DAVE'S DIARY - 4/3/ 2019 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 3 - SERIES 39
SHANE NICHOLSON HEADLINES NU COUNTRY TV
Prolific producer and singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson headlines Nu Country TV on Saturday March 9 at 9 30 pm on Channel 31/ Digital 44.
North Carolina born TV host Jim Lauderdale appears live in Behind Bars on the eve of the 12 th CMC Rocks Queensland festival on a show repeated Monday 7.30 am and Thursday 12 am
Texan Cody Johnson and South Carolina born Ruston Kelly return to the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Woodstock born singer Amy Helm and Knoxville Americana band The Black Lillies also debut.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
SHANE NICHOLSON GETS ANIMATED
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Shane Nicholson joins animated friends as his characters explore beaches, streets and humour in Even If Were You The One on his eighth album Flesh And Blood.
The lead character, clad as an alien, shares his joyous journey with canines, children and ice creams and a bucolic belle in his quirky clip.
Queensland born Shane explored humour in I Don't Dance - first single from his album that followed Hell Breaks Loose and two duet discs with former singing spouse Kasey Chambers.
It was filmed at Gosford City Bowl and directed by Duncan Toombs and Josh Favoloro at The Filmery.
Guest vocalists on the album are Nashville legend Buddy Miller, Josh Pyke, Andrew Swift, Fanny Lumsden and Imogen Clark.
Nicholson, 41, is a prolific producer at his Sound Hole studio at Copacabana beach on the NSW Central coast and has won nine Golden Guitars and five ARIA and APRA awards.
CLICK HERE for a Shane feature in The Diary on August 24, 2015.
JIM LAUDERDALE RESURRECTS HUMMINGBIRDS
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Jim Lauderdale performs a live version of 2002 album title track The Hummingbirds on the eve of his return to the 12th CMC Rocks Queensland festival in Ipswich from March 14.
He is joined by Casey Campbell, Sam Bush and Mike Compton on Music City Roots - one of the Americana radio shows he hosts in Nashville.
Lauderdale, 61, is touring to promote his 31st CD Time Flies.
Jim's dad was a Presbyterian minister and his mum a church organist in Troutman , North Carolina.
He also released Jim Lauderdale And Roland White - a collection of bluegrass classics recorded in Earl and Louise Scruggs' Nashville home basement in 1979 when Jim was 19.
The master tapes were missing for 39 years until rediscovered at the bottom of a box by White's wife.
"I wasn't able to get a deal for it at the time with my efforts,” Jim revealed.
“Several years later I thought the time was right and called Roland to get the masters.
"Roland said, 'I thought you had them.' We couldn't find them anywhere. A few months ago, as Roland was leaving the stage after sitting in with me at the Station Inn , he said, 'I think my wife found our tape at the bottom of a box.'"
Jim released a lyric video For Keeps - a co-write with emerging Americana star Logan Ledger and country legend Melba Montgomery, famed for classic duets with George Jones, like We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds .
The three generations of tunesmiths produced a song honouring the history of country music.
“Logan and I are both huge fans of Melba and I've been lucky enough to write with her over the years,” Jim recalled.
“When we all got together for the first time, the magic just flowed. Melba was talking about her late husband Jack and how when she met him they had this special thing and she just knew that is was for keeps. When she said that, I instantly knew it was a great hook for a real traditional country love song. I wanted to write a song that we could've pitched to George Jones. I really want to keep that real country sound alive.”
The song features harmonies from Third Man Records star Lillie Mae, brother Frank Rische and pedal steel from Russ Pahl.
CLICK HERE for a Lauderdale interview in the Diary on January 19, 2002.
CLICK HERE for a Lauderdale CD review in the Diary on December 14, 2006.
RUSTON KELLY SKATING ON THIN ICE
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South Carolina born singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly had help from a Nashville Predators ice skater Deme Khamken on his return.
Ruston , 30, proved he wasn't skating on thin ice in Son of A Highway Daughter on his second CD Dying Star.
Kelly started figure skating when he moved to Michigan as a child to live and train with an Olympic coach.
He began writing songs before he moved to Nashville at 17.
“I actually competitively skated when I was younger and even moved away from home to train when I was like 14,” Kelly revealed.
Kelly's video features him and Khamken who performs with the Preds Energy Team - on-ice cheerleaders for Nashville Predators hockey team.
They skate in near silhouettes as spotlights follow them across dimly lit ice in graceful cadence to Kelly's soaring song.
Son of a Highway Daughter is third track on Dying Star released on September 7.
Kelly's singing spouse Kacey Musgraves returns here for a tour that includes St Kilda Palais on May 14 with Canadian artist Bahamas .
CLICK HERE for our Kacey interview in The Diary on June 18.
Further info - https://www.rustonkelly.com/
CODY JOHNSON BEAT DETOURS FOR LOVE
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Former rodeo rider and prison guard Cody Johnson overcomes detours, mistake and hardship to find true love - his wife - on his return.
Cody, 31, performs his video On My Way To You from his seventh album Ain't Nothing To It.
Johnson followed his warder dad Carl into law enforcement at the infamous Huntsville prisons in south Texas.
Carl, also a guitarist, played on Cody's first two albums - Black and White Label and Live and Rocking at Shenanigans and Confetti's Club in Huntsville in 2007.
Cody released third album, Six Strings One Dream , in 2009 and fourth album, A Different Day , in 2011.
Johnson's fifth album Cowboy Like Me - the second produced by Trent Willmon - was released on January 14, 2014.
Further info - http://www.thecodyjohnsonband.com/home.php
AMY HELM WOODSTOCK LIGHT
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Amy Helm - daughter of the late Levon who made his name with The Band - debuts live in Behind Bars from New York City . Amy, 48, was born in the famed Woodstock area of New York State . She recorded with Levon, who played Loretta Lynn's father in the Coalminers Daughter movie, in his Barn Burners and Midnight Ramble bands Amy also released three CDS with her band Ollabelle. The Stones That I Throw is on her second solo CD This Too Shall Light. |
Levon was executive producer of Amy's debut 2013 solo CD Didn't It Rain.
He also played drums on the CD - his final session before he died at 71 on April 19, 2012, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
“He was the best teacher, in so many ways,” Amy said of Levon.
“He wasn't interested in overthinking anything; all he cared about was playing music. He saw himself as a working musician, and it was serious business, and it had to be right.
“Playing side by side with him in the Ramble band for 10 years, and building those shows with him, really changed the way I approached things and his humility influenced and shaped me as a musician, as it did everyone who played with him.”
Further info - http://www.amyhelm.com/
BLACK LILLIES HIGHWAY ROBBERY
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Knoxville Americana band The Black Lillies expose a highway robbery in Midnight Stranger from their fifth album Stranger To Me, recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville , North Carolina.
Their desperados packed a pistol and escaped with loot from their handcuffed victim and headed south to New Mexico to share their spoils.
They recorded first album Whiskey Angel in founder Cruz Contreras living room in 2009.
Further info - http://theblacklillies.com/
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 39th series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.
You can win Kip Moore's third album Slowheart , thanks to EMI promotions chief Dave Parker, 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 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.