DAVE'S DIARY - 9/11/2020 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 12 - SERIES 45
ALECIA NUGENT HEADLINES NU COUNTRY TV
Louisiana bluegrass belle Alecia Nugent headlines Nu Country TV this Saturday November 14 at 9.30 pm on Channel 31/Digital 44.
Prolific hit writer Lori McKenna also returns to the show repeated Wednesday at 10.30 pm.
Former Commander Cody guitarist Bill Kirchen and fellow Texan Steve Stewart appear in a Behind Bars double shot on the program fronted by our multi-talented host Laith Graham.
Latter day Texan David Adam Byrnes debuts on the show with the return of Nundle singer-songwriter John Krsulja.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
ALECIA HONOURS HER DAD
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Louisiana bluegrass veteran Alecia Nugent recalls the love of her late musician father in her return.
Alecia, now 48, started as lead singer in his Southland Bluegrass Band in her teens.
The Hickory Grove native returned home from Nashville for 10 years to be with him before he died of cancer.
She performs an evocative video They Don't Make Them Like My Daddy Anymore from her Keith Stegall produced fourth album The Old Side of Town,
It was shot on a purpose-built, pared-down set filled with family photos and period props. The shots are tight and addition of an old hanging window adds a subdued theatrical feel to the piece.
Fresh Films producer Glenn Sweitzer wanted to keep it simple.
“I'm not even sure a concept video would have done the song justice,” he explained.
“I'd lost my mom four months before our meeting and I knew I wanted to be a part of this as soon as I heard the song. So, I created a set that felt like it was her dad's workroom, using rough wood on the walls, and kept the focus on Alecia to allow her emotions to shine through.”
The album also includes Tell Fort Worth I Said Hello and Way Too Young For Wings.
She wrote the latter about loss of her daughter's high school sweetheart.
The heart-breaking ballad offers a near-universal truth: we are all too young for wings.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Alecia revealed of her album that contains bluegrass and Texas music.
“It's a bit different for me and it is a little risky because you never want to split your audience. But the two songs are so different, and the Texas market is a world of its own, so I'm all for jumping in and seeing what flies.”
She recorded three albums for Rounder Records in the early 2000s, toured U.S. Switzerland, Italy , Scotland , Ireland , Germany , Austria , Netherlands and Canada
Her 10-year break from Nashville enabled her to raise her daughters in her home state.
“It almost doesn't feel real,” Nugent explained.
“I went home for a visit and didn't come back to Nashville for almost 10 years. But I am back, and so excited to share this new music with everyone.”
Further info - https://www.alecianugent.com/
LORI MCKENNA - THE BALLADEER
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ori McKenna, aged 51 and a mother of five children, is a true survivor and prolific hit writer.
McKenna has written hits for major artists diverse as singing actor Tim McGraw and expat Australasian superstar Keith Urban.
McKenna won Grammys for writing McGraw hit Humble & Kind and Little Big Town smash Girl Crush.
She and McGraw also wrote Gravity for the movie Free Solo about Alex Honnold's pursuit to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
The Massachusetts minstrel illustrates her life story in her video for The Balladeer - title track of her 14th album.
She also depicted her time travel in previous video Young And Angry Again - one of 11 songs on her Dave Cobb produced 12th album The Tree.
They included The Lot Behind St Marys and People Get Old - about her father.
A previous video The Bird & The Rifle was title of Lori's Cobb produced 11th album.
McKenna and Brandy Clark, 42, wrote Three Kids No Husband for Lori's eighth album Numbered Doors in 2014 after meeting a woman with five children and no husband.
It also appeared on Clark's second album Big Day In A Small Town and was inspired by a YouTube video Clark created to introduce Pray to Jesus from her 2013 album 12 Stories.
Lori and Texan troubadour Sunny Sweeney also wrote recent Sweeney hits Bottle By My Bed and Nothing Wrong With Texas.
Further info - http://www.lorimckenna.com/
BILL KIRCHEN WIELDS HAMMER OF THE HONKY TONK GODS
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Former Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen icon made the most of isolation in his latter day Texas hometown Austin.
Kirchen, now 72, calls his music Dieselbilly and has made 14 albums since his Commander Cody era.
Kirchen recorded with bands Too Much Fun and the Twang Bangers after a long career with Commander Cody from 1966.
He showed how his guitars are his musical weapons in his video for Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods - title track of his eight solo album in 2006.
“I just released a music video for my new single Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods ,” Kirchen revealed.
“It was made under lockdown with son-in-law videographer Kyle Sweeney at the Durham Compound here in town. We kept our distance, and everyone was masked except me during the shots where I sang.”
Kirchen recently released his 3-LP compendium The Proper Years.
“ The Truck Stop at the End of the World ,” my post-apocalyptic Dieselbilly epic is on my latest release,” Bill explained.
“I'm at home in West Oak Hill, Austin with my wife Louise and our good dog Chico ,” Bill revealed.
“There's enough room to spread out in a nice area with friendly neighbors and undeveloped for now field behind us for micro hikes. We go nowhere unless absolutely necessary.
“I spent at least half of the last 50 years on the road, so by far the biggest change is that I'm now home 24/7. The downside is similar for lots of folks: I lost my job, can't safely go out, etc. Can't get close to my family and friends, especially my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters who live nearby.”
But that's the high end of the new norm for so many people.
“The upside is that I seem to like being home. We've been married 46 years, and for all of a sudden being together full-time, we're doing pretty darn well. For sure, Louise and I lost some really sweet road trips to festivals in California , British Columbia , and more, but compared to the widespread deprivation, devastation, and death, we are grateful and know we are extremely lucky.
Further info - https://www.billkirchen.com/
DAVID ADAM BYRNES OLD SCHOOL
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Fellow latter day Texan David Adam Byrnes shows how to treat a lady in Lone Star state honky-tonks in his Nu Country debut.
"I just feel men need to get back to being a gentleman and treating women like ladies,” Byrnes revealed.
Byrnes left Arkansas at 19 in 2008 for Nashville where he worked as a song writer before moving west to Fort Worth .
He filmed his video for Old School from his latest album Neon Town that came out on October 2.
The album also includes Beer Bucket List, She Only Wanted Flowers, Signs and Tequila Salt and Time.
“I remember the general excitement of shooting my first music video in so long but I was also a little nervous,” Byrnes explained.
“Writing songs, recording them, and playing them live is easy and comes natural. Delivering a song on camera can be a little intimidating. The song is already kind of playful so I thought doing a music video would give the song an identity and deliver it the way I see it, not just hear it. I also thought it helped show a more playful side of my personality. As fun as the song is, I just feel men need to get back to being a gentleman and treating women like ladies. It's as simple as holding or opening the door, picking up the check, and having the overall manners that a man should have towards a woman. Some may call it Old School .”
Further info - https://www.davidadambyrnes.com/
JOHN KRSULJA KEEPS THE WORLD TURNING
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Nundle singer-songwriter, Dag Sheep Station host and Golden Guitarist John Krsulja returns with a powerful song of communication he wrote with Mornington Peninsula singer-songwriter Lachlan Bryan.
They illustrated it with Auslan - Australian Sign Language.
The World Keeps Turning On Its Own is on his second album Burden Of The Fool that came out on June 19.
He also appeared on Nu Country with People Revolution and Black To Blue - his tribute to late expat Scottish producer and singer-songwriter Karl Broadie and multi-instrumentalist Glen Hannah.
Broadie died from cancer at 44 on April 19, 2016 and collaborated with John K on his song The Busker on his debut album Travellin'.
Edinburgh born Karl moved to historic Nundle village near Tamworth with his family before he succumbed to his illness.
Nundle is where John lives at the DAG Sheep Station with wife Belinda and their two young daughters Brooke and Jade.
Black To Blue is the only track to feature Hannah on acoustic guitar as he took his life four weeks later.
Glen died on May 28, 2019 - a month after his wife Felicity's seventh CD Frozen Rabbit was released.
Black to Blue was produced and engineered by Glen - prolific producer-guitarist-graphic artist-photographer - and Matt Fell and recorded at Love Hz studio.
CLICK HERE for a John Krsulja interview-CD feature in The Diary on June 8.
STEVE STEWART ESCAPES FACEBOOK JAIL
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Texan singer-songwriter-satirist producer Steve Stewart returns with latest Dandemic parody.
He illustrates his latest video Facebook Jail with escapist dreams.
The Dallas artist ended up in prison in Behind Bars with his oft recorded tune I Wanted To Be A Lawyer But I Could Never Pass The Bar.
Steve is a regular guest on Behind Bars with topical hits Coronaville, Take This Mask And Shove It and Social Distancing with brother Don.
Stewart is a veteran singer-songwriter-musician-producer-arranger and mentor.
He plays over 150 shows each year at venues diverse as Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth and Grizzly Rose in Denver , NASCAR races, fairs and rodeos.
Further info - https://stevestewartmusic.com/
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support in Nu Country TV's 45th series with Australian record companies and major artists teaming to ensure our survival.
We have expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban's chart topping 12 th album The Speed Of Now - Part 1.
Also vintage BR5-49 CD Big Backyard Beat Show and Billy Ray Cyrus's historic 1992 album Some Gave All that features his Achy Breaky Heart hit.
You can join Watling & Bates as members and win their 13 track CD Small Town Tales and Kip Moore's third album Slowheart.
We also have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing your membership.
They include Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.