DAVE'S DIARY - 2 OCTOBER 2006 - NU COUNTRY SHOWCASE UPDATE
BANDS REVAMPED FOR NU COUNTRY TV SHOWCASE
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Victorian
country bands Ruckus and Silver String Outlaws have been revamped for
the lavish Nu Country TV showcase on Saturday October 7.
There are still vacancies for solo and acoustic artists on the musical
extravaganza that kicks off at 6 p m at Hotel Kew in the historic Kew
Junction.
Entry is free for Nu Country members and just $5 for supporters and viewers.
Ruckus, one of the highlights of the Nu Country 2005 Christmas party,
added a new bassist Kevin Lumsden.
Acclaimed violinist Marcela Koldova played in Arizona singer Billy Wyatt's
band on his Australian tour.
She also achieved the highest commendation Golden Fiddle in the solo section
of the Victorian Country Music Awards at Whittlesea.
Ruckus also won best new artist in the national section of the 2006 summer
awards.
The band is promoting its seven track self titled indie CD with three
original tunes penned by singer Sandie Himbury and guitarist Michael Abrey.
Sandie, heavily pregnant during her Christmas party show, has given birth
to a child and a bunch of new songs
Further info - http://www.ruckus.net.au/ruckusaboutus.htm
SILVER STRONG OUTLAWS ESCAPE VAN DIEMEN'S LAND
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Silver
String Outlaws returned safely to the mainland after a whirlwind spring
tour of Tasmania where they played the B & S circuit in Dover
and Ouse. The band features the new twin guitar line-up of Don Farrell and Rodger Delfos and drummer Ron Mahney who now calls Skipton home. |
Farrell has also been touring with singer-songwriter Monique Brumby when not on Shipwreck Coast forays with Delfos and Mahney in an alternate version of the Dead Livers.
Silver String
Outlaws, famed for a Willie Nelson style tour bus and rigs, are making
a rare appearance in the inner suburbs.
The band, formed by Steve Latham in 2001, released an EP in 2005 that
featured the single Looking For The Good Life.
Since then the band has recorded an album with a brace of originals.
They include oft-recorded Holy Mary - penned by Dead Livers singer
and latter day Portland resident Marty Atchison who wrote the popular
Nu Country TV theme song Up And Down The Line.
The Silver String Outlaws have also made two new video clips to promote
their new album.
A highlight is Hit The Highway, penned by bassist Noel Goard.
Further info - http://www.silverstringoutlaws.com/
JASON KEMP FLIES SOUTH FROM QUEENSLAND
Roma singer-songwriter
Jason Kemp will perform with the Silver String Outlaws at the showcase.
Kemp won warm acclaim when he performed with headliner Billy Wyatt at
the 2005 Nu Country Christmas party.
The prolific songwriter has had songs recorded by peers diverse as Tanya
Self, Josh Arnold, Janelle Donovan, Robert Keith and Gemma Doyle.
Fellow Queensland country singer Nellie Donovan, raised on a Conondale
dairy farm released Kemp's song Cruisin' as the second single from
debut album Steppin' Out.
The video clip for Cruisin' was shot by award winning director
Ross Wood at Berry in NSW - it followed the video for her debut single
Sing Me An Angel.
Kemp released two singles from his debut album This Dance and is
making a new album in Melbourne in spring.
He made video clips for five of his original songs - Country Train,
Roadtrip, No-one Loves This Truck Like Me, Conformity and Ballad
Of Adrian Peddemore.
Most were filmed in Queensland and scored exposure on Pay TV channel CMC
and Nu Country TV.
The video for Kemp's trucking tribute was filmed at the famed Nindigully
pub near St George in Queensland.
CYNDI BOSTE ADDS COUNTRY SOUL TO HOTEL KEW
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Australia's
best-unsung heroine Cyndi Boste has been added to the showcase. The pocket dynamo was one of the most popular artists to perform on Nu Country FM concerts during our radio reign from 1994-2001. Cyndi attracted a large, enthusiastic audience when she launched her acclaimed fourth CD Foothill Dandy at the East Brunswick Club Hotel on Sunday October 1 Boste also won wide exposure for her first two albums Home Truths (1999) and Push Comes To Shove (2002) that enjoyed production of former Dingoes guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst. The latter day New York musician, who worked here with Canadian music journalist Greg Quill's Country Radio in the seventies, has also appeared in Boste's hot band on his return to Australia. Tolhurst and Quill released their duet disc So Rudely Interrupted in 2004 in between other projects. Cyndi co-produced her third album Scrambled Eggs - featuring live tracks from Port Fairy folk festival - with Rob Harwood. |
Melbourne
guitarist Craig Pilkington played trumpet when he produced her acclaimed
fourth album Foothill Dandy that will be launched at the East Brunswick
Club Hotel on Sunday October 1.
Cyndi's Hotel Kew band features guitarist Steve O'Prey and much in demand
pedal steel guitarist Garrett Costigan.
YOUNGER BREWS UP CASH BATTLE
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Phil
Younger & Country Brew began 2006 with a memorable performance
at the long standing popular Red Hill Country Music Festival. Younger wowed inner suburban fans when his band performed at the premiere of the Academy award winning Johnny Cash movie Walk The Line on February 2 at Nova Cinema in Carlton. Younger beat an enthusiastic posse of country artists and refried rockers in the bid to entertain movie fans - many of whom were reared here on hits and memories radio. Nu Country TV twice screened Phil's video for Concrete Jungle Cowboys in response to viewer reaction. Bandleader Phil Younger, ninth of 12 children, is a British born baritone and takes no prisoners in his battles with the Australian country music establishment. Phil, whose voice has a three-octave range, stands 6 ft 6 in the old currency and made a video for the title track of his album Concrete Jungle Cowboys featuring 12 of his original songs. "Concrete Jungle Cowboys took a year to record, financed completely by us," says Younger. "We are very proud of it." |
Phil followed
sister Kay to Australia after she strutted her stuff with the Yarra Yarra
Jazz Band.
His
song Seven Years was played at the funeral of his mother who raised
her kids in England.
Younger eulogised unsung heroines - jillaroos - on his debut single Sweet
Jillyroo and highway honky tonkers in Long Distance Truckie.
His music embraces rural and urban themes with the bluesy belter Rear
View Mirror, Be Proud Of Who You Are and Stuck In Prison.
Among guests on his album are violinist Jen Anderson, Git singer Sarah
Carroll, Ian Collard on harmonica and Ed Bates on pedal steel.
The singer resigned from the CMAA and claimed on his web page he was snubbed
in the annual Golden Guitar awards and ignored by Gympie Muster and Mildura
country festival organisers.
"Country music to me is a passion and a love," says Younger.
"Wherever we perform, we get great responses, if we didn't we would
have packed up years ago. Our album is now fully licensed by an American
Company, we are signed to a UK record label with distribution throughout
Europe."
Further info - http://www.philyounger.com/
LEE KERNAGHAN AKUBRA
A mystery
celebrity will draw the raffle for the popular Lee Kernaghan Akubra at
the Hotel Kew.
All financial members names will go into the Akubra for the much sought
after prize.
Don't worry if you haven't paid up yet - you can join on the night, win
free admission to the showcase and take a pick of our CDS as a reward
for your membership.
For just $20 membership your name goes into the Akubra for the Akubra.
The concert will be filmed for Series #7 of Nu Country TV that will screen
on C 31 in Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand over summer.
Hotel Kew is at 99 High Street, Kew Junction.
The hotel has been flooded with phone calls about the showcase.
Advance table bookings for meals and music are available on 9858960 or
by email at hotelkew@bigpond.net.au