Great Aunt

Raw and austere, simple and bold; full of stomping feet and clapping hands, chants and harmonies, whispered words and soulful lament - that’s the music of Great Aunt. Listen, and you'll hear tales of joy and grief, whiskey and wine, gratitude and purpose-seeking.

Formed in 2016, the duo is a collaboration between songwriter/instrumentalists Megan Bird (mandolin, guitar, vocals) and Chelsea Allen (double bass, vocals, percussion), and draws inspiration from the traditions of old time, bluegrass, and gospel music, with loving and subtle homage to the pair’s diverse background in punk, jazz, roots, and folk music. The instrumentation and arrangements are bare and bold: using only various combinations of mandolin, guitar, or resonator with double bass and percussion, and the sonorous voices of Bird and Allen in harmony.

After a frenetic touring schedule throughout Australia in 2019, Great Aunt are currently busy in their home studio, producing and recording their debut full length album, ‘It's All Downhill From Here’ – due for release in mid-2020.


”Americana usually calls to mind the bayous of Louisiana, the pocket communities of the Appalachian mountains, or the great plains of the American heartland, but Melbourne, Australia’s Great Aunt prove that, despite its name, not all great Americana comes from the United States.” - Not a Sound, July 2019