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Wanting to concentrate on his own music, in 2005 Rod set off for London, spending a year playing around the city, and taking in sets at the acclaimed ‘Virtual Acoustic Club’ and ‘Notting Hill Gate’.

The resulting first album, “Snapshots”, was released to critical praise the following year. First single “Lonely Old People” received nationwide airplay on ABC radio, and was nominated for the QMusic ‘Song of the Year’ award in the folk category. Other singles “Ascot Park” and “Snapshots” were featured on Triple J’s ‘top-shelf’ program, as was “Van Nguyen”, the folk-rock biopic of the executed Australian drug smuggler. Rod took “Snapshots” on the road in 2007, playing to acclaim at folk festivals in Mt. Beauty, Uranquinty and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

For new album “High Ideals”, Rod has enlisted Adelaide band ‘The Eastwoods’ (Josh Marks, Tristan Marks and Peri Strathearn). The new material showcases a harder, bluesier edge; from Josh Marks’ smoky solo in “Strange Companion”, to Tristan’s crunchy drums in the edgy “Believe In You”, to Peri’s signature melodic bass lines. Somewhere in the mix, however, remains Rod’s familiar voice, singing the trademark insightful lyrics found in “Snapshots”.

The subject matter has matured; where “Snapshots” was inspired by youthful travels, “High Ideals” is in context of the global credit crisis and consumerism.

2009 sees the Eastwoods taking High Ideals to a growing Chinese fan-base, before bringing the album back home. Keep an eye out.