CMC Rocks into 20 Years

September 24, 2026September 24, 2026Leave a comment

Promotional poster for CMC Rocks QLD 2027, celebrating 20 years, featuring artists Eric Church, Brooks & Dunn, and Ashley McBryde. Event details include dates March 19-21 at Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich, QLD, with ticket sales starting September 25.

Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church and Ashley McBryde will headline CMC Rocks QLD when the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary at Willowbank from March 19-21 next year.

The three US artists will headline a lineup that also includes Parker McCollum, Kameron Marlowe, Turnpike Troubadours, Blake Whiten, Lanie Gardner, Kaylee Bell and Lane Pittman.

Brooks & Dunn will return to Australia for the first time in almost 20 years for their CMC Rocks debut.

The Country Music Hall of Fame duo has had more than 30 years in the music industry, with 20 US No.1 hits including Neon Moon, My Maria, Boot Scootin’ Boogie and Red Dirt Road.

The duo was also announced last week as the recipient of the 2026 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented at the CMA Awards in Nashville in November.

Two men standing side by side against a dark textured background. One man wears a denim jacket and sunglasses, while the other dons a western-style shirt and a cowboy hat. — Photo: Matthew Berinato

Eric Church will make his first visit to Australia when he takes to the CMC Rocks stage, while Ashley McBryde will return for her third appearance at the festival.

Church is a seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner and 11-time Grammy nominee. His catalogue includes Drink In My Hand, Springsteen and Talladega, while his latest song, On The Road, was released recently.

McBryde previously performed at CMC Rocks in 2019 and 2023 and will return with her latest album, Wild.

A woman with curly hair and highlights gazes thoughtfully outdoors, with a blurred grassy field and cloudy sky in the background. — Photo: Nathan Chapman

CMC Rocks Festival Director and Chugg Entertainment Chairman Michael Chugg said Brooks & Dunn’s return was particularly fitting for the festival’s 20th anniversary.

“Brooks & Dunn were one of the first US acts that our festival founder, the late Rob Potts, ever toured in Australia almost twenty years ago, so it feels fitting to have them headline CMC Rocks’ 20 Year bash in 2027,” Chugg said.

“We have lots in store for next year, it will be a mega celebration – our biggest and most ambitious festival yet.”

Festival Director Jeremy Dylan said the festival had been working towards bringing Church to Australia for almost 20 years.

“Eric Church has been on our bucket list for almost twenty years, and we are certain the Chief will raise the proverbial roof with his legendary live show,” Dylan said.

A man with a beard wearing sunglasses and a greenish distressed jacket, posing against a textured gray background.

The festival will again feature the Songwriters Show, Nifty’s Sports Bar, Big Time Charlie’s, the Amazon Music After Party, Back Forty and Lil’ Buckaroos, along with food, retail and other entertainment across the festival site.

CMC Rocks began in Thredbo in 2008 before moving to the Hunter Valley and Townsville and eventually settling at Willowbank.

More than 25,000 people travelled to Ipswich for CMC Rocks in 2026, generating an estimated $13 million to $15 million for local businesses and tourism operators.

Tickets for CMC Rocks QLD 2027 go on sale to the general public at 10am AEST on Friday, September 25.

Stage hosts: Storme Warren | Mike Carr | D.J. Grizzly Adams

Rory Ellis finds his Inner Outlaw

October 14, 2019October 14, 2019Leave a comment

“This is a voice that is up there with the very best of them, including the US greats. It aches of life and love, history and memory” – Mike Brady AM.

Rory Ellis unleashes his Inner Outlaw on Friday, October 18 with the release of his ninth studio album.

Inner Outlaw is a collection of 12 tracks of pure Americana, with a touch of Waylonesque attitude that will make your heart sing and your mind wander. It’s dry, minimalist, sometimes appears to fall apart at the seams, but will leave you haunted with a resonance rarely found in modern production.

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Gord Bamford returns Down Under

September 23, 2018September 22, 2018Leave a comment

AS GORD Bamford readies himself for another visit to Australia, Rebecca Belt revisits her chat with the Canadian-Australian at CMC Rocks Queensland 2018.

Catching up at CMC Rocks, Gord said he was excited to be part of such a huge festival and to build on the success off his previous Australian visits.

“Things have really taken a big jump for me and I want to spend as much time as I can here,” he said.

“There are more Canadians here this year than I’ve ever seen and this is as good a festival as I’ve ever seen.”

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Gord Bamford’s first Australian tour

October 15, 2016November 3, 2016Leave a comment

By Rebecca Belt
AUSTRALIAN-BORN Canadian country artist Gord Bamford is embarking on his first tour of his country of birth, bringing his music to those still discovering the talent that he holds.

Gord Bamford Hori.jpg
Gord was in Australia in August for the Gympie Music Muster, returned to North America then jumped back on a plane and winged his way back to Australia for the This Crazy Life tour.
He was five when he moved to Canada with his musical Canadian mother, so has not been in Australia a lot since he was very young, having not had a relationship with his dad until the past five years. gord-bamford
The multi-award winner has dominated the charts for the last decade in Canada and he has won 23 Canadian Country Music Association Awards throughout his illustrious career. His recently released award-winning album Tin Roof hit #2 in Canada and the first two singles from it also went to #1. This tour will fulfill an important personal goal for Gord – he was born in Traralgon Victoria, his dad lives in Brisbane, and he has always wanted to bring his music to his birth country. He can now tick that box.
“It is a little bit tough on my family (returning so soon), but it was a great opportunity,” he said.
“I’ll be in Australia for the month and I’m looking forward to the shows and getting to see the country as well. I’m going to check out my old house. My dad is going to come to Melbourne and Traralgon and look around where I was until I was five years old and reconnect with all that.”
Gord said he was also looking forward to seeing what the reaction to his music was from his audience.
“I want to see if they like it,” he said.
“I love that the connection with the fans and the music. If it’s any indication, Breakfast Beer seemed to be very popular at Gympie.”
Now that Australia has discovered Gord’s music through his latest album, Tin Roof, there is a compilation of his earlier albums, similar to a greatest hits, planned for release Down Under.
He said people could relate to his music because he aimed to keep the songs simple.
“I write songs that everybody can relate to,” he said.
“A lot of my music tells people who I am, where I came from and they are songs about family. It is country music that people can really relate to and goes the same in Australia – it’s very similar.”
The singer-songwriter said he believed the market in Australia was easier than in the US which was “kinda locked down by major labels”.
“We are very fortunate to get our music out semi-independently and it’s easier in Australia because it’s smaller than Canada, but I think it would be the third biggest market in the world for country music and Australian fans are passionate; they are some of the most passionate I’ve ever seen.”
Gord said he appreciated that CDs were still popular in Australia and he was being asked to play songs off his albums that weren’t necessarily singles.
Gord said he planned to spend more time in Australia, now that he had reconnected with his dad and they had built a relationship.
“I want to really be involved in the music scene there,” he said.
“I’m willing to put the time and effort in to really connect with everybody and I look forward to that.”