Aunt Thally Grills was a sweet little old lady from Leura in the 1950s. She was well loved by all – until it emerged that she was gradually murdering all her neighbours and in-laws with home-baked treats and cups of tea laced with rat poison.
A folk-noir song about Aunt Thally (real name Caroline Grills) is one of the lead tracks in a forthcoming release from Blue Mountains alt-folk band, Lime and Steel. This local four-piece has taken their brand of banjo-fiddle grooves, dark humour and songwriting gems across the country, playing to packed crowds at folk festivals from Woodford in Queensland to Cygnet in Tasmania.
To fund their new recording, Lime and Steel has embarked on a crowd-funding campaign with the option of EP pre-sales and hand-crafted band merchandise.
“Aunt Thally is our favourite Blue Mountains serial killer and home cooking guru,” said a band spokesman. The group first discovered her story from a Blue Mountains Cultural Centre exhibition featuring the storyboard-style work of local artist Nancy Sarno.
Sarno’s work is also the focal point in the promotions for Mountains Gothic, Lime and Steel’s crowd-funding finale performance at Katoomba’s historic Paragon Cafe on Saturday, May 7. The night will also showcase the talents of Momentus Tempus, featuring the vocals of Lulu Levins-Skehill, and solo artist Julien Joel Clement, also known for his work with Belle Jar.
Mountains Gothic will start at 8pm. Tickets available at Katoomba Music, $10 presale. Visit: www.pozi.be/limeandsteel.
