Tag: country music

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Meatstock Expands Events for 2023

If you love meat, country music, and a whole lot of fun, you’re going to want a ticket to Meatstock. Fresh from a sell-out event in Jagera, Giabal and Jarowair Country/Toowoomba last year, Meatstock is expanding with Naarm/Melbourne and Eora/Sydney dates complementing the original.

The musical lineup varies in each city, but includes talents like Casey Barnes, Kingswood, Brad Cox, and Grinspoon. You won’t leave hungry, with plenty of BBQ pitmasters and food trucks on hand. As if that wasn’t enough, there’ll also be professional bull-riding and strong man and woman competitions.

Each event has day and weekend passes available. Queenslanders can also stay on site with camping and RV options. Tickets are on sale now but selling fast, so get onto it!

18-19 March 2023 – Melbourne Showgrounds, Naarm/Melbourne
14-15 April 2023 – Toowoomba Showgrounds, Jagera, Giabal and Jarowair Country/Toowoomba
5-7 May 2023 – Sydney Showgrounds @ Olympic Park, Eora/Sydney

Image used with permission from UMM

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Duke Wilde Band Making Waves

It’s been a while since I featured any country music around here. But when the country’s national country music rag Country Update Magazine calls an act “the most exciting new band in Australian country music,” I figured I’d better give them a listen. That band is The Duke Wilde Band.

The band hails from Queensland, but their new single “The Band Plays” has a real Southern Americana feel to it. It’s the sort of song you’d expect to hear in a rough bar in redneck America. It’d be the tune near the end of the night that makes the punters forget about their beers for a moment as they raise their cigarette lighters and sway.

If you like this song, you’ll be happy to know there’s more where that came from. The lads are currently demoing some new tunes for their second album. Their self-titled debut was only launched in January, but this Queensland country act clearly aren’t resting on their laurels!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Kelsie Rimmer

Kelsie Rimmer is on the path to country super stardom after taking out the Brisbane heat of this year’s Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. I caught up with the 18-year-old from Palmwoods today to chat about the competition, her love for country music, and why she’s heading to “Boot Camp.”

Congratulations on winning the Brisbane heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth on the weekend.
Thank you very much.

What was it like to be a part of the competition?
It was really, really great. I got to meet so many talented performers and lots of industry professionals as well. It was just really great to be up on stage singing and performing, which is what I love doing.

What made you decide to enter?
I have been a singer-songwriter for a long time, and I realised that it’s really what I want to pursue as a career so I’ve just been entering lots of competitions actually. But I know that country music is my calling, and I know that Tamworth is the country music capital, so I feel really privileged to be a part of it.

At 18 you would be one of the younger competitors. Was it daunting taking on some of the more seasoned performers?
Well actually, it was pretty daunting because we’d all practiced together and I’d heard them all singing and playing their guitars and stuff, and they all sounded amazing. But I kind of just went into the competition with the attitude that I was just going to get up there and be myself, and if that worked out well then it did, and if it didn’t it didn’t. So I actually wasn’t very nervous at all, just because I wasn’t expecting anything.

Was the crowd one of the biggest you’ve performed to?
No actually, even though it was the Ekka, I expected it’d be much bigger. I’ve performed in a few musicals and stuff which have had huge crowds, so the crowd wasn’t the most daunting part. It was mostly the competition part.

Continue reading “Q & A with Kelsie Rimmer” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Telstra Road to Tamworth Paves Way for Country Music’s Next Stars

The inaugural Telstra Road to Tamworth is winding its way around Australia, and there’s still time to get involved. This exciting initiative helped to launch the careers of Kirsty Lee Akers, Luke Webb, and even Jessica Mauboy. This year’s competition has just kicked off in the Northern Territory, and will make stops in all other states and territories before the year is out.

The competition is open to undiscovered country singers and songwriters around the country who are Telstra customers, or who have family that are. The lucky winners will get some great opportunities, including the chance to rub shoulders with a veritable who’s who of the country music industry, perform here in Oz and abroad, and get into a studio to lay their tracks down.

These sort of competitions provide such great exposure and experience. If you’ve always thought about entering, why not make this your year? Head to the Telstra website to learn what’s required and get involved!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Aussie Country Stars Head to Nashville

Plenty of Aussies will be flying the flag at the 2008 Country Music Festival in Nashville next month. Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam Harvey, Melinda Schneider, Steve Forde, and new kids Shea Fisher and Jasmine Rae will all head to America’s country music capital.

“There are a lot of younger people in country music now and I think it’s going to expand generations because we’re singing about everyday issues,” Shea told The Sunday Telegraph.

“We sing about things we’ve done in our lives. It’s really exciting in country music now because we can make the genre bigger.”

“No genres stay the same,” added Jasmine. “Everything crosses over … you’ve got rock, pop, country rock and country pop. People need to see that country is moving forward, just like any genre.”

The festival will put the Aussies in front of 200, 000 country music fans. Other artists on the bill include country music royalty Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, and Dwight Yoakam.

Image source: Adam J.W.C. @ Wikimedia Commons