DAVE'S DIARY - 16 MAY 2022 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 12 - SERIES 51
TEXANS MAREN MORRIS AND BRI BAGWELL HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Texan singer-songwriters Maren Morris and Bri Bagwell headline Nu Country TV on Saturday May 28 at 9.30 pm.
Fellow Texans Triston Marez and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn duet on the show repeated Wednesdays at 11.30 pm.
Melbourne singer-songwriters Brendan McMahon and Andrew Swift and New York born Ruthie Collins boomerang to the program filmed and edited by our multi-talented lockdown producer-host Laith Graham.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
MAREN ACTS IN CIRCLES
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Maren Morris expanded her career from singing and songwriting to acting after she left Texas for Nashville.
The Grammy winner, now 32, appeared in NCIS New Orleans and Sesame Street while writing hits with singing spouse Ryan Hurd.
Maren relived her journey as she kept the pedal down in her vibrant video for Circles Around This Town that she penned with Hurd.
I could see the visuals for Circles Around This Town the moment I wrote the song, Maren revealed.
I've always been so inspired by the industrial, blown out colours of music videos from the 90s, so Harper Smith and I wanted the aesthetics of this video to reflect that grainy, devil-may-care attitude of all my female heroes from that era: Sheryl, Fiona, Alanis. Obviously having a penchant for the nostalgic we decided to recreate my teenage bedroom and pin old photos of me as a kid on the walls and have me typing on an old PC computer. I knew I didn't want to take anything too seriously in this video, so all our amplified signs of the universe are purposefully campy, but they also ask the viewer, is the universe actually showing you signs or do you just know when you need to make a real change?' Circles Around This Town is my story so I felt like I truly got to relive my journey from Texas to Nashville again.
It's on her sixth album Humble Guest released on March 25 and follows big selling disc Girl.
Morris began writing songs for her album at the start of the pandemic as a series of major life changes unfolded - motherhood, upended career and death of close friend and collaborator Michael Busbee.
The disc was produced by frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin and written with Hurd, Julia Michaels, Natalie Hemby, Jon Green, Veltz and Robbins on Busbee's piano.
CLICK HERE for a Morris feature in The Diary on June 18, 2016.
BRI BAGWELL SALUTES HEROES
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New Mexico born belle Bri Bagwell moved to Austin, Texas, at 18 to pursue her music.
Bri, now 34, lives south of Austin in New Braunfels .
The singer shows a large roster of musical mentors in her rollcall for her new Heroes video clip.
Heroes is on her third album In My Defence.
She also appeared on Nu Country with her live video Asphalt & Concrete in her Treehouse Sessions in Austin , Beer Pressure, I Can't Be Lonely and Half As Good.
The album was produced by Rachel Loy, and features co-writes with Courtney Patton and Jody Booth.
I am so proud of the record we have created no matter how cliched that sounds, Bagwell revealed.
I have put everything I have, and every dollar to my name creating this record for myself and my fans. I truly believe it's the best record I have released and the pressure I felt to create something great pushed me to the max. I embraced it. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.
Bri recorded an album and formed The Banned - a play on words from her song Banned from Santa Fe .
Further info - https://www.bribagwell.com/
TRISTON MAREZ SHARES NEON WITH RONNIE DUNN
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Houston honky-tonk hombre Triston Marez enlisted fellow Texan Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn for his Nu Country debut.
Triston mounted a bar stool while dancers flooded the floor.
Marez, now 25, grew up in Houston in a bluegrass loving family and began on guitar aged just six.
Where The Neon Lies is on Triston's self-titled album that features Day Drinking, Two Beers On A Bar, When She Calls Me Cowboy, Texas Swing, She's Had Enough Of Texas, Reasons To Stay Leave and Drink About Me.
It follows an EP.
Dunn, 68, released five solo albums after 12 albums with Brooks & Dunn who had 51 chart hits.
Further info - https://tristonmarezofficial.com/
CLICK HERE for a Brooks & Dunn feature in the Diary on March 22, 2009.
RUTHIE COLLINS EXPOSES HYPOCRITE BEHIND BARS
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Ruthie Collins exposes a cheating cad in her Behind Bars return.
Ruthie, now 38, left New York city for Boston en route to Nashville where she released 2017 debut album Get Drunk And Cry.
She didn't cry when she illustrated her vibrant video for latest hit Hypocrite from second album Cold Comfort.
The banjo playing singer also fronted Nu Country with videos for Bad Woman, Cold Comfort and Joshua Tree filmed in the Joshua Tree motel room where Gram Parsons died at 26 in 1973.
Further info - https://ruthiecollinsmusic.co
BRENDAN MCMAHON RETURNS HOME
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Ferny Creek singer-songwriter Brendan McMahon revisited one of his favourite childhood retreats on his return.
The South Australian stock and station agent's son climbed tracks to cliffs in Kapunda near the Barossa Valley where he and mates rode billy carts and bikes in their childhood and youth.
Brendan, now 58, chose Gosford national park cliffs as his surrogate Kapunda.
Duncan Toombs directed the Gundrys' Track video from Brendan's sixth album As the Road Unfolds set for release in winter.
He fronted Nu Country with his evocative video for maternal homage Mother from his fourth solo album In The Moment and I Am, inspired by his childhood wanderlust.
Brendan followed his music east to Rowville - not Nashville - where he wrote songs about a steer named Morris and an echidna who remains nameless.
CLICK HERE for an interview with Brendan in The Diary on December 9, 2019.
ANDREW SWIFT COURTS CALAMITY
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Berwick dual Golden Guitarist Andrew Swift returns with a video for a song he wrote with fellow Golden Guitarists The Wolfe Brothers - Nick and Tom.
Swift proves versatility working on caravan repairs at J V Marine in Seaford when not on the road again.
His latest video for Courting Calamity was produced by Bruce Dawson and Brett Harrison of Tribal Apes.
It's the fifth single off third album The Art Of Letting Go.
He also appeared on Nu Country with videos for Head Full Of Honey, Ball & Chain, Fire & Ice, Reckless Desires, Runaway Train and King Of The Sky - inspired by the death of his pilot uncle in a plane crash.
He won two 2019 Tamworth Golden Guitars in best new talent and alt country album and hosts caravan park tours with Kiewa Valley born singer-songwriter Gretta Ziller.
Further info - https://www.andrewswift.com.au/
WIN WAYLON, GEORGE JONES AND MERLE HAGGARD
Help us celebrate being Nu Country TV members and win albums by late Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Highwaymen by becoming a Nu Country member or renewing your membership.
George, Waylon, Merle and Willie Nelson were among country historian Barbara Dowling's favourite Texans.
The Waylon, Highwaymen , Merle and George discs were donated by Barbara who died at 77 in December, 2020.
She co-hosted Long In The Saddle in our Nu Country FM era and was pioneer Australian and Victorian country music awards judge.
Barbara was admired for rising above losing her sight as a young woman and her country passion with annual trips to Waylon's birthplace in Littlefield, West Texas.
Waylon died at 64 on February 13, 2002, and is survived by singing spouse Jessi, now 78, and son Shooter, 42.
WIN KEITH URBAN CDS ALSO
We have expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban's chart topping 12th album The Speed Of Now - Part 1.
Also BR5-49 CD Big Backyard Beat Show and Billy Ray Cyrus's historic 1992 album Some Gave All that features Achy Breaky Heart.
Join Watling & Bates as members and win their 13 track CD Small Town Tales.
We 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, Kip Moore and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.