DAVE'S DIARY - 14 MAY 2024 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 11 - SERIES 59
TIM MCGRAW AND DRAKE MILLIGAN HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Singer-songwriter-actors Tim McGraw and Drake Milligan headline Nu Country TV at 6.30 pm on Saturday May 18.
Texan singer-songwriter Koe Wetzel and Grammy winning Oklahoma star Zach Bryan boomerang to the show filmed and produced by Laith Graham and repeated Saturday at 2.30 am.
Pennsylvania outlaws Adam And The Armadillos and Melbourne singer Sammi Palinkas debut Saturday with their new videos.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
This series is dedicated to late Nu Country TV host and treasurer Mid-Pacific Bob Olson and Vice President Rod Browne.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
TIM'S ONE BAD HABIT
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Louisiana born singing actor and treble Grammy winner Tim McGraw returns to our show with a sin or sorts.
Tim, now 57, says he was his female companion's only bad habit - not kicking footballs into the audience at Rod Laver Arena on his last Australian tour with former St Kilda captain and latter day Texan Nick Riewoldt.
He performs in his One Bad Habit video from his new EP Poet's Resume.
It follows his 17th album Standing Room Only and more than 12 movie and telemovie roles.
McGraw toured here three times with singing spouse actor Faith Hill who joined him on stage.
They have three daughters who also sing and act.
McGraw plays James Dutton on Yellowstone prequel 1883 and Faith plays Margaret Dutton.
Their characters are great-great-grandparents of Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton played by Kevin Costner and follow family's difficult journey West by wagon train from Texas to Montana where they establish Dutton Yellowstone Ranch - setting for the show.
McGraw's role involves a lot of horseback riding, shooting and other strenuous physical activity as well as emotional scenes with his family.
CLICK HERE for our latest interview with Tim in The Diary on April 29, 2019.
CLICK HERE for our concert review in our concert section on October 6, 2019.
DRAKE MILLIGAN HITS THE POOL TABLE
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Texan Drake Milligan returns to our show in the first of our pool table videos.
Drake, now 25, won fame playing Elvis Presley in the CMT series Sun Records.
He also starred in the Nobody movie where he portrayed a teen Elvis.
Drake won a large Australian following with his hits Don't Leave Me Loving You and I Got A Problem at the 2024 CMC Rocks Queensland festival at Ipswich in March.
Milligan appeared on finale of NBC America's Got Talent: Fantasy League to perform What I Couldn't Forget.
He also released Honky Tonkin' About with Canadian band The Reklaws and is touring with fellow Texan Cody Johnson after playing Billy Bob's in Fort Worth on New Year's Eve.
He debuted on our show with Gabi Butler on his EP title track Juke Box Songs And Bar Stool Beers.
This week he performs What I Can't Forget to promote Juke Box Songs And Bar Stool Beers that follows his debut album Dallas-Fort Worth and his short film Drake Milligan Girl Problems.
Drake won a large Australian following with his hits Don't Leave Me Loving You and I Got A Problem at the 2024 CMC Rocks Queensland festival at Ipswich in March.
Further info - https://www.drakemilligan.com/welcome/
ZACH BRYAN ALS0 PLAYS POOL
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First Grammy winning Oklahoma singer-songwriter and actor Zach Bryan reached back to his childhood in his latest video.
Zach, 28, combined pool skills with singing in 9 Ball on five song Boys Of Faith EP that followed his self-titled fifth album that topped Billboard.
Bryan also had acting roles in the Yellowstone TV series.
The Japan born former Naval officer previously fronted our show with Something In Orange from his 34 song #1 album American Heartbreak and Summertime Blues - his fourth album title track.
Bryan entertained fellow seamen before taking music full time after debut video Heading South filmed by phone in 95-degree heat outside his Navy barracks.
He followed with 2019 debut album DeAnn and 2020 disc Elisabeth.
DeAnn, dedicated to his late mother, and Elisabeth - an ode to those he loves - resonated with fans and accelerated his honorable Navy discharge in 2021.
“I wanted to be a writer,” Bryan revealed.
“I'm writing every morning when I wake up. Every night when I go to sleep, I write because it's just like how I deal with life. Just like people watch sports, just like people go golf, it's just something that comes naturally to me. It is beautiful to find that and get to do that, but I'd say that first 100 songs were terrible because I was just trying to figure out how to make poems and things that I've written into work that people could connect with through melodies.”
Further info - https://www.zachbryan.com/
KOE WETZEL EMULATES DAVID ALLAN COE
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Texan outlaw singer Koe Wetzel played gridiron and music at university but followed his mother into country singing.
Koe, now 31, borrowed his first name from fellow outlaw singer and five times wed ex-convict David Allan Coe.
His 2015 debut album was Out On Parole with Koe's Convicts.
He returns to our show with his Damn Near Normal video that follows his fifth album Hell Paso.
Wetzel was born in Pittsburgh - not Pennsylvania - but Camp County Texas.
Koe previously fronted our show with his April Showers, Drunk Driving and Good Die Young videos.
Koe, who debuted on stage with his singer mum at age of six, was a linebacker at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.
Out On Parole was followed by Noise Complaint in 2016 and 2019 album Harold Saul High.
Further info - https://koewetzelmusic.com/
ADAM AND THE ARMADILLOS
Pennsylvania outlaw trio Adam And The Armadillos hit the bars in their Nu Country TV debut.
They beefed up on bar stools and stages but the bucolic blonde belle decamped before they finished their set.
Singer-guitarist Adam Yarger is joined by drummer Brandon Deamer and bassist Alex Sterbenz in the band formed in 2022.
Yarger first met Deamer and Sterbenz through his wife, Lauren.
Deamer and Sterbenz were playing in another band and after a trip to Nashville, they started their band of its own.
Yarger was pursuing a solo music career and after moving back home from Nashville during the pandemic, he was ready to start anew.
“Our first gig together was actually an adult Easter egg hunt that was in the middle of the day. We thought if we don't do this then we might not ever do it,” Yarger revealed.
“We met with a little bit of luck, but Lauren was the one who brought us all together,” Sterbenz explained.
“We did some recording at first just to see what would happen. Then we thought, ‘OK, this doesn't suck. Maybe we have something.'”
Further info - https://adamandthearmadillos.com/
SAMMI PALINKAS GRAND FINALIST
Melbourne singer songwriter Sammi Palinkas lets her hair down as she closes our show.
Sammi performed the national anthem at the last two AWFL grand finals.
The singer, who debuted on stage aged three, was eleven when she appeared as Pepper in the Melbourne season of Annie at the Regent Theatre
Sammi filmed her Nu Country video Let Your Hair Down in Melbourne, Sydney and Nashville with her gal pals.
She is now recording her debut album with Rod McCormack.
“When Rod, Sally & I set out to write what would become Let Your Hair Down I wanted to create something that immediately put a smile on your face and empowered you to go and have some fun,” Sammi revealed.
“I am a big fan of conversational lyrics and so many times people have said to me “you work so hard and put a lot of pressure on yourself, don't forget to let your hair down once in a while”. I thought the timing for this song was right - we've all had a rough few years between the pandemic and the state of the economy coupled with the expected trials, tribulations, and pressures of life. It is so easy to get tied up in it all and lose sight of the bigger picture, and sometimes we need that reminder about the importance of balance between work and play. Musically we wanted to capture the storytelling typical of the country genre, with the influence of contemporary country Shania Twain and a bit of rock edge Bruce Springsteen.
Let Your Hair Down follows her singles You've Lived, Don't Blink and Meet In The Middle.
Further info - https://www.sammimusic.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 80, and son Shooter, 44.
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, Carrie Underwood and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.