Month: August 2024

COUNTRY SINGER-SONGWRITER PETER CHAPMAN ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE “IF WE’VE GOT TONIGHT”

Country artist Peter Chapman, affectionately known as Chappo, is set to captivate listeners with his latest single, “If We’ve Got Tonight”. The new track, born from a revelatory moment during a phone-free bush trip with friends, underscores the importance of embracing the present and finding joy in simple, everyday moments.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind “If We’ve Got Tonight,” Chappo shares, “The idea came to me while I was out in the bush with no phone service and just a few mates. It struck me that sometimes we need to switch off our devices and savour the here and now-whether it’s sharing stories around a fire, enjoying time at the park with family, or even working out in the scrub. Happiness often lies in these unfiltered, present experiences.”

Peter Chapman, hailing from Brisbane, is a dynamic presence in the country music scene, is known for his storytelling prowess and engaging stage presence with an added dose of cheekiness. Influenced by legends such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bryan Adams, Cold Chisel, and Lee Kernaghan, Peter Chapman combines rich, traditional country sounds with an infectious sense of fun.

Since 2003, Chappo has performed extensively across Eastern Australia, from Cairns to Healesville and everywhere in between, and has made memorable appearances in Western Queensland including the Birdsville Races and the iconic Birdsville pub. His adventurous spirit has also taken him to Indonesia, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Memphis, where he has penned and performed his songs on an international stage.

Peter Chapman’s debut commercial release, “My First Rodeo,” arrived in February 2022, featuring the popular single “Every Friday Night.” He has since shared the stage with notable artists like Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley and has opened for the legendary band Dragon.

In 2023, Chappo’s schedule included high-profile performances at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, The Stock Route Country Music Festival and Texas (QLD) Country Music Festival. His 2024 tour sees him performing 25 shows on the East Coast of Australia with Brooke & Adam and making his Gympie Muster debut in August.

With “If We’ve Got Tonight,” Peter Chapman continues to deliver authentic, heartfelt country music while encouraging audiences to cherish the present moment. Chappo’s dedication to entertaining and connecting with his fans shines through in every performance.

Peter Chapman’s new single ‘If We’ve Got Tonight’ is out at radio on 12th August and all digital platforms on Friday 16th August.

Heralding the start of the next era of Amber Lawrence music, “Kick The Doors Down” is the first single from her new forthcoming album release due in 2025.

The 2023 Golden Guitar Female Artist of the Year, known as one of the industry’s hardest working and most relentless touring artists; has written an empowering and sassy anthem to inspire the listener to forget their inner critic, shine up their boots and kick the doors down!

In her career to date, Amber has: released 7 studio albums, 3 Children’s albums, is a 6 x Golden Guitar winner, 2 x ARIA award nominee, and is constantly evolving to continue to grow her sound and fanbase.

The new song was written by Amber Lawrence & Phil Barton on Amber’s last day of her Nashville trip in late 2023. It’s a more earthy and roots based sound for Amber, yet still retaining her trademark uplifting vocals and lyrics.

As Amber describes the single, “I was at the end of my short trip to Nashville, feeling somewhat defeated (and jet lagged), when I woke up with a fire in my belly on my last day. I strutted into the song writing session with Phil Barton and said the words “time to shine up my boots, and kick the doors down”, this mantra became the bones of the song, which took 4 hours to write, just before I headed to the airport to fly home”.

In the dynamic world of Country music, a fresh and vibrant talent is making waves. Briana Dinsdale, with her remarkable voice and exceptional songwriting skills, is emerging as a captivating artist who blends heartache and hope in her music. Her journey in the industry has been marked by significant achievements, including receiving the prestigious Keith Urban Scholarship to The CMAA Academy of Country Music in 2022, a testament to her dedication and talent.

Briana is now set to captivate audiences with her latest single, “Real Time Love”. Co-written with her sister Ashlyn and Nashville songwriter Steve Dean, the song is a testament to Briana’s continuous evolution as an artist within the country music genre. Produced by the talented duo Michael and Caleb Flanders in Nashville, TN, “Real Time Love” promises to enchant listeners with its rich storytelling and expressive melodies.

“Real Time Love” is a heartfelt ode to old-school romance, yearning for a time when love was about genuine connection and savouring moments together. The evocative lyrics paint a vivid picture of simple yet profound expressions of love, making listeners long for those timeless, unhurried moments of togetherness. This track is a testament to Briana’s exceptional songwriting skills and her ability to connect deeply with her audience, resonating with anyone who values authentic, meaningful relationships.

“Real Time Love is a song close to my heart. It’s an ode to old-school romance, and it’s for all the girls (and guys) out there who cherish genuine connections and those timeless, unhurried moments of togetherness.”

What truly sets Briana apart is her songwriting prowess. Her lyrics resonate with wisdom beyond her years, exploring deep emotions that connect with listeners of all ages. Her talent has not gone unnoticed, leading to collaborations and co-writing opportunities with esteemed artists such as Casey Barnes and Bill Chambers, bothARIA award winners, and Melody Moko and Lyn Bowtell, both Golden Guitar winners.

Briana’s live performances are nothing short of mesmerizing, showcasing her captivating stage presence. She has graced the stages of renowned festivals such as the Groundwater Country Music Festival, Lasso Country Music Festival, and the Gympie Music Muster.

Additionally, she has shared the stage with notable artists including The Wolfe Brothers, John Williamson, Pete Murray, and The Whitlams, further establishing her reputation as a formidable live performer.

Looking ahead, Briana and her band are gearing up to play at multiple country music festivals around Australia throughout 2024 and 2025, further solidifying her presence as a rising force in the country music scene. With her undeniable talent and passion for music, Briana Dinsdale is poised to become a household name in country music.

Under the roof of his own recording studio in the mid-90s, JGrenn worked with a number of commercially successful artists. One of his first collaborations was with Brad Ferringo of the Yakoo Boyz (YBZ). Together they generated a number of tracks, such as “Pipe Dreams” (a favorite sports anthem in the NHL) and “Calling,” (Hi-Bias Records) that charted and garnered national airplay, including the single “Now That I Found You” which hit #29 on Canada’s RPM Music Chart in March of 1999. All three tracks were commercial successes featured on numerous compilations. One of these collaborations was with Whigfield and the resulting remix of her track “I Want Your Love” was a dance hit featured on her EP Close to You (Curb Records). In 2012, JGrenn returned to releasing new music with his EDM act Glover/Grenn and as a remixer. This led to 2 successful original EDM singles from Glover/Grenn along with his 2013 remix of the EDM violinist Kytami’s “Safe House” and his work with Juno Award-winning artist Sam Roberts and a remix of Sam’s song “Shapeshifters.” Now, in 2024, JGrenn is fully focused on developing & releasing a continuum of new music including original ventures, collaborations, and self-created/self-produced tracks.

In 2020 John decided to take a deep dive into songwriting and spent the next 2+ years growing his songwriting knowledge/skills and writing a notable pile of quality Country songs. One in particular, which is a co-write with US songwriter, Ron Klabunde, is about “the importance of making a positive mark in this life as well as those meaningful things that make a positive life-long mark on us”.

“Marks” was under consideration with Dolly Parton in late 2022. The song was released Independently in January 2024 and features Nashville’s Brittini Black on Vocals, it was also Produced & Mixed by John Grenn. “Marks” was released to Canadian Country Radio in May 2024 and has been extremely well received by the Canadian Country Radio community gaining over 40 “adds” across Canada during its initial promotional cycle.

Keith Urban is the GOAT when it comes to country / pop crossover

With a catalogue containing ‘One Too Many’ ft. P!NK, ‘The Fighter’ ft. Carrie Underwood and the Ed Sheeran co-write ‘Parallel Line’, all multi-platinum in Australia, it’s time to add another

‘GO HOME W U’ was written by Keith in Sydney during the pandemic, imagining what it would be like to be free and having a great time with friends

He immediately felt GRAMMY Award winner Lainey Wilson would be perfect to accompany him on the song

Keith will release his 11th studio album on 20 September. Title ‘HIGH’ the album continues to push Keith’s sound, as he’s always done throughout his career

Keith Urban has won four GRAMMY Awards, thirteen CMAs, fifteen ACMs, five ARIAs, three AMAs, two People’s Choice Awards and celebrated nine consecutive gold, platinum or multi-platinum albums around the world

Damon Spigle Unveils New Single “Hey Girl”

Rising country artist Damon Spigle announces the release of his highly anticipated second single, “Hey Girl.” Following the success of his debut single, “Never Go Back Again,” this new track is expected to make a significant impact on the country music charts. Produced by renowned music producer Ken Royster at Direct Image Recording Studios in Nashville, “Hey Girl” combines compelling lyrics with engaging melodies that highlight Spigle’s growing talent.

As an independent artist, Damon Spigle has quickly gained recognition in the country music industry. “Hey Girl” is anticipated to further establish his presence and reputation in the genre.

Accompanying the single is a music video produced by Mark Allee of Allee Visuals Nashville and Bryan Wayne Perry of Perry Music Group. The video visually complements the song’s emotional depth and enhances Spigle’s artistic profile.

Originally from Kentucky, Damon balances his music career with his educational and athletic commitments. His expanding fanbase includes listeners from around the world, with thousands of people tuning in from the United States to New Zealand.

“Hey Girl” captures themes of heartbreak and new beginnings, with its chorus resonating with universal emotions:

“There’s nowhere else that I ever wanted to be,
I know that I barely even know your name,
But it ain’t like I can’t see the hurtin’ in you,
And hey girl, I feel the same.
It ain’t like I can’t see the damage that’s done,
When you turn and you’re walking away.”

Damon Spigle continues to build his career and audience, and “Hey Girl” is set to be an important addition to his growing body of work.

RISING COUNTRY STAR ABBIE FERRIS DROPS EMPOWERED PARTY ANTHEM ‘THAT AIN’T YOU’

Fresh from a whirlwind trip to Nashville where she performed seven shows in three weeks, South Australia via Central Coast country singer-songwriter Abbie Ferris has unleashed her new single ‘ That Ain’t You’, out today via Potts Entertainment/MGM.

A sassy, empowered party anthem driven by an irresistible drum groove and raunchy guitars, the song was written in Nashville with US writers CJ Monaghan and Ryan T Jacobs and produced by Abbie’s long-time collaborator, Golden Guitar nominee Michael Carpenter.

“I wanted to write a different kind of party song, about having fun on your own terms, knowing what you want – and what you don’t want,” says Abbie. “I really let my inner Shania come out on this one.”

Already a live favourite since she debuted the song at CMC Rocks QLD earlier this year, the song follows hot on the heels of ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’, which hit the airwaves, and playlists across Australia and the USA, back in May. The two songs give fans a taste of Abbie’s upcoming EP, set for release later this year, written entirely in Nashville over two blockbuster visits in the last year.

From her hometown of Mallala, South Australia (population 600) to Music City USA and the biggest festival stages in Australia, Abbie’s musical journey has taken her around the world, driven by relentless hard work, passion for country music and determination to make her dreams come true and follow in the footsteps of her idols – Shania, Taylor, Lainey and more.

“I want to take my music everywhere and show the world that a small-town South Australian girl can grow up to be a woman who makes a big impact on people’s hearts in places I couldn’t have imagined when I was a kid. My parents raised me to trust my heart and do what feels right, and when I connect with people through a song – whether it’s in a co-write, in the studio, on a festival stage – it’s like I’m back riding a horse in a paddock where all you see is horizon, and everything else in life melts away. That’s what I’m always chasing with my music”.

Leading Aussie country singer/songwriter, Caitlyn Shadbolt , releases her stunningly beautiful new single, “Where The Lemons Grow”. A prolific songwriter, Caitlyn penned the track with the equally accomplished, Sarah Buckley (The Buckleys). This is the follow up to Caitlyn’s most recent single, “Country Music Never Made More Sense”, which impacted the National Country Airplay Chart Top 20.

As Caitlyn describes it, “Where The Lemons Grow is a song I penned with Sarah Buckley, about the bittersweet of life. It acknowledges the two sides of the coin. ‘Bees sting but the make good honey, birds sing when it ain’t all sunny’. Through hardship, you can find silver linings, and this song touches on that.”

The bees sting but they make good honey
The birds sing when it ain’t all sunny
Just like sunsets, it’s gone before you know
Well, the peaches are nice out in Georgia I’m told
But it only gets sweeter where the lemons grow

Caitlyn Shadbolt is one of Australia’s leading contemporary country artists and a sought-after songwriter. A finalist in the sixth season of The ‘X Factor’ Australia (2014), Caitlyn secured a recording deal with ABC MUSIC and released her debut album, “Songs On My Sleeve” (May 2017). Upon release, the album hit #1 on the ARIA Country Album chart. The first single, “My Break Up Anthem”, held the #1 National Country Airplay Chart for over 8 consecutive weeks and became the 2nd most played song on Country Radio (held out of the top spot by Sam Hunt’s monster hit “Body Like A Backroad”). Caitlyn was recognised for her achievements by winning the CMC Award for Best New Artist, along with a nomination for Female Artist of the Year.

Combining glistening modern alt-country with sentimental hues, the upbeat new single Make You Feel out today from Sydney country sensation Gavin Mac is an utterly effervescent glimpse into Mac’s impending debut full-length of the same name, with the album Make You Feel officially set for release on Thursday September 5.

A buoyant outing anchored by infectious melodics, lustrous instrumentation, and lashings of country charm, Gavin Mac’s new track Make You Feel saw the talented artist team up with Ben Butler on lead guitar, Melinda Jackson on backing vocals, and Josh Schuberth on drums, along with mastering courtesy of William Bowden. Simultaneously nostalgic and joyful, Make You Feel ultimately also reflects Mac’s driving artistic mission statement threading throughout his debut studio release, as he reveals, “Make You Feel was, first and foremost, my mantra when I was thinking about song selection and production. I felt that success, for me, was eliciting an emotion, taking the listener to a time or place, and opening them up to some kind of reflection. In today’s fast paced life, we’re always ‘more’ and ‘what’s next’. I’m as guilty of this as anyone.”

Serving as the title track for Gavin Mac’s forthcoming new album Make You Feel, Mac’s latest single opens proceedings into the 10 tracks lying in wait across his maiden full-length, flowing between sharp and driving empowerment (Live Your Life), swooning contemporary twangs (Getaway and How Much Better), airy countrified love songs (Angel In A Black T-Shirt), and poignant, heart-rending odes (Bushfire and Forever Changing You). Spanning influences ranging from John Mayer through to Chris Stapleton, Eric Clapton and Midland, Make Them Feel also boasts Mac’s time-travelling single Sideswiped, with the crisp tune first penned and demoed by Mac as a teenager before catching the attention of Sony Music Australia earlier in his career. “Although this collection of songs was written over a long time span,” shares Mac, “I tried to unite them by singing them, cleanly. By that I mean, not leaning into any style, just singing them straight. I also chose to work with a renowned country music producer to unite the songs through honest, earthy production techniques and instrumentation. My goal was to present a polished set of modern contemporary songs, that each incorporate a nostalgic cue, be it the narrative, instrumentation, or driven. In absence of these recordings being easily boxed into a popular genre or genre subset, my hope was to ‘make you feel’ something.”

Discovered at the age of 16 by Sony Music’s Denis Handlin and John Watson, Gavin Mac quickly gained the title of being Sony Music Australia’s youngest-ever Australian recording artist at the time. Evolving his music industry skills and knowledge in the years to follow, Mac worked alongside both international and iconic Australian artists, including previous work with Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, Linda & Vika Bull, and Alex Lloyd. And from managing A&R duties for Roadrunner Records to stepping back from the industry to raise his family, Mac kept his creative fires alive, co-founding the award-winning brand experience agency Urban, conceiving and delivering marketing campaigns for Electronic Arts, Airbnb, and Netflix.

With years away from music, a fortuitous 2019 road trip to the Tamworth Country Music festival provided the very kindling that would ultimately turn Mac’s gaze firmly back to his passions, songwriting and storytelling, with the Melbourne-hailing singer-songwriter emerging from his musical hiatus with gusto in 2023 balancing renewed purpose, perspective and the powerful drive that comes with unfinished business. In 2023, Mac released his debut solo singles Getaway, Live Your Life and Bushfire , amassing over 300K streams and counting, with 2024 also garnering Mac his first industry nod, taking home the Tamworth Music Association’s 2024 New Songwriter of the Year. Now poised to release his long-awaited debut album this September, Make You Feel may be Gavin Mac’s first official full-length release, but it’s been a labour of love many years in the making, with many incredible experiences also along the way. “Make You Feel is a debut album 30 years in the making,” says Mac. “Do I qualify for some kind of Guinness Book of Records nod?! It’s been a long time in making, but hopefully the first of many to come. I’m already well into my follow up album, which I’m planning to release a little quicker than the first. I take a quiet satisfaction in defying convention. It’s when you know you’re being different, brave and beating to your own drum. So, bring it on.”

“The album is like an old photo,” Mac concludes. “I’ve extracted my favourite photos and then digitized them for perpetuity. But not to dwell on the past, instead its presentation to the market blends old and new, to ensure it is true to its promise of delivering a ‘modern nostalgia’ experience. I feel the same as I’m sure any artist does when releasing a debut album: excited and nervous. Releasing music into the public domain is also cathartic for any artist. Regardless of how it is received, it’s liberating to hang your music in the public domain for people to hear and hopefully, enjoy in perpetuity.”

Zac Cross Band boasts “a sound that’s catching attention and making serious waves in the music scene” – Unfiltered & Undiscovered. Today the North Queensland 4-piece return with their punchy new single, ‘Matter of Time’.

Inspired by a real-life whirlwind romance, ‘Matter of Time’ meditates on the magic of fate. “The concept came about when me and my fiancé, Ashleigh, were travelling through New Zealand in 2019,” recalls Zac. “It was one of those take-it-in moments where you have to pinch yourself at how lucky you are to be sharing such an experience with this person.”

Dotted with the band’s hallmark sounds – stadium like drum grooves, crispy guitars and Zac’s gritty vocal – the headbanging track radiates good vibes. “The main message to take away from this song is to trust in fate, as hard as that may be. There are a thousand things that will get in your way, and a thousand hurdles that you will have to navigate, but at the end of the day, if it’s meant to be, it will be.”

When crafting the energetic single, the boys relied upon award-winning producer, Jared Adlam (Travis Collins, Adam Brand, Matt Cornell). True to the song’s message, the band quickly found that recording the track was meant to be.

“It was one of those songs that just came together so damn easy. Everything just fit, lined up and was honestly just so fun to make. I think halfway through the process we all looked at each other and were like ‘damn, this is it’.”

Effortlessly blending country, rock and pop, the 4-piece have crafted a sound that is familiar, yet unique. “It’s easily some of the best work we’ve done and one of the truest sounding tracks that represent our style of music.”

Currently in the midst of a QLD tour, the boys have adapted well to life on the road. They’ve supported giants like Dragon and The Wolfe Brothers, with performances alongside Jon Stevens and Lee Kernaghan slated for later in the year.

Not to mention, they’ve been tearing up the festival circuit; appearing at Country Fest Queensland, Country On Keppel and Big Beer Festival, to name a few. With plenty more to come – including Gympie Music Muster, Baralaba Bash, Goombungee Country and Wild As Country Party – the boys are at the top of their game.

“We are super excited to be playing a whole bunch of new festivals as well as venues in the back half of the year. It’s always good to play new places and we’re very much looking forward to sharing our music with a new audience. You can definitely bank on an energetic and action-packed show.”

Zac Cross Band have consistently delivered a slew of hits, from headbanging rock tracks to heartfelt, introspective ballads. The band have dialled in a sound that has captivated audiences around the country. With their star ever on the rise, it’s only a ‘matter of time’, before everybody’s talking about Zac Cross Band.