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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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The Silverline support National Homelessness Week Sydney based duo The Silverline is supporting homeless Australians with the song Home Sweet Homeless.
The song has been gaining wide airplay since release and is currenty number six on the Country Songs Top 40 Airplay Chart. Further information on Homelessness Week 2020 can be obtained here. The video supporting Home Sweet Homeless can be viewed here. Weblink – thesilverline.net.au. Capella Concert Organisers of the Capella Country Music Festival – which had to be cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic – have organised a special Covid-19 Recovery Concert for Saturday August 15.
Country music legend Chad Morgan (pictured) will be the headline act, together with a support line-up including Tracy Coster (pictured), Terry Gordon (pictured), Dennis Morgan, Ian & Glennys Muir and Trevor Tolton. As well as bringing a smaller number of people together at a special event, the concert will also be the launch function for new albums by both Chad and Tracy. Tickets, limited in number because of restrictions, can be bought om-line via capellaentertainment.com.au. The re-scheduled main event will be staged from May 6 to 9, 2021.New from Jasmine Multi-award winning/singer songwriter Jasmine Rae released her latest album – Lion Side – on Friday.
Recorded in both Sydney and Nashville, Lion Side is described as "a culmination of several years of soul searching, rigorous and often tortuous self-assessment, indecision and the need to find greater inner-purpose and direction. "Ultimately, Jasmine has rediscovered that her true path to self-enlightenment is through her music," said a spokesman for the artist. Jasmine scheduled three limited-seat shows to launch the album... in Brisbane on Saturday night (July 25), Sydney last night (July 26) and Tamworth this coming Friday night (July 29). She will also perform at a one-off Live Stream Concert Event from Sydney’s Fox Studios from 7.30pm tomorrow night (July 28). Head to Jasmine’s Facebook for more information. Weblink – www.jasminerae.com. Cap News to return Australia's previously monthly country music magazine Country Music Capital News will return in September as a bimonthly publication. Issues will be published each year in September/October, November/December, January/February, March/April, May/June and July/August.
"We also return with an online presence through... a digital publishing platform. With the ever-increasing postage costs, in particular to our international readers, this option has the potential to grow readership around the world," Cheryl said. Current subscribers will automatically have their subscriptions extended and receive an automatic free option to access the the online publication. The returning publication, which will be under a slightly revised masthead – "Tamworth Country Music Capital News" – will have a number of new sections including "Country Picks" (for new single releases) and "Looking Back" (in the approach to the 50th Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2022). Weblink – capitalnews.com.au. Joe's pub changes hands Country Music Capital's legendary Joe Maguire's Pub has new owners.
According to a report in the Northern Daily Leader, the new owners say patrons can expect a revamped menu, a family-focused atmosphere and, of course, lots of live country music. The negotiated sale price was estimated to be around $2.5 million. Joe Maguire's was one of the earliest venues for country music in Tamworth and has been featured in a number of songs including a Stan Coster penned tune recorded by Slim Dusty. Weblink – www.joemaguirespub.com. New from Michelle NSW South Coast based singer/songwriter Michelle Cashman will release her debut album – All The Mountains I Must Climb – tomorrow.
Stemming from a series of acoustic videos Michelle recorded for her socials and Patreon supporters during coronavirus restrictions, Michelle said the setting meant the stories behind the songs became more prominent. “I had stories that I really needed to tell,” she said. “Sometimes when you take away all the bells and whistles and strip it back to how you wrote it originally, it gives the song more space to tell those stories.” All The Mountains I Must Climb was born when these series of acoustic songs came together, to tell of obstacles Michelle had overcome to reach this point. Like others in the arts, Michelle has had to get creative in ways to both involve her supporters in her music-making, and finance her projects, so jumped on board the Patreon platform. “Having patrons financed my studio time and the video editing and, over time, the manufacturing, artwork and all the elements of releasing an album – I wanted to create this for them,” she said. Weblink – www.michellecashman.com. Gretta joins ABC Melbourne singer/songwriter Gretta Ziller has signed to ABC Music for the release of her latest new works, including her new single – Unlikely Believer.
“We are thrilled to have Gretta join the ABC Music roster. We have been impressed by Gretta’s achievements over the last three years, she is such an accomplished singer and songwriter, and we are excited to work with her to take her music to an even wider audience." Unlikely Believer is descriobed as "an optimistic look at hardship" and is released today accompanied by a video featuring Gretta’s live band. “I wrote Unlikely Believer to remind myself that although I’ve been through a lot in life that it’s harder but so much more rewarding to keep believing in things, rather than dwelling on the hurt and hardship,” Gretta said. An Australian Music Prize nominee in 2018 for her debut album Queen Of Boomtown, Gretta was also nominated for The Age Music Victoria Awards and twice in the Golden Guitars. Photo: Brett Clarke. Weblink – grettaziller.com. Plans for Tamworth 2021 As previously reported, planning for the 2021 Tamworth Country Music Festival is under way as normal, despite the coronavirus crisis. Tamworth Regional Council Events Manager Barry Harley (pictured) said some of the "serious stuff" is now being locked in for the event, which is set to go ahead in January, accofding to a report in Country Music Capital's Northern Daily Leader.
"Organisers will abide by whatever restrictions COVID-19 throws at them, and are planning for a range of different outcomes." "Scenario one," Barry said, what he is crossing his fingers for, "is a fairly normal festival. "Scenario two is a modification of outdoor events where crowd control is more difficult; and scenario three will see the event adapted to stricter health orders." He said the saving grace of the Festival was that about 95 per cent of the acts are venue-based and indoors, meaning social distancing can be managed. The first ticket launch for shows at places like the Town Hall is set down for early September, and "a massive marketing campaign" is set to kick off about the same time. But Barry said he didn't think drawing crowds would be a problem. "Something like 70 percent of visitors are regular Tamworth visitors and we've been successful in attracting about 30 percent newcomers every year... so we know there is a big bunch of people that want to come to Tamworth. "Because of international travel restrictions, there could even be a whole bunch of bucket-listers out there that are looking at coming to Tamworth. "If the festival goes ahead in its full glory, it will be probably the first time in 12 months artists have connected with their fans on that scale. "Pretty much every act is looking to Tamworth as the signal that everything is back to a new normal," Barry said. Venues and council are in the process of confirming artist appearances now. Weblink – www.tcmf.com.au. Kasey and Jimmy cover Black Bess
The original Cannot Buy My Soul was released in 2007. It featured Carmody songs by Bernard Fanning, John Butler Trio, Steve Kilbey, Clare Bowditch, Paul Kelly and The Waifs. Artists on the record include Claire Bowditch (Blood Red Rose), Troy Cassar-Daley (On The Wire), Pigram Bros (Eulogy For A Black Person), Archie Roach (Cannot Buy My Soul) and Sara Storer (Moonstruck) as well as Kev himself. The album will be released on Friday August 21. The Kasey/Jimmy version of Black Bess is at radio now. Weblink – www.kevcarmody.com.au. Deni 2020 cancelled This year's Deni Ute Muster, which was to be held October 2 and 3, has been cancelled.
"Due to the current COVID-19 outbreaks and the evolving situation, and after consultation with government and health officials, it is not possible to predict what will happen in the coming months and we must make the health and safety of our patrons and staff our top priority." Tickets for the event, including reserved camping tickets, will be automatically valid for the 2021 Muster to be held on October 1 and 2, 2021, for those wanting to retain their tickets. Those unable to attend the rescheduled date may request a refund from Oztix by visiting this link: forms.oztix.com.au/RefundRequest. Refund requests are available from now until September 30, 2020. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience and support and will continue to respond to questions on our social media accounts as we begin to move forward and plan for 2021." Weblink – www.deniutemuster.com.au. New live music council launched A new industry body – the Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC) – has been launched to represent the interests of small to medium music companies.
“These businesses are the real engine room of the live music economy,” interim chair Stephen Wade said. “COVID has shown just how important a collective approach is in times of crisis and the Australian Live Music Business Council fills that gap, providing for the first time, a platform to help galvanise our passion to work in this amazing industry," he said. The ALMBC would feed into and support the initiatives of other organisations by creating a collective voice for the specific needs of the sector. The extension of JobKeeper beyond September and whether its members can get insurance for live shows when they return were top priorities in its ledger. The council is waiving joining fees for an initial six month period. Weblink – almbc.org.au. AIR Awards finalists Finalists have been announced for the 2020 AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) Awards. In the Country category, Album or EP, finalists are… Backroad Nation by Lee Kernaghan, Frozen Rabbit by Felicity Urquhart, More To Enjoy by Cool Sounds, Purple Sky by Lucky Oceans and Snowpine by Charlie Collins.
Finalists for Best Blues & Roots Album or EP are… Crushing by Julia Jacklin, Dyson Stringer Cloher (self titled), Flow by Bobby Alu, Live At The Sydney Opera House by Paul Kelly and Run Home Slow by The Teskey Brothers. The Awards will be staged in conjunction with AIR’s Indie-Con Australia conference in the Freemasons Hall, Adelaide on Thursday October 1. If COVID-19 restrictions prevent a face-to-face event from taking place, they will be broadcast in digital form. Held across two days – Thursday and Friday October 1 and 2, details of speakers and program will be announced in coming months. If COVID-19 restrictions prevent a face-to-face event from taking place, the conference will be broadcast in digital form. The conference provides the music industry both nationally and locally an opportunity to come together to support each other through challenging times. The AIR Awards recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector. More than 150 individual Awards have been presented to date. This will, be the 14th annual presentation of AIR Awards. Weblink – www.air.org.au/awards. Hats Off this weekend Artists have been announced for this week's Hats Off To Country Festival from Tamworth, Australia's Country Music Capital.
Artists will include, just to name a few, Casey Barnes, Kevin Bennett, Catherine Britt, Lachlan Bryan, Katrina Burgoyne, Ian Burns, Lindsay Butler, Darren Coggan, Kristy Cox, Cameron Daddo, Ashleigh Dallas, Darlinghurst, Pete Denahy, Melanie Dyer, Camille & Stuie French, Adam Harvey, Buddy Knox, Shaza Leigh, Travis List, Lawrie Minson, The New Graces, Blake O'Connor, Luke O'Shea, Ben Ransom, Matt Scullion, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Aleyce Simmonds, Simply Bushed, Andrew Swift, The Viper Creek Band, Sammy White and Sally-Anne Whitten. Access to performances will be via the Hats Off To Country Facebook page. "Follow us on our social media and tag your social media uploads," organisers say. “'Like' our Facebook page and view the artists photos and bios at the website. Online visitors will be ablt to interact on social media via the hashtag #HatsOff2020 and @HatsOffToCountry comment on Facebook posts. Fans also have the opportunity to get involved by hosting a "watch party" either at home (where permitted) or via Zoom. "The 21st Hats Off To Country festival is a great time to connect," organisers say. "We'd love to see how you and your friends get creative to join in so please share what you're up to and tag us @HatsOffToCountry." The full four day program can be viewed here. During the festival, some artists will provide a link to a "tip jar” or an online fundraiser. "All artists are happy for you to watch them for free but your 'tip' will be welcomed," organisers say. Applications open for Country Halls Tour Applications have opened for the next round of Fanny Lumsden's Country Halls Tour.
Started originally with no intent to go past the first three events, the shows have developed up to full production, full band events. Shows feature local acts, a main support and then Fanny Lumsden & the Prawn Stars). Catering is provided by a local club. And we have "a bloody good time," Fanny said. Applications can be made here for local communities to host a Country Halls Tour show, anywhere in Australia, New Zealand (or elsewhere). Although this is titled the "2021 season" shows will kick off in November, pandemic restrictions allowing. Weblink – www.fannylumsden.net. Voting opens for 2021 People's Choice Awards Voting has opened for the 2021 Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards.
Award winners will be announced in Tamworth, Australia's Country Music Capital, on Thursday, January 21. Assuming the annual country music festival goes ahead – and indicators point to this happening – the Awards will be announced at a gala awards concert. A total of 10 awards are up for grabs... Best Female Vocal, Best Male, Best Group or Duo, Best Album, Best Song, Best Bush Ballad, Best Video and Most Promising Future Star, together with the radio awards Most Popular Country Music DJ and Most Popular Country Music Program or Radio Station. Voting is restricted to one vote per person. The Australian Country Music Peoples Choice Awards celebrate 22 years this January and are understood to now be the only Awards in Australian country music (possibly the world) that do not restrict voting to a pre-determined list of finalists. "Every individual has their favourites and when voting in a popularity based awards scheme like ours, it is only fair that people can vote for whoever they like, not forced to choose between somebody else's favourites," said Awards organiser Bob Kirchner. "All members of the public can be involved in our awards, which don't pretend to be industry focused like the Golden Guitars, for example, which are determined by peer vote." The People's Choice Awards are presented by sponsors including Capital Country Radio. |
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Next week is National Homelessness Week 2020 and the duo takes the opportunity to remind members of the public that all proceeds from the sale and streaming of the Homelessness song go directly to Mission Australia and the Exodus Foundation.
The concert, which can be held under current restrictions, will be at the Capella Cultural Centre from 6:30 on the day.
"I took a long time to make this album," Jasmine said, "but ultimately I simply had to do it. Music has always been my way of thinking out loud and figuring things out. Writing and performing allows me to express those feelings… to be dramatic… be loud or be fragile… be emotional… and be real." 
"It’s so important for the country music industry that we continue publishing during these times," said Managing Editor Cheryl Brown.
Run since 2004 by the Cannon family, the hotel has been bought by an Ashton Waugh-led syndicate which also owns another of Tamworth's famous hotels The Tudor.
The album is described as "an acoustic album of songs that delve deep into Michelle's life experiences and emotions in a raw and honest fashion that only an acoustic setting can offer them".
Head of ABC Music & Events Natalie Waller said the label was excited to welcome Gretta to the imprint.
"Whatever happens, no matter what the restrictions are, I'd nearly bet that there will be some music, some venues and some fans in Tamworth ... because of the institutionalised nature of it," he told the Leader.
Kasey Chambers and Jimmy Barnes are two of a number of well known acts to feature on a new, expanded Kev Carmody tribute album Cannot Buy My Soul, with their version of Black Bess.
"Despite our very best efforts to continue with planning for our 22nd event, we are saddened to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Deni Ute Muster," organisers said.
The Council will represent the interests of small to medium Australian music enterprises and the thousands of live music jobs they underpin - from booking agents and managers, venues and promoters, through to ticketing companies, poster companies, media, publicists, food vendors, security, music technicians, roadies and many more.
The Festival, which is being held on-line, will feature more than 70 individual acts from Thursday (July 9) to Sunday (July 12). The on-line schedule runs from 7 to 9pm on Thursday, 5:30 to 10pm on Friday, 9am to 10pm Saturday and 9am to 6pm Sunday.
Since launching in 2012 with three halls in the NSW Riverina (Boree Creek, Ganmain and Tallimba) as a fundraiser for Blazeaid, Fanny's touring party have played in 130 halls throughout regional (and some metro and remote) areas of Australia.
Voting is via the website 
