DAVE'S DIARY - 21/2/2023 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 7 - SERIES 54
JAYNE DENHAM AND TROY KEMP HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Blue Mountains belle Jayne Denham and expat Kempsey born Golden Guitarist Troy Kemp headline Nu Country TV at 9 pm on Saturday February 25.
Acclaimed Australian video director and seven time Golden Guitarist Duncan Toombs and drummer vocalist Lozz Benson debut on the show repeated Sunday at 4.30 am.
El Paso singer-songwriter Valerie Ponzio, fellow Texans The Panhandlers and Rachel Stacey and Georgian Laura Ashley appear on 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/
JAYNE AND TROY BEAT CAR TROUBLE
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Blue Mountains mother trucker Jayne Denham and Golden Guitarist Troy Kemp overcome road trauma on an ocean road on their Nu Country return.
They perform their Car Trouble video that follows their Rainstorm video after Better Make It a Double and Better Settle Up from her fifth album Wanted, released August 13, 2022.
Troy, now 32, made three albums with Drew McAlister as McAlister Kemp before moving to Nashville.
The duo released their fourth album We Roll On that follows Kemp's solo album Against The Grain.
Jayne, 40, also fronted Nu Country with Highway Vagabond video after she pitched the title to songwriter mates Troy and Matt Scullion.
Troy fronted Nu Country with Narrabri raised Drew McAlister in their After The Breakdown video that joins Paid For Drinking Beer on their fourth album We Roll On out August 19, 2022, on ABC Music .
McAlister Kemp made their first national tour after a seven year hiatus in September.
Three-time Golden Guitar nominee Jayne shared bills with expat Kiwi superstar Keith Urban and performed major music-truck festivals and rodeos in Canada and U.S.
She also played CMC Rocks Queensland , Deni Ute Muster, Gympie Music Muster and Tamworth Country Festival.
CLICK HERE for a Jayne feature in the Diary on April 30, 2018.
CLICK HERE for an historic McAlister Kemp interview in the Diary on May 9, 2011.
DUNCAN AND LOZZ GET COMPLICATED
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West Gosford video ace Duncan Toombs and drummer vocalist Lozz Benson debut with one of seven songs Toombs wrote during covid.
Lozz has performed in bands for 15 years and toured with Paul Kelly, The Wiggles, Kate Ceberano and Marcia Hines.
She was mentored by Keith Urban as a Top 5 finalist on The Voice in 2021.
The duo's new single Complicated discusses life and how simple things can often become so complicated.
“Things seemed a lot simpler when I was a young fella,” Duncan revealed.
“I'd almost finished writing the song but asked Lozz to help me finish the words to the 3rd verse,” recalls Duncan . “I never set out to write a duet or a vocal collaboration but once I played and sang it through with Lozz in my studio there was no other way for the song to be delivered.”
They recorded Complicated at The Music Cellar with a band picked by Duncan and co-producers, Scott Bird and Rod McCormack.
“We deliberately left Complicated the last song to record over the 2 days of tracking,” Duncan added. “We knew we wanted to finish with a bang, and it didn't disappoint.”
Complicated is on Toombs debut album Steel On Steel .
Further info - https://duncantoombs.com/
VALERIE PONZIO DISCOVERS DESERT RAIN
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El Paso native Valerie Ponzio soaked up welcome desert rain on her Nu Country return after graduating from The Voice.
Valerie, 32, also fronted our show with Bordertown Girl that paid tribute to family and friends in El Paso where she joined her grandma at the church where her nanna wed her grandpa.
Desert Rain is on her debut EP Frontera.
"I feel really excited to share this part of my border town story and I'm even more excited to hear all the connections I'm already making with people who feel that same hometown pride and sentiment about where they're from."
Further info - https://www.valerieponzio.com/
LAURA ASHLEY TENNESSEE HONEY
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Georgian Laura Ashley sups on Tennessee Honey in her Nu Country return.
Ashley, now 31, met her beau Jordan at her best friend's wedding.
Laura began as an opera singer before graduating to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
She released debut album Lauren Ashley in 2011 and later became an award-winning DJ on 94.7 Today KTTS in Springfield , Missouri .
The singer, born Lauren-Ashley Redmond, performed in church and school talent shows before graduating from Flint River Academy to Georgia Southern University for 2010–2011 academic year.
She worked with producer Trey Roth of Black Cat Studio and cut her debut EP and toured with Matt Stell, Lindsay Ell, Carly Pearce, Danielle Bradbury and Jamie O'Neal,
Tennessee Honey is on her second album.
Further info - https://www.lauraashleymusic.com/
RACHEL STACY WISHING WELL
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Texan singer-songwriter Rachel Stacy acts out dreams of her grandpa when she finds a wishing well on her Nu Country debut.
It was a fitting reward for the Oklahoma born singer who overdosed during her drug and alcohol addiction that she recovered from 11 years ago.
Rachel transferred her passion into playing guitar, violin, singing and songwriting and released her debut album Full Circle in 2017 before meeting fellow Texan legend Ray Wylie Hubbard who wrote songs with her and produced her music and latest song video The Wishing Well.
She recorded with Ray at Zone Recording Studio outside Dripping Springs , Texas , in 2021 with tunes including The Ghost of Lishe Jackson, Take a Little Time, Trouble and The Night.
“Ray kind of mentored me early on when I got sober, but we didn't really reconnect until last year,” Rachel, now 32, revealed.
“In that time in between I was doing a lot of touring, and I had some other songs on the radio, including one called Boomerang in 2017 that did really well. But then we crossed paths again and Ray said, ‘Let's get in the studio and do that project we talked about doing together some day. I think it's time people learned the songwriter you really are.”
“My platform is not sobriety. My goal now is to try to inspire other people - especially women - to continue in their endeavors with music and art. My mission is all about wanting to be a good example: not just for younger artists just starting, but for ones at that age - my age - where society might be telling them, ‘You're too old for this, you need to quit.' Because no, you don't.”
Rachel toured with Dierks Bentley, Keith Anderson, Oak Ridge Boys, ZZ Top , George Thorogood, Larry Joe Taylor, Deryl Dodd, Jack Ingram, Phil Vassar, Kentucky Headhunters , Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jesse James Dupree, Alice in Chains and Big and Rich.
The Wishing Well is on her album Full Circle .
Further info - https://www.rachelstacy.com/
PANHANDLERS WEST TEXAS IN THEIR EYE
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Texan quartet The Panhandlers debut with their view of the Lone Star state.
The Panhandlers feature Josh Abbott, Flatland Cavalry icon Cleto Cordero, William Clark Green and John Baumann.
West Texas In My Eye is on the quartet's self-titled debut album produced by fellow Texan Bruce Robison.
"The sound is a sonic landscape right out of a hot afternoon in Lubbock, Texas,” Bauman revealed.
"It's loose and warm, the lyrical pictures are all like something off an old postcard, each one with its own story to tell with the backdrops being little vignettes of life on the south plains panhandle region of Texas.
"It's storytelling music,” says Cordero.
“The songs are vignettes of west Texas but when you put them together they make a mosaic.”
Producer Robison added “country music is for people with rough lives. That's what this album is all about. It aspires to be music that makes people feel better at the end of a rough week. It's one step away from the honky tonk and one step away from the rough house oil house.”
Further info - https://www.thepanhandlers.com/
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 79, and son Shooter, 43.
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 featuring Achy Breaky Heart.
We have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing memberships.
They include Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Kip Moore and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.