DAVE'S DIARY - 12/12/2016 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 13 - SERIES 31
HANK AND ERIC IN CHURCH OF THEIR CHOICE – NU COUNTRY TV
Eric Church and Hank Williams Jr revive a classic Neil Young hit when they headline Nu Country TV on Channel 31/Digital 44 on Saturday December 17 at 9.30 p.m.
Illinois young gun Mo Pitney honours the late Merle Haggard and Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss pay homage to Willie Nelson in the show repeated on Monday at 2.30 a.m.
Texan Jesse Dayton also remembers late fellow Beaumont born bar room king George Jones in Behind Bars in the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Yarraville singer-signwriter David Baird and Williamstown lawyer Patsy Toop - The Long & Short Of It - visit the outback Queensland hotel made famous in the Crocodile Dundee movie.
And Sydney trio The April Family debut in our slice of sin city café culture.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Just follow this link on your computer or mobile phone - http://www.c31.org.au/series/487
ERIC AND HANK JR READY FOR THE COUNTRY
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Hank Williams Jr and Eric Church resurrect a Neil Young epic 1972 Harvest song as our show entrée.
Are You Ready For The Country is on 67-year-old Hank's 37th studio album It's About Time.
It was a huge hit and title track of a 1976 album by late outlaw king Waylon Jennings
The video, directed by Peter Zavidil, was shot at The City View Apartments in Nashville.
It focused on live performance with the background alternating between the vibe of country and city.
Hank Jr, born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and North Carolina born Eric, now 39 also performed the single to open the 49th CMA show on November 4, 2015.
"You have no idea how excited I am about this single and my new album," said Hank Jr.
"This is my 37th album and the excitement never goes away. This is definitely my best album to date."
It's About Time was released on Nash Icon Records on January 15, 2016 - sequel to Old School New Rules in 2012.
“We have made an album that is pure magic,” revealed four times wed Williams whose 53 albums include live discs and compilations.
“The songs - some I wrote and others I got from great songwriters - are typical Hank Jr songs I think will connect with anyone who hears them.”
Hank Jr shares his new label with Reba McEntire, Ronnie Dunn and Martina McBride.
“Country music singers have always been a real close family,” added Hank who appeared in movies diverse as A Time ToSing, Roadie, Country Strong and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.
CLICK HERE for a previous Hank CD review in the Diary on February 16, 2010.
CLICK HERE for a previous Church feature in The Diary on March 1, 2014.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page to win a previous Church album Chief
JAMEY JOHNSON AND ALISON KRAUSS CELEBRATE WILLIE
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Alabama legend Jamey Johnson and bluegrass ace Alison Krauss honour Shotgun Willie Nelson, 83, with a song they sang in a live tribute at the Gershwin Awards on November 18, 2015.
Johnson and Krauss honoured Willie with a spirited version of Seven Spanish Angels - a 1984 hit for Willie and Ray Charles.
The western gun fighter death ballad was written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser.
Rosanne Cash, Raul Malo, Edie Brickell and many peers honoured Willie - 2015 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
The tribute concert was part of a two-day celebration honoring Nelson - first country artist to receive the Gershwin Prize.
Cash sang Pancho and Lefty - one of Nelson’s many collaborations with Merle Haggard, and Malo performed Crazy, penned by Nelson and made famous by Patsy Cline.
Willie also sang On The Road Again and was joined onstage by his sons Lukas and Micah for Living in the Promised Land.
“It is a great honor to be receiving the Gershwin award,” revealed Willie who released Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin - Summertime earlier this year.
“I have been a fan of Ira and George Gershwin’s music since I was a little guy.”
CLICK HERE for our Summertime review in the Diary on April 23, 2016.
CLICK HERE to a Willie CD on our Membership Page.
CLICK HERE for a Jamey Johnson Hank Cochran Tribute CD feature in The Diary on November 4, 2012.
CLICK HERE for another Jamey Johnson CD feature in The Diary on December 13, 2011.
CLICK HERE for an Alison Krauss CD review in The Diary on August 29, 2007.
JESSE DAYTON FINDS FAMED POSSUM RUNNING OVER HIS GRAVE
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Singing actor, director and screen writer Jesse Dayton performs his haunting homage to fellow Beaumont born George Jones in the video for Possum Ran Over My Grave from his ninth album The Revealer, released in September.
Dayton uses the stately waltz to recall a characteristic no-show concert during Jones' troubled period of the eighties.
But upon seeing him a couple years later, he's flattened by the power of the country legend's voice.
"When it comes to music, there ain't but a few / who can raise the hair on you," Jesse sings in a howling baritone, accompanied by images of Dayton in a vintage truck and stomping through the woods.
"I wanted to go back to my roots in the deep, dark, piney woods of East Texas on this song," says Dayton.
"George Jones was like a God to me. The first time I went to see him, though, he didn't show up!
"I come from George Jones' hometown. I think what makes you country is you're just being honest about where you came from when you have a regional sense of identity. There's rural landscape everywhere."
In addition to his solo songwriting Dayton was tapped by Rob Zombie to create soundtracks for horror films The Devil's Rejects (including that movie's one-off album by fictional honky-tonk duo Banjo & Sullivan) and Halloween 2.
Jesse has also directed, written screenplays and acted in movies and played guitar on the late Waylon Jennings album Right On Time.
Dayton songs featured on numerous TV shows including Roswell, Providence, and Melrose Place (where he also had a role as a musician) and soundtracks of motion pictures Happy, Texas and Deep in he Heart.
He played singing Texan crime novelist Kinky Friedman in a stage show Becoming Kinky before he released a Kinky tribute disc.
Further info - http://jessedayton.com/
MO PITNEY RECALLS THE DAY HE MET MERLE HAGGARD
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Illinois boy Mo Pitney - one of the torch bearers for pure country - honours his mentor Merle Haggard who died on his 79th birthday on April 6.
Mo performs a live version of I Met Merle Haggard today from Behind This Guitar - the debut CD by the 23 year-old.
Pitney celebrates his engagement to bluegrass belle Emily Bankester with his previous video for Boy & Girl Thing.
Mo proposed to Emily on September 10 and shared a photo on Instagram of his bride-to-be sporting a sparkly new gem on her ring finger, with the scripture Proverbs 18:22 - "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord."
Emily sings and plays fiddle and banjo in Bluegrass/Americana family band The Bankesters who released second album LoveHas Wheels on September 24.
Mo, raised on bluegrass in Cherry County, Illinois, previously appeared with Country - a song he wrote with veteran singer-songwriter Whispering Bill Anderson and Bobby Tomberlin.
CLICK HERE for a Mo CD feature in The Diary on November 21.
PATSY AND DAVE VISIT CROCODILE DUNDEE MOVIE DIGS
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Yarraville singer-signwriter David Baird and Williamstown lawyer Patsy Toop headed north to a remote outback pub made famous in the Crocodile Dundee movie for their latest video.
They performed Kangaroo Rodeo with a vast cast of locals at the Walkabout Creek hotel at remote McKinlay in far north-west Queensland.
The duo renamed the historic pub Uncle’s for filming the video on Long & Short Of It’s sixth CD - The Night of Our Life.
It follows fifth album You Made Me Stronger co-written with Nashville producer and friend Kenny Royster in 2013
The Walkabout Hotel, originally known as the Federal Hotel, was built in 1900 and licensed in 1901.
Dave and Patsy - mother of four children and an award winning Williamstown lawyer - joined forces after meeting seven years ago at a music charity function.
They won best duo at the Tasmanian independent music awards and Southern Star Music Awards in Mildura.
Patsy was inducted onto Victorian Honour Roll of Women in recognition of her trailblazing litigation work and volunteering.
She was recognised for 34 years' legal work representing workers' human rights in cases of asbestos-related and chemical-induced illnesses.
Patsy was also founding board member and passionate volunteer for Seaworks Foundation that supports restoration and preservation of Williamstown's maritime precinct.
“I love the law and do miss it but I am now concentrating on the music with Dave,” Patsy revealed.
“We're working on a studio in Yarraville to provide a performance space for independent musicians. This project is taking a lot of time.”
Further info - www.thelongandshortofit.com.au
APRIL FAMILY SWEEP OUT SYDNEY CAFÉ
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Kylie Whitney takes charge in a Sydney the café and spills coffee on Casey Atkins & Michael Carpenter - fellow members of The April Family in their new video. You’re Someone That I Never Knew is the second single on their debut disc. The April Family formed in late 2015. Whitney had been working at Carpenter’s Love Hz Studios as an assistant, eventually evolving into a highly in demand backing vocalist. They worked on Whitney’s debut album Something About Ghosts, released in early 2015. Carpenter worked with Atkins in many bands for almost 15 years, and played on shows supporting Whitney’s album release. Carpenter also recorded with The Cuban Heels and has released solo discs including The Big Radio. |
He and Blue Mountains singer Allan Caswell wrote Back When I Was Older three months ago as a result of their regular song-writing sessions.
Further info - http://www.mcarp.com/
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV’s 31st series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.
Warner Brothers promo wizard Tony Midolo has given us Blake Shelton’s 12th CD If I’m Honest and Sony has donated the latest CD and DVD by Georgian star Jason Aldean.
We also have Angels And Alcohol - 20th album by fellow Georgian superstar Alan Jackson.
Also CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing membership.
They include singing actors Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith, Ashley Monroe, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Charley Pride and more.