Tag: Telstra Road to Tamworth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Telstra Road to Tamworth Becomes Road to Discovery

Telstra’s Road to Tamworth is ushering in a new era, as it enters its first year as the Road to Discovery. The snappy new moniker reflects the competition’s focus on unearthing new Aussie musical talent.

This year’s competition officially launches on June 20 with an intimate concert at The Basement. Past winners will play alongside a who’s who of Aussie talent including Tim Rogers, Ella Hooper, and Mick Thomas.

If you want to be at the show, just head to the Telstra Road to Discovery Facebook page. Ten lucky entrants will win a double pass to the event. Good luck!

Image source: Telstra Road to Discovery Facebook page

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Harry Hookey and David Garnham Win Telstra Road to Tamworth Competition

Harry Hookey of Cowwarr in Victoria and David Garnham of Darwin have taken out the major prizes in this year’s Telstra Road to Tamworth finals.

Harry was named best performer, after performing a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and an original tune, “Don’t You Ever Treat Me Like a Fool.”

“I feel like a very lucky man tonight in Tamworth,” he said after his win. “This is really overwhelming, I don’t have enough words to say how awesome my fellow performers were, and each one of them has a career in the industry if they want it.”

David was named best songwriter after he wowed the judges with two original songs, “Father Drinks Too Much” and “Sobering Up, Settling Down.” The win caps off a big 12 months for David, who was also named a Triple J Unearthed artist in June.

“I’m trying not to swear right now and am full of clichés with no good words to give you,” David said last night. “This is the second time I’ve come through the Road to Tamworth and I was determined to show how much I wanted it – it’s such a well run program and I’m stoked.”

Both artists take home a bunch of prizes including a trip to Nashville with studio time, domestic and international gigs, publicity, and 12 months of mentoring designed to increase their profiles and take them to the next level. Here’s hoping this opportunity leads to bigger and better things for them both!

Image source: Ted Sealey

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Telstra Road to Tamworth’s Top 10 Announced

The 17 finalists from the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition have been whittled down to just 10 after the recent boot camp in Sydney and a performance at the Telstra V8 Supercars.
Telstra Road to Tamworth Finalists
There are seven left in the performer’s category: Queenslanders Alan Boyle, Nikki Jenson, and Shandell Tosoni Benobble, Victoria’s Gena Rose Bruce and Harry Hookey, Codee-Lee Down of Western Australia, and Kirsty Elwell from New South Wales. The last three songwriters left standing are Queensland’s Amela Duheric, Western Australia’s Craig Sinclair, and Dave Garnham from the Northern Territory.

The final ten will compete at the Telstra Road to Tamworth finals, to be held on January 18 as part of the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival. A winner from each category will be announced, and that’s when the real fun starts. The victors will win a trip to Nashville and 12-months mentorship with some of the music industry’s biggest names. It sounds like massive things are ahead for the talented twosome!

If you want to get out and support them you can buy tickets for the final through the Telstra Country Music Festival website.

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jakki Pollock Wins Orange Heat of Telstra Road to Tamworth

Jakki Pollock of Abbotsford is the latest singer ready to ship off to Boot Camp as part of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition.

Jakki took out yesterday’s heat in Orange to qualify for the mentoring program in Sydney. As part of the camp, Jakki will perform with her fellow finalists alongside The McClymonts at the V8 Supercars this December.

Jakki fell for country music more when she visited the Tamworth Country Music festival more than a decade ago. Since that time she’s been working towards becoming a professional musician.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jakki is currently recording her debut album with Nash Chambers.

“Approaching Nash Chambers to produce my first album and walking through the process of recording it took every bit of courage I could find and even then I nearly fainted,” she said.

That courage no doubt served her well during the Telstra Road to Tamworth final, where she performed Miranda Lambert’s “More Like Her” and an original song, “Accelerate.”

If she does well at boot camp Jakki will receive $1000 cash and head to the competition finals at the Tamworth Country Music Festival next January. It sounds fitting for Jakki to return to the place that inspired her. I wish her the best of luck!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gena Rose Bruce Wins Geelong Telstra Road to Tamworth Heat

Victorian teen Gena Rose Bruce is the latest winner of a Telstra Road to Tamworth heat.

17-year-old Gena Rose impressed the judges with two original songs, “I Need a Boyfriend” and “Jackson.” She played the tunes on her acoustic guitar, which she’d only purchased a week earlier from the earnings of her part-time job.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to sound and I was pretty nervous being last on stage in the competition, but I’m so excited to have won and be a step closer to my dream of Tamworth and potentially, Nashville!” Gena Rose said.

The girl from Mitcham won an Epiphone acoustic guitar and two-day mentoring experience in Sydney for taking out the Geelong heat. She’ll also perform with the other finalists at the Telstra 500 V8 Supercar event in Sydney this December.

I wish her the best of luck at boot camp; hopefully we’ll see her in the finals at Tamworth next year!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Brook Newton

Brook Newton is the latest country music hopeful to earn a place in the Telstra Road to Tamworth finals, after taking out the Adelaide heats last weekend. I caught up with Brook to chat about his time in the competition, his love of acoustic folk music, and why he’s got a lot to thank his best mate for.

Congratulations for winning the Adelaide heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. What was it like to be part of the competition?
To tell you the truth it was unbelievable! Its hard to explain, other than I had this goofy smile I couldn’t wipe off my face for the next 24 hours.

My close mate entered me in the Adelaide heat for more musical exposure, thinking I wouldn’t get in it, or else seeing as I live more than 400km from the city I could have gone in the digital heat. But as it turned out I did make it through. So we loaded up the car for the LONG 12 hour drive!

I must say, I tried to research you and could only come up with a lot of information about a blonde American model! So tell me, when did you get into music and what have you done before this competition?
Haha, nope definitely not me! My ‘manager’ has now created me a Facebook music page, so you can check that out.

Well I first picked up an axe at the age of 13 and from that moment I couldn’t put it down. I have recorded and created my own tunes but still in the process of learning how it all works. Currently play as part of a local band called ‘3 guys a girl and a band’ we have all been together for around four years, performing at pubs around the district and the occasional wedding or birthday bash.

During this year I entered many music competitions but haven’t got this far through. Firstly there was ‘Search for a Singer’ which is held in Port Lincoln over the January long weekend, I made it through to the top 6 for that, great experience. Another was my audition for The X Factor, where my friend and I flew over to Adelaide arriving 4 hours early and still where number 56 in line! That would have been the most nerve racking! Turned out I wasn’t what they were looking for. But all these were small stepping stones for where I am now.

You mentioned that you travelled for 12 hours to be part of the competition. What was it about Telstra Road to Tamworth that made you so determined to be a part of it?
Yes, a very long 12 hours! My Dad has always been a country music fan and has encouraged me every year to go to the festival and put my name forward. This year seemed like the right time to enter the competition and one thing has led to another.

I heard that you played some Ben Harper and Xavier Rudd, which is a bit different to the straight country music that the competition is known for. What is it you love about that laid back folk sound?
It’s just easy listening music that you can come home from a long day and relax to. Also my love for acoustic instruments has lead me into folk, country and music like Xavier Rudd and Ben Harper.

Can you see yourself making that kind of music in the future?
The music I will create and have created is influenced from these artists but has my own twist to it as well.

Continue reading “Q & A with Brook Newton” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Q & A with Nikki Jenson

Nikki Jenson, or Nikki J as she’s known on stage,  is the latest young hopeful on the way to country music stardom with the help of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. I recently caught up with the Queensland girl who’s just taken out the Cairns heat to chat about the competition, her love of country music, and the dreams she has for her musical career.

You just won the Cairns heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth. What was it like to be part of that competition?
It was a bit of a whirlwind on the day. The wet weather meant a last minute venue change from the lovely esplanade to a little hotel conference room, which made the process a lot more intimate and daunting. But it was such a great experience to see how much talent there is in North Queensland and see what Telstra are doing for the development of music in Australia. It ended up being a very fun day win or lose, and obviously I was incredibly stoked to win.

I hear that you were stunned to win the Cairns competition. Why was it such a surprise to you?
Well I am only very new to performing my own songs and the songwriting game. So as each person got up I became more nervous because they were just SO good, and I was just thinking the whole thing would at least be really good experience for me. I thought one of the others would win it for sure. So when they announced my name I was just genuinely shocked, but very very happy. This is one of the first serious steps I’ve taken with my own music and I was really excited to that I was successful.

I believe you’ve only just returned to performing and songwriting. What inspired you to get back to it?
All the time while I was at university I was singing on and off but all my other music fell away as I was busy pursuing my “real job.” All that time I felt a massive void and longing for music, so I promised myself that when I moved away for work that I would pick up a guitar and try to start writing. I moved into a gorgeous one-bedroom apartment right on the water at Clifton Beach, and I have to say that location combined with the big life change was very conducive to creativity.

After your break from music, what inspired you to get back out in front of people in this competition?
There is a guy named Terry Doyle who runs a singer/songwriter night at a place called Mondo’s here in Cairns. I had heard about him, so went along to watch and he made me play him one of my songs, and he immediately made me get up on stage and play. I have been going back every week since pretty much and and every time you learn something different, he is very good with feedback and encouraging, so I suppose that along with some pushing from friends helped me get in front of people.
Continue reading “Q & A with Nikki Jenson” →

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!