Country Music Capital News - January 2019 Volume 44 No 1 by Country Music Capital News

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JANUARY 2019 VOL. 44 NO.1

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GINA JEFFREYS

FOR THE RECORD

COLT SEAVERS

SAVED BY TOM CRUISE

THE PIGS ORIGINAL PORK WISDOM ON THE RECORD

DOLLY PARTON

DININ’ OUT ON DUMPLIN’

TOYOTA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL TAMWORTH 2019 years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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FROM THE EDITOR

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Multiple Golden Guitar winner, 2018 Australian Independent Country Music Artist of the year and horseman extraordinaire Tom Curtain and his Katherine Outback Experience team will be hitting the road from December to March as part of their ‘Speak Up Tour.’ The team will be touring QLD, NSW, and VIC spreading the Dolly’s Dream message along the way.

Cheryl with two of the 40 Star Maker winners Beccy Cole and Gina Jeffreys

WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR AND TO THE 44TH YEAR OF COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL NEWS.

t’s indeed a great achievement that we have reached this milestone and we thank you for buying or subscribing to us. Last month I was fortunate to visit my son who has been living abroad for the past five years and I was able to really enjoy the break knowing that journalist and Capital News contributor Anna Rose was in the driver’s seat. After a decade away from the festival circuit, our cover girl Gina Jeffreys returns with a new release due in the coming months plus she’s set to perform at the 40th celebration of Star Maker to be held from noon on Wednesday, January 23 at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre. In addition to the newly announced winner, nearly 30 of the 40 winners will be attending with the event to be hosted by our great friend, former country music guru, Nick Erby. Our stories are varied with coverage of both national and international artists including Dolly, Mike Carr & Matty Cornell, Bobby Valentine, The Pigs, Colt Seavers, Dan Thompson, Tyler Childers and Mitchell Tenpenny, as well as all the regular content. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked with me on the magazine over the past year including our contributors, photographers, colleagues, and of course our advertisers who continue to believe in us. I would especially like to acknowledge Sam Woods our graphic designer for the monthly turnaround in what seems like Groundhog Day at times. This year already feels like it’s going to be filled with promise and positivity in a calendar bursting with country music. If you have any feedback – good or bad – we’d love to hear your thoughts including any story ideas. Travel and play safe Cheryl Byrnes

JAN 19

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

JANUARY

2019

FEATURES GINA JEFFREYS DOLLY PARTON MATT CORNELL + MIKE CARR BOBBY VALENTINE TYLER CHILDERS MITCHELL TENPENNY THE PIGS THE COLT SEAVERS BAND DANIEL THOMPSON 40 YEARS OF STAR MAKER

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EDITOR Cheryl Byrnes P: 0407 106 966 E: cheryl@tamworthcountrymusic.com.au ADVERTISING Joanne Maiden P: 0429 784 860 E: joanne@tamworthcountrymusic.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS Linda Bridges P: 02 6767 5555 CONTRIBUTORS Allan Caswell, Anna Rose, Bob Kirchner, Bec Belt, CMA, CMAA, Dan Biddle, David Dawson, Jon Wolfe, Haley Craig, Lorraine Pfitzner, Peter Coad, Robyn McIntosh, Susan Jarvis, Tom Inglis, and our great mates in publicity and record companies nationally and internationally. PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Pearson, Glen Hannah, Greg Sylvia, and to our many suppliers.

REGULARS NEWS NASHVILLE NEWS HEAR & THERE LIVE CM SCENE CMAA UPDATE

TRC TEAM Jess Fitzsimmons, Karlee Cole, Eleanor Turnbull.

FESTIVALS

ART AND DESIGN Sam Woods

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NEXT DEADLINE: February/March 2019: February 1, 2019

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PUBLISHER Tamworth Regional Council 437 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340 P: 02 6767 5555

WRITING GREAT SONGS COMING EVENTS

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Country Music Capital News is compiled and published monthly by Tamworth Regional Council, 437 Peel Street, Tamworth NSW 2340. The views and opinions expressed in Capital News are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright 2019 Tamworth Regional Council, ABN 52631074450. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part by any manner or method whatsoever without the written permission is prohibited. All statements made in advertising are the sole responsibility of the advertiser in respect of legal and industrial relations. Printed by Fairfax Printing, 159 Bells Line of Road, North Richmond. 2754. ISSN 1440-995X years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

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NEWS

‘DON’T BE A DICKHEAD’

hile the 2018 ARIAs was supposedly all about the music, a slogan has come out of that event to top every hit song that’s ever made the charts. And it’s all thanks to the wise words of Kasey Chambers’ parents – Bill and Di – shared by Kasey, who at 42 became the youngest female ever to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. “The two main things I’ve learnt about how to survive in the music business is to always be true to yourself and to find your tribe,” Kasey said. “I have had the most amazing tribe in the world, my mum and dad. [My mum’s] the most inspiring woman I know … Over the years, she’s taught me that being a bitch doesn’t make you strong, and to be strong doesn’t make you a bitch. “The best advice my dad ever gave me was, ‘just don’t be a dickhead’ — I know it doesn’t sound very profound, but it’s been the best advice to follow. “Seriously, you don’t need to be a dickhead to get ahead in this business, you really don’t. You don’t have to drag other people down to get to the top.” For Kasey, having gentle poet Paul Kelly recite a poem about how they met immediately before he inducted her into the ARIA Hall of Fame was a career high point. Ahead of her official induction, Kasey was the recipient of the Best Country Album ARIA Award with The Fireside Disciples for Campfire, from a field which included albums from Adam Eckersley and Brooke McClymont, Fanny Lumsden, The Wolfe Brothers and Travis Collins. Kasey then went on to treat the audience to a spectacular rendition of her classic hit single, Not Pretty Enough. Joined on stage by Missy Higgins, Kate Miller-Heidke, Amy Sheppard and Paul Kelly, the performance also incorporated the track Ain’t No Little Girl, taken from her 2017 #1 ARIA album Dragonfly.

NEW ORIGINALS FROM THE OLD MASTER

ne of Australia’s most globally successful singersongwriters, Kevin Johnson’s recordings of his own songs have been continuously released internationally since 1973. Johnson is now back with a new single called Political Shuffle, from his forthcoming album, The Devil Found 8

URBAN SALES DONE AND DUSTED IN SIX MINUTES IT WAS THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN AND SOLD OUT WITHIN SIX MINUTES OF BEING RELEASED.

hen Keith Urban announced he would perform a benefit show for Rural Aid ahead of his Graffiti U world tour Australia, it was a given that the tickets would be highly sought after. With sales starting at 10am on December 11, thousands of hopefuls sat in an online queue, but within six minutes, the website had shut down, saying tickets were no longer available. To be staged at the historic

Work. It’s his first new album of original songs in 20 years. “This song is a tonguein-cheek look at politics and the age-old, well-worn manoeuvres that seem to be very prevalent these days,” Johnson said. Johnson has not only enjoyed great popularity around the world himself with Rock’n’Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life, Bonnie Please Don’t Go (She’s Leavin’), Shaney

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Tamworth War Memorial Town Hall, Tuesday January 22 at 8pm, the event won’t have all the bells and whistles of his Graffiti U megaproduction tour. “… A no-frills, no-production, free-form set list and all to help people who could really use it,” Urban said. “It’s gonna be a blast playing the old Tamworth Town Hall.” The four-time Grammy Award winner and 2018 Grammy nominee announced the special, one-off performance in the Country Music Capital, midway through the annual festival. An established charity, Rural Aid was formed to provide assistance for the relief of poverty, illness, distress or disadvantage of individuals and families conducting primary production businesses that have been adversely affected by natural disasters. With record dry conditions, financial hardship brought on by the drought means money is needed for essential items. Proceeds from all ticket sales will go directly to ruralaid.org.au which provides a holistic support program to rural Australia, including those in NSW and most of Queensland who were hit hardest by the drought.

Boy, Over The Hills and Far Away, Scotty, Grab The Money and Run, Man of the 20th Century, Night Rider, etc, but has had numerous famous artists record, play and perform his songs, including Tom Jones, Mac Davis, Harry Chapin, Cliff Richard, Roger Whittaker, Joe Dassin, Terry Jacks, The Cats and Graeme Connors. This new single is a shining example of Johnson’s unique ability to create magic in a variety of different styles. Political Shuffle is available now only from iTunes and Google Play. The new album, The Devil Found Work, is scheduled for release early February 2019. www.rocknrolligaveyou.com years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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NASHVILLE NEWS

KID ROCK SPREADS $81K OF CHRISTMAS CHEER THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS WAS ALIVE AND WELL IN NASHVILLE LAST MONTH WHEN KID ROCK PAID OFF THE BALANCES OF 350 LAYAWAY ACCOUNTS AT A LOCAL WALMART STORE.

he musician gave the 3458 Dickerson Pike store about $81,000 to pay off all the accounts, said store manager Tom Meyer. “Kudos to Kid Rock for making such a gesture in our community,” Meyer said. “I think that’s a pretty Nashville-proud moment.” Kid Rock said on Twitter he was following director Tyler Perry’s lead. Perry posted a video on Twitter, saying he had paid off the layaway balances at two Georgia locations. Meyer said Rock called the store on Friday morning, explaining that he wanted to spread some good cheer by paying down the balances. Rock’s manager later came into the store to make the big payment. It was a shocking, cool moment for Meyer, he said. And he said it has been an awesome experience letting customers know their accounts have been paid off. The layaway customers, who have been coming into the store as a result of Rock’s gesture, were wearing shocked and smiling faces, Meyer said. Each one is being handed a card explaining that Kid Rock made the payment on their behalf, he said.

“Merry Christmas from your neighbor!” the cards read. Autumn and Woody Nuccio want to make sure Kid Rock knows how grateful they are for his generosity. Without him, the parents would not be able to give their three young children presents for Christmas this year. “It’s such a burden lifted off of our shoulders knowing that our kids will have Christmas,” said Autumn Nuccio, who works at the Walmart location. One of the items in their layaway cart was a guitar for their three-year-old son, Dustin. They were excited that Rock’s gift meant their son would have a fun story to tell about the musician for the rest of his life.

SOUTH CAROLINA WOMAN SCAMMED FOR $160,000

woman has lost $160,000 to a social media scammer posing as Dierks Bentley. According to a report, the woman had been sending cashier’s checks and gift cards to a person claiming to be Dierks Bentley for two years. The woman told police she met the suspect via Twitter and exchanged text messages. Rock Hill authorities have determined the case will have to be investigated by federal authorities. In June, more than 20 stars united for a PSA to combat imposters on social media. Spearheaded by Blake Shelton—and posted on his YouTube page—the PSA includes appearances by Keith Urban, Lindsay Ell, Hunter Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Jon Pardi, Jake Owen, Travis Denning, Brett Young, Maggie Rose, Trace Adkins, Old Dominion, Cale Dodds, Cole Swindell and Michael Ray. The gist of the PSA: make sure to look for the blue-verified check mark next to the name of the country star on their social media accounts and never give out any of your private information. These artists don’t want—or need—you to send them any money.

DOLLY PARTON’S LITTLE BROTHER DEAD AT 61

loyd Estel Parton, 61, of Sevierville, died December 6, 2018. “Dolly, and the entire Parton family, wish to thank everyone for their kindness,” the family said in a statement. “Yesterday, we laid our sweet baby brother to rest. We all sang his lovely song, Rocking Years, together as a family at the service to say goodbye to him. He lived a short life of love and beautiful songs. “Friends, fans and family may make a donation in his honour to the My People Senior Activity Center in Sevierville, Tennessee.” Parton, himself a songwriter and composer, was remembered in his obituary as a “renaissance man”, years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

an avid outdoorsman and an incredible cook. He penned Rockin’ Years, recorded by his sister and Ricky Van Shelton, and Nickels and Dimes, which George Burns once covered. Another of his sisters, Stella Parton, tweeted out a photo of the pair in their younger days on the day of his death. “And Jesus said to him, receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.”

Have a beautiful day on this bright and brisk Thursday. I am spending the day with my beautiful brother Floyd. Floyd Parton is survived by his siblings and their spouses, Willadeene Parton, David and Kay Parton, Denver and Carolyn Parton, Dolly and Carl Dean, Bobby and Angie Parton, Stella Parton, Cassie and Greg Griffith, Randy and Deb Parton, Floyd’s twin Freida Parton, Rachel and Eric George, as well as several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. The family held a private service.

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BY SUE JARVIS

ina said nervously, only half-joking, “I used to say to people, ‘I hope you like it!’ when I put out a new album, but this time I’m just saying, ‘I hope you remember me!’” She needn’t worry. Australian country music holds a unique place in its collective heart for Gina Jeffreys – not only because she was a pioneer when it came to women in contemporary country music, and because she reigned supreme for years as country’s uncrowned queen, but because she’s one of the nicest people ever to grace the industry. Gina has a swag of awards on her mantelpiece, including five Golden Guitars, four MO Awards for live performance and an APRA Award for Most Performed Country Work. Her albums have all been hugely successful, and she has a collection of gold and platinum albums. But when her son, Jackson, was born 17 years ago, Gina and her husband Rod McCormack knew they wanted to embrace parenthood wholeheartedly. “We were very conscious of how quickly Jacky’s childhood would pass us by, and we wanted to be there for every moment,” Gina said. “It just wasn’t going to work for us to travel Australia and the world with a child – especially when we discovered very early on that he got really, really carsick. In fact, he still does, so lots of travel wasn’t really an option.

FOR GINA JEFFREYS, THE RELEASE OF HER FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL IN MORE THAN 12 YEARS IS A NERVE-WRACKING EXPERIENCE – BUT ONE SHE IS RELISHING.

“And taking that time out has been the best decision we ever made. We’re all really close, and we haven’t missed getting to tuck Jacky into bed every night or going to all his footy and cricket games. “We just wanted to be private, and to be a family together for those years. I’m so glad we had them, and I know it was the right thing to do.” During her hiatus from touring, Gina established a highly successful business, passing on her experience and skills in the music business on to a new generation. Gina Jeffreys Workshops – which now employs nine staff and is in huge demand with young performers on the Central Coast – takes a very different approach to teaching performance skills.

young graduates, including a winner of The Voice – Ellie Drennan – and of Australia’s Got Talent – Fletcher Pilon. Gina is still operating her business, but now Jacky is older, the desire to make music herself and to tour has surfaced once more, and Gina’s beyond excited about this new chapter in her life. “Because I teach songwriting, I’ve written hundreds of songs with other people, and my confidence in being able to express myself through songwriting has grown enormously,” Gina said. So, for the first time, Gina has

“BECAUSE I TEACH SONGWRITING, I’VE WRITTEN HUNDREDS OF SONGS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, AND MY CONFIDENCE IN BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS MYSELF THROUGH SONGWRITING HAS GROWN ENORMOUSLY.” “I had a few music teachers as a child who really undermined my confidence,” Gina said. “When I started the school, I wanted to do the opposite – to build confidence, to make children feel good about themselves. And to do that, we put kindness at the very centre of everything we do. We teach the kids to encourage one another, to be considerate, and to be positive – to notice the good stuff. “The most rewarding thing about teaching has been seeing children become kinder, more confident and more comfortable in their own skins. Whether they’re shy, or anxious, or have problems with school or social issues, they can come to my school and feel safe and part of everything we do – but mostly, they can be themselves.” The school has produced many talented

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recorded an album of her own material – either written on her own, or cowritten with husband Rod or songwriting friends in Nashville. “This is a very personal album. In fact, for anyone who’s asking what I’ve been doing for the last decade, I can reply, ‘Listen to the album’. The songs are about me, my life – the positive and sometimes the hard times – and what’s important to me.” It has been 12 years since Gina released her last album of new material, the critically acclaimed and incredibly popular Walks of Life.

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FOR THE

RECORD

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FOR THE

RECORD “STAR MAKER BEGAN IT ALL FOR ME – WHEN I WON, I WAS A SHY HAIRDRESSER FROM TOOWOOMBA, AND TO BE HONEST I WASN’T READY. THAT YEAR WAS A HUGE LEARNING CURVE, AND I’LL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL TO MY MANAGER, DOUG TREVOR – WHO STILL MANAGES ME TO THIS DAY – AND TO EVERYONE FROM STAR MAKER FOR WHAT THEY DID FOR ME.

Titled Beautiful Tangle, the new album will be launched in the next couple of months – with negotiations currently underway for its method of release. “It’s recorded, and Rod – who produced it for me – is now mixing it in our studio,” Gina said. “We began work on the album in our home studio, then headed to Nashville for the first time since 1999 with a bunch of songs and a heap of stories to tell. “The album’s a little different from what people might expect – we recorded it all live, together in the studio, and it is very organic, with all acoustic instruments and lots of energy. It’s kind of naked!” Gina said. “I’m not trying to be cool – I just want to be me. The fact is that anyone who knows me knows I can’t be cool, because I’m just not. “If I’m honest, I used to just listen for songs that radio would like – songs that sounded like hits. Now all I care about is that these are true stores, straight from my heart with all my favourite instruments.” The album features some amazing tracks, including Milestones, a poignant song about losing a baby and watching a friend who was pregnant at the same time give birth and bring up their child. “It was something I really wanted to include on the album, because it’s been such a part of

my life. Watching this little boy grow up always reminded me of what I didn’t have. “I performed the song live recently and so many women came up to me afterwards in tears, telling me that the song expressed what they were feeling – and didn’t have the words to express.” The album’s title comes from Unravel, another very personal track that captures Gina’s take on life perfectly. “It’s the only song I’ve ever recorded that I wrote completely on my own. It’s very personal and has taken me a long time to share with anyone. “Every long-term love has its trials, but I’ve realised that real love is tangled and intertwined like a long piece of string, so when you try to pull on it, it just gets tighter and harder to untangle. It really is a beautiful tangle,” she said. There are also songs for Gina’s much-loved parents, Graham and Nola – He Still Wants to Dance with Her, and for her brother Jeff – Ferris Wheel.

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And of course, Jacky is the inspiration for a song about growing up – Chase the Girls. “At 15, I realised that lots of girls were looking at my boy – I’m sure he won’t listen, but this song is telling him to chase them away, so he doesn’t get hurt. It’s only partly tongue-in-cheek!” Gina said. Gina hasn’t been completely absent from the music scene since she released Walks of Life back in 2007, however. She teamed up with Sara Storer and Beccy Cole later that year to form Songbirds, a hugely successful trio who attracted capacity crowds all over Australia. In 2009, she undertook a labour of love when she recorded and released Old Paint, a laid-back acoustic treatment of her all-time favourite country standards. She also emerged to do a show with Kenny Rogers in Tamworth in 2011 and has been a favourite on several country music cruises. Gina and Rod also work tirelessly and quietly behind the scenes for a range of charities, and she is currently working hard for the Central Coast Cancer Council. She also began the Walk of Life in Tamworth in 2007 to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Gina will return to the Tamworth Festival in 2019 for the first time in eight years. She’ll begin the festival by being part of the Country Turns Pink concert at Wests League Club on Sunday night, January 20. She’s also thrilled to be performing with close friends Lyn Bowtell, Beccy Cole and Tania Kernaghan in the Women Behind the Songs concert, again at Wests, on Tuesday, January 22. “It will be a really special show – we’ll be talking about our songs and our lives, and the stories behind our music. I’m really looking forward to it,” Gina said. She will also be part of the huge Star Maker 40th Anniversary Concert at TRECC from noon on Wednesday, January 23. “Star Maker began it all for me – when I won, I was a shy hairdresser from Toowoomba, and to be honest I wasn’t ready. That year was a huge learning curve, and I’ll forever be grateful to my manager, Doug Trevor – who still manages me to this day – and to everyone from Star Maker for what they did for me. For Gina, her 2019 Tamworth pilgrimage will be an eagerly awaited return to the country music family. “I’m very excited to be coming back to Tamworth – it has been too long, and I’ve missed it,” she said. She’s also delighted to be able give fans a taste of the new album. “I turned 50 last year, and I’m feeling more comfortable about who I am and what’s important than ever before. I’m comfortable in my own skin, and Beautiful Tangle is filled with absolute honesty and warmth, and really expresses who I am,” she said.

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DININ’ OUT ON DUMPLIN’ BY DAVID DAWSON

“You flew too high up off the ground It’s stormy weather and had to come back down But I’ve found a new thread for my old spool Just because I’m blonde don’t think I’m dumb ‘Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.” DUMB BLONDE - DOLLY PARTON.

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hen singing actor Dolly Parton needed a duet partner for her new movie Dumplin’s soundtrack single Dumb Blonde, she didn’t have to look far. The Smoky Mountains-raised superstar teamed with Pistol Annies’ princess Miranda Lambert who hails from Texas small town Lindale. Lambert, a dual Grammy winner and seven-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, emulated Parton’s success as Dollywood theme park creator and multifaceted business woman with diverse investments before and after she married and divorced Oklahoma-born star and TV host Blake Shelton. Miranda, 35, was a perfect partner for Dolly, now 72, on Dumb Blonde – first hit on Dolly’s 1967 debut album Hello I’m Dolly. It ignites the musical comedy, directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Kristin Hahn, based on Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name. Jennifer Aniston plays Rosie Dickson, a former small Texas town beauty pageant queen whose plus-size daughter, Willowdean, played by Danielle Macdonald, enters a beauty contest amid struggles with body image but finds confidence in Dolly’s songs. The pageant revolutionises the Texas town when other contestants follow her footsteps in the movie that features Odeya Rush, Dove Cameron and Harold Perrineau and was released on December 7 by Netflix. Parton wrote six new songs and revamped six of her hits for the soundtrack, co-written and produced with Grammy nominee and 4 Non Blondes’ front-woman Linda Perry. Dolly earned a Golden Globe nomination for her original song, Girl In The Movies for Best Original Song-Motion Picture at the 76th annual awards show on December 6. Her vast cast of duet partners include Mavis Staples, Elle King, Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent on the soundtrack, released on November 30 on her Dolly record label through Sony-RCA. It also features Parton and Sia on another classic Here I Am Again, the first single and album entrée. Perry met Parton after an appearance on The Talk TV show.

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“When we met to work on a song for the movie, well, we just started writing one song after another,” Parton recalled. “And they were good. We were just so excited, we started recording them. We didn’t even know if all these were going to go into the movie, but the producers started loving all this music. Before you know it, they’ve got this whole soundtrack. “Linda had all these great, great melodies, so we worked really well together. Completely different people. We are so different, yet we’re almost totally alike on the creative level. I’ve never worked with a woman before! I’ve never had a female producer. I’ve never really written with anyone, so this was all so different. “As a writer I have to leave my heart open. That’s why I’ve always said I couldn’t harden my heart against hurt, or anything. If you do that, you’re not going to feel all that emotion you need to feel to write what the people are actually feeling. That’s what we need. Listen to what you feel.” Dolly revisits her Appalachia roots with 27-time Grammy winner Alison Krauss and IBMA Entertainer of the Year and seven-time Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent as they resurrect If We Don’t. She also joins rocker Elle King on Holding On To You and Here You Come Again featuring 14-year-old Willa Amai. Parton delivered a joyous funk fuelled fire with soul singer Macy Gray and Dorothy on Two Doors Down. “I just love her sound,” Dolly said of Macy. “She was hanging around the sessions, and I got such a kick out of her, because she’s as unusual as a person as she is with her look and her sound. She is a complete, the word is unique, and I love that in a person. “Like the song with Rhonda and Alison, the bluegrass feel. I wanted a real country, funky track, kind of a June Carter/Johnny Cash kind of track, but with a funky sound. That’s what’s so great about this record.” Dolly ignites Wonder Why with soul-gospel legend Mavis Staples, who appeared on the 52nd CMA Awards in November. “Singing with all of these artists was a joy,” Parton enthuses. “I’m honoured and pleased. But singing with Miss Mavis? Knowing what she meant to my soul, how much I loved her before, her dad and her whole family, back in the day of the Staples Singers. Just to be singing with her in the studio, to hear her through my headphones was such a thrill for me! “I told her, ‘You just be Mavis. You sing whatever you want to sing, dart in on me if you want to. You sing under me, all over me, sing around me! You just sing.’ And it worked!” Dolly’s new singles include sparkling Red Shoes. “It’s kind of like my modern-day Coat of Many Colours because even though they refer to red shoes in the movie, and it’s also in the book,” Dolly revealed.

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“I told a story many years ago about how when I was a tiny little kid, and we lived up on the mountain, we had nothing, no electricity or anything. They used to send clothes up, boxes of clothes from the welfare or just for poor people. “There was a pair of red high-heeled shoes. I thought they looked little, and I wanted those shoes so bad! I never could get that image out of my head, and I’ve always had red shoes! So, when I started to write, I just kind of took that based on Aunt Lucy and made it my own.” Dolly’s hope, ambitions, desires and determination also inspired genre-bending Girl in the Movies. “My whole life has been built on positive thinking and dreams, believing that I could do it,” Dolly explained. “So, yes, I’ve been influenced back when I was a kid by the movies. There’s something about so many of us who’ve gone to the movies. When you’re a kid, you look up at that screen, you see people living their lives with confidence. You feel that. “I’d see those movie magazines, and I’d want to be that! I wanted to have fancy clothes and make up. I wanted to be pretty. I was Backwoods Barbie!” Another new song, Push And Pull captures tension between Aniston and Macdonald in the movie and real-life family dynamics. “One of my sisters was going through the same thing with her daughter at the same time,” Parton explained. “They’d just go back and forth, back and forth. It really inspired me, that one particular emotion of just trying to use your own control to control another person. And it never works. “But that let me personalise these songs a little bit more than

just reflecting the story.” Parton has long attracted high-profile collaborators diverse as embryonic mentor Porter Wagoner, Texan Kenny Rogers and her Trio partners Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. “I’m always amazed by what’s going on now, and that I’m still around,” Parton confessed. “I’m flattered that a lot of these people kind of look up to me. You worry that you can’t be that good, you can’t be all that. I’m just a regular person, just trying to live my life. “I want to do good. I want to touch people. I’m not preaching a gospel. I’m not trying to do anything but live my life the way I see fit. If that’s touched people, and is an inspiration, then that makes me feel good. Sometimes you’re better being an example than trying to go fight a battle. My way has always been to address things naturally and honestly, and let it be part of my personality. Just be it.” Movies are a strong fabric in Dolly’s 60-year career that included 9 To 5, Steel Magnolias, Joyful Noise, Christmas of Many Colors and Circle of Love. Parton previously earned five Golden Globe nominations –in 1981 her track 9 To 5 was nominated for Best Original Song. She was also nominated in New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture and Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy for her work in 9 to 5. In 1983 she was nominated for Best Actress in Motion Picture-Musical/Comedy for her work in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and in 2006 her Travelin’ Thru (Transamerica) was nominated for Best Original Song. Dolly’s Imagination Library has provided over 100 million books to children around the world, every month from birth until the age of five. She also created her Smoky Mountain Rise telethon for the My People Fund, created when fires destroyed the area where she grew up. Her Sandollar Productions produced Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II and Netflix plans a series of TV films in 2019 based on different Parton classic songs with Dolly’s Dixie Pixie Productions. Dolly also plans to release 9 To 5 The Musical – Original Broadcast Cast Recording – after its season at Savoy Theatre in London from January 28-August 31.

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WAY BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN BY REBECCA BELT

WHAT BEGAN WITH A ONE-OFF GIG AT THE 2018 TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL HAS GROWN INTO A SERIOUS MUSICAL PROJECT AND NEW ALBUM FOR MATT CORNELL AND MIKE CARR.

t was obvious to everyone in the audience at the January show that musical magic had been born on that stage at Wests in Tamworth, and Matt and Mike

knew at that moment the concert was the start of something special. “It was more than the music, more than being on stage together; it was about seeing the faces in the crowd and how much they were getting out of it,” Mike said.

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“We’ve got a lot to say and you don’t get the platform to do it very often, so it’s very important to make music as good as we can make it. It’s good for everyone to take what they do seriously. We get embraced by people who expect a standard and we are trying to deliver that.” The project came from a twist of fate and a whimsical notion. “Initially I was doing the show on my own as a solo show, but it was Mike who said ‘why don’t I come and we’ll do it together’ and I said, ‘absolutely’, so what was a throwaway idea has grown into this,” Matt said. “Anyone who was in the room that night witnessed something pretty special. Throughout the show in the crowd there were tears of laughter, and tears of sadness; we seemed to really connect.”

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Matt said their schedules made it tough, but once they started writing, the album came together fairly quickly. “The songs came together organically,” he said. “When we wrote the first single, Be In The Band, we weren’t sure what the album was going to be like and what the songs were going to sound like, but the lead single is about having a go and chasing dreams. ”It references musicians in the first verse, but it’s a metaphor about if you don’t like what you’re doing, change it, and if you have a dream, chase it.” Mike admits, though, that he was unsure of how the project would work. “The only thing I could go by was the person I used to be, so I was unsure about doing something like this because I’ve always been a bit of a control freak and hesitant to listen to other people’s ideas. “But working with Matt and Matt Fell, I found I was accepting

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of other people’s ideas and I didn’t know that was the kind of person I am these days, so I surprised myself and it was just a great experience.” The title track, We Go Way Back, was the first song they penned together and was the catalyst for Cornell & Carr to even form the duo. Their parents worked together in the music industry, so this song sums up their friendship. “From that moment it was very easy, and we went tit for tat,” Mike said. The two artists are adamant this is a complete project of its own, and not a side project to their solo careers. “This is not a side project, but another project, and we love the songs we’ve written and recorded, so we want to do as many shows as we can and get the album in as many hands as we can and just work hard,” Matt said. Mike agreed, saying it was a serious project on top of their solo projects. “I’m hopeful it will become bigger than anything we’ve done before,” he said. We Go Way Back is probably not going to be an album you have playing for background ambience but will instead be one that you want to listen to carefully … on repeat. “This album is going to take the listeners on a bit of a ride as the songs are really different. There are some songs that are really uplifting, there are songs that are anthemic and a couple of songs on the record that are very personal,” Matt said. “Our jobs as artists is to make people forget about the daily grind and just get lost in the songs.” Each artist has a song they sing as a solo and is the most personal track for each of them. “For me, Things I Leave Behind

is the most personal song for me,” Matt said. “Leaving Sydney, for me, was a big life shift last year. It was one of those things in life that I’ll never forget because I’d lived in Sydney all my life. “The song talks about the mango tree out the back that my grandad planted when I was a little kid. We accumulate stuff, but it’s the things you leave behind that mean the most to you, which are the friendships and memories.” Mike’s solo track is If You Could Only See Me Now, a song about the loss of his father and all the major life events his dad missed out on after he died when he was young. “It occurred to me that a lot of things had happened in the past year for me – getting married, becoming a husband and a stepfather – wonderful things I never thought I’d experience, and my father missed it,” Mike said. “When my father passed away so young, I wished he could’ve been here for the good times and there is a bit of resentment that he’s not here, too. “There have also been a lot of changes in my life and getting rid of demons and bad habits that I’d like him to be here to see. It’s all part of a new journey, and you wished those you cared about the most could be around to see it.” We Go Way Back is currently available for pre-order and Cornell & Carr will launch it with a concert back where it all started 12 months ago, at Wests on Friday, January 25. “Any country artist loves Tamworth – it’s our time and it’s the fans’ time to really celebrate our industry,” Matt said. The year ahead will be a busy one for Cornell & Carr as they continue to build on the success of the duo and work on their solo careers.

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BY JON WOLFE

WHEN MOST MEN IN THEIR 60S ARE THINKING ABOUT RETIREMENT, MELBOURNE-BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER BOBBY VALENTINE IS STEPPING UP HIS GAME AND HAS RELEASED HIS FIRST COUNTRY ALBUM.

obby could easily settle back and bask on a remarkable career as an entertainer that has seen him notch up nearly four decades working in various bands. He’s appeared nationally and internationally and worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart and most of the Australian music legends. He has been a guest on almost every Australian TV variety show, notably as a regular on Hey, Hey It’s Saturday, Midday Show, Bert Newton Show, IMT and Steve Vizard’s Tonight Live singing solo and with rock’n’roll groups and big bands. Not everyone can boast performing at Hugh Jackman’s wedding, Jimmy Barnes’ 40th birthday and the trifecta of Caulfield and Melbourne Cup and AFL Grand final concerts – but Bobby can. “Yes, I was a wedding singer for a while and Hugh’s wife, DebraLee Furness was probably more famous than him,” Bobby said. “So yeah, I’ve done all that and corporate events and performed for ex-pats in the Middle East. I’ve had a great and varied career so far and I’m blessed to have made a lot of friends in the business.” His move into country music may seem a little strange to some but there was always a spark

somewhere deep just waiting to be ignited. That came through an association with Damian Cafarella a few years ago when he was approached to record some of his original songs for Damian’s start-up recording business. “Damian was working in a band with my daughter, had listened to some of my demos and liked them enough to want to record them ‘properly’,” Bobby said. “We recorded three or four, worked together live a few times and when I was approached to work a minor miracle to re-imagine, posthumously, a lounge room recording by an old bush balladeer, Johnny Faithfull, I had no hesitation in returning the favour.” The project resulted in two albums of Faithfull’s work, which were released last year, and it brought Bobby into contact with Lachlan Bryan [The Wildes’ bandleader, of which Cafarella is a member]. Bobby had released a number of albums over the years but he was always writing songs, so when he was approached by Damian and Lachlan with a plan to record some of his originals, he jumped at the chance. It seemed only natural that the songs would gravitate to country as Bobby had a liking for the music, even if it was buried deep inside. A look back at his life unearths a fact that may have perhaps planted that seed. “From A Jack To A King is the first song I can remember performing as a four-year-old at a church fete,” Bobby said. “It was a talent quest and out of four people I came fourth! “I’m not a good ole boy, or a boy from the bush. I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, so I can’t ride a horse or rope a cow and I’ve never had a drink at the Conargo Pub.

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“But I’ve spent a lot of time up in the Victorian Alps, love the Aussie bush and the outback, and I love country music. “To quote myself: ’There are things you can say, in a country kinda way, when you can’t find the words that you need.” Bobby said the album, Writing My Book Again, has a lot of him in it, as the title may suggest. Of the 12 tracks, 10 are his originals and some were written so long ago that he can’t really remember writing them, or who or what they were specifically about. “But all of the songs have a relevance to my life – even the two covers, From A Jack To A King and Bartender ’s Blues – they are all little snippets of my life. “The second single from the album, Country and Western Songs, is one of those songs that came to me almost subliminally. “The song harks back to a square dance the family went to at Flowerdale, but I didn’t realise it was about that at the time I wrote it 30 years later. “All the songs form a loose narrative of my life; rather than writing my memoirs, I’m singing them if you like – I’m writing my book.” Even though he has been performing for many years, Bobby seems to have had more recognition from his peers than from the public. “I never really concentrated on any of my own material, such as on the new album, and that sort of pidgeon-holed me as ‘the corporate guy’,” Bobby said. “I was really well-known within the industry but not wellknown by the public. That has changed with the release of the new album, and he is gathering new fans with every public appearance, as can be seen with growing crowds at shows like his appearances during last year’s Hats Off To Country Festival in Tamworth and an appearance at the RU Aware We Care Drought Relief Concert in Tamworth last July, where he performed an original song called Rare As Rain. “I originally wrote that during the last big drought up in Queensland,” Bobby said. “We were about to release it as a single and the drought broke and huge floods followed, so it was great to be able to bring it back out for the Tamworth show.” So, does he now regard himself as a country music act? “I’m very aware of having the right to do that, but part of the story with the floating hat on the album cover is that I didn’t want to have an image of me sticking a cowboy hat on my head and wearing an embroidered shirt and walking into Tamworth and saying I’m a country act. “I’ve always thought that you have to earn your cowboy hat, so the hat’s hovering above my head until I earn my stripes.” It’s fair to say that Bobby Valentine has earned a few country music stripes over the past 12 months and no doubt he’ll be adding a few more, starting with shows during this month’s Tamworth Country Music Festival.

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VALENTINE COURTS HIS

COUNTRY

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TYLER CHILDERS

ESCAPES APPALACHIA PURGATORY FOR AUSTRALIA BY DAVID DAWSON

“Now God made coal for the men who sold their lives to West Van Lear And you keep on digging until you get down there Where it’s darker than your darkest fears And that woman in the kitchen she keeps on cooking But she ain’t had meat in years Just live off bread, live off hope in a pool of a million tears.” COAL – TYLER CHILDERS.

ppalachian singer-songwriter Tyler Childers jumped genres with a tasty flourish when the late culinary TV host Anthony Bourdain used his songs when he featured West Virginia on his Parts Unknown special in

April, 2018. Childers’ soulful country-bluegrass-folk hybrid was a perfect soundtrack for Bourdain’s special on Appalachian cooking and culture. Tyler shares his Kentucky roots with fellow Coalminer’s daughters and sons Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Patty Loveless, Pistol Annie Angaleena Presley and prolific Grammy-winning chart-topper, Chris Stapleton. His mining tribute Coal explored fateful hard times of coalmining families on debut 2011 CD Bibles & Bottles. Now Childers, 27, is about to tour Australia with former Chicago postman and acclaimed singer-songwriter John

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Prine to promote his fourth CD, Purgatory on Hickman Holler Records. Tyler won Best New Talent at 2018 Americana Awards in Nashville where Prine, 72, was voted artist of the year. Prine, who played famed Hanging Rock race course 25 years ago, is returning to promote his 25th album, The Tree of Forgiveness. Tyler toured last year with Prine, recent Australian tourist Margo Price, Third Man Records label boss Jack White and Grammy-winning fellow Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson, who produced Purgator y with David Ferguson. Tyler was born and raised in Lawrence County, Kentucky, and lives south-east

of Lexington with his singersongwriter wife Senora May who inspired new song, Lady May. His writing is inspired by his Appalachian upbringing and the region’s deep history of storytelling. “I tend to write in little stories just because of my background and where I’m from,” Childers revealed on the eve of his tour. “Storytelling is rich in Appalachian culture – sitting down and spinning yarns and telling tall tales and trying to oneup the guy who just told one. “It’s the people I grew up with,

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the experiences, the things I grew up doing. Just the lifestyle, the everyday grind, the hardships, the values.” Childers’ songs were covered by bluegrass peers Newtown and Town Mountain after he dropped out of college and installed flooring, built houses and landscaped while playing music. “My first song was a hard-core knock-off of Tangled Up in Blue,” Childers recalled. “It was based on a story maybe I had heard before. I was 13. The woman died in the end – she was sleeping on the railroad tracks. Pretty edgy, you know.” Although Childers’ music falls under the Americana umbrella, he believes it’s much broader.

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“I have a hard time explaining to anyone what exactly Americana is supposed to be,” Tyler says. “I haven’t really bothered myself with trying to understand it, because first and foremost, I make country music. Not even really country music, just music that I feel. “More often than not, that leans toward country. I do think that Americana, from what I’ve noticed, seems to have become this refuge for real country outcasts. “But if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, and looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck and tastes like duck, it’s probably duck. “It just seems like a lot of people that get taken in by Americana are really just country artists. Moses was in the desert for 40 years so maybe for the next 40 years we’ll be in Americana.” Childers mines melancholia – not just coal – from his Appalachian roots on Purgatory with Whitehouse Road, I Swear To God, Feathered Indians, Tattoos, Honky Tonk Flame and Born Again. “A lot of these songs were written in the time between leaving my mother and father’s house and finding that middle ground,” Childers explained. “Getting into trouble and finding the way out of it, finding where you are supposed to be. Finding your place. Purgatory is hell, with hope. You have a fighting chance.” He bases his songs on real characters from his travels. “The character in Banded Clovis, I’ve met that dude,” Childers confessed, about a song where a down-and-out man commits murder out of desperation. “He might not have killed anyone, which is why he’s still kicking around and among us, but

I’ve met that dude over and over again.” He revealed the source of Universal Sound, a song he performed for years as a mournful solo-acoustic folk tune and rollicking bluegrass number. Childers wrote it during a stressful time when he moved to West Virginia. He headed to Cranberry Glades of eastern West Virginia with his dog, tent and Ram Dass’s book on meditation, Journey of Awakening, and found new ways of thinking. “Place is important but getting away from your place and getting outside of it and looking at it from a bunch of different angles is equally important,” Tyler said. “In my opinion, with political and religious views, how can you 110 per cent, full-hearted say without a shadow of a doubt say that this is how I feel, and this is where I want to be in my life, if you haven’t looked at it any other way than just one angle?” Childers recorded debut album Bottles & Bibles in a friend’s backyard studio. It reflected an alternative to how the media and rest of the world, outside his community, portrayed Appalachia and blue-collar America. Childers started writing songs about what life was really like in those hills – the struggles to raise families and put food on the table with one foot in the coalmine and one in the grave. “Hell’s probably better than trying to get by,” he lamented on Hard Times. Childers was a teenager but wanted to tell the world what existed beneath the narrative and tell people who lived there he understood their plight and would tell their truth. “There is a lot of tragedy, if you want to look at it that way, but there is hope,” Childers explained. “There is a sense of family, and a sense of looking out for your own.” Childers has written a swag of songs for his fifth album. “I’m always writing,” Tyler confessed. “That’s my main focus. It always has been. When I was a kid, I wanted to write novels. I decided I didn’t have the fuel to write 400 pages, so I started writing three-to fourminute songs and sketches. “With Purgatory the way we’ve been pushing it and touring it behind it, it’s hard to carve out time to get into a studio so I have some time set aside. “Hopefully, if it all works out, we can get in the studio for a week by the end of the year and do it the same way I did Purgatory. “I walked in with 50 or 60 songs I was proud of, songs I was serious about and ready to put on an album. Then we picked 10 of them. And I’ve been writing since. “So I’ve got those old songs, and I’ve got new songs, and then I’ll go in here at the end of the year and pick out nine, 10, 11 and do it again.” Childers and Prine play Brisbane Tivoli March 5, Palais Theatre, St Kilda March 7 and State Theatre, Sydney March 9.

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AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC’S 40TH ANNUAL SEARCH FOR A NEW STAR

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF STAR MAKER PRESENTED BY TOYOTA

Wednesday, 23 January 2019 12noon – 3:30pm Doors open at 11:15am Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre Hosted by Nick Erby

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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STAYING TRUE TO

YOUR RAISING NASHVILLE-BORN SINGER-SONGWRITER MITCHELL TENPENNY WROTE 56 SONGS FOR HIS LATEST RELEASE AND HAD THE TOUGH TASK OF WHITTLING THEM DOWN TO JUST 11.

or him, authenticity was the focal point for his label debut, to be true to himself and his listeners. His hit single, Drunk Me earned more than 90 million on-demand streams and surpassed 500,000 certifiable units in the US – which didn’t surprise Tenpenny who says he knew the single was special from the get-go. And now he’s ready to share the other 10 songs with the rest of the world, having released Telling All My Secrets, in midDecember. “I wanted to tell a bunch of different stories on this album, but they all had to be authentic and believable to me,” Tenpenny says “What I was feeling at the time, where I was in my head, what’s going on in the world, it all contributed to the end product. “The songs that made it were the ones I was sure that I was passionate about getting on there — what I was proud of, what I really wanted to say.” Tenpenny’s years of songwriting and touring have contributed to his confidence in the new release and he was able to embrace the whole production process, especially when it came to recording and producing Drunk Me. “Everything about it – the production, the hook, the performance – it felt like how I wanted to present myself,” he says. “We dug into that song and made it real cinematic and unusual. On the first playback, it felt like something Whitney Houston might do, and I thought, ‘This is what we need to be doing, this feels right,’ and it became the foundation of the record. “You never know what’s going to happen, but I was confident enough to be OK with it if it failed. I knew I gave it my best, gave it my all.” But his latest release isn’t all up-tempo

either, with Tenpenny touching on raw emotion with thought-provoking lyrics. The final track, Walk Like Him is a song Tenpenny wrote after his father’s death. “It took a few years,” he says. “My family all say that I really do walk like him. “I remember I was driving back from a show in the van, the band was all asleep in the back, and it just hit me and I broke down – I wrote that hook that night. “I’d been wanting to get it off my chest for years, and I wanted the album to end on that emotion. “I think anyone who has lost someone can understand the feeling.” The Nashville-raised country star first picked up a guitar when he was 13, but before then, you could say the music industry was in his bloodline. His grandmother is industry veteran and the first female CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Donna Hilley, so he knew what he was getting himself into. “I was very lucky,” says Tenpenny. “I got to grow up in this business, see it – I saw how my grandmother treated writers, and how important it was to the town. It’s a small circle of friends in this industry, and she always treated people right.” Tenpenny embraces the idea that he’s part of a new generation of country artists who grew up listening to a diverse range of styles. “I never gave much thought about which genre I am,” he says. “You can hear rock, pop, gospel, but the lyrics always stay to what I am, to Nashville. It would be inauthentic for me to try to be Hank or Waylon or Willie – I want to transform and keep creating, I want to hear new, exciting things. “We have to be able to change sounds or we’re going nowhere.”

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A UN LYU A 20 RY 192019

ROBOT GOATS MEET BARRY WHITE ON THE PIGS’ MOST PERSONAL ALBUM TO DATE, HILLBILLY SYNTHESISER, AND WE FIND OUT MORE AS REBECCA BELT CATCHES UP WITH T-BONE AND STRETCH PIG SOMEWHERE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF AUSTRALIA …

eaturing all-original tracks for the first time in their five-album history, with half of them penned in Berlin, Hillbilly Synthesiser covers topics ranging from love and life to celibate relationships and synthesisers born from moonshine-induced inventions. Long-time supporters of The Pigs will also note that this album is more pop-rock than any of their previous offerings. T-Bone and Stretch said the family members were all excited about this album and their greatest wish was to have listeners play the new album multiple times to fully embrace the lyrics. “A lot that can be taken from repeat listens, particularly

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lyrically, and there is an epicness about the album,” T-Bone said. “We spent a lot of time getting the right sounds for each song and using recording techniques to capture that. This album is very song-based.” Music lovers have embraced the first single, (the title track) and its 1980s rock-influenced feel, recreated on all-acoustic instruments. This feeling continues through the album with plenty of rocking

tracks, while others will have listeners carefully considering the words. Hillbilly Synthesiser tells of the journey to a shack in the mountains of Australia where they find their friend building a homespun electronic instrument. The moonshine is flowing and the synthesiser is making sounds like an old jug band; it is hillbilly, after all. “I really love old synthesisers,” Stretch said. “My imagination just went wild as I pictured this primitive, home-made synth that mythically comes to life.” Starring 2016 Musical Saw World

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ORIGINAL PORK WISDOM ON THE RECORD Champion, Cousin Azo Bell Pig, Hillbilly Synthesiser again sets The Pigs apart from their musical compadres. “The fact that this is all original means we’ve got some stories to tell with this album,” Stretch said. “There are a whole lot of interesting characters in there from the couple who get together and decide not to have sex to the Robot Goat that was created from a secret government experiment and becomes friends with a family and is on the run. “We want the listener to have fun with this album and we have a few different kinds of

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

fun there. We have funny songs, catchy tunes that we hope people enjoy and a couple of songs on the bluegrassy edge of what we do and others that are more pop-rock than we’ve ever done before.” Go! Robot Goat! is one of the tracks that demonstrates the care that each individual track was treated with, to ensure the arrangement was just right for that song. “Each song has its unique

approach for what we wanted,” T-Bone said. Although they’re known for having some of the funniest songs around and making their audiences cry with laughter at times, they take their craft seriously. “For these 12 original songs on our fifth album we really approached songwriting like a craft and went to work to write these songs,” Stretch said. “A cousin of ours, Sherman the German, once told me his favourite songs were the ones where the songwriter doesn’t tell you exactly what to think, they write words and the listener makes their own story in between.” T-Bone said they had written the best songs they could, resulting in the album they wanted to make. “We didn’t want to force anything on anybody, but we wanted to make the best album we could. People can take it how they want. Buffalo Dream is one of those songs you can read in different ways,” he said. “There’s more of us in this album than any other because there’s that family angle and those sort of experiences that we share.” Stretch said this was the most personal album they had “dared to write”. “It’s got our first love song on it,” he said. “Can you believe it? After all these years, That Itch Is You is the first one!” Stretch has a two-year-old and a six-year-old and said tracks like Sterilised! Humidified! Sleep Deprived! were inspired by the parenting adventure. “It’s all about the experience of trying to write music while they constantly wake up during the night and the madness that comes with sleep deprivation can bring on plenty of inspiration,” Stretch said. Other tracks were inspired by the leftover pieces of songs. T-Bone said Stretch kept a record of lyrical and melodic ideas and sometimes they sat together in songs, but other times there were leftover ideas that spawned new songs. “Sometimes songs will grow out of the other ideas, with the leftover Hillbilly Synthesiser bits ending up in Go! Robot Goat!,” he said. T-Bone said, following the album launch in Tamworth in January, the band would tour for the first six months of the year, playing much of the east coast. Supporters will also enjoy more singles and accompanying film clips this year. “The biggest goal for this album is that we want people to listen to and enjoy it,” T-Bone said. “We’ve been happy with the response from the single, Hillbilly Synthesiser. It’s slightly different to other country music out there and we hope people are rocking out there.” Hillbilly Synthesiser is now available for pre-order on iTunes and is released on January 18. The Pigs will launch the album at the Tamworth Country Music Festival where they play the Capitol Theatre and Longyard Hotel.

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COLT SEAVERS

SAVED BY TOM CRUISE BY DAVID DAWSON

ut the multiinstrumentalist won’t be legless – thanks to acclaimed actor

Tom Cruise. Colt suffered serious knee and leg injuries as a stunt double for Cruise during filming of 2003 movie The Last Samurai in New Zealand. The movie producers in the remote Taranaki area advised Colt might need his leg amputated but Cruise came to his rescue and flew a surgeon in from Auckland. “When I was doing The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, I smashed my leg up really bad and they were going to take my leg right off,” Colt told Country Music Capital News on the eve of the festival. “They said they were going to take my leg off because they couldn’t get a pulse. I wanted to get a second opinion. “I wanted to get back to see a surgeon in Australia. I rang the production company and they got hold of Tom Cruise. He said he had a jet at the airport and could take me anywhere in the world I needed to go. “They ended up getting this surgeon down from Auckland and he operated and fixed my leg. But I’ve got no feeling from the knee down now. I lost a nerve and had no control of my left foot.”

WHEN A VETERAN STUNT MAN, ACTOR AND RODEO RIDER FRONTS THE COLT SEAVERS BAND IN TAMWORTH DURING THE 2019 FESTIVAL, HE CAN BE EXCUSED FOR STUMBLING ON STAGE.

Colt, who left school in leafy eastern Melbourne suburb Warrandyte at 14 and joined a circus (Circus Star Time,) is worthy of his own movie. His 30-year plus films and TV stunt career and steer riding in rodeos left him with scars, missing teeth and damaged limbs. But the show goes on for the Colt Seavers Band, who took their name from the 1981-86 TV series that starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters. The band is promoting a new EP and live CD in Tamworth and way beyond over summer. Colt plays guitar, mandolin and double bass in an eclectic band renowned for its dynamic live concerts that include setting fire to its drum kits and even his arms at outdoor concerts where there are no sprinklers on stage. “We set fire to the bass and the drum kit, depending on the venue, usually an outdoor venue where no sprinklers can go off,” Colt explained. “We copy from bands in the fifties like Bill Haley & The Comets. We’re trying to bring that back to a new generation of people who haven’t seen that stuff before.” The band describes its hybrid bluegrass and hillbilly music as country-billy, rockabilly and blues-abilly. It includes original tunes Cannon Ball, Sally Anne and Walk the Floor among its dancefloor covers, as Colt leads the posse and tries to stay upright. “I fall over sometimes, I climb on my double bass and occasionally fall off it,” Colt explained. “Sometimes I trip when I walk.” Although Colt was once in big demand as a stunt man in movies and TV shows diverse as Ned Kelly in 2003, The Man From Snowy

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River, Ghost Ship, Changi, Tapestry, Lord Of The Rings, Ice Age, The Outlaw, The Outsider and Stingers, he also has deep musical roots. He began playing guitar and writing songs at 14 after graduating from the circus to rodeo and stunt work. “I was steer riding in a rodeo at Berrimah in Darwin and bought a guitar off a band who were playing that night,” recalled Colt who credits Dingoes’ guitarist Chris Stockley for teaching him mandolin. “We were in a support band and he was playing mandolin. I said ‘can you teach me how to do Copperhead Road’ and he did. His other band, Hard Road, Tough Country used to go to Tamworth. So I went and bought a mandolin.” Equally spontaneous was his introduction to banjo. “I saw Dean and Caruthers and Terry Dean taught me how to play Duelling Banjos. We keep picking them up as the band needs it,” Colt confessed. “Cattle Truck with Gary Young was in there too in Melbourne in those days. We all used to play the same venues. I was much younger than them – those guys inspired me to do what I do now.” Colt Seavers Band is based on the Queensland Gold Coast but developed a wide touring circuit south of the border. The band is so much in demand that Colt uses his stunt work and rodeo riding as a launch pad for his stage gymnastics and live recording. “We did two shows and we’ve put together a live cut of those concerts,” Colt explained. “They almost become comedies like Saturday night variety shows. We’re cutting together a live album and we’ll go in the studio just before Tamworth and finish another small EP. The guys in the band also bring down their solo stuff as well.” Colt says band members – guitarist-mandolinist Andy Dashwood, drummer Ali Barber, saxophonist/pianist Mr Magoo and James McDonald on harmonica and bagpipes – write songs collectively in the studio. “We all just sit down and write a song,” Colt said.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

“People don’t bring songs to the table. Our songs are more about entertainment as opposed to ballads. They’re not based on personal experiences. “It’s more like the Rolling Stones. Sometimes we’ll sit down and write 40 lines on post-it notes as we think of them when we’re drunk and put them altogether and write a song. “There are members of the band who write their own songs, but we don’t release them as Colt Seavers’.” The band is also promoting its earlier EP that includes Paul Norton song, She Left Me. Colt is indebted to octogenarian Bobby Bare for this quote for his embryonic career – “I wanted to do stunt work because I am too lazy to work and too frightened to steal.” But unlike the late Heath Ledger, for whom he was stunt double in the 2003 Ned Kelly movie filmed at Bacchus Marsh, the singer is a survivor. Just like Mick Jagger who starred and sang in the 1970 Ned Kelly movie that featured the songs of the late Playboy cartoonist and author Shel Silverstein in the film and soundtrack. COLT NOTE – band members’ names have been changed to protect the innocent.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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PHOTO: GREG SYVIA

RECRUITING

FOR CASH BY ANNA ROSE

TEN YEARS AGO, SYDNEY-BASED MUSICIAN AND STUDIO OWNER STUIE FRENCH PUT TOGETHER A TRADITIONAL COUNTRY TRIBUTE SHOW.

decade on, more than 200 shows and 70,000-plus ticket sales later, it has become one of the country’s most respected touring shows and it’s still putting bums on seats. Johnny Cash the Concert began its incredible run of shows with big Daniel Thompson out front in all his Man in Black majesty; Stuie on lead guitar picking for all the world like Luther (Perkins); theatrically-gifted entertainer Artie Taylor on double bass and the very versatile Brad Bergen on drums and/or guitar – yep, he’s that clever. With a back catalogue of more than 1500 songs to choose from, there’s never a shortage of material to come up with a new angle for the agelessly appealing concert series. “Cash has that appeal to all ages – it’s an inter-generational thing,” Daniel said. “There are the eras of people who grew up with his music – the 1950s and ’60s, and then there’s the next generation, who heard songs like Hurt, Cash’s legendary Nine-Inch Nails cover, on The American Recordings.” Digging through that treasure trove of songs can be a real journey of discovery, too, in lots of ways. “With all those great songs, it’s not all that hard coming up with a different setlist for each show. “It’s kinda cool to dig through the catalogue and find songs, great stuff, that people don’t even know.” Focusing on a different aspect of his career on each tour, the band gets to see how those songs are received by each different audience – and every night is different. “People react in different ways to his songs and that’s the great thing about this music,” Daniel said. “People have a personal relationship with Johnny Cash, a particular song might mean 100 different things to 100 different people.” There will be a big difference in the new show that hits the road in May. Regular Tennessee Three members Brad Bergen and Artie Taylor have already been locked in, but Daniel is now recruiting for a

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guitarist to join the troupe. Now, with Stuie, wife Camille and their three children moving to the United States for a time, Daniel Thompson – the big, bold voice of Johnny Cash – is continuing under the new banner of Daniel Thompson’s Johnny Cash Live, with this year’s tour Back To San Quentin, paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of Cash’s legendary prison album, Live At San Quentin. Late last month tickets went on sale for the national concert tour, which begins in May and ends in September. “That’s why this year in Tamworth the show will be that much more special, before Stu and Camille head off to the States,” Daniel said. “Stuie put the show together in the first place so I have got a lot to thank him for. “Watching him from out in the audience is one thing, but standing on stage with him, you work out how good he is. “He is a pretty incredible musician and their son, Sonny is following in their footsteps – he’s gonna be a superstar. “It’s an interesting thing, I get a whole new perspective on musos when I get to play with them. Some can lead a band around just by playing a note or two, Stuie especially. “He just makes people better. That’s why he’s so good at what he does. “Then there’s Artie Taylor. He’s a whole different entity on that stage. “He’s been a mainstay of the Sydney

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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3535

RECRUITING

FOR CASH rockabilly and punk music scene for more than 30 years, but Artie toured with Buddy, the Buddy Holly musical for many years, so he came to us with a lot of theatre experience and not a lot of musicians ever have the chance to hone those skills. “If you ever see our show, Artie will stand dead still if I’m telling a story, knowing what it looks like from an audience viewpoint, and when it’s his time to shine, he knows how to step up.” Then there’s the ever-smiling Brad Bergen, who’s remarkable in that he can fulfil two key roles in the band – as drummer or as lead guitarist. “Brad has spent eight years in our band and just watches what Stuie’s doing. He soaks up what’s around him. “On this year’s tour, he filled in for Stuie on a couple of gigs. It’s pretty extraordinary that someone who sits on the drums can more than adequately fill in for one of the best guitarists in the country. “Brad’s one of the people in the industry it’s a joy to be with – he’s so laid back. “We’re still in the process of putting the band together. It’s quite a commitment to ask someone to lock in to a tour for that amount of time. “We have plenty of options and lots of musicians wanting to come and travel with us – it’s just a matter of getting the schedules right.” And there’s never a shortage of willing and able Junes to step into the only female role in the show for those thrilling duets. “Some are people I’ve known forever, like Rebecca Lee Nye. She’s super keen and enthusiastic and a great singer. When we’re in her part of the world, I’m sure she’ll join us. “Then down in Victoria, Courtney Conway is our June. Mike Carr originally recommended her to Daniel for the role, which fits like a glove. “It’s always a joy to share a stage with Camille. Now, with her and Stuie’s departure we have some wonderful singers and musicians to choose from to fill those spots.” With the Tamworth festival almost upon us, Daniel is also preparing for another celebratory gig – The Long Lunch in Legends lounge at Wests, every day at 11am. That’s a gig that had its beginnings almost 10 years ago at the Goodies, when Daniel was discussing with Joan Douglas the possibility of a lunchtime show, where four musicians would sit and relax and play some songs.

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“A decade later the show is still going strong,” Daniel said. “I’m surrounded by great musicians and singers. We were fortunate to move to Wests the year after that. “The Long Lunch started out with the Toombs brothers – Dunc and Andy – but they got busy doing other things and about four years ago, the line-up changed to include Anthony Taylor and Luke Austen. “Anthony just sits down the end there nice and quiet and then he’s start singing and all of us on stage will just look at him and go: ‘whoa – where did that come from?’ – and it’s another great gig. “Luke Austen is hilarious and just a great musician and singer. He never seems quite prepared but then boom, great song sung by a great artist. “It’s entertaining for me as well up on stage. I steer the ship a little bit because all of us, especially Mike Carr, can get things off the rails, so I try to keep them in line.” By the end of the 2019 Tamworth festival, Daniel will have successfully notched up 96 Long Lunch gigs – he’s never missed one in the past decade. “It’s one of the highlights of my year,” he said. Performing the songs of Johnny Cash – and of just about anyone else going at The Long Lunch – in his down time Daniel still enjoys writing his own songs and has been steadily working away at a collection for a new original album. It’s high time, he reckons, 15 years since his last album, which was sung in a totally different voice. “I just want to put a good record out really, and I’d love to have something that says what I’m all about here and now. “I didn’t know what I was doing back then in 2004, I

was still learning my craft as a singer and performer when I made the album. I’m still very proud of it, but it was me in another lifetime. “I sing very differently to what I did back then. I have many years of experience behind me now, but I also owe huge thanks to a really good singing teacher I had when I was just starting out. “She taught me about resting my voice and really taking care of my instrument. Some can do it naturally and some need help. I didn’t have a lot of power in my voice then, but I was very lucky I had a great teacher who showed me the way.” Like his hero, Johnny Cash, Daniel knows that experience will change your vocals – and he’s happy to wear that. “You’ve got to sing Johnny Cash songs with a lot of aggression,” he said. “They’re pretty emotional, passionate, angry songs in a lot of ways and people have an impression he wasn’t a very good singer, but I disagree. “If you sing those songs for two hours, you’ll quickly realise he was an exceptional singer. It’s all about aggression, to sing those songs properly – a lot of aggression. “It’s like a game of footy – a huge workout – to have a night singing Johnny Cash. You wake up battered the next morning. It all comes from the stomach and it can really affect you. “Those later albums, The American Recordings, that’s the way a guy sings who has lived, who knows how to put his whole life into a song. “It’s an enormous talent to be able to bring that emotion to any songs – people like Johnny Cash had that in spades.” The past 10 years has been quite significant for Daniel Thompson, a bloke who’s much respected by his peers for his unassuming talent. “I’ve never had a record deal, but I’ve been really fortunate to make my own way in this industry,” he said. “People know who I am. I’ve just worked away in the background and found my little place in the world. “I’m very fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I love. I always feel very lucky about what I get to do. “People dream about spending their life on the road as a musician – and I’m doing it.”

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

ORGAN ISED BY

HAIR DESIGN & MAKE UP

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

HEAR+THERE ONE FOR THE MOUNTAIN MEN JED ZARB HAS RELEASED MOUNTAIN MAN, HIS DEBUT SINGLE.

Jed Zarb

n animated personality from an early age, Zarb has carved out a stellar career in the entertainment industry with over 2500 shows under his belt, including multiple tours to the Solomon Islands to entertain the troops and three headline slots at the Ballina Food & Wine Festival. The past year has seen Zarb working on developing a new sound, resulting in a truly Australian form of expression heavily influenced by his childhood hero, John Denver, as well as Aussie icons like Sara Storer and John Williamson. Mountain Man is a reflection of Zarb’s new life living in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, from where he decided it was time to leave the old songs behind and start fresh. After spending most of his life living at the foot of the mountains and looking up at them, Zarb also thought “it was about time the age-old phrase ‘I’m a mountain man and I love mountain women’ was

immortalised in a song.” A love song to all the things that make the Blue Mountains so special, Mountain Man features Pixie Jenkins on fiddle, Imogen Clark on backing vocals, Barb Webb on Cajun fiddle and John Zarb, Jed’s brother, on the mandolin. “You can really feel the love in the sessions,” Jed says, “and I’m blessed to have such close, talented muso friends playing on the track.” Zarb produced Mountain Man himself and says, he was “… blessed to work with the talented, creative musician/engineer Saul Santilli in his Riverstone studio”.

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The band that helped launch KEITH

Fri 18 3-6pm Mon 21 3-6pm Thu 24 6:30-9:30pm

Sat 19 7-10pm Tues 22 3-6pm Fri 25 6:30-9:30pm

URBAN Sun 20 6:30-9:30pm Wed 23 3-6pm Sat 26 2-5pm

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Debut Album Out Soon

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

SPECIAL GUESTS

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

HEAR+THERE STREAMING SUCCESS FOR JASON’S MUSIC JASON OWEN HAD LOTS TO CELEBRATE AHEAD OF CHRISTMAS, WITH HIS NEW SINGLE, BETTER THAN THAT LEAPING AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION.

arly in December it was named the week’s fastest rising track on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay Chart. The single, written by celebrated songwriter Clive Young, who has penned hit singles for Adam Brand, Brooke McClymont and Amber Lawrence, has risen 28 spots in its second week on the chart, making it the week’s biggest mover. Jason has also received the news that his music has been streamed for 2.2 million minutes

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over the past year on Spotify. His rendition of much-loved Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, Sweet Home Alabama was the track with the highest streams and Sunshine On My Shoulders, which appears on the Jason Owen Sings John Denver tribute album was selected for Spotify’s Country Chill playlist.

jason Owen

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Viper Creek Band

Brad Butcher

Sunday 31st March 2019

8am - 4pm Presentations 4pm – 5pm

MUSEUM OF FIRE

• Direct access from Penrith Station • Unlimited FREE amusement rides all day (22 rides) • Concert sound & full stage • Specialist trade stalls & displays • Entertaining games & competitions • Free Balloons & Fairy Floss • Free face painting • BBQ, drinks & beer tents • Major prizes & trophies • Price includes entry to Museum

$35 Adults hildren C up to 3 EgEadult FR in y a p with n $25 ssio try) Coninglceepe rson en

9th Annual Sydney Classic & Antique Truckshow on 2nd June, 2019 (See website for more details) 42

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Ph: 4731 5809 Held at Museum of Fire, 1 Museum Drive, Penrith. Phone: (02) 4731 3000 The Museum is a registered charity and all funds raised are directed towards saving our families from the dangers of fire while preserving the heritage of our communities bravest. -VSSV^ \Z VU! U! U!

www.pwts.com.au years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

LIVE MUSIC SCENE

LIFT OUT

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing. Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

8 BALL AITKEN

JANUARY 2019 12 Beerwah Hotel Qld18 Tudor Hotel, Tamworth NSW 19 Toyota FanZone Stage, Tamworth NSW 19 Railway Hotel, Murrurundi NSW 20-27 Tamworth CMF

AARON D’ARCY JANUARY 19-24 Tamworth CMF

ADAM BRAND

JANUARY 4 Norwood Hotel, SA 5 Kingston SE Foreshore, SA 25 West Tamworth LC NSW

ADAM ECKERSLEY & BROOKE MCCLYMONT JANUARY 19 The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW

BRAD BUTCHER

ALLAN CASWELL

JANUARY 22 West Tamworth LC NSW

JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

ALY COOK (NZ) JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

AMANDA COOK (USA) JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF

AMBER JOY POULTON JANUARY 20-26 Tamworth CMF

BECCY COLE

AMBER LAWRENCE JANUARY 25 West Tamworth LC NSW

With Sara Storer, Libby O’Donovan and Kelly Brouhaha JANUARY 2019 19&25 West Tamworth LC NSW

ANDREW CLERMONT

BEN RANSOM

JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 24-26 Tamworth CMF

ANDREW SWIFT

BENNETT, BOWTELL & URQUHART

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 23 West Tamworth LC NSW FEBRUARY 16 Music Park Jackson St, Boyup Brook WA 21 Cooee Arthouse, Aldinga, SA 22 Trinity Sessions, Clarence Park, SA

ANDY NELSON JANUARY 19-25 Tamworth CMF

ANGELA EASSON

ADAM HARVEY

JANUARY 19 West Tamworth LC NSW 25 West Tamworth LC NSW

ADAM TOMS

JANUARY 23–26 Tamworth CMF

ALAN AND TRACE JANUARY 18-23 Tamworth CMF

ALICE BENFER

JANUARY 6 Mount Pleasant Hotel, Gympie, Qld 21-24 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 6 @The Jetty, Bongaree, Bribie Island Qld 18-24 Tamworth CMF FEBRUARY 3 The Surf Club Mooloolaba, Qld 16 Bribie Island RSL Qld

ANITA TRESIDDER AND WHISKEY BUSINESS JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF

ASHLEY COOK JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

BECCI NETHERY

BLAKE O’CONNOR

JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 18-27 Tamworth CMF

BRAD COX

*w/ Carl The Bartender ** w/ Andrew Swift & Gretta Ziller JANUARY 1 Mallacotta Foreshore Holiday Park Vic** 2 Eden Beachfront Holiday Park NSW** 3 NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park NSW** 4 Jingelic Showgrounds NSW** 5 Tumut River Brewing Company NSW** 6 Porepunkah Bridge Holiday Park NSW** 7 Omea Caravan Park Vic** 8 Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday Park Vic** 9 Tathra Beachside NSW** 10 Reflections Holiday Park, Bermagui NSW** 11 Murramarang Nature Tourist Resort NSW** 12 Holiday Haven Lake Conjola NSW** 13 Toowoon Bay Holiday Park NSW** 14 Reflections Holiday Park, Hawks Nest NSW** 15 Reflections Holiday Park, Seal Rocks NSW** 16 Reflections Holiday Park, Tuncurry NSW**

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LIVE MUSIC SCENE BRAD COX Continued

DARREN COGGAN

18 Toyota Park Opening Concert,

JANUARY 19 Capitol Theatre, Tamworth NSW

Tamworth NSW* 20 Toyota Park 40th Toyota Star

DEAN PERRETT

Maker Grand Final, Tamworth

JANUARY 20-25 Tamworth CMF

NSW* 21 The Pub Songwriter’s Night, Tamworth NSW 7:30pm

DIANNE LINDSAY

22 Southgate Inn Songwriter’s Night,

JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

Tamworth NSW 1pm 23 TRECC, 40th Toyota Star Maker,

EMMA DYKES

Tamworth NSW* 25 The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW*

JANUARY 18-24 Tamworth CMF

BRAD MARKS JANUARY 19 Regional Australia Bank FamilyZone, Tamworth NSW

BRIAN LETTON JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

BROTHERS3 JANUARY 19&26 West Tamworth LC NSW

BRYEN WILLEMS JANUARY 21-27 Tamworth CMF

BUSBY MAROU JANUARY 23 Longyard Hotel, Tamworth NSW

CASH ONLY – THE JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE BAND JANUARY 19-23 Tamworth CMF

CATHERINE BRITT JANUARY 23 The Longyard Hotel, Tamworth NSW

EMMA JENE CHELSEA BERMAN JANUARY 21-25 Tamworth CMF

CHLOE STYLER JANUARY 19-26 Tamworth CMF

CHRIS MATTHEWS

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

FANNY LUMSDEN JANUARY 24 Longyard Hotel, Tamworth NSW

FELICITY URQUHART

JANUARY 19-27 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 21-24 Tamworth CMF

CHRISTIAN POWER & LONESOME TRAIN

GINA JEFFREYS

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

CHRISTIE LAMB JANUARY 24 The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW

JANUARY 22 West Tamworth LC, Tamworth NSW 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

GINA TIMMS

COL FINLEY

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 18-27 Tamworth CMF

COLIN BUCHANAN JANUARY 23-24 Tamworth CMF

GRAEME CONNORS JANUARY 25 Tamworth Town Hall, NSW

COLT SEAVERS BAND

GRAHAM RODGER

DANIEL THOMPSON

GRETTA ZILLER

JANUARY 18-27 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 21-24 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF

HAYLEY MARSTEN JANUARY 19-25 Tamworth CMF

HILLBILLY GOATS JANUARY 4 Sydney-Kangaroo Island Music Cruise (John Howie), NSW 20-26 Tamworth CMF FEBRUARY 1 Gympie RSL, Qld 2 Springwood Lions Club, Brisbane Qld 15 Agnes Waters Blues and Roots Festival Qld 22 The J, Noosa Heads, Qld

HURRICANE FALL JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

JAMES BLUNDELL JANUARY 23-25 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

JEFF BROWN CM Family Tour w/ Keith Jamieson, Alisha Smith & Caitlyn JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

JETTY ROAD JANUARY 22 Wests’ Diggers, Tamworth NSW

JODY DIREEN (NZ) JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF

Visiting Tamworth?

See Star Maker’s amazing journey at the Star Maker Café at Diggers, Kable Ave, Tamworth

1979 44

THE LEGEND CONTINUES

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

2018 years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

LIFT OUT

Please note all show venues & times are correct at time of printing. Capital News recommends you check with the venue prior to attending.

10 Civic Centre, Bordertown SA 11 Golden Hills Motel, Bendigo Vic 12 Services Club, Barham NSW 13 Bocce Club, Kyabram NSW 15 North Albury Sports Club, Kyabram NSW 16 Commercial Club Wagga Wagga NSW 17 Community Hall Wagga Wagga NSW 19-26 Tamworth CMF

LIAM BREW

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

JOHN WILLIAMSON

LYN BOWTELL

JANUARY 25 Tamworth Town Hall NSW

JULIET OLIVER JANUARY 20-25 Tamworth CMF

LINDSAY BUTLER & SHAZA LEIGH WITH THE BUTLER SHOWBAND

KALESTI BUTLER JANUARY 19-25 Tamworth CMF

KASEY CHAMBERS AND THE FIRESIDE DISCIPLES JANUARY 24 West Tamworth LC, NSW

KEL-ANNE BRANDT

FEBRUARY 6 Belmont 16ft Sailing Club, NSW 14 Dapto LC, NSW 24 Bankstown Sports Club, NSW

JANUARY 15-25 Tamworth CMF 20 LBS MusicLand, Tamworth NSW 21-24 Lindsay Butler Studios Music Complex, Tamworth NSW

*Ticketed Show JANUARY 22 TRECC 40 years of Toyota Star Maker, Tamworth NSW 12noon 22 West Tamworth LC NSW* 8:30pm 27 The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW

IAN MACCA MCNAMARA

JANUARY 24 Capitol Theatre, Tamworth NSW

KIRSTY LEE AKERS

JANUARY 22-25 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

KRISTY COX JANUARY 21-25 Tamworth CMF

KYLIE ADAMSCOLLIER

KEITH URBAN

W Julia Michaels JANUARY 2019 23 Newcastle EC NSW 25&26 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney NSW 27 GIO Stadium, Canberra ACT 31 Brisbane EC Qld FEBRUARY 2 Brisbane EC Qld 5 Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Vic

JANUARY 18-25 Tamworth CMF FEBRUARY 2 Bungendore Showground, NSW 24 Masonic Hall, Morrisett NSW

MELISSA BAJRIC LUKE AUSTEN

JANUARY 18-27 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

JANUARY 22 The Albert Hotel, Tamworth NSW JANUARY 21-23 Tamworth CMF

MICKEY PYE

JANUARY 19-27 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

CM Family Tour w/ Jeff Brown, Alisha Smith & Caitlyn

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

MELODY MOKO

MICHELLE WALKER

KEITH JAMIESON JANUARY 2 Morwell Club Vic 3 City Memorial BC WArrnambool Vic 4 Mechanics Hall, Narrawong Vic 5 Community Hall, Rendelsham SA 6 Golf Club, Edenhope Vic 8 Soldiers Memorial Hall, Nuriootpa SA 9 NCMA Club Rooms, Port Pirie SA

JANUARY 20-26 Tamworth CMF

MISSY LANCASTER LEE KERNAGHAN

*Lee Kernaghan Show JANUARY 23 TRECC, 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW 24 TRECC, Tamworth NSW*

JANUARY 24 Family Hotel – Moonshiners Honky Tonk Bar, Tamworth NSW

LUKE DICKENS

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF 23 TRECC 40 years of Star Maker, Tamworth NSW

MURPHY’S PIGS

JANUARY 15 New Farm Bowls Club, Brisbane Qld 18-26 Tamworth CMF

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

LIVE MUSIC SCENE PETER CAMPBELL JANUARY 18-22 Tamworth CMF FEBRUARY 24 Toowoomba City Golf Club Qld

ROSS MCGREGOR

RACHAEL FAHIM *with Taylor Henderson **with The McClymonts JANUARY 2019 22 The Albert, Tamworth NSW 23 Tamworth Regional EC NSW 25 Courthouse Hotel, Tamworth NSW

RODNEY VINCENT JANUARY 19&21 Wests’ Diggers, Tamworth NSW 24 Tamworth Community Centre

JANUARY 2019 19 LBS MusicLand, Tamworth NSW 21 Remembering Reg Lindsay Showcase, Family Hotel, Tamworth NSW 22 West Tamworth Sports & BC NSW 24 Tomkins Guitar Showcase, West Tamworth LC NSW

SARA STORER

TAYLOR PFEIFFER *Guest of The McClymonts JANUARY 19-25 Tamworth CMF

JANUARY 19-27 Tamworth CMF

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

SHANE NICHOLSON

JANUARY

SHOW PONY EXPRESS SAMANTHA BELLAMY & RAY PRATLEY

16-26 Tamworth CMF

THE MCCLYMONTS JANUARY 23 TRECC, Tamworth NSW

JANUARY 18-26 Tamworth CMF

THE PIGS

SIMPLY BUSHED

23 Capitol Theatre, Tamworth NSW

JANUARY 20-26 Tamworth CMF

NSW FEBRUARY

SUNNY COWGIRLS

2 Bungendore CMF NSW

JANUARY 24 Longyard Hotel, Tamworth NSW

16 Lake Charlegrark CMF Vic

SPECIAL OFFER

JANUARY 19-25 Tamworth CMF FEBRUARY 9 The Palms at Crown, Melbourne VIC

THE BUSHWACKERS

JANUARY 24 Tamworth Town Hall NSW

JANUARY 23 The Pub Tamworth NSW

TRAVIS COLLINS

JANUARY

THE WEEPING WILLOWS JANUARY 13 Cheltenham Library, VIC 21-25 Tamworth CMF

TROY CASSAR-DALEY JANUARY 24 TRECC, Tamworth NSW 26 Australia Zoo, Beerwah Qld FEBRUARY 7 GPAC, Geelong, Vic\ 8 St Brigid’s Church, Crossley, Vic 9 Whittlesea Showgrounds, Vic 21 South West Rocks Country Club, NSW 22 C. Ex, Coffs Harbour, NSW 23 Ballina RSL Club, NSW 24 Coutts Crossing Hall, NSW

MADCDS

Subscribe for 2 years and save $22 and receive the brand new CD from TSM winner BRAD COX Stay up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, live music scene, new talent, coming events, bush balladeers, writing great songs, down memory lane. SUBSCRIBE ONLINE www.capitalnews.com.au OR PHONE: 02 6767 5555 or E: info@capitalnews.com.au 46

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

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YEARS OF STAR MAKER BY SUE JARVIS

THIS YEAR, TOYOTA STAR MAKER MARKS A REMARKABLE FOUR DECADES AS AUSTRALIA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND RESPECTED COUNTRY MUSIC TALENT SEARCH.

nd Star Maker’s organisers will be celebrating in style, with a huge concert at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC), from noon on Wednesday, January 23. It will feature many previous winners, along with longtime Star Maker compere Nick Erby, and is guaranteed to be a joyous and emotional trip down memory lane. The 40th Toyota Star Maker winner, selected just a few days earlier, will also take part. The concert is sure to be one of the hot-ticket items in Tamworth this year, and is likely to sell out early, so grab your tickets as soon as possible. Star Maker has a long and illustrious history, having spawned the careers of the likes of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Beccy Cole, Gina Jeffreys, Sam McClymont, Travis Collins and many other leading lights of Australian and international country music. When talking to the 39 previous winners there are a couple of themes common to every conversation. The first is the difference Star Maker has made to their lives and careers. Whether they’ve gone on to become international superstars like Keith Urban, Australian icons like Lee Kernaghan and James Blundell, or internationally respected songwriters and businesspeople like Kylie Sackley and Kieran Lancini, they all cite Star Maker as a major

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

turning point – and a unique opportunity. The second is the idea that they’ve joined a very special ‘family’ – the Star Maker family. They all know what the title means to Australian country music, and they’ve all been supported and encouraged by the event’s organisers and each other – not only during that hectic, amazing year as the Star Maker title holder, but way beyond that. Star Maker has been a vital part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival almost since the festival began. While it was originally started outside festival time in 1979, as a way to support emerging talent to build a career in country music, it was moved to the first weekend of the January festival in 1985 and for most of its history has been a signature event marking the start of the festival.

Originally, 20 finalists travelled to Tamworth to be part of Star Maker, being whittled down to 10 grand finalists, who then performed in an evening show. That format has shifted a number of times over the years, but in recent years just 10 grand finalists have been selected by a judging panel from the many entries received each year from rising stars who know what opportunities Star Maker can hold for them. The Star Maker venues have also changed over the event’s history, with the Tamworth Town Hall, the Tamworth Workers’ Club, the TRECC and Bicentennial Park all hosting Star Maker finals or grand finals. The career trajectories of Star Maker’s many winners have been incredibly diverse, with some Star Maker title holders enjoying stratospheric success, and others choosing a different path after their year in the sun, or taking a break, or simply finding their own particular niche in the industry. But there’s absolutely no doubt that the quest has played a huge part in creating today’s country music industry. Last year alone, seven of the Golden Guitars handed out in Tamworth went to Star Maker winners, or

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

to acts including those winners. Since the quest began, no less than 110 Golden Guitars have been won by Star Maker winners. A dozen of the 2019 Golden Guitars finals spots are also occupied by members of the Star Maker alumni. The term “Star Maker” is a little misleading – it’s not possible to “make” a star; however, the event provides the kind of opportunities most up-and-coming country artists couldn’t even dream about. For a start, the winner is presented with a Toyota vehicle to use during their Star Maker year, along with a fuel card – enabling them to tour the country, performing and promoting their music far and wide. Then there’s the chance to record their music with some of the best producers and musicians in the country – many of those recordings have gone on to chart success and have led the artists to win further awards. But the most important part of the prize – and the least tangible – is the profile it brings, the extensive promotional support and media exposure, the festivals and other events that suddenly welcome the young artist, and the huge number of contacts that become available. Some of the names that will forever be associated with Star Maker are obvious: Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Keith Urban, Beccy Cole, Gina Jeffreys, Sam McClymont and Travis Collins.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

Keith, of course, is now one of the biggest country superstars on the planet. Lee has enjoyed a hugely successful career and was even named Australian of the Year. And it is widely acknowledged that James changed the face of Australian country music forever after he won back in 1987. Many Star Maker winners have combined a solo career with collaborations – Sam McClymont has enjoyed huge success with The McClymonts, also featuring sisters Brooke and Mollie, while Lyn Bowtell was a member of Bella (featuring fellow Star Maker winner Kate Ballantyne and grand finalist Karen O’Shea) and more recently Bennett, Bowtell and Urquhart – with three finals spots in the 2019 Golden Guitars. Lyn (who won in 1997) is also a successful solo artist and the director of the Academy of

Country Music in Tamworth, where she adores mentoring and helping the next generation of rising stars. The 1996 winner, Darren Coggan, has seamlessly combined his love of country music and musical theatre to carve out a stellar career. His Cat Stevens tribute show Peace Train has enjoyed incredible success in Australia and is now cutting a swathe through the United Kingdom. Darren’s put together several other successful shows, including War Stories and his current project, Rhinestone Cowboy, as well as earning accolades for his original music. Meanwhile, 2001 winner Kylie Sackley has steadfastly followed her dream of becoming a successful songwriter in Nashville. She’s seen a string of her songs climb the charts, recorded by the likes of Pink, Leann Rimes, Alan Jackson, Sam Hunt and Walker Hayes, and was recently presented with an award for writing one of the Top 50 Most Played Songs on Country Radio in the past 12 months, as well as the prestigious APRA International Recognition Award in her home country in 2018. Even being a Star Maker grand finalist

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

means a great deal: just ask Troy Cassar-Daley, Tania Kernaghan, Karen O’Shea, Pete Denahy and most recently triple Golden Guitar nominee Andrew Swift. The boost that a finals berth provides to an artist’s career is priceless – even when they don’t win. Toyota’s commitment to Star Maker is inspiring the passion to progress, setting the benchmark in showcasing Australian country music’s best new talent. Star Maker winners continue to achieve in the country music industry and according to recent streaming giant Spotify Australia ranks #3 in most popular country music markets behind the United States and Canada with former winner Keith Urban named as Spotify’s most-streamed country artist born outside the United States, with The McClymonts (Sam McClymont), Travis Collins, Kaylee Bell and Rachael Fahim, all breaking through. The 2018 Toyota Star Maker winner Brad Cox is paving the way for future entrants. After delivering his impressive debut album in May last year featuring the #1 single Too Drunk To Drive, Brad followed up with Lake House, and the imposing track Water On

The Ground a timely song for drought sufferers which brought media and punters to tears. The accompanying video is having equal effect. With over 45,000 views on Facebook overnight, and a video-share frenzy. Brad’s album pushed back to the top of the iTunes Country Album Chart with the single also entering the Top 10 on the iTunes Country Tracks Chart. In November, just after hearing that he’d received two Golden Guitar nominations at the 2019 Country Music Awards of Australia he released a new single and video for Red Light. Over the years, there have been many ongoing collaborations between Star Maker winners and finalists – some of them official, such as tours where two or more artists join forces, and many not so obvious – songwriting sessions, mentoring, advice, and a

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

multitude of other interactions. And then there’s the support from the organisers. Perhaps Lyn Bowtell put it best when she said, “Whenever I’ve needed anything during my career, I’d only have to contact someone from Star Maker, and they’d be there – whether it was a story in Capital News, or promotion for a show, or just paying for some posters. I’ve always felt a real sense of belonging, and there’s also that huge feeling of pride about being part of such an iconic institution in Australian country music – it means a lot to have won Star Maker, and everyone knows it.” Join the former winners on Janary 23, to celebrate some of whom are huge stars, and some of whom will be performing for the first time in years. But for all of them, the feeling of being part of something will permeate the whole event – and you, the audience will feel it too. Come to TRECC and join the party with Peter Johnson, Tommy Miller, Leanne Douglas, Great Divide, Craig Robertson, Kate Ballantyne, Brendon Walmsley, Kieran Lancini, Todd Williams, Sam McClymont, Kirsty Lee Akers, Liam Brew, Luke Austen, Luke Dickens, Bob Corbett, Kaylee Bell, Jared Porter, Mickey Pye, Rachael Fahim, Brad Cox, Kirsty Lee Akers, Lyn Bowtell, Beccy Cole, Gina Jeffreys, James Blundell, Lee Kernaghan and the 2019 Toyota Star Maker winner. Longtime Star Maker friend Nick Erby is compere

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EXCITEMENT APLENTY IN YEAR-ENDING ACHIEVEMENTS BY DAN BIDDLE

NOVEMBER WAS ANOTHER HUGE MONTH FOR AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC.

irst there was the announcement of finalists in the 47th Golden Guitar Awards, then Kasey Chambers taking out the Best Country Album ARIA and being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. And how about Morgan Evans hitting #1 on The Music Network Hot 100 Airplay chart – that was huge! The CMAA also held its first ever ARIA Week Country Showcase, presented in conjunction with ARIA and with the support of Apple Music. The invitation-only event was packed with industry figures and featured performances from ARIA finalists Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont, Fanny Lumsden, The Wolfe Brothers and Travis Collins. In other news the CMAA is excited to let you know about some new initiatives in relation

to the organisation’s online presence. The purpose of these changes is to bring our industry closer together and to increase our reach, so we can communicate more effectively with the fans. A new-look website is key to this. It has undergone a major overhaul and in addition to a sleek new look and faster operating speed, there are a few new features which we hope will benefit our members. You will receive a log-in and password for the website in the next day or so where you will be able to update your member profile, renew your membership and much more. Now, with more than 650 members including artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, venues and more, we have built a fully searchable member directory. This is available to professional members only and will make it easier for members to search for and contact each other. Members are invited to upload their gigs to the website with our easy-to-use national gig guide platform. This national list will be essential viewing for fans as they search for gigs near them each week. We will be actively promoting this gig guide on social media. We have discontinued paid advertising on all CMAA online properties effective immediately. The CMAA is an impartial, non-profit organisation and as such we believe it is important that the CMAA remains “not for sale”.

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

CMAA Logo - have to pull from files

We trust that our members and business partners will understand this decision. While many members have enjoyed use of the Facebook Artist of the Week campaigns over the past few years, we have decided to discontinue this promotion for a number of reasons. The first one is that we have more members than we have weeks available to offer, but more importantly, the social media landscape has changed dramatically and we need to change with it. One of our initiatives is to create and share a definitive list of songs being serviced to media each week and a weekly new release (sale/streaming) guide. No matter which sub-genre of country you work in, we encourage all artists, managers, labels and publicists to submit details about your new releases to us each week by emailing online@country.com.au and this info will be compiled into updates to go out online. In among these key messages we will continue to share news about the artists and industry as it happens, so please keep us in the loop by emailing online@country. com.au

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019 Tickets: https://tamworthtownhall.com.au/events/989/Best_of_British_Country_Music/

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS

TCMF19

BUSY TIME FOR TSA IN TAMWORTH 2019 SONGWRITER EVENTS AND SESSIONS, THE ANNUAL TSA SALUTE AWARDS AND A NEW TALENT QUEST WILL KEEP SONGWRITERS AND THEIR FANS ON THE HOP THIS TAMWORTH FESTIVAL.

t’s the place where large numbers of Tamworth Songwriters’ Association members meet to network and engage in a range of activities promoting their songs and seeing other artists’ work. The Annual TSA Songwriters’ Concert and Salute Awards Show at the Longyard Hotel is the big event on the organisation’s Tamworth calendar. To be held at the Longyard Hotel on Tuesday, January 22, winners of both amateur and professional songwriting contests are announced, with trophies presented. Performing and presenting on the night are Aleyce Simmonds, Amber Joy Poulton, Tom Curtain, Jeff Brown, Steve Sparrow, Brad Butcher, Steve Passfield, Cassi-Marie and Wendy Phypers. Greg Champion and Clair Hayes will compere the awards. Tickets are $20 and can be pre-purchased from The Longyard bottle shop the week prior.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

Other opportunities to meet and mingle include the songwriter sessions and evening concerts at the City Bowlo, which is also the venue for the inaugural TSA Talent Quest. A first for the almost 50-yearold association, the inaugural TSA Talent Quest is open to anyone who pre-registers and would like an opportunity to experience a TSA event. In keeping with the TSA’s “First the Song” motto, entrants will need to present one of their own compositions and a cover version of a song of their choice

(or another original). The quest will be held at the City Bowling Club from Monday, January 21 with heats daily until the Thursday. In the evening finals will be held to select winners in Youth, Female and Male sections. There will be limited spots and entry is free, but bookings are essential for entrants. No walk-ups. For those wishing to compete contact Lydia Clare via email at tamworthsongwritersassociation@gmail. com or phone TSA president Duncan Hill on 0409 718 391. TSA artists can also be found on the FanZone stage, at AELEC, the Square Man Inn, the Post Office Hotel and at Fringe Country, upstairs at the Imperial Hotel. In all, the TSA will present more than 92 artists in 40 shows over the festival.

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

Toyota Country Music

Cavalcade Come and see some of the country’s biggest performers take part in the Toyota Country Music Cavalcade!

9AM Saturday 26 January Peel St, Tamworth The theme for 2019 is

f ‘A celebration o be what it means to Australian’!

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS

TCMF19

LET OFF SOME STEAM

AT TAMWORTH POWERSTATION MUSEUM TAMWORTH POWERSTATION MUSEUM WILL FIRE UP THE RESTORED JOHN FOWLER STEAM ENGINES DURING THE FESTIVAL.

n January 24, 25 and 26 steam buffs can take this rare opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and smells of power generation from a bygone era. In 1888 Tamworth became the first town in the Southern Hemisphere to install and use electric street lighting. The Tamworth PowerStation Museum (located at 216 Peel Street) is on the site of the 1888 electric street lighting plant. Today, the museum houses a fascinating and significant collection of electrical

appliances and instruments, as well as a plotted history of the evolution of electricity. During the Tamworth Country Music Festival, the PowerStation Museum will be open from January 18 to 26. Tickets can be purchased on arrival at the museum. Tickets include entry to the museum and an enlightening tour from one of the knowledgeable volunteers. Visit the PowerStation Museum in January 2019 to experience the mighty steam engines; learn about electrical history and discover how electricity has changed our lives.

A journey of 10,000 gigs begins with the very first one. Make it count.

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FESTIVALS

TCMF19

AN EVEN DOZEN FOR COUNTRY MUSIC CARES THE SEEDS OF COUNTRY MUSIC CARES WERE SOWN BACK IN 2007 WHEN ALLAN CASWELL AND DENIESE MORRISON RANG A FEW OF THEIR FRIENDS TO ASK IF THEY WOULD DO “A LITTLE FUNDRAISER”.

Dean Perrett

Kristy Cox

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

riginally assisting Lifeline, the Country Music Cares concert is now helping to raise both funds and awareness for Lock the Gate. After 12 years and a continued growth in popularity, the event, at 7pm on Wednesday, January 23, has become a mustsee at every Tamworth Festival.

Most artists say the town hall is their favourite place to play – the sound is great, the audience is wonderful, and, in Tamworth festival weather, the air conditioning is a major boost. There is also a huge tradition of the greats having played there. Here’s the roster: The Bushwackers, Dean Perrett, Kristy Cox, Travis List, Chad Morgan, Drew McAlister, Jen Mize, Matt Scullion, The Weeping Willows, The April Family, Allan Caswell, Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes, Hannah Aldridge, Paul Robert Burton, Andrew Swift, Gretta Ziller, Campfire (Pixie Jenkins and Ryan Sampson) and Pat Drummond, with MC Cameron Syrett. The show is complemented by an amazing band: Michael Vidale, Damian Cafarella, Peter Figures, Pete Fidler, Andrew Richardson and Garry Steel. Grab your tickets at www.entertainmentvenues.com.au

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS TALENTED TASWEGIAN

DOESN’T JUST TAKE

TASMANIAN SINGERSONGWRITER GINA TIMMS ISN’T SOMEONE WHO JUST COMES TO TAMWORTH IN JANUARY TO DO A FEW SHOWS, TAKE HER MONEY AND GO HOME.

or the past 30 years Gina has made the trek from the Apple Isle to the Premier State and given much to the Country Music Capital. Thirty years ago, she was a hopeful youngster taking part in a talent quest – and even went on to be a Star Maker finalist but was pipped at the post by Warren Derwent for the title. Ever since, Gina has been the coordinator and chief judge of the Aristocrat Country Entertainer of the Year, which has been the breeding ground for a large talent pool.

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

TCMF19 Just some of the acts Gina has nurtured on that Aristocrat stage include the Davidson Brothers and their sister Ailsa, the McClymonts (all three sisters have been participants in the quest over the years), Anthony Taylor and the fabulous Mickey Pye. To mark her 30th Tamworth anniversary, Gina has been invited to perform at the Official Festival Opening Concert, something she’s thrilled about. From the park, Gina will dash across town to Wests for her fabulous Ladies of Country in Legends Lounge. This festival Gina will perform at several shows including Country Turns Pink, the Pure Country Spectacular, Tamworth Opry 2 and Yesterday’s Heroes, a fundraiser for drought relief. To top off a big week Gina will celebrate her 51st birthday with her Birthday Bash gig in Legends at Wests.

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

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years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S JA N UA RY 2 0 1 9

Music every day throughout the festival BAND OZ NEW ALBUM CHANGES OUT NOW Award-winning singer-songwriters Thomas and Tessa Libreri

Download from all online stores or buy direct destinybandoz www.destinyband.webs.com

All shows FREE

Large family friendly outdoor area Open for Lunch & Dinner Daily Located on the Festival Bus Route at the Northern End of Peel Street

146-148 Peel Street Tamworth NSW 2340 (02) 6766 2114

www.joemaguirespub.com

2019

TOP TEN TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM AWARD WINNER

HOME ON CHRISTMAS DAY Featuring new recordings of Home On Christmas Day (with Kelly and Just Like A Woman (with James Hope) Gillard) Mixed/produced by Simon Johns on

TAMWORTH FESTIVAL 2019 SAT JAN 19, 4pm Top 10 Traditional Country Album Award Winners Concert - LBS Music Land MON JAN 21, 3pm Remembering Reg Lindsay Showcase - Family Hotel TUE JAN 22, 6:30pm The Songwriters Showcase with Melissa Robertson and friends West Tamworth Bowling Club THUR JAN 24, 8pm Tomkins Guitars Showcase - Legends Lounge, West Tamworth Leagues Club

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

FESTIVALS

TCMF19

FESTIVAL RADIO WITH A REAL KIX

THE TOYOTA COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL TAMWORTH WILL PROUDLY PARTNER WITH KIX COUNTRY TO TAKE TAMWORTH TO THE WORLD.

n announcing KIX Country as the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official radio broadcaster, Tamworth Regional Council country music manager Barry Harley said this new alliance would bring immense benefits, not only for fans already in Tamworth in 2019, but for the many future visitors listening outside the region who will get a taste of what to expect when they do visit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The festival has for many years boasted its own dedicated country music radio station through Festival FM broadcasting to the Tamworth area, but this new alliance will have listeners through KIX Countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 57

stations across Australia plus its online steaming across Australia and the worldwide web,â&#x20AC;? Mr Harley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a real bonus having KIX Country promoting all elements of the festival over the 10 days, not only for the thousands of fans already in Tamworth, but also for the thousands of additional fans who can experience a taste of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest country music festival,â&#x20AC;? he said. From January 18 through to January 27, KIX Country will broadcast â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;liveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; each day from 9am to 5pm from the heart of the Festival in Toyota FanZone, with live performances, information from the 100-plus

music venues, interviews from all over the city, and of course music from some of the 700 artists who descend upon Tamworth in January. KIX Network general manager David Greenwood said KIX Country had always been a strong supporter of the Toyota Country Music Festival. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This endorsement as official radio broadcaster means not only a significant increase in national exposure for the festival but equally, validation of KIX Countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s importance and reach into the country music heartland,â&#x20AC;? Mr Greenwood said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We welcome and thank the Toyota Country Music Festival for their faith in us and their recognition of KIX Country as a media partner. We are excited and looking forward to reinforcing and growing Tamworth as Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Music Capital.â&#x20AC;? Listeners can tune into the Toyota Country Music Festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official radio broadcaster, KIX Country during the festival in Tamworth on 87.6FM and throughout Australia on various frequencies and online streaming and phone apps. For further KIX Country information please go to kixcountry.com.au or phone (07) 3251 8300 during office hours.

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS

TCMF19

THE BEST OF BRITISH BOUND FOR DOWN UNDER AN ENGLISH INVASION IS HEADED FOR THE 2019 TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL, BUT THERE’S NO NEED FOR ALARM.

ust ensure you’re alert when the Best of British contingent takes the stage at a venue near you. One of the UK’s premier country music events, the Buckles & Boots Festival, is on tour Down Under and Tamworth is one of its

first stops. With appearances scheduled for Tamworth Town Hall, Toyota Park and The DAG Sheep Station, their presence will be felt in the Country Music Capital. Starting from the Tamworth Country Music Festival, the Best of British contingent will travel up to the Gold Coast,

performing at some of Australia’s coolest music venues with the pick of British talent. The world’s #1 female pedal steel guitarist, Sarah Jory, is just one of the great acts on tour. Having played for Sir Van Morrison for six years, this year marks Sarah’s 40th in the music business, with Imelda May, Duane Eddy, Cyndi Lauper, Eric Clapton,

Gene Watson, Kenny Rogers, Daniel O’Donnell and the late Glen Campbell on her list of stage credits. sarahjory.co.uk Australian-born Darcy returns to his homeland with two BCMA awards under his belt – Best Video and Best Song of 2017. With his powerful voice and stage presence, Darcy has headlined the Buckle & Boots Country Music Festival and other UK festivals and special events. facebook.com/ banddarcy Festival favourite Jade Helliwell is a BCMA

THE BIG GOLDEN GUITAR TOURIST CENTRE Your One Stop Festival Shop FREE Meet & Greet Showcases 2019 Compered By Bush Poet Dave Proust Mon 21st January 10.30am Tues 22nd January 10.30am Wed 23rd January 10.30am Wed 23rd January 12.30pm Wed 23rd January 10.30am Thur 24th January 10.30am Fri 25th January 10.30am

Dean Perrett, Reg Poole, Dianne Lindsay, Jeff Brown Showpony Express, Keith Jamieson & Alisha Smith, Tracy Coster, Errol Gray Ashley Cook, Andrew Swift, Brad Butcher, Aleyce Simmonds, Montgomery Church Aly Cook Presents Champagne Country Aly Cook Presents Best Kept Kiwi Secrets Adam Toms, Hayley Marsten, Della Harris, Paul Costa, Kristy Cox Jonny Taylor, Ben Ransom, Kora Naughton, Brewn, James Blundell

OPEN 7 DAYS OPEN 8am - 6pm Saturday – Saturday During the Festival Sunday 8am- 5pm

THE BIG GOLDEN GUITAR TOURIST CENTRE Centre includes: Gallery Of Stars Wax Museum • Souvenir & Gift Shop • Coffee Shop Sporting Memorabilia Museum, Featuring Sir Donald Bradman • Country Music CD & DVD shop 68

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S JJA ANU UA A RY 2 0 1 9

2 The Ringers Road Tamworth | 02 6765 2688 info@biggoldenguitar.com.au www.biggoldenguitar.com.au years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

FESTIVALS

TCMF19

Jade Helliwell

Darcy

Female Vocalist of the Year 2017 winner, who won the Yamaha Hoedown competition and secured a place performing at Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s C2C festival. She spent the summer performing to amazing crowds at Buckle & Boots, FSA, Country on

Sarah Jory

The Clyde and Nashville meets London. jadelelliwell.com Singer, songwriter and guitarist Stewart Mac and his long-time guitarist and songwriting partner Dean Roberts are one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exciting live acts. Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s musical career has taken him all over the world and included live shows in the UK, Europe and Asia, where his songs have been downloaded over 35 million times in China and Taiwan. stewartmac.com

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With a delicious mix of Irish and country influences, singersongwriter Kezia Gill has been singing professionally for more than a decade in the UK. This unique-sounding artist performs both her original music, and a wide variety of covers and is truly living out her dreams on stages across the world. keziagill.com Singer-songwriter Izzie Walsh and her Americana band have performed across the UK taking popular venues and transforming them into Tennessee front porches. Taking influence from The Lumineers, Margo Price, Mumford & Sons and Johnny Cash, these English hillbillies are like a double whiskey in your Earl Grey, putting a modern kick into their music that will make your ears tingle. izziewalsh.com

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years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

TCMF19

FESTIVALS

DON’T FRET IF YOU’RE NO FRED ASTAIRE

SYDNEY-BASED BAND SIMPLY BUSHED AIMS TO DANCE ITS WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS AT THE 2019 TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL.

hey’ll do this by gathering the most people together in one place doing a traditional bush dance – and there will need to be a huge effort for the record attempt, band leader Pauly Grierson said. To break the record more than 1000 people will need to be at the park in dance

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

mode – and if you’re not exactly Fred Astaire, don’t fret. The dance they’ve selected for the attempt is one that’s known to every country child throughout Australia – the much-loved heel-and-toe polka. “Every child at school knows how to do the heel-and-toe polka and it’s a lot of fun,” Pauly said. So, if you’d like to help the boys get into the record books (and become a little piece of Australian history yourself), hop on YouTube and scrub up on those dance moves you learnt at school. Simply Bushed extends this invitation to all age groups. Band member Chris Rieger believes that bush dancing “brings everyone together, no matter how old or young you are”.

“It’s also a great way to meet people, because local dances used to be the way people met each other,” he said. “Many lifelong loves have been formed from a first meeting at a bush dance.” The aim of this event is not just to break a world record. It’s also to expose the great traditions of bush music to a new audience. Bush dancing has all but died out in many parts of Australia, and it would be a sad thing if this most traditional of artforms was lost forever. In the heartfelt words of Pauly Grierson: “I see this event as being part of something bigger than each of us, because bush dancing is almost a lost part of Australia. We’d like to give a new enthusiasm for this wonderful community activity.” In order to be counted as part of the world record attempt, you must be registered at simplybushed.com.au Then polish up your dancing boots, brush up your dancing skills and turn up at Bicentennial Park about 11am on January 23 for what promises to be a day of friends, family and fun. And remember, the more people that turn up, the bigger the record. And the bigger the record, the longer it will stand. The showdown, very appropriately, will take place at high noon.

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FESTIVALS

BOYUP BROOK

BIG FESTIVAL BREWING

IN BOYUP BROOK WITHOUT DOUBT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA HAS HISTORICALLY SPAWNED SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S FINEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL EXPORTS AS FAR AS MUSIC TALENT IS CONCERNED.

Pete Denahy

t is more often than not, due to the support offered to artists at a roots level from funding bodies and organisations such as Healthway promoting the LiveLighter message, Department of Culture and the Arts WA, WAM and in the country music genre, the likes of Country Music Club of Boyup Brook, through their esteemed event, the West Australian Country Music Awards presented by LiveLighter. First established in 1986 as part of the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival, these prestigious awards have since developed into a flagship occasion on the WA Country Music Calendar. They publicly recognise and celebrate the achievements of WA artists through honouring the talent, work and accomplishments of elite country artists in Western Australia and spotlighting the industry’s rising WA stars.

* Recycled Rubber Belt * Stable, Arena & Roundyard * Holeybelt – Ute Mats

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With 10 categories as well as a People’s Choice award, the event boasts a staggering $8500 in cash and prizes to be distributed. This also includes opportunities for winners to perform on mainstage in front of a sizeable festival audience and industry professionals from around the country. Presented by LiveLighter, the West Australian Country Music Awards, have attracted country music talent from all over WA including artists from the remote Kimberley region which is rich in music culture with the likes of Fitzroy Xpress, John Bennetts, Ginger Cox and Theona Councillor to name just a few of the finalists and winners from previous years. With finalists announced at the end of December, winners will be presented on Friday, February 15. The 34th annual Boyup Brook Country Music Festival will be held from February 15-17, with leading acts including Amber Joy Poulton, Beccy Cole, Band of Mates, Bennett Bowtell Urquhart, Darren Coggan, Connie Kis Andersen, Pete Denahy and Travelling Still, Ian Simpson and Jane Germain and many others.

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS

WAY OUT WEST

EXPERIENCE THE OUTBACK

WAY OUT WEST ALL ROADS LEAD TO WINTON FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL WAY OUT WEST FESTIVAL WITH A HUGE LINE-UP OF AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL TALENT ON THE BILL.

Jon Pardi and Brett Eldredge

he first announcement heralded ARIA golden girl Amy Shark, iconic singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, US country stars Brett Eldredge and Jon Pardi, rockers San Cisco and Lime Cordiale and Aussie legends Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool), Glenn Shorrock

(Little River Band) and John Schumann (Redgum) as well as Travis Collins, Shane Nicholson, Chad Morgan and, of course, special return guest John Williamson, bringing the spirit of Waltzing Matilda to life. This year’s event will run from April 25-28 incorporating an Anzac Day dawn service, as well as two big festival nights with national and international artists to be announced. Ten big stages will be set up for four days of music in the town of Winton, breakfast at The Australian Age of Dinosaurs and many more community events celebrating the outback and showcasing the best of the

Aussie spirit. The event will also raise funds across the festival for drought relief. Winton Shire Council mayor Gavin Baskett said the festival was a great reason to come visit western Queensland, enjoy Winton’s hospitality and enjoy the very best Australian and international artists. “Our town comes alive with music everywhere. It is much more than a music festival. It is a celebration of small-town Australia and your chance to experience outback life and support outback communities,” he said. The Winton community is ready to again fling open the doors to its town to deliver Queensland the year’s best music, the country’s best hospitality and the world’s coldest beer.

By 4 x Golden Guitar Winner – DEAN PERRETT 14 brilliant new bush ballads from the man at the forefront of the modern Australian bush ballads. Album Includes the 2018 CMAA Golden Guitar Bush Ballad of the Year “Henbury Blues”

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

FESTIVALS

PENRITH

ENTERTAINMENT RED HOT AT FIRIESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

TRUCK SHOW TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BE WRONG.

hatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the number of men, women and children attracted each year to the Penrith Working Truck Show. This popular western Sydney event will return for the 32nd year on Sunday, March 31 from 8am to 4pm. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a full day of entertainment, unique exhibits, rides and fun planned at the Museum of Fire in Penrith. Hundreds of vehicles will be on display, from huge

B-doubles to custom trucks plastered with chrome detailing and spectacular airbrushing. Then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the outstanding collection of fire engines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; every little â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and big boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream! Delivering the hits on main stage will be The Wolfe Brothers, Adam Eckersley & Brooke

McClymont, Christie Lamb, Viper Creek Band, Brad Butcher and, very appropriately, firefighter Dan Murphy. Kids will be kept busy with 22 free rides, free fairy floss, free face painting, free airbrush tattooing and lots more. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty to keep parents happy, too. Tickets are $35 and with each adult ticket purchase, three children (under 16 years) are admitted free. Concession tickets are available for $25 each, however, unaccompanied children are not permitted. For this cost, all rides, entertainment, activities and exhibits inside the show are free. A registered charity event, all funds raised will be used to educate families in fire safety and preserve the history of our bravest. The museum is only 100 metresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; walk along a landscaped footpath from the northern side of Penrith Railway Station. Pre-purchase your tickets and pre-plan your parking from January 15 at http://www.tickitap. com/museumoffire/ or phone (02) 4731 3000 for details.

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Capitol Theatre Tamworth Friday Jan 25, 2.30pm

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Capitol Theatre Tamworth Saturday Jan 26, 3pm

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

FESTIVALS

THE GIDGEE COAL

FAITHFUL MUSTER AT PITTSWORTH THE TOWN OF PITTSWORTH IN QUEENSLAND’S TOOWOOMBA REGION WELCOMED BETWEEN 300 AND 400 PEOPLE DAILY FOR THE GIDGEE COAL BUSH BALLAD AWARDS ON NOVEMBER 17 AND 18.

GIDGEE RESULTS: GIDGEE COAL BUSH BALLAD AWARDS 2018 * denotes winner

MALE VOCAL Ernie Constance – Lead a Horse to Water * Dean Perrett – Drovin’ On Reg Poole – Australia’s Fighting Son

FEMALE VOCAL Bec Hance – Jelly Bean Man Trudy Hintz – Saddle Up and Ride * Kylie Adams-Collier – On a Sandstone Ridge

GROUP OR DUO/ COLLABORATION Lindsay & Gail Hammond – Georgina Band of Mates – Sons of Australia * (Terry Bennetts, Evan Platschinda, Ginger Cox) Ged & Trudy Hintz – You’re Not a Fair Dinkum Aussie

INSTRUMENTAL Terry Bennetts – Bellbird Waltz Lindsay Hammond – The Bushman’s Song Terry Bennetts & Alisha Smith – Chicken Pickin’ *

ALBUM Dean Perrett – Earn Your Spurs * Ernie Constance – Lead a Horse to Water Dale Duncan – What Country’s All About

SONGWRITER Peter Simpson – Heart and Soul Ernie Constance – Jack Dean Perrett & Norma O’Hara Murphy – My Little Bay Mare’s Mother *

hroughout the week preceding the main event, participants and spectators gathered at the Pittsworth showgrounds for walk-up concerts. It’s the same place Stan Coster was camped when he penned By A Fire of Gidgee Coal, which led to the naming of the festival 13 years ago. With the aim of bringing the balladeer into the spotlight, the awards began, assisted by a team 76

NEW TALENT of volunteers, many of whom are still involved to this day. The historic town hall is the venue for finalists to show their wares for Saturday’s concert, followed by the winners’ announcement. Then on Sunday from noon is the winners’ concert. Gracing the Pittsworth stage this year were performers including Dean Perrett, Ernie Constance, Kylie Adams-Collier, Anthony Baxter, Jeff Brown, Keith Jamieson and Alisha Smith and Caitlyn Jamieson. One of the weekend’s highlights was having living treasure, 91-year-old Kelly Dixon on hand to present the awards, event organiser Keith Jamieson said.

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

Vicki Walsh – Ballad of the Weddin’ Mountain Kylie Adams-Collier – On a Sandstone Ridge * Paula Hammond – Our Nan

COMEDY Michael Clare – That Mobile Phone Bob Gregory – I’ve Been Married Mate Ernie Constance – If It Ain’t Broke *

ENCOURAGEMENT Vicki Walsh – Ballad of the Weddin’ Mountain *

BUSH BALLAD LEGENDS AWARD Ned Winter * Graham Parfitt * years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

Cruise #

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Experience country music at its best with a fantastic line-up of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best country music acts from morning to late Grab your cowboy hat boots and polish up your line dancing moves as we take country music to the high seas.

CRUISING FROM BRISBANE | 7 DECEMBER 2019 | 3 NIGHTS OFFER ENDS 26 FEBRUARY 2019

BOOK TODAY! | WWW.POCRUISES.COM.AU/COUNTRY #^ $1 Deposit campaign commences 28 Nov 2018 and ends 26 Feb 2019. Only available on P&Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Value and Value Plus fare types for sailings between 1 Dec 2018 & 29 Mar 2021. Valid for new bookings and not combinable with other offers. *10% discount available on Value and Value Plus fares only on Country cruise W962 departing 7 December 2019. Enter promo code â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;TAMWORTH10â&#x20AC;&#x2122; at check-out. Offer only redeemable online at pocruises.com.au and expires 26 Feb 2019. #$1 deposits are non-refundable and deposit conditions differ from the standard P&O Booking and Travel Conditions. Pay AU$1 per person deposit upfront (for all passengers) followed by the remainder of the standard adult deposit amount to be paid as follows â&#x20AC;&#x201C;for cruises departing between 30 Nov 2019 and 25 Jan 2020 the additional deposit is due 180 days prior to departure. Final payment for your cruise is due 75 days prior to departure. Full payment is required for sailings booked within 75 days of departure. The additional deposit charged will be the remainder of the standard adult deposit for all passengers, including children. For bookings departing prior to 15 Feb 2019 $1 deposit does not apply, and full payment is required at time of booking. Standard cancellation and refunds conditions apply as per Booking and Travel Conditions. ^Onboard Spending Money is per room in AUD, varies by room type and itinerary duration and is applied to the first 2 guests only in a room. Onboard Spending Money expires at the conclusion of your cruise, is not transferable, not redeemable for cash and cannot be used at the medical centre or casino. To be read in conjunction with P&Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s T&Cs available at pocruises.com.au. Offers are subject to change or withdrawal. Carnival plc trading as P&O Cruises Australia. ABN 23 107 998 443. C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9 77 years of bringing you the music 1975â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019

SOUNDADVICE THE ECLIPSE SESSIONS JOHN HIATT NEW WEST RECORDS There’s no danger of Mid-west refugee John Hiatt hitting the highest notes at the age of 66 on his 23rd solo album. But he delivers droll humour in love metaphors in Over The Hill and Catholic guilt limitations in Poor Imitation Of God. Hiatt illustrates his haunted ghosts of the past entrée Cry To Me with Highway 19 imagery. It segues into escapist All The Way To The River where he explores metaphors of a female’s dashed dreams akin to Nashville success struggles. He also exploits cards analogies for his character’s angst about being eclipsed by a former partner’s riches in Aces Up Your Sleeve and twin trains 10 miles apart for faded love in Nothing In My Heart. Bleak imagery, punctuated with glimmers of hope, propels heartbreak in Outrunning My Soul while regret fuels Hide Your Tears. But Hiatt gambles on romance in The Odds Of Loving You and optimism in One Stiff Breeze. He proves imagery is his strong suit in bleak biblical finale, Robber’s Highway. All potent proof Hiatt is still a master of melancholia. NEW WEST NW6452 DAVID DAWSON

WILD HORSE PLAINS TO WAUKARINGA – SONGS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

GREG CHAMPION INDEPENDENT

In 1976 Greg Champion was part of a South Australian band called Tidewater which released an album called Wild Horse Plains – but that’s another story – and this release four decades later might easily be called one man’s South Australian travelogue. Champs offers his unique style of storytelling with 12 songs that take you Rolling Down The Birdsville Track, to Arkaroola via Waukaringa and to where his (My) Heart Belongs In Adelaide – and only Champs would get away with rhyming ‘Innaminka’ with ‘stinka’ (Take Me Back To Innaminka). He takes us fishing aboard The Boat from the western side of the peninsula before an historic voyage down Our Greatest River. The arrangements are Champs–style country, so country music fans know what to expect and range from simple acoustic to full band sounds – don’t expect the full-blown humour he is known for, but there are some subtle lines that will tickle you. Another fine collection of Australiana songs. CHAMPS 021.gregchampion.com.au JON WOLFE 78

VENTURE IN VAIN

TAKE NO PRISONERS

INDEPENDENT

COPPERLINE

Riley hails from Canberra and is now based in Melbourne and this five-track release has already garnered some good word-ofmouth reviews and the first single, Watered Down Man, had a fair run on radio in 2018. The new single Robin features Kasey Chambers as the guest vocalist. The songs were recorded over a year ago under the guidance of the legendary Bill Chambers in a co-production that has brought out the best in the songs. Riley says the songs came about after his move from Canberra to Melbourne – “I found myself a little lonely and struggling to redeem the inspiration that I had in mind when I decided to take the leap and leave Canberra.” There’s a laid-back feel to the songs that allows the sentiments of the lyrics to hit home and the arrangements suit the moods perfectly. Most of the songs here reflect the sounds of early ’70s folk and country music – maybe a la James Taylor? Hopefully we will hear more from this young man in the future.

From love songs to rocking tunes, from a romantic duet to a Charlie Daniel classic, Mark Shay is covering all bases with his latest release, Take No Prisoners. Shay has battled accidents and health issues to release this album, and gets straight into it with the opening track, I’m Me, which is self-explanatory, but don’t get comfortable because it’s right into a romantic, wedding-day duet between the artist and up-andcoming singer-songwriter, Aimee Hannan. Shay rocks out again with Long Haired Country Boy before moving back into the love songs with Memories For Life. It’s back to ballads with The Woman In My Life before he launches into a Romantic Comedy and the album wraps up with rocking tracks, the Deniliquin Ute Muster tribute, All Roads Lead to Deni, Stomp and a heavy remix of Long Haired Country Boy. Shay’s strengths lie in the ballads on this offering, but there’s something for every mood with a strong rock influence throughout with a focus on originals, while tipping his hat to the legendary Daniels.

TWENTY MILE HOLLOW RECORDS

RILEY CATHERALL

RC0001 INDEPENDENT www.facebook. com/rileycatherallmusic JON WOLFE

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

MARK SHAY

RUSTY FORDS AND WEATHERBOARDS

Full of originals, Rusty Fords and Weatherboards shows Copperline at their lyrical and musical best. This is an album that is best to sit and listen to or enjoyed alone in the car (or with a fellow music lover, not an incessant chatter) as it’s the lyricism that are the king, as is the case with all the best country songs. Making the songs shine is Shane Nicholson in the production chair and the mastering by Jeff McCormack. Opening with Woman’s Touch, you know you’re in for a treat, and all musicians will relate to Satisfaction Guaranteed as it tells the story of any Friday or Saturday night doing pub gigs. Other highlights include King of This Country and the all-too-familiar Social Network Blues. Mixing blues, Americana and country music, Copperline’s Rusty Fords and Weatherboards will have you pressing “repeat all”. B07K6MKPD8 TWENTY MILE HOLLOW RECORDS REBECCA BELT

INDEPENDENT REBECCA BELT years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

SOUND ADVICE - album reviews are the reviewers’ own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the view of Capital News or the publisher. Sound Advice will accept unsolicited albums for consideration, but cannot guarantee published reviews. Sound Advice does not review singles. Send 2 CDs together with biography or media release to Capital News, PO Box 555, Tamworth NSW 2340 and email a jpg of the cover to c.byrnes@tamworth.nsw.gov.au COUNTRY FOLK SING MICKEY NEWBURY VARIOUS ARTISTS INDEPENDENT How many readers know the music of Mickey Newbury? Maybe not a lot, but you will no doubt know many of these songs and hopefully come away with a new-found admiration for the songwriting talents of said Mickey Newbury. This is the sixth compilation that has been put together by The Troubadour Foundation, which aims to ‘provide assistance and encouragement for the sustainability of Australian folk culture’. Some of Australia’s best known folk and country singers and musicians have donated their time and talents to this 14-song project: Eric Bogle, Gina Jeffreys, Rod McCormack, Graeme Connors, Doug Ashdown, Kim Cheshire, Mike McClellan, Bill Chambers and Greg Champion on songs like I Still Love You (After All These Years), San Francisco Mabel Joy, She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye, Sail Away and The American Trilogy – I did say you’d probably know the songs! If you enjoy this collection, search out the Foundation’s other releases, which include the songs of Bob Dylan, Eric Bogle, Judy Small, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. INDEPENDENT JON WOLFE www.festivalfolk.com

DUMPLIN’

TELLING ALL MY SECRETS

PRISONERS OF THE HEART

DUST DEVIL

UNIVERSAL MUSIC

RISER HOUSE/COLUMBIA

MGM

DEAD RECKONING

If you love Dolly Parton – and who doesn’t? – this album is like opening a treasure trove. It’s the soundtrack to the wonderful new movie Dumplin’, about a plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen who enters her mother’s pageant as a protest, and in the process discovers who she is. The main character’s idol and inspiration is Dolly Parton, so it’s only right that Dolly’s music features so strongly. There are a number of new versions of older, familiar songs – including Jolene, Two Doors Down, Here I Am (the first single, featuring Sia), Dumb Blonde (featuring Miranda Lambert) and Holdin’ On to You (with Elle King). Here You Come Again, featuring newcomer Willa Amai, is a real standout. But several songs were written specially for the movie: Why (with Mavis Staples), the wonderful Red Shoes, Girl in the Movies and the fabulous Push and Pull. As always, the songs are sensational and the performances superb. Dolly never seems to age, and she just keeps on getting better and better. An absolutely wonderful, feel-good album!

Mitchell Tenpenny wrote more than 56 songs for this latest release and it was these 11 songs that made the cut – so you know from the get-go, it’s going to be good. They ooze true authenticity from the Nashville local and it features the popular smash hit, Drunk Me. With its country-pop and rock vibes, this album is incredibly easy to listen to, but I warn you, it’ll be hard not to sing along to the songs once you hear them. It showcases all of Tenpenny’s many talents with some very tongue-in-cheek lyrics and through these tracks we begin to gain an insight into his life. Especially track 12, Walk Like Him, which is a tribute to Tenpenny’s late father. Telling All My Secrets is an album that you must have on rotation this summer. You won’t regret it.

Former South London busker Mark Lucas graphically captured his 27 year Sydney sojourn in his 20 original songs from 10 albums including his bands Parwills and Dead Setters. That nationwide journey is reflected in travelling travails diverse as entrée Another Town Along The Road, fate fuelled The Ghost Of Lost Creek Road and Whitewall Tyres and escapist Federal Highway Blues. But it’s more the characters than locales that personalise memorable tales Rosie, poignant psalm Sisters of Mercy, voyeuristic Until She’s Mine, cannon fodder victim in Soldier ’s Row and progress parodies Small Town and All The Bonnie Birds. Lucas is a master story teller, depicting mercenary temptations in Shopping Town and Walk In Beauty. Equally vivid are the domestic violence damsel escapee in Between The Ditches and poverty trapped fiddler in Monster ’s Ball. He explores deep love - not transient beauty - in Canal Road and oasis dream metaphors in Dryland Sea.

Expatriate Californian singersongwriter Kevin Welch ends an eight year hiatus with his powerful self-produced 12th album. Welch, 63 and living at Nowra on the NSW south coast, returned to Nashville to record with hot session pickers including son Dustin on banjo, slide guitar and daughter Savannah - both on backing vocals. The singer’s sardonic biblical entrée Blue Lonesome segues into Just Because It Was A Dream, replete with weather metaphors for love, and whimsical The Girl In The Sea Shell. Welch drives John Hadley’s hedonistic princess parody High Heeled Shoes and own homage to a departed Marine war casualty Brother John with dynamic delivery. The singer’s character drinks to ease the pain of a missing lover in Dandelion Girl but chooses sleep as his salvation and redemption for another in True Morning. Welch ignites Bill Caswell’s Sweet Allis Chalmers where a tractor becomes surrogate soulmate for a lost lover. His album peaks are history repeating for the damaged daughter in a dysfunctional family in A Flower and spiritual finale - title track Dust Devil.

DOLLY PARTON

UNIVERSAL MUSIC 19075899082 SUE JARVIS years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

MITCHELL TENPENNY

SONY MUSIC 19075876622 HALEY CRAIG

MARK LUCAS

MGM TWNG-007 DAVID DAWSON

KEVIN WELCH

DEAD RECKONING DRKWO4 DAVID DAWSON

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

COUNTRYCHARTS ARIA TOP 20 AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY ALBUMS Week commencing 15 December 2019 TW

TITLE

ARTIST

1 1 33 1 Graffiti U

KEITH URBAN

2 2 13 1 Driving Home For Christmas

LEE KERNAGHAN

3 3 9 1 Things That We Drink To

MORGAN EVANS

4 6 15 2 Lioness

BECCY COLE

5 8 136 1 Ripcord

KEITH URBAN

6 4 8 1 Greatest Hits

TROY CASSAR-DALEY

7 7

1035 1

8 9

575 1

9 11 16 1 10 5 3 1 11 10 32 2 12 12 344 1 13 16 19 1 14 14 22 1 15 13 121 1 16 15 371 1 17 R/E 269 1 18 19 73 1 19 20 36 1 20 18 9 2

The Very Best of Slim Dusty Greatest Hits: 18 KIDS Butcherbird Born To Fight Campfire The Story So Far The Nashville Tapes Milestones … 20 Years His Favourite Collection Ultimate Hits The Great Country Songbook The 25th Anniversary Album Country Heart After The War

CAP/EMI ABC/UMA WAR ABC/UMA CAP/EMI BDL/UMA

SLIM DUSTY

EMI

KEITH URBAN

CAP/EMI

JOHN WILLIAMSON

WAR

KARISE EDEN

ISL/UMA

KASEY CHAMBERS & THE FIRESIDE DISCIPLES KEITH URBAN

WAR CAP/EMI

ADAM HARVEY

SME

ADAM BRAND

ABC/UMA

JOHN WILLIAMSON

WAR

LEE KERNAGHAN

ABC/UMA

TROY CASSAR-DALEY & ADAM HARVEY

SME

LEE KERNAGHAN

ABC/UMA

THE WOLFE BROTHERS

ABC/UMA

VARIOUS

ABC/UMA

COUNTRY SONGS Week ending 22 December 2018. This chart is published by Campfire Publishing and updated weekly at countrytrackschart.com.au POS LW

TRACK TITLE

ARTIST

1 1 8 1(2) Trouble Looks Good On You

AMBER JOY POULTON

2 2 7 2(2) Long As You’re Lonely

DELLA HARRIS

3 6 8 3(1) Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy

CLELIA ADAMS

4 3 7 3(1) Together We Can

CARTER & CARTER

5 5 13 1(4) Wouldn’t Change A Thing

TROY CASSAR-DALEY

6 8 4 4(1) Country Heart

THE WOLFE BROTHERS

7 7 6 1(1) Only In Australia

BENN GUNN

8 13 9 6(1) Dust Of Australia

TOM MAXWELL

9 23 2 9(1) Free Air

PHOEBE JAY (FEAT. TOMMY EMMANUEL)

10 12 3 10(1) Better Than That

JASON OWEN

11 16 5 11(1) Fire & Ice

ANDREW SWIFT (FEAT. CATHERINE BRITT)

12 9 6 5(1) When Willie’s Gone

ADAM HARVEY

13 17 13 13(2) Nullarbor

LINDSAY WADDINGTON

14 18 19 1(4) Honky Tonk Heroes

BRENDAN DUGAN

15 4 10 1(1) Little Country Life

MELISSA ROBERTSON

16 22 2 16(1) True Blue Country Girl

VANESSA BOURNE

17 30 8 13(1) So Long

KAREN CRAIGIE

18 0 1 18(1) Be In The Band

CORNELL & CARR

19 20 20 1(2) Lioness

BECCY COLE

20 32 4 20(1) If Heaven Has A Soundtrack

ADAM BRAND

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

CMC TOP 50 Week Commencing 15 December 2018. This chart is updated weekly at countrymusicchannel.com.au or tune into CMC. 3W 2W TW TITLE

ARTIST

LABEL

2 1 1 Day Drunk

MORGAN EVANS

WARNER

5 5 2 Happy

TRAVIS COLLINS

ABC

7 4 3 Lioness

BECCY COLE

ABC

3 2 4 Desperate Man

ERIC CHURCH

4 3 5 Drunk Me

MITCHELL TENPENNY

6 6 6 Burning Man

DIERKS BENTLEY F/BROTHERS OSBORNE

EMI SONY EMI

8 7 7 Love Wins

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

EMI

10 8 8 Wouldn’t Change A Thing

TROY CASSAR-DALEY

BLOODLINES

14 12 9 You’re In It

GRANGER SMITH

WHEELHOUSE/BMG

12 10 10 Best Shot

JIMMIE ALLEN

9 9 11 Kissing A Girl Goodnight

DREW MCALISTER

18 13 12 Good Girl

DUSTIN LYNCH

15 14 13 Down To The Honkytonk

JAKE OWEN

16 15 14 Somebody’s Daughter

TENILLE TOWNES

17 16 15 This Is It

SCOTTY MCCREERY

STONEY CREEK/BMG ABC BROKEN BOW/BMG BIG LOUD SONY

20 18 16 Hung Up On You

TROY KEMP/JAYNE DENHAM

19 17 17 Real Men Don’t Cry (War On Pride)

FANNY LUMSDEN

21 19 18 Burn Out

MIDLAND

22 20 19 Late Night Girl

IMOGEN CLARK

TRIPLE TIGERS/SONY CHECKED LABEL SERVICES RED DIRT RECORDS BIG MACHINE LOST HIGHWAY

23 21 20 If Heaven Has A Soundtrack

ADAM BRAND

ABC

24 22 21 Neon Church

TIM MCGRAW

SONY

27 23 22 The One That Got Away

MICHAEL RAY

WARNER

26 25 23 Fit You In A Song

MELANIE DYER

25 24 24 Fire & Ice

ANDREW SWIFT FT. CATHERINE BRITT

28 26 25 Love Or Money

BENNETT, BOWTELL & URQUHART

CHECKED LABEL SERVICES

27 26 Rejected

ALEYCE SIMMONDS

CHECKED LABEL SERVICES

27 Night Shift

JON PARDI

29 28 28 Never In Love

MISSY LANCASTER

34 29 29 Go On Your Way

KASEY CHAMBERS

31 31 30 Eyes On You

CHASE RICE

32 32 31 Dive Bar

GORD BAMFORD

UMA SOCIAL FAMILY RECORDS

EMI SONY WARNER BROKEN BOW/BMG ABC

38 34 32 Make It Sweet

OLD DOMINION

33 33 33 House Full Of Flowers

KIRSTY LEE AKERS

36 35 34 Got My Name Changed Back

PISTOL ANNIES

SONY SOCIAL FAMILY RECORDS SONY

35 36 35 Dream Believe

O’SHEA

37 37 36 Redemption

TORI FORSYTH

44 39 37 Miss Me More

KELSEA BALLERINI

13 38 38 What I Don’t Know

RACHEL FAHIM

42 40 39 Country Heart

THE WOLFE BROTHERS

43 42 40 Love Someone

BRETT ELDREDGE

R/E 41 Coming Home

HAYLEY MARSTEN

SONY LOST HIGHWAY SONY TOP DOG ABC WARNER INDEPENDENT

45 43 42 When Willie’s Gone

ADAM HARVEY

48 45 43 Friends Don’t

MADDIE & TAE

UMA

49 46 44 I’ve Got All The Time In The World

SHANLEY DEL

INDPENDENT

SONY

50 47 45 Green Light

VIPER CREEK BAND

48 46 Rumor

LEE BRICE

49 47 Be In The Band

CORNELL & CARR

50 48 All American Made

MARGO PRICE

THIRD MAN

49 Caught Up In The Country

RODNEY ATKINS

CURB/SONY

50 Wild Heart

EMMA BEAU

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

CHECKED LABEL SERVICES CURB/SONY CHECKED LABEL SERVICES

INDEPENDENT C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

BUSH BALLADS

‘BALLADEER CENTRAL’ BUZZING FOR FESTIVAL 2019 BY PETER COAD OAM WWW.BUSHBALLADEERS.COM.AU

THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH BALLADEERS’ ASSOCIATION WILL AGAIN PRESENT A TOP LINEUP OF SHOWS AS PART OF THE TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL.

Jeff Brown

The Coads

he Salvation Army Complex situated at 328 Goonoo Goonoo Road, Tamworth becomes The Balladeers’ Homestead and the Australian Bush Balladeers’ Association presents and hosts many bush ballad concerts and showcases at the venue from Friday to Friday, January 18 to 25. Concert shows commence on Friday, January 18 at 9am with Banjo and Henry, and at 1.30pm the Hillbilly and Country Gold concert, followed by an ABBA members’ showcase at 5.30pm. On Saturday at 9am, Yodel and a Song is followed by the Graham Rodger concert at 1.30pm, and Dianne Lindsay’s Memories Trail concert at 6pm. On Sunday, Runaway Dixie (Jim Hermel, Virginia and Lynette Coad) and guests present Gospel, Bluegrass and Ballads at 1.30pm, and the Bronze Bust Fundraiser for the Brian Young bust will be held at 6pm. Guests include Chad Morgan OAM.

Anne Kirkpatrick

Chad Morgan

On Monday at 9am the Band of Mates concert features Evan Platschinda, Terry Bennetts and Ginger Cox. This show is followed by the Gunbarrel Highwaymen at 1.30pm. Dean Perrett and Jeff Brown present their Two Old Mates show on Tuesday at 9am followed by the 1.30pm showcase of established and upcoming talent, Ballads of Australia. On Wednesday at 9am enjoy the Peter Coad and the Coad Sisters show with Peter, Lynette and Virginia Coad, plus guest Jim Hermel. At 1.30pm, take your seats for the Ernie Constance and Jeff Brown show. Anne Kirkpatrick rallies her family and friends for a great 9am start to Thursday’s entertainment. In another traditional treat,

there’s the Slim, Bazza and Stan Tribute Show at 1.30pm. Friday at 9am sees the Yodelling Spectacular highlights some of Australia’s finest yodellers, while the 1.30pm concert is ABBA’s Salute to Country Music Pioneers. This annual event raises funds for the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame. At 6pm ABBA presents a multi-artist Bush Ballad Cavalcade featuring a top-line concert of Australia’s finest balladeers. ABBA member showcases run from 5.30pm to 9pm on Friday, January 18 and Monday to Thursday, January 21-24, with a variety of balladeer artists. The Salvos Kitchen supplies top-value meals, snacks, hot and cold drinks from Friday to Friday, January 18 to 25. From 8am to 8.50am Monday to Friday, the Homestead Breakfast Concert features two artists each morning while the Salvation Army kitchen offers a superb home-cooked breakfast. For a full listing of artists and shows see the Festival Gig Guide or the Balladeers’ Homestead full-page ad.

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C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

PHOTO: ROBMAC

THE CHOOKMAN DOES IT HIS WAY BY LORRAINE PFITZNER OAM

ALTHOUGH HE’S WIDELY KNOWN FOR HIS ROOST IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S RIVERLAND, THE FRANK TURTON STORY BEGAN IN ROCHESTER, VICTORIA.

he eldest of three children, he was born on April 30, 1942. Raised by their proud mum, times were tough and the young family had to look out for each other. Frank worked so he could go to school and obtain an education. He became proficient in carpentry and began to earn his living in the building trade. Frank recalls hearing Johnny Cash singing I Walk The Line when he was listening to the Regency Hit Parade on radio 3SR Shepparton. After hearing several more of Cash’s songs on radio, he was hooked on that storytelling style. In the mid-1990s Frank had the pleasure of meeting Cash in Adelaide and later on, Kris years of bringing you the music 1975–2019

Kristofferson in Renmark SA. After raising a young bantam rooster, Oigle from an egg, Frank formed a bond with him. That chick eventually became a part of Frank the Chookman’s act – and the rest, as they say, is history… In the mid-’80s, Frank recorded his debut album containing his classic song, If I Had Wings. It was written while travelling with Oigle on the Murray River in his twoguitar boat after a Mildura Country Music Festival. My earliest sighting of Frank was him singing in Peel Street with his dunghill and chooks. I came to realise each year that as soon as I saw Frank the Chookman in Peel Street, the Tamworth Country Music Festival was about to start. As Frank was a carpenter, he would often make oddshaped guitars from a variety of found materials – even a shovel! – and would proudly play and sing them in the street, while selling his creative woodwork and CDs. Tamworth was always a very welcoming place to Frank in his early days, and he felt it was the reason that Tamworth was selected as the real home of country music. One year when busking on Peel Street he had a chook wedding with his chook Oigle, marrying Tamworth Tess, back in 1990.

D O W N M E M O RY L A N E

Back home in the South Australian Riverland, Frank is renowned for his totally custom-built houseboat, the HMS Willitsinkorwontit, usually found moored in Renmark. This unique rivercraft is Frank’s portable stage and has hosted many a fine concert. It is a popular tourist attraction in the Riverland with a lot of people describing it as “a floating work of art”, while some others don’t quite see the beauty in it. The Daly Waters Pub in outback Northern Territory is another welcoming place for Frank, and he’ll be found entertaining there for another season this year. His intention in life is to write songs, not with the intention of sounding like Johnny Cash, but to try and carry on the written work of Cash with the very real meaning of life. Of the songs he has written, two stand out – If I Had Wings, recorded by several artists, and his latest song, To Live Before I Die, And Give Before I Go – which is on his latest release. By doing things his way also speaking his thoughts made him a magnet for the media, appearing in many newspapers including the cover of The Sydney Morning Herald in 1996. The film of The Chookman, a documentary by French film maker, Marc Cousin was shown daily at the Forum 6 Cinemas in Tamworth as part of the 2015 festival. As is written in his latest song, To Live Before I Die And Give Before I Go, Frank wants to do just that – from his houseboat, the Willitsinkorwon’tit or his refurbished Toyota touring bus. It’s Frank’s dream to travel and give free shows at retirement villages and bowling clubs around the country. I think this is one of his best albums and well recorded. The title track, with Colby and Tiarna Knight on backing vocals, is a standout song. With any of Frank’s album there has to be a comedy song and his Own Little Dunghill is a beauty. Included is a re-recording of possibly the best song he has ever written, If I Had Wings, with his grandson on bass. Being a Johnny Cash fan, Frank has recorded Another Song To Sing and the Kris Kristofferson tune Sunday Morning Coming Down. I enjoyed his version of Bird On A Wire, too. This album shows Frank to be the versatile singer and entertainer he is, making it a very enjoyable listen.

C O U N T RY M U S I C C A P I TA L N E W S J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

WRIT ING GRE AT SONGS

RHYME FRIEND OR ENEMY? BY A L L A N CA S W E L L

FRIEND OR ENEMY? WELL, IT’S USUALLY A BIT OF BOTH.

s a songwriter, rhyme is an important tool that makes your lyric sing, makes your song memorable and hooks the listener in. It is however just that … a tool. A good paint job won’t make your car go faster and a good make-up job won’t help your personality. There is always a danger that some really limp lines can sneak into your song … just because they rhyme! It is surprising what you can achieve when, after spending ages trying to rhyme a line, you simply change the line you are trying rhyme with. I love rhyme … hard rhymes, soft rhymes, half-rhymes and interior rhymes, my songs are littered with them but that’s not what a song is. A song is a conversation between you and the listener. It is a collection of ideas delivered in a creative, attractive way and, most importantly, has to touch the listener in some way. Where rhyme comes into its own is in connecting the lyric with the tune. A good lyric should sound like you’re singing it when you’re just reading it. It is powerful, but you can’t afford to let it sidetrack your message.

CLICHÉ RHYMES Whenever I hear “brain” I cringe waiting for the rhyme to be “insane” and if I hear “world”, I’m waiting for “girl” or “pearl”. We’ve all done it, but I always try to come up with something better before I go for the obvious. Changing “into my brain” to “into my head” can open you up to a much better choice of line. Using these cliché rhymes can make your song sound naïve and badly formed.

HALF-RHYMES Some songwriters refer to these, disparagingly, as false rhymes but I love them as they can soften the sound and make the words sing better. When my students commit themselves to always using a rhyming dictionary, I ask them to look up “love”. The hard line, hard rhyme dictionary will give you glove, dove, above or shove but not drug, enough or us. Especially with lines in between the rhyming words, these halfrhymes can be really effective.

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RHYME SCHEMES The rhyme scheme is critical to the way your song is set up, needs to be consistent from verse to verse and shouldn’t always be safe. The nursery rhyme AABB rhyme scheme can get boring very quickly. I love playing with it and trying schemes like AAAB … I wrote my first one at 17 For a girl who wouldn’t even look at me I think I stole a Buddy Holly melody It was just another song about a girl I wrote a few of them for my first band Just threw them out there, I had nothing planned I learned guitar ‘cause I was way too scared to dance It was just another song about a girl One of my most successful songs, Skin, has the very complex AAAA rhyme scheme … Skin, skin let’s hear it for skin If it wasn’t for skin, we wouldn’t have anything to keep all the other bits in If you’re cute and cuddly, tall or short overweight or thin No matter what shape the parcel is … it’s always wrapped in skin The colour of skin varies a lot from nation to nation It sometimes leads to a stupid thing called racial discrimination But we all get hot, we all get cold and we all get perspiration And the only difference between them and me is a little bit of pigmentation The key to all this is to sing your song over and over again until all the irritating little imperfections are weeded out. The song will always tell you when it is finished … and if you sing it, it will always tell what is and isn’t working See you next month … maybe. Questions? One on one” private song writing coaching? Contact me at allan@allancaswell.com

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