Keith Urban adds to Golden Guitars with Ripcord

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017Leave a comment

INTERNATIONAL country music superstar, Keith Urban, has added to his Golden Guitar tally with the 2017 Sanity Top Selling Australian Album of the Year award.

Platinum-selling album, Ripcord, was the highest selling country selling album of the year based on sales figures complied by ARIA for 2016. This is the first time the award has been based on the ARIA figures and brings Keith’s Golden Guitar tally to 12.

His album finished the year at No. 2 overall with an unbroken run in the top 20 and held the top spot for two weeks on release.

keith-urban-ripcord Rounding out the Top 5 top selling Australian country albums on the ARIA end of year Country Album chart are:
#2 Adam Brand & The Outlaws – Adam Brand & The Outlaws
#3 John Williamson – His Favourite Collection
#4 Troy Cassar-Daley – Things I Carry Around
#5 Graeme Connors – 60 Summers: The Ultimate Collection

The Sanity Top Selling Australian Album of the Year award will be presented at the 2017 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia on Saturday, January 28 at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre.

The Golden Guitar Awards are the nation’s longest running music awards and play a vital role in developing and promoting Australian country music talent. The awards are the pinnacle event of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. keith-urban

Tickets are on sale now and available from www.tcmf.com.au, but if you can’t make it to Tamworth, be part of the awards with the Toyota Country Music Festival live stream at www.tcmf.com.au/live.

Buddy Goode delights with More Rubbish

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016Leave a comment

By Rebecca Belt
BUDDY Goode is back with another album of trashy music sure to tickle your funny bone. More Rubbish was released on Friday, December 16, and he has dedicated to the fans he has spoken to after shows and who have left comments on his Facebook page.
“Over the years, you tend to read Facebook and get lovely comments after the shows,” he said. “Some of the people think you’re rubbish, so I’ve dedicated this to the people who think I’m rubbish. Here is more rubbish.” more_rubbish_cover Continue reading →

Beddingfield brings international flavour to Tamworth Country Music Festival

December 9, 2016December 9, 2016Leave a comment

By Rebecca Belt
THE first weekend of the Tamworth Country Music Festival will have an international flavour with Eric Lee Beddingfield headlining CowboyUp.
The rodeo, ute and musical event is an initiative of the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association (ABCRA) and is new to the festival next year. It will raise vital funds for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. cowboys
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Travis Collins helps launch Tamworth festival

December 7, 2016Leave a comment

By Rebecca Belt
SIX-TIME time Golden Guitar finalist Travis Collins was in Tamworth on Wednesday, December 7, to help launch the festival locally and speak about what it meant to him.
Collins said, to describe the festival as a family reunion was cliché, but there was no better way to explain it.
“It is like Christmas time when we call come home,” he said.
“We break bread and have beers and talk about what we’ve been doing and plan our year. If you took that out every January, then who knows what would happen to the whole country music industry. In business terms, it’s like our AGM.”

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Rural fiction with Christmas spirit

December 2, 2016December 2, 2016Leave a comment

RURAL fiction is getting in the Christmas spirit with Karly Lane’s latest novel and book launch on the NSW North Coast on Saturday, December 3.
Karly’s Christmas-themed book, Third Time Lucky, took a slightly different road to being written than her previous works and began life as a novella. Avid readers may have picked up December’s Wish, a novella that Karly wrote in 2013.

third-time-lucky After the success of December’s Wish, Karly has developed the story of Seth Hunter and December Doyle. The couple began as teenage lovers who were torn apart by circumstance and a town’s prejudices. After more than a decade apart, they are reunited in the town they grew up in, Christmas Creek . They’re older and perhaps a little wiser, but the course of true love never runs smooth and such is the case in the relationship of Seth and December.
“I did love their story and, with life experience, they come back different, knowing each other in the past growing up, but they were now different people,” Karly said.
Turning a novella into a novel was also not entirely smooth sailing.
“It was harder than I thought,” Karly said.
“I was assuming that it was going to be easy because I had already written the novella, but I found it difficult. I think it was more my process of writing because I don’t plot or outline anything usually and, being a novella, it felt like it was a plotted out story and each scene felt like an outline.” Continue reading →

Changes and new talent for Toyota Star Maker 2017

December 2, 2016December 2, 2016Leave a comment

FANS of new talent will notice a few changes to the 2017 Toyota Star Maker event with the announcement of the ten grand finalists today.

2016 Toyota Star Maker Karin Page

Ten of Australia’s top emerging talent will vie for the honour of becoming the 38th Toyota Star Maker in a winner-takes-all, event in Toyota Park, in the leafy heart of Tamworth in January. The event has traditionally been the main feature of the first festival weekend, but this concert on Sunday, January 22, aims to make it an even more significant occasion.

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2017 Golden Guitar finalists announced

November 29, 2016Leave a comment

THE COUNTRY Music Association of Australia (CMAA) and the Tamworth Regional Council have announced the finalists for the 2017 Country Music Awards of Australia – The Toyota Golden Guitar Awards.

This year, nominations for the awards increased by 20 percent on 2016 with the finalists demonstrating the great depth and variety of country music we have here in Australia.

“The finalists for the 2017 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards are a great mix of new faces and favourite country music artists,” CMAA chairman Dobe Newton said.
“And whilst it’s always good to see some familiar faces, the finalist’s announcement for 2017 has really opened up opportunities for our emerging artists and sets the stage for a very special evening in Tamworth on January 28 when the winners are announced.”

Nominated for six Golden Guitars, Travis Collins leads the finalist’s field with his album Hard Light. Travis is nominated for Album Of The Year, Male Artist Of The Year, Toyota Heritage Song Of The Year (Hometown Calling), CMC Video Clip Of The Year (Call Me Crazy), Single Of The Year (Just Another Girl) And APRA AMCOS Song Of The Year (Call Me Crazy).

Sara Storer leads the female finalists with five nominations including Album Of The Year, Female Artist Of The Year, Regional Australia Bank Vocal Collaboration Of The Year, Bush Ballad Of The Year And Toyota Heritage Song Of The Year. sara-storer

The 2017 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards sees debut nominations for artists including The Weeping Willows with four nominations from their sophomore album Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’. The self- proclaimed ‘Americana Sweethearts’ are up for Alternative Country Album Of The Year, Country Music Capital News Group Or Duo Of The Year, Bluegrass Recording Of The Year (River Of Gold) and Qantaslink New Talent Of The Year.

Joining them in the Alternative Country Album Of The Year category are two more newcomers, Katie Brianna with her album Victim Or The Heroine and The Wilson Pickers with their album You Can’t Catch Fish From a Train. Fanny Lumsden (Qantaslink New Talent Of The Year, APRA AMCOS Song Of The Year and Single Of The Year), Justin Standley (Qantaslink New Talent Of The Year), Michael Waugh (Qantaslink New Talent Of The Year) and Lindsay Waddington (Instrumental Of The Year) are also nominated for their very first time.

bbu With stellar individual careers and multiple Golden Guitar Awards between them, Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart are a powerhouse combination and their self-titled album Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart has also been nominated for five awards. The trio are hot contenders for Alternative Country Album Of The Year, Country Music Capital News Group Or Duo Of The Year, Toyota Hertiage Song Of The Year (Goulburn Valley Woman), Bluegrass Recording Of The Year (I Hear Them All), and APRA AMCOS Song Of The Year (Goulburn Valley Woman).

Kasey Chambers, Graeme Connors, Luke O’Shea and Kristy Cox have three finalist placings each. Chambers, with her song Ain’t No Little Girl and Connors with his song 60 Summers, will compete for APRA AMCOS Song Of The Year, CMC Video Clip Of The Year and Single Of The Year. Luke O’Shea is up For Album Of The Year (Caught Up In The Dreaming), Male Artist Of The Year Aad Toyota Heritage Song Of The Year (The Old Man’s Shed) and Cox will vie for Female Artist Of The Year, Alternative Country Album Of The Year and Bluegrass Recording Of The Year with her album Part Of Me that was produced by Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Jerry Salley.

Allan Caswell, Troy Cassar-Daley, Amber Lawrence, O’Shea and The Wolfe Brothers, have each landed two nominations and rounding out the awards with a single entry each is Doug Bruce, Kirsty Lee Akers, Seleen McAlister, Sunny Cowgirls, Warren H Williams & Dani Young, Adam Harvey, Anne Kirkpatrick, Catherine Britt, Dean Perrett, Graham Roger, Jeff Brown, Roo Arcus, Michael Fix, Mickey Pye, Stuie French, The Hillbilly Goats, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Runaway Dixie and Simply Bushed.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said the Tamworth Country Music Festival is recognised world-wide and attracts significant visitation to the state.

Toyota Australia executive director Tony Cramb said they were excited to be part of the awards again.
“The depth and calibre of the nominees, which includes a number of Toyota Star Makers is a great thing and we’re already looking forward to the big night,” he said.

The Golden Guitar Awards is the pinnacle event of the Toyota Country Music Festival in Tamworth and for the second year running fans can catch all the action live from Tamworth via http://www.tcmf.com.au/live.

The Tamworth Country Music Festival will be held from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, January 29 with the 45th Toyota Golden Guitar Awards on Saturday, January 28 at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Caught Up In The Dreaming – Luke O’Shea Producer: Luke O’Shea and Benjy Pocock
Silos – Sara Storer Producer: Matt Fell
This Crazy Life – The Wolfe Brothers Producer: Luke Wooten
Hard Light – Travis Collins Producer: Travis Collins
Things I Carry Around – Troy Cassar-Daley Producer: Troy Cassar-Daley

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart – Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart Producer: Glen Hannah
Victim Or The Heroine – Katie Brianna Producer: Shane Nicholson
Part Of Me – Kristy Cox Producer: Jerry Salley
Before Darkness Comes A-Callin – The Weeping Willows Producer: Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth
You Can’t Catch Fish From A Train – The Wilson Pickers Producer: The Wilson Pickers

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
50 Years In Oz – Allan Caswell
Unsung A tribute to the songs of Buddy Bruce – Doug Bruce
Caught Up In The Dreaming – Luke O’Shea
Hard Light – Travis Collins
Things I Carry Around – Troy Cassar-Daley

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Happy Ever After – Amber Lawrence
Burn Baby Burn – Kirsty Lee Akers
Part Of Me – Kristy Cox
Silos – Sara Storer
Follow The Journey – Seleen McAlister

COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL NEWS GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart – Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart
Here We Go – Sunny Cowgirls
Before Darkness Comes A-Callin’ – The Weeping Willows
This Crazy Life – The Wolfe Brothers
Desert Water – Warren H Williams and Dani Young

REGIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK VOCAL COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Bartender Blues – Adam Harvey Performers: Adam Harvey and Lyn Bowtell
Cheers to the Girls – Amber Lawrence Performers: Amber Lawrence with Catherine Britt and Fanny Lumsden
Orchid Street – Anne Kirkpatrick Performers: Anne Kirkpatrick and Jeff Brown
F U Cancer – Catherine Britt Performers: Catherine Britt with Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell, Josh Pyke, Wes Carr, and Wendy Matthews
My Diamond – Sara Storer Performers: Sara Storer and Greg Storer

BUSH BALLAD OF THE YEAR
A Truckie Up In Queensland – Allan Caswell Songwriters: Allan Caswell and Manfred Vijars
The Veteran – Dean Perrett Songwriters: Allan Caswell, Drew McAlister, Dean Perrett
Ghosts Of The Murranji – Graham Rodger Songwriter: Graham Rodger
God Given Rain – Jeff Brown Songwriter: Jeff Brown
Amazing Night – Sara Storer Songwriter: Sara Storer

TOYOTA HERITAGE SONG OF THE YEAR
Goulburn Valley Woman – Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart Songwriter: Kevin Bennett
The Old Man’s Shed – Luke O’Shea Songwriters: Luke O’Shea and John Krsulja
Red, White and Blue – Roo Arcus Songwriter: Roo Arcus
Purple Cockies – Sara Storer Songwriter: Sara Storer
Hometown Calling – Travis Collins Songwriters: Travis Collins and Troy Kemp

INSTRUMENTAL OF THE YEAR
Twenty Five – Lindsay Waddington
Cosmopolitan Blues – Michael Fix
Buckle Up – Mickey Pye
Roundabout – Runaway Dixie
Song for Manaia – Stuie French

BLUEGRASS RECORDING OF THE YEAR
I Hear Them All – Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart
Losing My Blues Tonight – Dean Perrett
Another Weary Mile – Kristy Cox
Cumberland Gap – The Hillbilly Goats
River Of Gold – The Weeping Willows

QANTASLINK NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR
Running In Circles – Caitlyn Shadbolt
Land Of Gold – Fanny Lumsden
Till The Buzzer Goes Off – Justin Standley
Heyfield Girl – Michael Waugh
River Of Gold – The Weeping Willows

APRA AMCOS SONG OF THE YEAR
Goulburn Valley Woman – Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart Songwriter: Kevin Bennett
Land of Gold – Fanny Lumsden Songwriter: Fanny Lumsden
60 Summers – Graeme Connors Songwriter: Graeme Connors
Ain’t No Little Girl – Kasey Chambers Songwriter: Kasey Chambers
Call Me Crazy – Travis Collins Songwriters: Travis Collins and Damien Leith

CMC VIDEO CLIP OF THE YEAR
60 Summers – Graeme Connors Director: Ben Bishop, Tropical Exposure
Ain’t No Little Girl – Kasey Chambers Director: Duncan Toombs, Filmery
The Truth Walks Slowly (in the Countryside) – O’Shea Director: Mark O'Shea
Raise Your Glass – Simply Bushed Director: Duncan Toombs, Filmery
Call Me Crazy – Travis Collins Director: Duncan Toombs, Filmery

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Land of Gold – Fanny Lumsden
60 Summers – Graeme Connors
Ain’t No Little Girl – Kasey Chambers
The Truth Walks Slowly (in the Countryside) – O’Shea
Just Another Girl – Travis Collins

BREAKING: Gemma Kirby gets on her feet for dream tour

November 24, 2016Leave a comment

UPPING her fitness levels is on the agenda for Gemma Kirby as she prepares for the Get On Your Feet tour with Adam Brand. gemma
The semi precious opportunity for the rising country star to tour with Golden Guitar winner Adam came about after they met in Tamworth in January.
“I got the opportunity to co-host Festival FM and we got talking,” Gemma said.
“I’m a bit of a fangirl of Adam’s – he’s the only one in the industry that I get nervous around because I’ve pedestalled him my whole life. We got talking about truck driving and cars because I’m a bit of a rev head, too. Then a couple of months later I released Deceiving Eyes and he saw it. It’s a dream come true for me.”
Adam said she was an artist to watch.
“I met Gemma in Tamworth this year and after chatting to her I thought to myself, I’m gonna keep my eye on this one,” he said.
“There was just something so refreshing about her approach.”
Gemma said she was going to have work more on her muscle tone, though, because of how active Adam was on stage.
“We watched him at Eumundi Country Music Festival and he just bounces around all the time on stage,” she said.
“I’m going to be playing in a new band so I get to show off my side of music, but also my musical side again, so I’m doing charts again and will be playing alongside Adam.”
Gemma said they were a good match for a tour because they were both authentic artists and people.
“I’m really excited to share my music with people who love Adam,” she said.
“We are both honest and don’t have a very good filter – we say it like it is, and wear our hearts on our sleeves. I don’t have to be anyone other than myself – authentic Gemma and his fans love that.”
Gemma will return to the Tamworth Country Music Festival for her fourth time performing and will perform solo and with Adam on his January 28 show at Wests. gemma-kirby2
The tour announcement tops off a busy year for the rising country artist touring the Northern Territory and touring NSW this month. She will perform the Australian National Anthem at the PBR in Brisbane and Newcastle and will open Bindi Irwins’s school holiday shows at Australia Zoo next month.
Gemma will release a tour edition of her album Semi-Precious including a six-track DVD at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
She plays The Royal Hotel in Scone on Friday, November 25, PBR Newcastle on Saturday, November 26, Quirindi RSL on Sunday, November 27, and the Grand Hotel in Mount Morgan on December 9.

Innocent Eve set musical compass to Americana

November 23, 2016November 23, 20161 Comment

A CRUISE ship is not the usual venue for an EP launch, but it was perfect for the new offering from duo Innocent Eve as they change the direction of their musical compass. innocent-eve-pic
The new EP from sisters Rachel and Bec Olsson, True North, is a road sign to where their music is going. They said they felt they had tapped into their true north when making the EP and would follow it wherever it led.
Rachel said they recorded with Matt Fell for this project, and have started down the Americana path.
“Matt (Fell) was a very clear choice for us in doing that,” she said.
“We directed this a little bit more because we knew what we wanted.”
true-north-ep-sml For something unique, Innocent Eve launched the EP on Cruisin’ Country 6 on November 18, although Rachel said the cruise was really an eight-day launch.
“We are grateful that it’s our fifth year cruising and that they support and believe in us enough to have us back on,” Rachel said.
“For us to be back on there, releasing this was something really personal and special to us because Mick (Manov) has become like family to us. We love it because you’re on a ship with a bunch of country music fans – it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Each of the six songs on True North stems from a personal place – either from experience or observations.
“The songs we write always come from the heart from something we’ve seen or experienced,” Rachel said.
“If that’s something our listeners have enjoyed, then that’s something that hasn’t changed.”
The first single, Belly Blow, is all about when you’ve been through an experience that has left you feeling numb and you’re yearning to feel something, anything, again.
“It’s about wanting to get back out there and be a part of the world and not sitting on the sidelines,” Rachel said.
With the single out and about on radio, the sisters plan to play the new songs in every show they perform so that their fans get to know them.
“We’re going to be promoting the EP as much as we can,” Rachel said.
As well as showcasing their Americana style, Rachel said the new EP was a reflection of their sound and vibe that audiences got when they performed live.
“It really does give a bit of an insight into us,” she said.
“It’s an indication of the vibe and sound you would get from us if you saw us live. We are very excited about our sound. We certainly weren’t traditional country, but there’s a bit of alt country and folk country and pop country – we are a little bit eclectic.
“True North is a bit more rounded out and this is what we love and where we feel like we fit.”
Like other country artists across the nation, Innocent Eve have their Tamworth Country Music Festival planned.
“We are very excited with the line-up of where we are playing,” Rachel said.
“Because we are both from school teaching backgrounds, we do a children’s show as well as playing the Pig and Tinder Box and the Post Office Hotel.”
This is only their second year playing the festival as Innocent Eve, and Rachel described last year as a “whirlwind”.
“It’s a bit of a shock the first time, but now we know what to expect and this time we can really get in and enjoy it and immerse ourselves in everything it has to offer,” she said.

All good country things…

November 20, 2016Leave a comment

THE time that I’ve dreaded for months has finally come – the last day of Cruisin’ Country 6 on board The Legend of the Seas. It has been a whirlwind mini-Tamworth Country Music Festival at sea and I’ve loved every minute of the music on offer.
Last night Adam Brand rocked the boat with his flavour of country and left the audiences wanting more after both his shows. Although he hadn’t been feeling the best with rough weather making the ship a little more rocky than we would like, Adam put on a show like no other. A few highlights included when he brought Drew McAlister and Travis Collins on and, together with his bass player Matt Cornell, The Outlaws performed a track from their album and the crowd stood as he performed The Anzac, which was a beautiful moment.
I’m a big boot fan, as anyone who knows me is well aware, and Adam had my favourite pair of boots on last night. The special thing about these boots is that they look white, but under stage lighting they become silver! I know, I get excited about small things, but I love those boots.
Today is bittersweet as we continue our journey back to Brisbane and back to real life. However, real life just means more country music for me these days, so it’s not that bad, is it? My husband has just informed me there is 4060metres of salt water between us and the bottom of the Coral Sea right this moment… that scares me just a little! Anyway, I digress (again).
So far we’ve enjoyed the sounds of Roo Arcus, Jasmine Rae, Tori Darke, Lyn Bowtell, Innocent Eve, Aleyce Simmonds, Luke O’Shea, Paul Costa and Beccy Cole. Yes, that’s just today! It’s only 3pm and we still have a plethora of shows to go including the massive finale with all the headliners and a heap of other artists doing a song each and then a huge song at the end of the show.
This will be my last entry from the ship, but I’ll do a wrap up either Monday or Tuesday when I return to reality in Tamworth, the country music capital. There is so much country music news about to hit that it’s going to be like a cyclone.
If there are any topics you’d like me to cover, please send me an email: rebecca@countryjourno.com.au or contact me on social media. Thanks for reading.