By George Bellinger
Local family folk band, Haystack Mountain Hermits, are kicking major goals this year following the successful release of their EP, Homemade Jam, and earning a place as finalists for folk artist of the year – group in the Australian Folk Music Awards.
All three singles from Homemade Jam: Mountain Dew, Shady Grove, and Money for Nothing, have been broadcast on ABC radio, and Money for Nothing hit #1 on the Australian Country Radio chart.
Money for Nothing was also named semi-finalist in the Americana category of the Nashville-based, Unsigned Only Music Competition.
Kerrie Gambley, the band’s songwriter and upright bass player, said she’s honoured to be recognised by the folk music community.
“It is recognition from peers and from people that you respect,” she said.
“You feel like you’re on the right track and that what you’re doing is resonating with people.”
The award nomination follows a successful release campaign for their EP, Homemade Jam, which came out on September 1, 2026.
“We had literally just found out in that week that one of our songs, Money for Nothing, had hit number one, and was number one in the Australian country radio charts for a couple of weeks,” Kerrie said.
“The other songs were picked up by the ABC.”
Homemade Jam, which was recorded at Alchemix Studios in Brisbane, consists of a selection of fan-favourite songs.
“We wanted to just get in there with some songs that people had been requesting us to record for such a long time”, she said.
“They’re songs that we’ve been playing for quite some time, and we always get a really good audience reaction when we play them.”
The recording process also gave them some valuable studio experience, which Kerrie explained will benefit them for their planned debut album.
“It was a bit of a trial run really, because we’re booked back there in early December to get started on our album of originals,” she said.
Homemade Jam is available on all streaming platforms, and physical copies can be purchased at www.haystackmountainhermits.com.
The Australian Folk Music Awards (AFMAs) will be held in Melbourne on October 21.
