EVEN if it gets them into trouble, The Bushwackers have never shied away from tough topics.
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The 1980's was the decade of big hair, pastel suits and anarchy, when a song about marijuana could still get you into strife with the law.
The Bushwackers released Marijuana Australiana, and the band has just rehashed their infamous single. Literally.
The conversation around marijuana has changed significantly since the 80's, The Bushwackers band member Roger Corbett said.
"I don't think medical marijuana even existed back then, they've been able to extract all the fun parts out of it," he said.
"I guess The Bushwackers always were a confronting band because we write political songs and it was the era of protest.
"When you went to country towns back in the day they were pretty conservative, it confronted them when you sung Marijuana Australiana."
So much so that the original monologue in the middle of the song once got fellow band member Dobe Newton hauled offstage by an outraged police officer.
The new version, Marijuana Australiana (Rehashed), is a little less reggae and a lot more mature.
Written with Allan Caswell, the song touches fits well with the band's repertoire of thoughtful lyrics.
The Bushwackers have never been one to write about a topic as droll as break-ups or love, Corbett said.
"I mean we could write about love, but we're very old now and people don't associate us naturally with romantic attachment," he said.
"I just think it's more interesting to write about the stuff people think about.
"It's okay to hear about personal relationships but for our generation those romantic days are a little in the past, we're more concerned with climate change, politics and history."
The band has just recorded a new album, Died in the Wool, that will be released at Tamworth Country Music Festival next year.
It's an album of shearing songs all about sheep.
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The songs are largely acoustic in a welcome detour from The Bushwackers usual sound.
Now in their 49th year at Tamworth Country Music Festival, there was no better place to launch the album, Corbett said.
"We're playing all our shows at The Longyard, but we'll also be at the DAG Sheepstation in Nundle and doing some freebie gigs and appearances around Tamworth," he said.
The album Died in the Wool launches Saturday January 25 at 11:30am.