He may be a country singer-songwriter, but Morgan Evans’ favourite Australian songs stretch out through country, alternative, rock and beyond. He grew up in Newcastle in the late ’80s and ’90s, and many of his picks are nostalgic favourites with special memories attached. “There are a bunch of great songs and artists missing from this list,” he tells Apple Music, “but these feel like a good mix of what I’m listening to now, music that really influenced me as a guitar player and songwriter, as well as some uniquely Aussie stuff that takes me back in the best way.” Read on for more on his favourite selections. Keith Urban, “Somebody Like You” “I remember the first time I heard this. It was live, at Newcastle Leagues Club, at a show mum had dragged me along to. I got the Golden Road record soon after and just became obsessed with everything about it. The songs, the guitar playing, the production—it really turned my attention to Nashville for the first time. It really changed my life.” Silverchair, “Straight Lines” “Diorama is my favourite album and this is my favourite Silverchair song. I remember the first time I heard it, live, at WaveAid [Festival, 2005].” The Teskey Brothers, “Man of the Universe” “I discovered The Teskey Brothers at the ARIA Awards in 2019; they played ‘Rain’ and I was in. This is the perfect Sunday drive tune!” Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, “One More Year” “This might be the most underrated song of all time. It just hurts. Achingly beautiful in its simplicity.” The Seekers, “A World of Our Own” “The Seekers at Newcastle Entertainment Centre was my first concert ever. Judith Durham’s voice was a staple at the Evans house, and this song was a childhood favourite.” John Williamson, “Rip Rip Woodchip” “Singing this song as a kid was the first time I heard and understood music as a vehicle for protest, change and conservation.” The Living End, “Second Solution” “That first Living End record taught me how to play guitar. This song takes me back to my first guitar, an electric-blue Strat copy, plugged into a solid-state Marshall amp turned up to 11.” Powderfinger, “These Days” “This song still gets better every time I hear it.” John Butler Trio, “Ocean” “This song, every version of it, just takes me somewhere. As a songwriter, I find it hard not to listen to music and analyse the lyric or the arrangement, asking myself, ‘Why do I like this?’ But this instrumental is the perfect antidote. I think John Butler is still a hugely underrated guitar player.”