Ten years ago an artist burst onto the scene with a soulful, heartfelt acoustic offering called Feeler which captured the mood of an Australian generation. That artist was Pete Murray who has gone on to sell over a million albums and become one of the country’s most celebrated songwriters.

To mark ten years, Pete has gone back to his roots, creating a new record from the heart, a reimagining of his hit album Blue Sky Blue created at home in Byron Bay.

Since Pete Murray moved to Byron Bay eight years ago, a string of musicians have also relocated to this artistic seaside hub, creating a true community which has become a must-schedule pit stop along the touring circuit. The lure of sun, surf, and the best chai tea in the country is too hard to resist and some of Pete’s mates took the opportunity to lend a hand on the new album.

The album is a breath of fresh air in an industry hung up on production, marketing and gimmicks, a gift to both fans who have stuck by Pete over a decade of hits and a reintroduction to admirers of the breezy, carefree, yet elegant style of Feeler.

The title track “Blue Sky Blue” features up-and-comer Fantine (and a bridge written by Blue King Brown’s Natalie Pa’apa’a), creating a true Byron soundscape while “Hurricane Coming” borrows the talents of Ash Grunwald on slide guitar.

Last year’s most played track on Australian radio “Free” gets the Byron treatment, turning an already-great tune into an acoustic jam party classic with mates Busby Marou lending a hand. With other guests including Bernard Fanning, Darren Middleton (Powderfinger), Katie Noonan, and Scott Owen (The Living End), Blue Sky Blue: The Byron Sessions has achieved its aim of reflecting the real Pete Murray: a true biographical statement embracing his community and friends today in the same way that Feeler reflected his life ten years before.

For the first time in nearly a decade, Pete Murray is touring the country for some up-close-and-personal shows – partly solo and partly stripped back acoustic with some muso mates.

“The Byron Sessions is about community, from the original idea jamming at home with mates, right through to its realization as an album, so it makes sense to get out there and see the people that have really supported me over the years, no matter what corner of Australia they’re from,” said Pete Murray. “It’s about celebrating the last decade coming full circle and sharing it with a community of people around the country who have all had their own journeys and life experiences at the same time.”