DAVE'S DIARY - 9 /3/ 2015 - PREVIEW OF EPISISODE 2 - SERIES 26
TEXAN QUARTET HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Texan troubadours Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Bruce Robison and singing spouse Kelly Willis headline Nu Country TV this Saturday March 14 at 10.30 pm on C 31/Digital 44.
Singing actor-comedian Steve Martin returns Behind Bars on the show repeated Monday 5.30 am and 2.30 pm and Thursday 2.30 am.
Georgian trio Lady Antebellum also appear on the eve of second Australian tour that brings them back to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on March 17.
Host chef Mid Pacific Bob Olson also discovers Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson fresh from his return to the syndicated David Letterman Late Night show.
And Tamworth Starmaker winners Jared Porter and Kaylee Bell also return to the show filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of the C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Just follow this link on your computer or mobile phone - http://www.c31.org.au/program/view/program/nu-country-tv
BRUCE ROBISON & KELLY WILLIS FIND A MOTOR CITY MAN
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Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis honour a Motor City Man in their video from third duet disc Our Year.
The Austin couple played live in our Nu Country FM Beer Can Hill studio at Northcote four months before it burned down on June 26, 2000.
Bruce, 48, and Kelly, 46, are parents of four children - including twins.
He also wrote #1 hits Travelin' Soldier for the Dixie Chicks , Tim McGraw's Angry All the Time and Wrapped for George Strait.
Robison has since released eight solo albums dating back to 1996.
After 17 years of marriage, four children, and more than 15 albums, Bruce and Kelly cut Cheater's Game in 2013.
It was so invigorating they boomeranged with Our Year in May, 2014.
“When we decided to make Cheater's Game , I was like, "I'll either write 13 of them or none of them,” Robison revealed.
“I don't care which one it is." I just wanted to record great songs. I'm hoping my songs measured up, but I'm willing to go to the mat for the other tunes on Cheater's Game , whether it's a Dave Alvin song or a Robert Earl Keen song or a Razzy Bailey song or a Hayes Carll song. Those are great songs and I really feel like we brought something fresh to them. Our Year is a continuation with original songs, as well as songs like Tom T. Hall-penned Harper Valley P.T.A . and the Statler Brothers' I'll Go to My Grave Loving You."
It was worth it for Robison and Oklahoma born Willis and wed to high school boyfriend and Radio Ranch drummer Mas Palermo from 1989-1991.
Willis had a cameo in Tim Robbins' 1992 film Bob Roberts .
“We had waited so long to collaborate for Cheater's Game , but the feeling was that we had done all the hard work of putting the band together, finding our sound and knowing how it all worked,” Bruce explained.
“We had put in all the blood, sweat and tears - and we knew we were going to take a break from it - so we decided to go out with a bang with the new album. I'm really glad that we did, and we both feel that these two projects hang together as a moment in time.”
CLICK HERE for a Bruce Robison interview in The Diary on January 9, 2013.
CLICK HERE for a Kelly review in The Diary on March 30, 2004.
WILLIE AND BILLY JOE HARD TO BE AN OUTLAW
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Shotgun Willie Nelson, 81, and Billy Joe Shaver, 75, perform their satirical new video in New York City.
Hard To Be An Outlaw is on Long In The Tooth - 23rd album by Billy Joe - and Band Of Brothers - 69th album by Willie.
Willie's new autobiography It's A Long Story, My Life is out May 5 - five days after his 82nd birthday.
The 400-page tome with New York writer David Ritz is an “unvarnished, complete story of Willie Nelson's life” embracing Texas, Nashville and Hawaii, his legendary bus, drive to write music, women in his life, collaborations, and biggest lows and highs-from bankruptcy to founding Farm Aid.
It also include stories from many Willie friends and boasts of being “the last word about his life-from the man himself.”
Willie and author Bud Shrake published Willie: An Autobiography through Simon and Schuster in 1988 - it was re-issued by Cooper Square press in paperback in 2000.
The 320-page book included many stories from Willie Nelson's friends and family.
In 2008 author Joe Nick Patoski published Willie Nelson: An Epic Life - 567-page biography.
And in 2012 Willie 175-page Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die, Musings From The Road was released by HarperCollins in conjunction with Willie's album Heroes that included a song of the same name.
Willie's 30th Farm Aid concert that helps family farmers and raises awareness of locally grown organic foods returns September 17.
The longest-running American benefit concert is an all-day food and music festival.
“The first Farm Aid concert featured more than 50 artists on one stage,” Willie announced when he performed at the Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert on February 5.
“In 29 years since, hundreds more artists have given their time and talent to support family farmers. This year we would like to invite even more artists to join us onstage as we celebrate family farm agriculture.”
Farm Aid was also honoured in recognition for live performances by more than 400 artists over 29 years and received $15,000 preservation grant from Grammy Foundation program to digitise, preserve and archive legendary Farm Aid performances.
Billy Joe's new album includes his song The Git Go - Jamey Johnson also joined Willie on it on Band Of Brothers .
Billy Joe opened for Waylon, Willie and Highwaymen , cut a live album at Corner Hotel , Richmond, and performed a special after midnight birthday show for this diarist at Paul Madigan's long defunct Druids' lodge on mean streets of Brunswick.
Shaver also toured in 2002 with singing Texan crime novelist Kinky Friedman who returned to the Caravan Club in Oakleigh in January.
Long in the Tooth , produced by Ray Kennedy and Gary Nicholson, is on Lightning Rod.
CLICK HERE for a new Billy Joe Shaver CD Review in The Diary.
CLICK HERE for a Billy Joe feature in the Diary on April 11, 2007.
CLICK HERE for a Willie & Bobbie Nelson CD review in The Diary on January 21.
CLICK HERE to win a Willie CD on our membership page.
LADY ANTEBELLUM FREESTYLE
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Georgian trio Lady Antebellum return to our show with their new video for Freestyle. They perform at Rod Laver Arena March 17 with former Sugarland singer Kristian Bush and Maddie & Tae .
Freestyle is on the seven time Grammy winner's fifth album 747 .
The band headlines CMC Rocks Queensland at Ipswich from March 13-15.
They previously opened for expat Australasian superstar Keith Urban on April 9, 2011.
Before Charles Kelley joined the trio he and older brother Josh were in country group, Inside Blue, and first record deal was offered by Godfather of Soul, James Brown.
But despite Brown and manager Larry Friday's best attempts, the brothers - young teens at the time - declined.
“We were too young,” Josh Kelley says.
“We were, like, 14. It was ridiculous.”
Their father intervened, too, after Friday told the brothers, “We're going to go to New York. You're going to do a big CD release party. All the finest girls in the world are going to be there. Champagne!”
After a brief solo artist stint Charles and schoolmate Dave Haywood joined Hillary Scott, forming Lady Antebellum .
CLICK HERE for a review of Freestyle in The Diary on March 2.
CLICK HERE for a previous Lady Antebellum CD review in The Diary on June 21, 2010.
STEVE MARTIN FINDS ATHEISTS
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Waco born comedian, actor, author and banjo ace Steve Martin, 69, and his bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers return with a humorous religious parody. Atheists Don't Have No Songs is on the five time Grammy winner's eighth album Rare Bird Alert . It featured Dixie Chicks and Paul McCartney and won IBMA Entertainer of Year.
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Steve has appeared in 52 movies, more than 100 TV shows and writes screenplays and books when not performing with Steep Canyon Rangers.
After meeting at a party twice wed Martin invited them to tour and record with him - they teamed on Prairie Home Companion radio and TV shows in 2009.
In 1978 and 1979 he won Grammys for comedy with albums Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy.
In 2001 Martin won another with an all-star rendition of Foggy Mountain Breakdown for best country instrumental.
Martin, an exceptional banjo player, shared it with musical icon, Earl Scruggs, Scruggs' sons and Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill and more A-list collaborators.
Martin's comedy thrived as The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo won 2009 award for best bluegrass recording.
Love Has Come for You by Martin and New Bohemians singer Edie Brickell also won a Grammy.
Further info - www.stevemartin.com
STURGILL SIMPSON LIVE AT THE LOVELESS CAFE
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East Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson performs live from famed Loveless Café near Highway 100 in Nashville.
Sturgill cut a Long White Line on second album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music.
It was written by little mate - Buford Abner - and reprised on his David Letterman show return.
Sturgill shares genetics with Texan chart topper Miranda Lambert, both children of former undercover narcotics cops.
The former U.S. Marine was born in Jackson in southeast Kentucky and moved to Versailles near Lexington.
Sturgill has toured with Zac Brown Band who return in March with gigs at Byron Bay and Deniliquin Roots festivals and St Kilda Palais on March 31.
The multi-instrumentalist train conductor in a previous life on Union Pacific , released Life of Sin with a live video at historic Nashville RCA Studio A .
That studio hosted Lyle Lovett, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, Oak Ridge Boys , Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack, Hank Williams Jr, Beach Boys, Lady Antebellum , Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves.
“I wanted to capture a more reflective, softer, intimate side of the song,” Simpson revealed of Life of Sin .
“I'm not sure how much of that was the influence of the room or my own short attention span. I think it fleshed out a lot of my obsession with all the late '60s Marty Robbins and Merle and the Strangers albums I love so much.”
Simpson made his network TV debut on July 14 on Letterman, playing Life of Sin , and performed Turtles All The Way Down on Jimmy Fallon on October 28.
After singing Living the Dream on Conan O'Brien's talk show Simpson defended himself from critics offended by his singing the word "goddamn."
Living the Dream features "I don't have to do a goddamn thing except sit around and wait to die."
"Been some folks coming to my page to chastise me for taking the Lord's name in vain on Conan so figured I should address it," wrote Simpson.
“The song is a metaphor comparing the soothing yet completely addictive and damaging effects of hard narcotic opiates to organised religion.
He has also played Grand Ole Opry and opened for singing actors Dwight Yoakam and Shotgun Willie.
Further info - http://www.sturgillsimpson.com/
STARMAKERS JARED PORTER AND KAYLEE BELL RING TRUE
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Starmaker winners Jared Porter and Kaylee Bell perform their video for Pieces from the latter day Brisbane singer Jared's debut album East To West .
The Californian born singer and expat Kiwi belle combined forces after winning Starmaker in 2013 and 2014.
Porter has toured and recorded with Bell who moved here from New Zealand long after Jared arrived with his mum at 15.
Jared was born in Grass Valley below the high Sierras in northern California - the mountain range was eulogised in Harley Allen song High Sierra on Trio 2 - the 1999 album featuring Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.
Jared now hangs his hat in Brisbane when not on the road with his band.
CLICK HERE for our Porter CD Review in The Diary on August 4.
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate the 25th series of Nu Country TV .
Australian record companies and artists have joined forces to ensure our survival.
We have new CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing your membership.
They include singing actors Willie Nelson and Tim McGraw, Voice judge Blake Shelton, Ashley Monroe, Brad Paisley, Gary Allan, Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Chris Young, Charley Pride, Slim Dusty, Kacey Jones, Rosanne Cash and more.
We also have DVDS by Lady Antebellum.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for full details.