DAVE'S DIARY - 5/2/2018 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 9 - SERIES 34
TIM MCGRAW AND FAITH HILL HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Tennessean singing actor Tim McGraw and singing spouse Faith Hill headline Nu Country TV on Channel 31/ Digital 44 this Saturday - February 10 - at 9 pm.
Anderson East, new partner of Texan star Miranda Lambert debuts in the show repeated Monday at 3 pm.
Former heavy metal star Aaron Lewis and Tennessean James Carothers perform social comment songs in Behind Bars on the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Grammy winning Texas born banjo ace and actor-comedian Steve Martin showcases an animated video with his bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers.
Sydney singer-songwriter Imogen Clark returns with a video directed by Jeremy Dylan - son of our late benefactor Rob Potts.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
TIM HAS FAITH IN HILL
Louisiana born Tim McGraw and Faith Hill recently celebrated their 50th birthdays and 21 years of marriage with their three daughters after two Australian tours for our late benefactor Rob Potts and Michael Chugg.
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They also perform their video for Speak To A Girl from The Rest Of Our Life - Tim's 15th album and the couple's debut duet disc. Speak To A Girl was written by Shy Carter, Dave Gibson and Joe Spargur. Ironically, the album title track credited to Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge, Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac, is subject of a copyright suit by Australian songwriters Sean Carey and Beau Golden. They claim it's "almost a note-for-note copy" of their song When I Found You that they wrote with Fawkner singer-songwriter Jasmine Rae. Rae, co-writer on the song but not named amongst plaintiffs, recorded When I Found You in 2014 - it later topped Australian Country charts. Carey, a former guitarist with Thirsty Merc, and Golden, pianist for Guy Sebastian, Samantha Jade and others, filed a lawsuit in New York accusing Sheeran and his co-writers of "wilful copyright infringement", including copying melodies, chords and lyrical themes from their song. |
Their complaint says during a studio writing session in December, Rae mentioned to Carey and Golden that a fan had tweeted her about the similarities between the two songs.
The pair suggest Sheeran would have known about Rae's song as he was touring Australia during its chart success and radio airplay in 2016.
The complaint says that based on downloads, Spotify and YouTube streams, TV broadcasts and live performances, Sheeran and his co-writers profited in excess of $US 5 million from The Rest of Our Life .
They are seeking damages and royalties determined at trial.
McGraw has long mixed music with movie roles diverse as The Blind Side, Country Strong, Friday Night Lights and Flicker.
Five time Grammy winner and Mississippi born Hill released seven solo albums and starred with Nicole Kidman in the 2004 movie The Stepford Wives and with Steve Earle in indie movie Dixieland .
CLICK HERE for an interview with Tim in The Diary on May 23, 2010.
CLICK HERE for another Tim CD feature on March 12, 2013.
CLICK HERE to win Tim CDS on our membership page.
CLICK HERE for a Faith Hill interview in the Diary on September 21, 2005.
ANDERSON EAST KING FOR A DAY
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Alabama born Anderson East, who once recorded as Mike Anderson, debuts on Nu Country with King For A Day from his fourth album Encore.
East, 30, wrote the song with Kentucky coal miner's son Chris Stapleton and his singing spouse Morgane.
Anderson also wrote two songs for new partner Miranda Lambert's seventh album The Weight Of These Wings.
The couple began dating after Lambert, 34, split with former Oklahoma singing spouse and Voice judge and mentor Blake Shelton in 2015 after a four year marriage.
East, Aaron Raitiere, Avicii and producer Dave Cobb, penned Girlfriend - one of 11 songs on his album produced by Cobb in Nashville at the historic RCA A studio.
"It was very impulsive," East recalled of his writing session with Avicii.
"There was no premonition of it. What was actually supposed to end up being a writing appointment ended up turning into a whole session. We started at about 5 p.m. with nothing and walked out at 3 a.m. and that's what you hear on the record."
So did Miranda inspire the song?
"It was something tongue-in-cheek that made us laugh,” revealed East whose previous album Delilah shared name with one of Miranda's dogs.
“We were just trying to amuse ourselves."
Ironically East wrote new single All On My Mind with Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid and Raitiere.
Further info - www.andersoneast.com
AARON LEWIS SOCIAL COMMENT
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Massachusetts born Aaron Lewis recorded seven albums with heavy metal band Staind before changing his tune and genre.
Lewis, 45, debuts Behind Bars with strident social comment song That Ain't Country from his second solo album Sinner that topped Billboard on debut in 2016.
The singer, who has criticised major peers for being faux country - wrote nine of 11 songs on Sinner.
He revamped Texan Bruce Robison's Travelling Soldier - a Dixie Chicks hit - and Chris Stapleton-Lee Thomas Miller tune Whiskey And You .
“I grew up on my grandfather's country,” says Aaron whose title track features Shotgun Willie Nelson.
“Country was the background music to my childhood. My grandfather listened to Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr. and all of the greats.
“That's the country music that is kind of embedded into my soul. It was the soundtrack to my childhood, and is the soundtrack to so many memories that I hold onto dearly. I wrote the song because the landscape of country music these days is a little bit unrecognizable. I ponder and I question where the influences aside from name drops here and there where are the influences of what defined the genre of country? I don't hear them. It's merely my opinion and it's merely just something that I noticed, and something that I chose to write a song about. I'm not saying what is country music right now isn't creating number ones and it isn't selling records. That's not what I'm saying. I'm just questioning where is the connection aside from name-dropping to the music?”
The late George Jones and Charlie Daniels also guested on Country Boy - a single from Aaron's 2011 EP , The Town.
Further info - http://aaronlewismusic.com/
JAMES CAROTHERS FILLS SHOES
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Tennessean James Carothers fills the late George Jones shoes on the roof-top of his widow Nancy's Nashville bar on 2 nd Avenue in Behind Bars . The singer answered many questions in his inspired version of Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes from his debut solo album Relapse. Earlier James married, started a family and paid the bills as a technician at the Los Alamos National Laboratory - same place the atomic bomb was created. Ironically, he recorded Relapse at Nashville Bomb Shelter Studio three years after his eight track debut EP Honky Tonk Land. These days he ignites music on the George Jones roof-top bar. Carothers debuted on Nu Country with Back To Hank - his live homage to Hank Williams - at Jones birthday bash in Nashville. |
He wrote all songs including Back To Hank on Relapse between gigs at the bar.
James was born in Selmer , Tennessee , and grew up leading singing every Sunday in the Church of Christ.
Carothers father recorded two albums in Nashville before moving to New Mexico during James teenage years.
"My whole life, I've always loved those legendary artists,” James revealed.
"I've really learned how to sound like them, too. My Willie Nelson sounds like Willie Nelson. My Johnny Cash sounds like Johnny Cash. When I do the Highwaymen , it sounds like all of them. People really do want to hear all these old classic songs and I guess singing them is kind of what has made things happen for me here in Nashville. I see a lot of folks doing double takes when they first walk by - the impressions definitely get their attention. Then they stop and hang out with us for a show or two, buy a CD, and a lot of them keep coming back. It may sound cliché, but Jerry Lee and I really have made a bunch of lifelong friends just "sittin' on a bar stool actin' like a darn fool."
Further info - https://jamescarothers.com/
STEVE MARTIN ANIMATED IN A CANTINA
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Five time Grammy winner Steve Martin speeds to New Mexico with his bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers and animated mates in their new video Santa Fe . They had more luck with their flowers than on previous video Caroline . Santa Fe is on the Waco born banjo ace's 12th disc The Long Awaited Album. It's also the 72 year-old actor's second with his fellow Grammy winners. |
Waco born Steve found his love for banjo at 17 and originally used it in his standup comedy routine.
In 2010 Martin released The Crow: New Songs for the 5-Strong Banjo and in 2011 followed with Rare Bird Alert with Steep Canyon Rangers.
Steve also collaborated with Edie Brickell on their Grammy winning duet disc Love Has Come For You that combined his five-string banjo work with her vocals.
Their second collaboration So Familiar won widespread acclaim and inspired their Broadway musical Bright Star .
He won a country Grammy in 2002 for his collaboration with Earl Scruggs on Foggy Mountain Breakdown and two other Grammys in 1970s for his comedy recordings.
Further info - www.stevemartin.com
IMOGEN CLARK PIZZA AND CHAMPERS
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Prolific Sydney singer-songwriter Imogen Clark was liberated with pizza, champers and gal pals in her humorous video Drawing Hearts from her second album Collide.
The 22-year old drew a crowd to her art studio in the video directed by Jeremy Dylan - son of our late benefactor Rob Potts - who also directed her previous videos Collide, You'll Only Break My Heart and Take Me For A Ride.
The album was produced by Mark Lizotte, aka Diesel .
“As with a lot of the album, Mark and I recorded most of Collide live in the studio with our excellent drummer Lee Moloney,” Imogen, 22, revealed.
“I love the energetic, soulful vibe created when musicians record live. Mark's a truly brilliant producer who could hear things I never imagined but once they were added, it was as if they were always crying out to be there. I really enjoyed working with him on this song and the entire record.
Imogen has toured for five years with acts diverse as Shane Nicholson and Lizotte.
She also wrote two songs on Dragonfly - the 11th album by Kasey Chambers that earned her 27 th Golden Guitar in January.
Further info - http://www.imogenclark.com.au/
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 34th series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.
We have 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, Brad Paisley , Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for full details.