DAVE'S DIARY - 7/8/ 2017 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 5 - SERIES 33
THE MAVERICKS HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Floridian band The Mavericks celebrate a brand new day and album when they headline Nu Country TV on Saturday August 12 at 9 pm on Channel 31/Digital 44.
Oklahoma born star Vince Gill, who first toured here decades before The Mavericks , returns to the program hosted by Mid Pacific Bob Olson and repeated Sunday 1 am and Monday 8 am.
North Carolina nouveau outlaw Luke Combs appears in Behind Bars with an organic version of a song cut before his major record deal.
Texan rodeo rider Kylie Frey and Randy Rogers join forces on the show filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Adelaide sextet The Heggarties debut with a rollicking song that's a vast contrast to Billy Bridge's Ghost Town - a poignant pilgrimage to the Gippsland coal belt where he was raised
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.
MAVERICKS CELEBRATE BRAND NEW BIRTHDAY
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Mavericks singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Raul Malo celebrated his 52nd birthday on Monday. So it's no surprise he spreads messages of hope and optimism in Brand New Day - title track of the band's 11th album in a 28 year career. Malo sings of replacing woes and troubles of his nation with joy and happiness with help from his band who had a decade long hiatus at their peak. The video entrée shows a dance troupe with members twisted together and painted with a variety of words, including “apathy,” “pollution,” “hunger,” “xenophobia,” “hate,” “sexism” and “homophobia” - reflections of modern America. |
As soon as the band plays the group begins to open up and break free from each other and begin to smear and smudge the writing on their bodies.
By the video end there are new words painted on the dancers - including “unity,” “tolerance” and “hope.”
The message is clear - things may seem bad now but they can get better if we choose love and empathy over hate and apathy.
“I think we're definitely aspiring for a brand new day,” Malo revealed.
“I know this sounds idealistic and perhaps unrealistic, but I'm not one of those guys who thinks we're at the end of the world. But we do have to be vigilant and if we have to protest and stand up for what we believe in, we will. I'm confident in the American people and in democracy in general. Maybe this is a wakeup call that we so need.”
Raul released six solo albums during the Latin American combo's break.
The Mavericks stomped the stage when they played our historic St Kilda Palais on their 2014 October tour with Californian surfing cowboy Garry Allan and Blackjack Billy .
CLICK HERE for a Mavericks CD feature in The Diary on June 29, 2015.
OUTLAW LUKE COMBS BEHIND BARS
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North Carolina nouveau outlaw Luke Combs returns Behind Bars with a live version of Used To You from his pre-fame era.
His chart topper Hurricane inspired debut album This One's For You after three indie EPS.
Combs, just 27, grew up in his home state's music mecca Asheville.
He also appeared on Nu Country with Hurricane and live version of strident social comment Can I Get An Outlaw.
Combs praised mentors including late Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings in his parody of faux modern country stars.
Hurricane was an accidental hit born from a $200 mistake that almost derailed his career.
Combs saved enough money for a six-song EP based on what he paid for his first two DIY projects.
"We recorded six tracks, and when they got done producer Scott Moffatt of 90's Canadian boy band The Moffatts , was like, 'Hey man, we need to master these,' and I was like, 'what's that?'" Combs revealed.
"I never mastered my first two, I just mixed them. I think the price was $200 per song, so I was like, 'I don't have $200 per song, and I'm not going to have it.'"
Luke went home as they hadn't cut his final vocals but one song sounded good enough: Hurricane .
Combs mastered just that track, released it on iTunes and sold 14,000 copies in the first week, allowing him to finish the album and pay Moffatt.
Luke recently toured with Georgian Brantley Gilbert to promote his album that includes Hurricane, One Number Away, When It Rains It Pours, I Got a Way With You and the title track.
Further info - http://www.lukecombs.com/
RODEO RIDER KYLIE JOINS RANDY ROGERS
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Texan rodeo rider Kylie Frey and Randy Rogers performed their love lament Too Bad after filming her stage duet with expat Australasian superstar Keith Urban in Beaumont, Texas, on his huge hit The Fighter. Kylie was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, works the Texas rodeo circuit and replaced Oklahoma star Carrie Underwood on The Fighter . She released debut album Cinderella Dreams in 2014, then singles The Chase in 2015, Me and These Boots in 2016. Her video duet partner Rogers hails from Cleburne, Texas, and bought famous Cheatham Street Warehouse music venue in nearby San Marcos where he cut a 2000 live album. |
Cheatham Street Warehouse hosts songwriters open mic night every Wednesday for more than 40 years.
Guest artists include Randy, Hal Ketchum, James McMurtry, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ernest Tubb, Townes Van Zandt, Todd Snider, Terri Hendrix, Bruce Robison, Tish Hinojosa, Adam Carroll, Walt Wilkins, Will and Charlie Sexton.
“I still get butterflies when I step on that stage,” Rogers, 36, says.
“I'm going to make sure other songwriters and musicians, young and old, get to experience that same feeling for many years to come. That's my goal.”
Rogers recently released Tequila Eyes - third single off his 10th album Nothing Shines Like Neon .
Further info - http://www.randyrogersband.com/
Further info - http://kyliefrey.com/
VINCE GILL ANOTHER SAD ONE
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When Oklahoma star Vince Gill first toured Australia in the eighties he was a sideman for Byron Berline in Sundance.
On his second tour, with just one solo disc released, he teamed with hotshot English guitarist Albert Lee for gigs including Royal Melbourne Showground.
Gill was on the verge of stardom after he did time in country and bluegrass mines with Pure Prairie League, Bluegrass Alliance with Sam Bush and Dan Crary and later Rodney Crowell's Notorious Cherry Bombs .
Now, three decades down the Lost Highway , the son of late banjo playing Oklahoma Appellate Court judge Stan returns with Another Sad One - his tribute to late Texan George Jones.
George died at 81 on October 25, 2013, but his music lives on through peers like Vince, now 60.
Vince's western swing band The Time Jumpers also honoured their singer Dawn Sears in their video for I Miss You on their third album Kid Sister .
Dawn - wife of Time Jumpers fiddler Kenny Sears - died of cancer at 53 on December 11, 2014.
The Time Jumpers scored major popularity with a Monday night residency - their usual day off the road - at Nashville club 3rd & Lindsley.
The band includes Gill vocals-guitars, Sears fiddle-vocals, Joe Spivey and Larry Franklin, fiddles-vocals, steel guitarist Paul Franklin, Ranger Doug Green, guitars-vocals, Billy Thomas, drums-vocals, Jeff Taylor, accordion-piano-vocals, guitarist Andy Reiss and bassist Brad Albin.
They received four Grammy nominations including two each for their 2012 self-titled album and Kid Sister that Vince produced with the band arrangements.
Gill also appeared on Nu Country with Tennessean tourist Chris Young in the Sober Saturday Night video from Young's fifth album I'm Coming Over.
Young performed with Big & Rich at the Billboard Club in the Melbourne CBD on their 2015 Australian tour.
Chris wrote Sober Saturday Night with Floridian brothers Brett and Brad Warren who appeared as The Warrens at long lamented Continental Café , nee ID's , in Prahran.
CLICK HERE for a Vince Gill feature in The Diary on August 2, 2005.
BILLY BRIDGE REVISITS A GHOST TOWN
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Werribee singer-songwriter Billy Bridge revisits faded Gippsland coal mining mecca Yallourn in a poignant pilgrimage for his latest video Ghost Town.
Ghost Town is fifth single from new album, Stories Through Time , produced by Mick Lockhart of Parkway Studios in Townsville.
Billy grew up in Yallourn with his family and dad whose first job was at now defunct Hazelwood mine.
"The song means the world to me because it was written about where I was born,” Bridge revealed.
“My family emigrated from England in 1966 and dad's first job was at Hazelwood power station. My life started in this town that I can never go back to because it has gone. Removed and mined for coal. There are so many towns that disappear off the map because industry closes down. Ghost towns all of them. This is why it's so close to my heart. The song is an ode to all towns that have lost their heart, their core, their industry forcing the people to move away in search of work.”
When Bridge filmed his video he also visited Morwell at the other end of the open cut mine.
Morwell has been decimated since the closure in February of Hazelwood Power station and loss of thousands of jobs.
"There are so many towns where the core industry closes leaving the people without work, having to leave to find work elsewhere, which then drains the lifeblood of the town,” Bridge added.
“Ghost towns exists all over the world, everyone knows of one and it is a sad end to thriving communities."
Further info - https://www.billybridge.com/
THE HEGGARTIES ROLL OUT RED CARPET IN ADELAIDE
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Adelaide band The Heggarties take us across the border for an energised knees-up in old Adelaide town with mirth, music and dancing.
The sizzling sextet employs a smart smoking metaphor in their vibrant video for Rolling My Rollies from its self-titled debut album released on June 30.
Their message - if your footy team loses against the Crows or Port Power visit a Heggarties gig to ease your sorrow.
"We've been working hard as a band for a little over eight years, setting goals every year including playing interstate festivals, playing in Nashville and recording a full length album,” singer Paul Heggart revealed.
“We are an exceptionally close group of people and the chemistry we have as a group is often noticed at our shows. We set out to capture the warmth of our live performances and bring that to this recording. We feel like we have been successful in doing that. We couldn't be prouder or more excited about what we've produced."
The band includes Heggart and singing spouse Gwen, Steve Lennox on vocals and guitars, upright bassist Tim Bodman, drummer Max Tulysewski and Paul Cooper on banjo and pedal steel.
They played Americana Festival in Nashville 2016, Wirrina Bluegrass Festival in 2014/2015, Semaphore Festival in 2014/2015, Dorrigo Folk Festival in 2015 and Fleurieu Folk Festival in 2014.
Rollin' Ma Rollies is distributed through Maven Records and Sony Music .
Further info - https://theheggarties.com/
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 33rd 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.