DAVE'S DIARY - 17/4/2017 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 12 - SERIES 32
YOUNG OUTLAW SAM AND OLD OUTLAW WILLIE NELSON HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
South Dakota born singer-songwriter Sam Outlaw and veteran Texan outlaw Shotgun Willie Nelson headline Nu Country TV Saturday April 22 at 9 pm on Channel 31/Digital 44
Rory Feek and his late wife Joey perform a live Biblical song from their Grammy winning gospel album that topped Billboard on debut.
Dan & Shay and Georgian Brantley Gilbert continue the religious flavour on the show filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Melbourne bluegrass band Mustered Courage also return with an uplifting live tune on the show repeated Mondays at 8 am and Sunday 1 am.
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
Viewers can access new and previous Nu Country TV shows at the same link.
SAM OUTLAW FOUND A NEW HOME IN CALIFORNIA
 |
Californian singer Sam Outlaw has spent much of his life on the road since leaving his South Dakota home where he was Sam Morgan.
Sam changed his name to Outlaw - his mother's maiden name - and followed his musical dreams west and to Australia in 2015.
Outlaw, now 34, adorns his new video clip with images that depict hours of driving, day naps beer, pizza and performing on-stage.
And also what he leaves behind - his wife, his young son, frisky feline, laughter and love.
Everyone's Looking For Home is on his second album Tenderheart out here this month.
Sam played Meeniyan Town Hall , Northcote Social Club and Out On The Weekend festival at Williamstown on his tour here.
He had a successful advertising career until his 30th birthday when he experienced "an existential crisis moment" and realised that only music has ever made him feel anything.
He self-released a 2014 EP and played Stagecoach Festival, California , and Americana Festival in Nashville .
“The music I play, I call 'SoCal country,'” says Outlaw who has toured with Kentucky born singing actor Dwight Yoakam and Texan Clint Black.
“It's country music but with a Southern California spirit to it. What is it about Southern California that gives it that spirit, I don't exactly know. But there's an idea that I like that says - every song, even happy songs, are written from a place of sadness. If there's a special sadness to Southern California it's that there's an abiding shadow of loss of what used to be. But then, like with any place, you have a resilient optimism as well.”
His debut album's 12 tracks includes Ghost Town, accompanied by a video, Who Do You Think You Are? I'm Not Jealous , Love Her For A While, Old Fashioned and Jesus Take The Wheel And Drive Me To A Bar .
Further info - http://www.samoutlaw.com
SHOTGUN WILLIE RECALLS A WOMAN'S LOVE
 |
Shotgun Willie Nelson returns with the first song from his new album released on April 28 - the day before his 84th birthday. Four times wed Willie is well qualified to sing about all kinds of romance on A Woman's Love from his latest album God's Problem Child. Willie wrote seven of 13 new songs on his ninth album for Legacy Records with producer Buddy Cannon and won a 2017 pop Grammy for his Gershwin tribute disc. The new songs include Still Not Dead that reflects on mortality while marvelling at its beauty and absurdity. Jamey Johnson and Tony Joe White wrote the title track, with both singers and Leon Russell contributing guest vocals. It may be Russell's last recording before he died on November 13. Russell was one of Nelson's closest friends and first musician to sign his famous acoustic guitar, Trigger. |
The opening song is Little House on the Hill , written by Lyndel Rhodes - Cannon's 92-year-old mother.
Texan songwriter Gary Nicholson's Merle Haggard tribute He Won't Ever Be Gone closes the album.
Willie included satirical song Delete and Fast-Forward about Donald Trump and the 2016 presidential election.
“You can't watch TV without seeing something about the inauguration,” Nelson joked.
“The polarising process is a circus and the funniest thing I've ever seen.”
Willie sings “Delete and fast-forward, my friend / the elections are over and nobody wins / but don't worry too much, you'll go crazy again / delete and fast forward, my friend.”
Meanwhile Willie performs To Get Here in the new movie Dog Years .
Burt Reynolds plays an aging movie star being driven around Tennessee by a young woman (played by Ariel Winter, known for her role in Modern Family ) while trying to figure things out in his life.
To Get Here mirrors what Reynolds is feeling in the movie.
CLICK HERE for Willie and Merle's Django And Jimmie CD review in The Diary on July 6, 2015.
CLICK HERE for Willie's Summertime CD review in the Diary on April 23, 2016.
DAN & SHAY INHABIT THE SHACK
 |
Dan and Shay became the first new country duo to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Country Album Chart, on February 3, with their song From the Ground Up from their second album Obsessed.
But their Nu Country TV debut is When I Pray For You from the soundtrack of new Sam Worthington-Octavia Spencer-Tim McGraw movie The Shack , now in Australian theatres.
McGraw and singing spouse Faith Hill also wrote and perform new song Keep Your Eyes On Me in The Shack that chronicles the spiritual journey of a father wrought with grief in the wake of his daughter's disappearance.
Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Brett Eldredge and Devin Dawson are also on the soundtrack.
Pennsylvania born Dan Smyers and Arkansas native Shay Mooney met in Nashville as prolific singer-songwriters.
They began writing together the day they met - December 7, 2012 - and released debut album Where It All Began on April 1, 2014,
Dan, now 29, was raised in Wexford , Pennsylvania , and attended Carnegie Mellon University to study finance and play football.
Smyers fiancée Abby Law appeared in the Dan and Shay video for their song Nothin' Like You .
James Shay Mooney, now 25, was raised in Natural Dam, Arkansas , moved to Nashville and wrote Lonely Alone for singing actor Veronica Ballestrini's second album Flip Side .
He is also subject of her song Death of Me and sang background on it.
Dan And Shay's song Nothin' Like You - one of three singles from Where It All Began - is about Ballestrini, 25.
Further info - www.danandshay.com
RORY TAKES JOEY'S HAND AND HEART
 |
Rory Feek and late singing spouse Joey Martin Feek return with a prophetic live song from their colourful career tragically cut short when Joey died at 40 on March 4, 2016, after a long spirited battle with cervical cancer.
Their live version of Take My Hand, Precious Lord is on their Grammy winning album Hymns That Are Important To Us that topped Billboard on debut.
Rory, now 55, has produced 2016 documentary To Joey, With Love and his book This Life I Live.
“I know Joey would love this book. Mostly, because I have tried to be honest about myself and my life, and about our life together, even when it hurts. She would want that,” Rory revealed.
“Joey saw the magic in our life together and wanted me to share that with others, whether through songs, or film, or the blog or books.”
The duo, who married in 2002, released eight albums - ninth album If Not For You , recorded in 2002, was belatedly released this month.
It contains 12 songs, including a tribute to Joey's brother Justin - See You There - and their original version of 2010 chart song That's Important to Me .
“It's one of the great joys of my life to dust these songs off and bring them to life again,” Rory wrote in the 48-page booklet for If Not for You .
“Not just the songs, but also the stories and the life of the special woman that these songs represent.”
The duo's faith was tested when daughter Indiana Boone was born with Downs syndrome before Joey's cancer battle.
Rory has two daughters - Hopie and Heidi - from a previous marriage.
They found solace in their music after being discovered on Nashville talent show Can You Duet with Aussie duo O'Shea.
Rory had already written a brace of hits for major artists - Clay Walker's #5 The Chain of Love , Blake Shelton's #1 hit Some Beach and Jimmy Wayne 2008 single I Will .
Feek penned Met Him In a Motel Room - one of the highlights of Georgian Trisha Yearwood's comeback album Prize Fighter .
He also wrote Sweet Emmylou with Catherine Britt - it was showcased on two of her albums and a Joey & Rory disc.
The couple broke with debut single, Cheater, Cheater , from debut CD Life Of A Song in 2002.
They later released Inspired - Songs Of Faith & Family, Made to Last and host The Joey & Rory Show on RFD-TV.
In 2014 they released seventh album Country Classics: A Tapestry of Our Musical Heritage .
CLICK HERE for a Joey & Rory feature in The Diary on August 30, 2009.
BRANTLEY GILBERT ALSO VISITS CHURCH
 |
Georgian singer-songwriter Brantley Gilbert visits church to honour fallen servicemen and women and a young cancer victim in his Nu Country return.
Gilbert, now 32, performs #1 hit One Hell Of An Amen - one of four - from his third album Just As I Am in 2015 .
Brantley's video role is vastly different to his recent video for The Weekend from his fourth album The Devil Don't Sleep .
Gilbert boomeranged in real life after splitting with fellow singer Jana Kramer.
He debuted on Nu Country in June, 2015, with More Than Miles that was inspired by second wife - Georgian school teacher Amber Cochran.
It was on his second album Half Way To Heaven .
He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joe's Entertainment and released Modern Day Prodigal Son and Halfway to Heaven before joining Big Machine .
Gilbert wrote Jason Aldean hits My Kinda Party and Dirt Road Anthem before Just As I Am .
His other #1 hits were Country Must Be Country Wide, You Don't Know Her Like I Do and Bottoms Up.
Further info - http://www.bring-it-on.org/
MUSTERED COURAGE
 |
Melbourne bluegrass band Mustered Courage return with their live rendition of Leave This Life Behind from their third album White Lies & Melodies .
The 2015 Tamworth Golden Guitar winning band launched the 12 track disc at Northcote Social Club after returning from the famed Telluride bluegrass festival in Colorado .
“There was definitely a maturing that took place in the album's symbolism, its instrumentation and its production,” says expat Texan lead vocalist-multi-instrumentalist Nick Keeling who played with guitarist Julian Abrahams in a hip-hop band while studying jazz in Canberra.
Oklahoma-born singer Audra Mae (vocalist on Avici song Addicted To You ) guests on The Future.
She is the great-great-niece of Judy Garland and great granddaughter of Garland 's sister Jimmie.
CLICK HERE for a Mustered Courage CD review on October 12, 2015.
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 32 nd series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.
We have Kasey Chambers 11th CD Dragonfly and Blake Shelton's 12th CD If I'm Honest from Karen Black and Tony Midolo at Warner Music.
We also have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing membership.
They include singing actor Tim McGraw, Ashley Monroe, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and more.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for full details.