love of intricate songcraft. When Valley Road take to the stage, their years of friendship and singing together shine through, drawing listeners into their rich inner worlds through their contrasting yet perfectly suited voices and delicate guitar playing. The duo released their debut self-titled album in 2023, after they won a Troubadour Foundation Award that enabled them to record with producer Rod McCormack. Since the album’s release, Valley Road have been gradually making a name for themselves in the country/folk realm for their distinctive style, which draws on a diverse range of traditional and contemporary influences, but presented in a uniquely Australian way. Their releases to date have received widespread radio play, including being profiled as “Feature Album of the Week” on ABC Country in November 2023. Valley Road entered the studio with a different kind of clarity and confidence for their second album (October, 2026). The exquisite, heartfelt results find the pair refining and expanding their sound with the addition of some fine session players to add new textures and tones, while again working with producer McCormack.