Jed Zarb The Archibald Hotel

Jed Zarb has carved out a niche in celebrating all things Blue Mountains and his latest single, 'The Archibald Hotel', is set to continue his rich run of form.  The single is taken from Zarb's forthcoming EP 'Mountain Man – The Extended Play' which is set for release on 30^th October and available for pre-order now.

'The Archibald Hotel' follows on from Zarb's previous release 'Stay for a While', which spent 12 weeks in The Music Network Hot 50 Country Airplay Charts, peaking at #14.  Previous releases, such as 'Mountain Man' and 'Battle Scarred Guitar', have landed at #8 and #4 respectively on the Country Songs Top 40, while 'Hillbilly Cider' proved to be a runaway success. It was #1 on the iTunes Country Singles Chart, the Country Songs Top 40 and on Australian Country Radio, while also being the most requested song on the Australian Country Songwriters Show and picking up an ICMA Award nomination for Best Video Clip.

This success is warranted, as proven by 'The Archibald Hotel' and its accompanying video, which is a heritage song that pays tribute to the Bilpin and Kurrajong Heights communities following the 2020 bushfires. 'I just wanted to capture and document a moment of incredible community cohesion,' says Zarb, 'during which the Archibald Hotel in Kurrajong played a central role.'

The self-produced single was recorded at Saul Santilli Studios in Riverstone NSW, while the track's video was shot and produced by Sky High Productions. It was filmed in and around Kurrajong Heights and Bilpin, naturally, with the Archibald Hotel being a key location.

The video sees Zarb singing with a number of community members, from publicans to volunteer firefighters, in the Archibald Hotel and at various locations around the Blue Mountains. Speaking about the process, Zarb says 'Filming is always fun. What a blast. It was just a great opportunity to show the world what we have here in the Blue Mountains and to depict the great community spirit that lives here alongside our rich history.'

It's a history that has now had another chapter documented thanks to Zarb. The track is sure to strike a chord across Australia and overseas, with the familial lyrics still managing to resonate with listeners who haven't had the good fortunate to visit the Archibald Hotel. And when they do? They can be sure that Uncle James will be there to pour them a cold beer.