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This website brings you the latest Australian country music news. News releases can be sent to news@countrymusicbulletin.com.au |
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 Mildura kicks off this Friday
Thousands of country music fans from all over Australia will converge on the Victorian regional city for the event. More than 80 artists will perform at 26 venues in Mildura and district during the 10 days of the Festival. Hailed as Australia’s biggest showcase of independent entertainers, the Mildura Festival celebrates a seemingly unending cast of highly talented professional country music artists, who aren’t signed to major record label deals. This year will see 22 artists – many new and rising stars – that were not at the festival last year including the likes of Connie Kis Andersen, Kylie Castle, Aly Cook, Don Costa, Tracy Coster, Rachael Fahim, Angus Gill, Marie Hodson, John Krsulja, Hayley Marsten, Laurie Muggleton, Becci Nethery, John O’Dea, Dean Perrett, Taylor Pfeiffer, Dave Prior, Anita Ree, Melissa Robertson, The Long & Short Of It, Gina Timms and Chooka Williams.
Returning stars acts will include Allan Caswell, Stephen R Cheney, Tracy Coster, Dale Duncan, Johanna Hemara, Sandra Humphries, Tom Maxwell, NeillyRich, Steve Passfield, Reg Poole, Aleyce Simmonds, Justin Standley and Rodney Vincent. The jewel in the crown of the Festival is the live concert and radio presentation of Southern Stars – the Australian Independent country Music Awards which recognises the achievements of Australian independent recording artists. The Awards will be staged on Saturday October 7. Weblink – milduracountrymusic.com.au. Photo shows (from left): Tracy Coster, Rachael Fahim, Steve Passfield and Reg Poole. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 Golden Guitar nominations close October 1 Nominations for the 46th Country Music Awards of Australia (Golden Guitar Awards) will close at 5pm on Sunday October 1.
Nominees can gain more information and enter on-line via the CMAA website www.country.com.au. The CMAA recommends to nominees that they download and thoroughly read the Awards Nomination Handbook before completing nominations The Handbook can be accessed here Any questions relating to rules, eligibility, or how to nominate in the Awards can be directed to email info@country.com.au or telephone 02 6766 1577 during business hours. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 50th Parkes Jamboree Next weekend, the Parkes & District Country Music Association will stage its 50th annual Country Music Jamboree (as it was originally known).
A guest band – Footloose Country from the Newcastle region – features Ken and Jo Foote who have both been major winners at Parkes. Now known as the Central West Country Music Awards Talent Quest, the main event will be held on Saturday (30th) with the awards and presentations and concert to be held on Saturday night. On the Sunday, a 50th Anniversary Reunion will be held with an invitation extended to all former committee, organisers, band members, contestants, judges, comperes, volunteers, guest artists, sponsors, audience member, radio announcers, "and anyone else interested" to attend." The anniversary weekend will feature guest speakers, a guest artist, guest performers, memorabilia displays, morning tea, luncheon, tea and coffee and, of course, a 50th anniversary cake. Visit the Festival's facebook page here. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 Nats leave hats on for skin cancer prevention Federal Nationals MPs and Senators have compiled an irreverent video clip to support the new "Leave Your Hat On" campaign which aims to raise greater awareness of melanoma prevention, treatment and to raise funds. The North Queensland Register reported that other celebrities had backed the national promotion running this month including Lee Kernaghan and Australian cricket star opening batsman David Warner.
Darren was the brainchild behind the short and cocky video clip promotion and says it’s all for a good cause. "It's all meant to be a bit of fun with my Nationals colleagues but at the same time we want to highlight an important health issue in regional areas," he said. "Too many country people die from skin cancer or have serious health issues and we want to encourage everyone to take precautionary measure like wearing a hat. "I want to congratulate the Melanoma Institute for the 'Leave Your Hat On' campaign and urge everyone to make a donation, large or small, to support research and awareness of this disease." Nationals leader and Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce also makes a tongue in cheek contribution in the video promotion and also leaves a poignant message about his own personal experiences with melanoma and the importance of wearing a hat. "You might think the hat looks a bit silly but I can tell you, when they start cutting bits of your body off – if they cut your nose off or your ear off to get rid of the cancer – that looks even sillier." he said. The incidence of new cases of melanoma is higher in regional areas than in major cities, with farmers more likely to die of skin cancer than any other group, with a 60 percent higher death rate. Farmers 65 and over are twice as likely to die of skin cancer than other Australians. "Leave Your Hat On" is a new national campaign to raise awareness and much-needed funds for early detection and treatment research on melanoma which one Australian dies of every five hours and kills more 20-39-year old Australians than any other cancer. According to the campaign material, almost 14,000 Australians are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma. “The good news is that if melanoma is identified at an early stage, simple treatment can often result in a complete cure,” it says.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 Vale – Maureen Gordon
Together with her husband Greg and his brother Terry Gordon, Maureen was part of the small group that started the Bungendore Muster. Greg predeceseased Maureen in December 2004. A life member of the Bungendore Country Music Muster Committee, Maureen is survived by children Bev and Brian and also brother-in-law Terry and their families. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 Tamworth gears up for January festival With a little over a 100 days to go until the 2018 Tamworth Country Music Festival, planning is in full swing with organisers gearing up for an event to remember. The city's Northern Daily Leader reports that ticket sales have already increased from this time last year with even more shows yet to be announced for the 46th event. According to Festival Manager Barry Harley, the planning ramped up last month and it’s all looking positive for January. "Preparation is always constant, it sounds a bit trite but you do finish one festival and start the next," he said.
Photo: Lee Kernaghan, Sara Storer and John Williamson, just three of the leading Australian country stars with shows at Tamworth 2018. "It’s important to get those big events and those ticketed events covered because without them the A-listers don’t come, so we do a lot of support marketing for those groups regardless of what venue they’re at. "Our philosophy is to market the entire festival which includes all the other venues and contributing stakeholders," Barry said. "An important part of the festival also is about 75 percent of the events are free and we don’t want to just send the picture that we’ve got all the big ticketed items, there are opportunities across those 2800 events that a lot of them are going to be free." Recent feedback had seen growing interest among families and younger demographics to the festival, he said. "Some of the points of emphasis for us in our marketing are a result of the surveys we conduct over the years through destination NSW, we take that information very seriously." Events on sale now are for venues like the Capitol Theatre, Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre (TRECC) and West Tamworth League Club for major stars including Troy Cassar-Daley, Graeme Connors, Adam Harvey, Lee Kernaghan, Amber Lawrence, The McClymonts, Melinda Schneider, Sara Storer and John Williamson. Artists including Melissa Bajric, Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart, Carter & Carter, Darren Coggan, Travis Collins, Paul Costa, Kristy Cox, Adam Eckersley Band, Hurricane Fall, Kaylens Rain, Christie Lamb, Fanny Lumsden, The Pigs, Shane Nicholson and the Viper Crek Band also have shows currently with tickets on sale. Weblinks – www.tcmf.com.au, wtlc.com.au. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 New from Drew Drew McAlister has released the title track from his upcoming new album Coming Your Way which is due out at the end of this month. Drew enlisted the help of Los Ageles and Sydney-based producer, Andy Mak from Grove Studios to, in his wordsm, "achieve a progressive, modern country sound" with the new work.
Coming Your Way the single is described as "one of those anthemic tunes that is sure to connect and inspire everyone that wants to look brightly into the future". "This is a song I wrote on my own," Drew said, "which isn’t something I do very often. I love the message in this song. It’s for anyone who’s trying to stay afloat, doing it tough and near the end of his or her tether. "I know plenty of friends and people who are going though struggles or coming out of it. I know it’s called life but I wanted to salute the silent majority who don’t complain and just get on with their struggle," he said. Coming Your Way the album follows Drew's second solo outing and ABC music debut Black Sky and the number one country album with his country superstar mates in Adam Brand & The Outlaws. Drew has built a solid career that has already seen him nominated for an ARIA Award and win a Golden Guitar. Weblink – www.drewmcalistermusic.com. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Manjimup blues... Bluegrass musicians will descend on Manjimup, Western Australia, to host workshops, instrument tuition and jam sessions later this month. The Manjimup-Bridgetown Times reports that the Manjimup Bluegrass JamCamp Weekend – a three-day event providing musicians the opportunity to learn from some of Australia’s finest bluegrass musicians, including Ian Simpson (pictured) and Donal Baylor – will run from Friday September 22 to Monday September 25.
A concert for participants is planned for Sunday night. All the music action will take place in the Manjimup central business district with several venues all within walking distance of each other. Organiser Mary Nixon said there was also a variety of entertainment available to those not enrolled in the JamCamp, including the Friday night tutors concert and the Saturday night bush dance featuring Shortgrass Bluegrass Band. "It's a very community orientated event," she said. "It's all about getting together to dance, sing, jam and make friends. Manjimup is really starting to get a reputation for becoming the centre of Bluegrass music in WA." Ian Simpson is best known as one of Australia’s most accomplished Banjo players, winning the Australian National Banjo Championships at Tamworth in 1983, 1986 and 1987. He has supported high-profile Australian entertainers such as Paul Kelly, Anne Kirkpatrick and Keith Urban and played on more than 20 of Slim Dusty’s albums. The JamCamp weekend is presented by the Warren Arts Council. Weblink – www.manjimupbluegrass.com. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 Americana awards Record producer Nash Chambers and music promoter Michael Chugg have teamed up with the Americana Music Association to present an Americana Honours Night in Melbourne next month.
Australian country star Kasey Chambers and festival promoter Brian BT Taranto will receive honours on the night at the Thornbury Theatre on Monday October 2. Kasey and "BT" – who founded the Out On The Weekend Festival, to be held again this year on Saturday October 14 at Williamstown, Victoria – will both receive the inaugural Americana Vanguard Award. Guest artists on the night will include Emily Barker, Ruby Boots, Catherine Britt, Busby Marou, Kasey, Bernard Fanning, Shane Howard, Valerie June, Jordie Lane & The Sleepers, the Old Crow Medicine Show, Henry Wagons and Kevin Welch. Weblink here. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 Vale – Don Williams Award winning American country singer/songwriter Don Williams has died at age 78 from emphysema. Don began his solo career in 1971 singing popular ballads and amassing 17 number one country hits. He was inducted into America's Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
In December 1971, he signed on as a songwriter for Jack Clement and in 1972, with JMI Records as a solo country artist. His 1974 song We Should Be Together reached number five, and he signed with ABC/Dot Records. His more well-known global country hits included I Believe In You, I Recall A Gypsy Woman and You're My Best Friend. Don also had some minor roles in Burt Reybnolds movies including Smokey And The Bandit II. In March last year, Don announced he was retiring from touring and cancelled all his scheduled shows. "It's time to hang my hat up and enjoy some quiet time at home. I'm so thankful for my fans, my friends and my family for their everlasting love and support," he said in a statement at the time. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 Jonny signs with Red Rebel
“Jonny is one of the most talented, interesting and hard working artists I’ve ever met and I am excited to be working with him for the next chapter of his career," said Red Rebel's Karen Waters. Following the signing, Jonny said: "I can’t describe how stoked I am to be working with Red Rebel Music. It’s exciting to begin a new album cycle with an awesome team of people who believe in the music first and foremost, and understand the importance of an artist’s individuality. Karen Waters thinks outside the square which is exactly what I need for this album, so I’m pumped for the next phase." Following a standing ovation on Australia’s Got Talent in 2012, Jonny has gone from strength to strength. Weblink – jonnytaylormusic.com. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 Trundle Bush Tucker Day success The original camp oven/bush cooking festival in the NSW Central West region has celebrated another successful staging of its annual event. The 31st Trundle Bush Tucker Day was held last Saturday in ideal spring conditions, according to a report in the Parkes Champion-Post.
"Those numbers are 15 percent up on previous years, the campgrounds were filled with caravans," she said. There was plenty of entertainment throughout the entire day. "Ranger Nick's camp oven cooking demonstrations were very popular," Jo-Anne said. "He’s known as the guru of camp oven cooking. Whip cracker Stewart Bryant was also a huge crowd pleaser, as were our regular bushie relays, dog jumping and sheep shearing." Children enjoyed the free kids corner with jumping castle, gold panning and kids activity table. The Trundle Central School Band, St Pats School, singer Sophie Edwards, and the Em & Gerry band kept crowds entertained during the day. "Australian country music sweetheart Beccy Cole was our headline act in the evening followed by Jess Holland 'n' 35%. Everyone had a fantastic night," Jo-Anne said. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 Star Maker entries open Entry has opened for the 39th Toyota Star Maker quest. Australia’s longest running search for a new country music star, Star Maker has been a crucial launching pad for some of our biggest country music stars including James Blundell, Beccy Cole, Lee Kernaghan and Keith Urban.
"Toyota Star Maker has a responsibility to deliver a new winner who is not only the 'next big thing' but who also becomes an automatic ambassador for the Australian country music industry. "We want someone who is already making a considerable impact in country music, who has the country music x-factor, is driven and articulate, motivated and talented and someone who 'lives' country music," she said. "Entrants should already be working the scene and have basic business knowledge and prepared to work with a team with nearly 40 year’s experience. "Toyota’s commitment to Star Maker is inspiring both finalists and, in particular, the annual winner, their passion to progress, setting the benchmark in showcasing Australian country music's best new talent. Entry can be made via the website www.starmaker.com.au. Further information, including entry detail, can be obtained by telephoning 02 6767 5050 ot by emailing info@starmaker.com.au. |  |
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The Mildura Country Music Festival will celebrate its 31st year from this Friday (September 29) running through to the following Sunday (October 8).
Organised by the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA), the 2018 gala awards presentation will be staged by Tamworth Regional Council in the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre on Saturday, January 27.
The special anniversary weekend will kick off with a concert on Friday night (29th) featuring some of the past major winners from the talent search including last year's outstanding achiever Pete Armstrong.
But the Nationals’ cheeky contribution – especially Transport Minister and Victorian MP Darren Chester in the never to be unseen, closing scene – moving to the tune of Joe Cocker’s iconic You Can Leave Your Hat On, is sure to set political tongues wagging.
"We aimed our marketing to start with intensity in August, which is a month earlier than normal, and we launched that with our first round of ticketed events.
The McClymonts' latest album – Endless – was produced by Andy who has also worked with stars including Tina Arena in the pop market.
The weekend will start with a tutors’ concert on Friday night, then workshops all day Saturday and Sunday and Monday morning.
Americana is described as the current name for "alt country" taking in elements of "country rock" and "roots music".
Prior to forming the folk-pop group Poco-Seco Singers, which he stayed with until 1969, Don served in the United States Army for two years.
Red Rebel Music has announced the signing of Western Australian singer/songwriter and Star Maker finalist Jonny Taylor.
Committee Secretary Jo-Anne Clarke said more than 2000 people went along to enjoy all that was on offer. 
"In 2018, competition will be as tough as ever with former winners setting strong examples of what is possible when committed to a career in the country music industry," according to Co-ordinator Cheryl Byrnes.