ZFM Country

Multi award winning performer, Darren Coggan and his daughter, seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter Olivia Coggan, collaborate to release a stunning collection of songs celebrating family, hope and home on their debut EP, ‘Dear August’.

The seven songs that feature on the EP are uplifting affirmations of the universal values we all hold true. In the world we live in today, being reminded that life is beautiful and to love one another is a mantra we all need.

The first single and title track of the EP, ‘Dear August’, is a song that will resonate with so many, a prayer for the sun to break through to a new day.

“During the endless months of lockdown throughout 2021, my version of ‘home schooling’ was to record this EP of some of our favourite songs that Olivia and I have naturally gravitated towards over the years. I am incredibly proud of Olivia and what we have captured and I hope that the songs bring joy to the listeners” commented Darren.

“Singing together is something that Dad and I have always done for as long as I can remember. In fact, there is a bonus track on the EP of a recording of Dad and I singing the Kasey Chambers song ‘Dad Do You Remember?’, when I was 8 years old, it’s pretty cute and a nice little time capsule to reflect upon” says Olivia

Olivia Coggan is emerging as a fabulous young singer/songwriter, gathering high praise from some of the music industry’s most respected performers including Kasey Chambers, Felicity Urquhart and Emma Pask. Olivia is currently writing songs for her debut release scheduled for 2022.

Darren Coggan is one of Australia’s most exciting and diverse artists – a masterful storyteller who has carved an impressive career in the Australian country music industry. Darren is equally at home in musicals and on screen, currently presenting the lifestyle TV program Sydney Weekender, but is probably best known for his critically acclaimed portrait of Cat Stevens, which has inspired audiences in the most prestigious theatres around the world, including sold out performances at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Liverpool Philharmonic.

Going Home For Christmas features Johnny Dan on vocals along with world famous musicians Matt Bissonnette (Elton John, David Lee Roth), Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth), Paul Bushnell (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill), Matt Laug (Alanis Morrisette, Slash), Bob “Boo” Bernstein (Dwight Yoakam, Tanya Tucker) and was mixed by LA legend and Grammy Winner Tom Weir at Studio City Sound and Mastered by Grammy winner Gavin Lurssen.

Kaylee Bell is ecstatic to announce her next single “Living Free”, a collaboration with US superstar Lindsay Ell, will be out from November 5. “Living Free” is an anthemic single about living in the moment.

Living Free was written in Nashville by Bell along with Sam Sumser (produced Lizzo and Keith Urban), Michael Lotten and produced by Grammy nominated Lindsay Rimes and Simon Oscroft (Midnight Youth, Disney USA Producer).

Bell comments, “It was an honour to team up with Lindsay on this track, despite the global pandemic we were still able to work together from opposite sides of the world. This song is message of empowerment, and we can’t wait to play live together! I hope it’s a positive reminder for us all right now to focus on what really matters.”

Following the release of “Living Free”, Bell will also be releasing her next album “SILVER LININGS” on November 26, featuring collaborations with artists such as Lindsay Ell, The McClymonts, Josh Mirenda and more.

Bell was recently selected by Spotify to represent New Zealand Australians artists as the face of EQUAL Global Music Program, profiled on a massive billboard in Times Square New York. Bell’s single “Keith”, written as a tribute to Keith Urban, recently passed 5 million streams on all platforms making Bell the first Australasian artist since Kasey Chambers to pass five million of a song, an amazing achievement for a self-funded and self-managed independent artist.

Bell’s recent single “That Summer” was the most added song to mainstream radio in New Zealand for the month of May and Bell continues to reign as the Most Streamed Female Artist for Australasia.

www.kayleebellmusic.com

Courtney Keil continues her ascendancy as one of the best new talents on the Australian country scene with her latest single ‘Little Heartbreak’. The Melbourne based singer / songwriter has seen her previous three singles ‘Where Does All The Love Go’, ‘Hummingbird’, and ‘I Just Wanna Hold You’ all hit No.1 on the iTunes Country Singles charts, with the latter also peaking at #15 on TMN CountryTown Hot 50 airplay chart and earning a semi-finalist spot in the 2020 International Songwriters Competition.

‘Little Heartbreak’ is a song that adds to the rich, time-honoured tradition of lovelorn breakup songs in Country music. “This song is inspired by the challenges of dating and facing ‘little heartbreaks’. Events build on each other: the ‘what if’s,’ first date failures, falling for someone then being rejected”, Keil says. “Our main focus can be on major losses, long term relationship breakdown, and divorce which can underscore the pain and heartache of an ongoing dating cycle.”

Working with Rod McCormack at his Music Cellar studio on the NSW Central Coast, Keil took inspiration from one of the greats of 90s Country and worked with a few legends to bring the track to fruition. “I had the pleasure of writing this with Gina Jeffreys, Rod McCormack, Sam Gay and Templeton Thompson. We were musically inspired by Lee Ann Womack’s 1997 release ‘Man With 18 Wheels’.”

‘Little Heartbreak’ is a bouncy and upbeat song that cleverly hides the pain within the lyric. As Keil sings “I know paper cuts aren’t deep, they still sting and bleed,” this is a song to be uplifted with, after an emotional knock-down. “I hope this song gives the listener space to process the ‘little heartbreaks’ and to honour the pain that comes with them, even if not as outwardly noticeable as the big breaks!” she says.

Keil is set to kick off 2022 in a big way as part of the ‘Country Girls’ Night Out’ tour playing with Gina Jeffreys and Tania Kernaghan, which commences in January at the 50th Tamworth Country Music Festival. She has also been playing the role of June Carter Cash alongside Daniel Thompson in “Johnny Cash: The Concert” throughout 2021 (pre-lockdown) which will be continuing in 2022.

Courtney Keil is well on her way to making an indelible mark on Australia’s country music landscape. ‘Little Heartbreak’ is the latest in a string of singles that has enchanted the hearts of fans everywhere and is set to find and even bigger audience. She is that rare talent to make sunshine out of rain, and that magic is why she is one of the most remarkable up-and-coming talents in Australia right now.

Hello, you’ve heard MICHAEL JAY HUGHES’ hard-hitting song “Dirt Road Whiskey”….But you haven’t heard his two recently released singles….until now, and they are getting international attention. Check out new originals from MJH “Playing With Fire” and “Keith Whitley Songs”.
Additionally, Michael Jay sat down recently and answered some questions with Nashville Voyager Magazine. More to come and more music coming soon!!

“The Ring A Ting Song” opens with Amy Jack’s lush vocals, accompanied by beautiful bells and a steady drum beat, drawing the listener in. Not only does the song have a catchy melody, but the lyrics spread joy and peacefulness around the world. “The Ring A Ting Song” has all the makings of an instant holiday classic.

Emma Dykes is shining a light on homelessness and spreading kindness with her latest single, ‘Walk A Mile’. Released on October 29, Emma was inspired to write ‘Walk A Mile’ after seeing how a homeless man was treated on the subway in New York.

The North Coast singer-songwriter joined forces with Golden Guitar winner Roger Corbett, and they crafted the song to show the human side of homelessness and to remind people to be kind.

“I went to Nashville to record the album, ‘The Riddle of Life’, and (husband) Aaron took me on the subway. There was a man who was telling his story of how he became homeless,” Emma said. “People pretended he wasn’t there and ignored him, but halfway through the trip, a lady and her Son got on the train. The little boy started playing with the man who was homeless and as people watched on, he became just a normal person on the train.

“I’ve always loved the saying ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’. It could be that someone is having a bad day, it’s not necessarily about you, but they may have had rough times. We don’t know, and shouldn’t judge, without walking a mile in their shoes.” Emma said, from the outside looking in, you didn’t know what the man’s story was until he explained that his father had cancer and his family had ended up with no home.

“I wrote it with Roger Corbett when he offered to spend some time with me writing and mentoring. I knew Roger from the Academy of Country Music and it was so good to catch up with him and write something with the same essence but still a bit different to what I normally write,” she said.

“Walk A Mile reminds us that although we might not feel we have much to give people, you can always give them a smile and that’s really needed at the moment. It’s a nice time to release this song for that reason because it has a happy vibe and an inspirational feel.” Emma said we all needed a reminder to choose kindness now and then.

After becoming a mum to her son, Ryder, 18 months ago, it’s been a while between new singles for Emma, but she’s ready to pick up the guitar and get back into making music. “Being a mum now, ‘Walk A Mile’ hits home more than ever,” she said. “I want to make sure we’re going in the right direction in the world for him to grow up in. Our kid’s futures depend on the world we create today”.

Dave Herrera was inspired to write the song Hella Country after working and taking care of his family ranch which is located in a small town surrounded by rice fields, orchard farmers, cattle, vineyards and the hard working blue collar families that keep the small town going.

It’s not just music, it’s a lifestyle, living through and relying on a good or bad season where we might not get necessities like water, when we’re delivered a summer full of droughts or wild fires that alter the growing environments.

Herrera said “what Hella Country means to me is a culture of hard working, never giving up, and doing what we can to provide for our families with the environment that surrounds us.

Herrera wrote the track with the help of Cory Coppin co-writer and produced the track with co-producer Jeff Balding. “Hella Country” was recorded at WestRoc Studios.

Following the massive success of her debut EP “Iconic” and the recent summer smash, Australian #1 Country radio single “Middle Ground”, pop-country sensation Rachael Fahim is delivering another piece of musical gold, with the alluring “Darts In The Dark”, a song that is said to be Rachael’s BEST SONG YET!

Rachael co-wrote “
Darts In The Dark” during the 2021 ‘Country meets pop’ song camp with the songs producer Robby De Sa (The Veronicas / Maya Cumming / The McClymonts), Ned Philpott and US writer Rosi Golan, who has written hits for the likes of Little Big Town, Billy Currington, Lennon Stella and Christina Aguilera.

“When we wrote this song, I was talking about how I often feel stuck while everyone around me seems to be moving forward, life can be a rollercoaster, but you just have to sit back, enjoy the ride and just focus on your own path” says Fahim.

“Rosi had this amazing title and the song just flowed, we literally had a finished production 6 hours later!”

“Darts In The Dark” is the follow-up to her biggest hit ever on country radio, “Middle Ground”, which spent a massive 5 weeks at #1 on the official Australian Country singles airplay chart earlier this year.

Rachael Fahim has been the most streamed Australian female pop-country artist for the last 3 years with over 11 million audio streams since the release of her “Iconic” EP.

The 2017 Star Maker winner has previously been globally promoted as a “Countrywide” feature artist on Apple Music and an “Artist to Watch” on Spotify.

Rachael achieved commercial pop radio airplay with the single, Even If I Wanted To” featuring Brad Cox in 2019. The track was the 2nd most added song to Australian radio the week of release.

Darlinghurst’s long awaited, self-titled debut album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Country Album Chart, #1 on the ARIA Australian Country chart, #9 on the ARIA Album Chart and #1 on the AIR 100% Independent Album Chart.

Over the past two years Darlinghurst have scored 6 x Top 5 The Music Network CountryTown Hot 50 airplay chart hits, were nominated for their very first Golden Guitar for New Talent of the Year and performed at the Groundwater Country Music Festival, Deni Ute Muster, Gympie Music Muster, Live & Loud Stage Tamworth as well as open for artists such as Jimmy Barnes, James Blundell, The Wolfe Brothers and The Black Sorrows.

‘Bad Things’ is the cheekiest track off Darlinghurst’s debut album, sung by the two ‘naughty’ ones of the band! Cassie and Pagan. “We’re pretty confident women, and we thought it was very important for us to put it out there, that it’s okay for women to be expressive; and feel empowered to make decisions about what they desire without judgment.” says Cassie. “And it’s also a cheeky song with a play on words that can raise an eyebrow or two! But yes, throw your hair in the wind, and be you. Just be you!”

Today, 3 x time ARIA Award and 11 x Golden Guitar winning Shane Nicholson announces extra live shows and releases his new radio single ‘Helena’ the follow up to his Top 15 Country Radio single ‘And You Will Have Your Way.’ In line with the release, Shane will also release a live video of ‘Helena.’

Shane describes ‘Helena’ as a dream song. “I’ve never had a dream song before. I was a little bit jealous of people who had. I woke up one morning and had the title and sort of a little melody in my head. ‘It only hurts for a while’ is the tagline. In the dream it was ‘Helena it only hurts ’till you die’ – that was a little bit sadder [he laughs], maybe not as hopeful. That was the original version I wrote. I backtracked a bit and thought no I’m gonna make this a little more hopeful and open-ended.

“It was fun to record. I was having a great time, playing and playing, then I started adding backing vocals and I got carried away with it one night. You know, a couple of whiskeys and a microphone. It ballooned into something bigger and shinier than I thought it would.”

Living In Colour was released in August, hit Top 5 on the ARIA Country Chart and is nominated for ARIA Best Country Album. It was written and recorded in Shane’s Central Coast studio pretty much on his own due to Covid restrictions. I just found it fun to be doing it myself. It was sort of a return to the old days, my teenage years, when I had my first Pro-Tools set up on old computer and I was making demos and putting songs together, learning about the mechanics of production in a bedroom in Brisbane in my parents’ house,” he says excitedly. “I haven’t really done that since then, being able to sit there by myself and pick up instrument after instrument. It was mostly me and a bottle of whiskey into the night, that was it.

ABOUT SHANE NICHOLSON

Nicolson’s storied career started in the late 1990s with his first Brisbane based band Pretty Violet Stain. With a solo career launch in 2002 with the release of ‘It’s a Movie’, he’s since followed up with nine albums, including 2015 ARIA Award winning ‘Hell Breaks Loose’ and 2 x ARIA Award winning albums with Kasey Chambers – the platinum selling, ARIA No.1 album ‘Rattlin’ Bones’ and ‘Wreck and Ruin’. With 11 x CMAA Golden Guitar awards under his belt including 2021 APRA Song of the Year for ‘The High Price of Surviving’, Nicolson has also been recognised internationally with 2 nominations for USA Americana Music Association awards. As a seasoned producer, Nicholson has been busy working with Alex Lloyd, Tori Forsyth, Beccy Cole, Michael Waugh and Camille Trail.

Nicholson is a rare talent who has bridged the gap between Alt-country and the mainstream. He crafts his songs seamlessly and can wrap up difficult subject matters with music of uplifting beauty and charm. He has released 4 songs from Living In Colour – The High Price Of Surviving, Harvest on Vinyl, Life Ain’t Fine and his latest single, And You Will Have Your Way’ which captures Nicholson’s charismatic talent for writing striking songs that pay tribute to the unpredictability of human experience.

Pioneer of the Australian Hip Hop scene and Yorta-Yorta man Briggs is releasing his newest single ‘Shadows’ ft Troy Cassar-Daley today through Island Records Australia.

An adaptation of the Troy Cassar-Daley original ‘Shadows On The Hill’, this unique collaboration produced by Jaytee Hazard, brings together two iconic artists to acknowledge an important part of Australia’s history.

”Shadows On The Hill’ started its song line around a fire on Gumbaynggirr country at our men’s camp. There was one powerful moment for all of us when a massacre was mentioned that happened up the river from where we camped with our families for many generations, the wind died down, the air around us was still and not one bird sang. My old uncle stood up and said, ‘Don’t be scared the old people know we are here; they are just letting us know’. The trees on the mountains across the river from us stood long and lonely. I believe the old people gave me this song to acknowledge the pain and to share one of the many brutal stories of this land and more importantly to share the truth. Because song lines never end and make their way through thousands of generations, I shared the song with Briggs so the next generation can hear the story of the ‘Shadows On The Hill’ Troy Cassar-Daley.

Briggs says on the song ‘Shadows was brought to me by Troy; I was honoured he’d share this part of his story with me. There was so much depth and this haunting truth that is woven through his words.’

‘As a kid I’d often remember rumours about what parts of Melbourne were old ‘graveyards.’ Which I guess is a way to explain a massacre site or to reconcile it for young ears. Where the bodies dropped they built a fuckin parking lot.’

‘Australia has a hard time acknowledging its truth. There’s a partial map of massacre sites in the artwork. It’s documented; it’s factual. The first war began in 1788. It had all the symptoms of a war. There were opposing nations, a clear objective of taking land, everything in it and the expansion of the Crown. Australia enjoys its cherry-picked history.’

‘Genocide isn’t just rifles. It’s in introducing dependency and then removing the care. It’s exclusion from the health care system, it’s exclusion from the economy and society.’

‘Governor Macquarie said, ‘Hang the natives from the tree to deter others.’ They named a Bank, University and many other streets and landmarks after him. People get cancelled for tweets in 2021, this guy still has a statue.’

‘Blackfullas personify survival. We embody the values of our culture; that’s what we carry.’

The song features as part of the forthcoming ABC two-part series ‘Going Country’. Hosted by Justine Clarke, the series premieres on Tuesday November 2 at 8:30pm and travels to locations that have played an integral part in the creation and inspiration of iconic county music songs as well as the lives of the artists who have helped shape Australian Country.

Award-winning songwriter Blake Dantier returns with his new single and video ‘Layover’ , following on from the success of his previous single ‘Last Call’, which spent 14 weeks on the CountryTown Hot 50 airplay charts, peaking at #8. It caps off a successful year for Dantier and one that doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Layover’ comes with a sunny disposition perfect for the onset of the hot Australian summer. “It’s got a real laid-back groove that we tried to make reminiscent of a tropical paradise”, Dantier says. A keen amateur brewer, he has made a name for himself of late with songs inspired by whiskey, beer and good times, but this time its tinged with a side order of melancholy and heartbreak. “My previous few songs have been about drinking but this one’s something different,” he says. “With only some really slight references to drinking. It tells the story of a guy who proposes to his girlfriend on a vacation, only to have her say no. Awkward as hell. He finds out in a pretty rough way that he was just a layover, while she was waiting for the next guy to come along.”

With the single produced by Simon Johnson at Hillbilly Huts studios, the lyric video for ‘Layover’ was produced by Dantier during a spark of pandemic-induced creativity. “As you can imagine, being a couple of months deep in a COVID lockdown gave me a lot of time to experiment with things. The video went through a couple of different versions, but I eventually settled on something really simple. The track is chill and uncomplicated, so I wanted the video to reflect that”, Dantier says.

2021 has been a successful year for Dantier, picking up two gongs at the Tamworth Songwriters Salute Awards, for New Songwriter of The Year and Country Ballad of The Year. He’s been active on the road, both with his own shows and as a sideman to his fiancé Cass Hopetoun, who recently toured with Hurricane Fall. He will be featured as a guitar-slinger in Cass Hopetoun’s band supporting The Wolfe Brothers later in the year. You can next catch Dantier performing his hit singles at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2022.

Blake Dantier has proven himself as a versatile and prodigious songwriter, able to create music that captures the mood of the moment. The Music Network has described him as “One of the most exciting prospects on the local country scene” and with ‘Layover’, he’s about to continue to fly high to bigger and better triumphs.

Tim Champlin is a Captain/Firefighter with Poudre Fire Authority in Ft Collins Colorado and he is also the voice and songwriter behind the Interstate Cowboy Band.

Colorado’s Tri-102.5 says, “To hear that one of our local heroes has put out a Christmas song, you have to stop everything to check it out!”

“The man in the song reflects back on how a year earlier, he pulled off the interstate during a snowstorm and stopped at this little cafe where he fell for the waitress…on Christmas Day.”

“Christmas Café” is a holiday single and has been described as a “Hallmark Movie Love Song!”

If HAIM & Shania Twain got together to make music, it’s sonic sister would be Hayley Marsten’s new single, “Drowning Myself” released today (October 8th). No stranger to the ‘sad banger’, Hayley has bared her heartbreak to her audience many times before but no song in her back catalogue compares in vulnerability.

About the realisation that sometimes the only person who can pull you out of the deep end is the one who threw you in, you. ‘Drowning Myself is the sadness I thought I would never explore, my own mental health’. Hayley spent her early years as a songwriter as a Taylor Swift fan, being schooled in how to write a hook from the heart and genre bend with the best of them. And it shows on “Drowning Myself”, taking the best parts of her alt-country roots and sparkling power-pop all over them.

“In some ways this song feels like a huge departure for me. But in reality this is the most me that has ever been in a song”. It might feel like a different approach but the stellar songwriting is unchanged in this song, the heartbreak kid now delves deeper into herself to try to quell the pain. This release marks Marsten’s first as a co-producer with the powerhouse production team of Dan Sugars and ARIA Award Winner Magoo (Reguritator, Kate Miller-Heidke, Powderfinger).

This single marks a step into a new era for her as an artist but also her emerging from her darkest place with her grief spun into gold.

Australian Country Star, Jade Holland, has been consistently sharing her story with audiences across the globe over the past three years with singles like, the Multimillion streaming “Drive Thru”, International Award winning “That’s The Wine”, the 2019 Charting Townsville Flood appeal charity song “Lives on the Lawn” and 2020’s breakout hit, “Do It Right”.

Now her follow up single, “Fight For It”, due for International release on 8 October, is poised to become an anthem for a world struggling to recover from covid fatigue.

As Ambassador for Mental Awareness Foundation, Jade will make history on Sunday 10 October as she debuts “Fight For It” at the annual Walk for Awareness event in Brisbane in front of tens of thousands of Queenslanders. The official video will be filmed that day with a cast of thousands.

“Fight For It is for every single person who has lost someone to suicide. It’s a song that we all can relate to. We’ve all been there. This is our time to stand together and sing for those who are no longer here.” Holland shared. “This is our anthem now.”

Being one of the first music artists to go on the road post lockdown, Jade took her Resilience Tour throughout regional Queensland in late 2020 in partnership with the Mental Awareness Foundation, and witnessed, firsthand, the power that music had to reconnect and heal a local community. It was these places and faces that inspired her to sit down late one night after a show in Mount Isa, where she wrote the first three words, Fight For It.

“Fight For It” was recorded and produced across time zones in a unique fashion thanks to border restrictions and lockdowns. Co-written by Jade with Sinead Burgess and Bryce Sainty, it was produced by David “Messy” Mescon at Messy Room Studios in Nashville with Aria Award winning artist, Tyrone Noonan, appearing on the backing vocals with the chorus vocals recorded in the Pushworth office with the whole team jumping in to help out.

“Fight For It” will be released through The Manick Label/In Grooves/Universal Music Group on Friday 8 October 2021.

I would like to tell you how my new single ‘Sailing’ came to find its way onto paper. This story goes back to when I was a young teenager. My family lived in a suburb in Sydney very close to the Parramatta River. It was there that the river was my backyard and boats became a way to enjoy this wonderful harbor.

Buying a boat at thirteen was going to be a challenge. So I worked every moment I could, saving my money. One day I was doing work for a nice old man in his garden, washing cars, chopping wood, any job that I could to help finally buy a boat. This lovely man and his wife often noticed how hard I worked. They offered to give me an old 12 foot tinny with a small outboard motor, knowing that I would pay them back for this boat in time, for which I did.

This opened up a whole lot of new adventures up and down the river, but my favourite time of the year was December when the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was about to start. The colors of the sails, the excitement of the spectator’s boats large and small, all trying to navigate to have the best position to watch the big maxi yachts fight for position. And there was me and a mate in a little tinny, but we loved every second of it.

On our journey back up river we would say “we will be one of those crewmen one day and sail all the way down to Hobart”. There was only two things that stopped me. One was I would get terribly sea sick and still do. The other was I lacked the confidence to sail so far out to sea. But that never stopped me dreaming about the romance of it all. Funny being a river rat kid, to being a farmer and nowhere near the salt water.

Now, since my wife and I decided to sell the farm and enjoy our benefits of years of hard work, we can once again smell the salt air. My utmost respect goes to the men and women that battle the oceans. – Tony Kennelly.

Tony Kennelly possesses something of an eagle eye view on the Australian music scene. For more than 45 years he has observed and played a part in its ever-changing landscape. With 30 years gone by between his youthful role as a guitarist and singer around Sydney in the 70’s and 80’s at a pivotal time in the birth of Australian Rock Music, Tony returns to his role as a songwriter in the country/folk scene.

Tony possesses a sense of musicianship and songwriting that are a testimony to his years of experience. He’s been there, done that and seen the whole story unfold. His ethos behind the music is based in a pure love for the songs and with an appreciation for the old folk tradition, there’s a real story and message behind his work.

Coming fresh off their recent hit Where Is The Love, Key Loch are bringing us another passionate single! Come Home To Me is a worthy successor to their emotional last single, and the beautiful tones of Avery May Parker’s voice combined with the smooth drums and gentle guitar will make you feel right at home.

Key Loch are Damien Reilly and Justin Gross. They are the founders of the 90’s power Aussie Rock Band Southpaw, which you can learn more about at www.southpawmuzik.com . They bring together a production history between them of 50 years of song writing and playing live music in Australia. And this time, the duo are featuring a third member to their killer ensemble, that being Avery May Parker! A sweet and soulful performance in every lyric, Avery’s voice and Key Loch’s expert playing guarantee that every time you listen to Come Home To Me, it’ll hit you right where it counts.

This track is an emotional story about a husband that has been sent off to war, with his wife pining for his return. “Come home to me”, come back alive, come back safe. It’s a heartfelt scenario that cuts deep and pulls no punches. Avery once again knocked it out of the park with her vocals, and alongside Damien and Justin’s incredible production, we think this one is bound to be a massive hit!

The cozy chord progressions and delicate lyrics will transport you homely times, to nostalgic times you once fondly lived through, and to happy times that are yet to come, or perhaps never will come and are bound to your imagination. The future is a mystery, however the passion presented in this song is a constant, one that cannot be altered, merely moulded to suit your idyllic preference. Key Loch are making a name for themselves in the music world with hits like this, and it’s only a matter of time before that name becomes a household one!

Axle Whitehead Returns to His Country Roots with ‘One Gun’

Axle Whitehead is one of Australia’s most versatile musicians, with studies in jazz improvisation through to a gold-selling pop single ‘I Don’t Do Surprises’, but it’s country music where Axle’s heart lies. First jumping into the country world in 2011 with ‘Sister Sunshine’ Axle has toured around Australia and beyond, juggling a successful acting career with his first love of music.

Whitehead has spent much of the last decade throwing himself into a successful acting career traveling between Los Angeles and Sydney with roles on the international hit TV series Shameless and Marvel Agents of SHIELD. Already known across Australia as the host of iconic music show Video Hits and game show The Wall as well as a four-year stint on Home and Away, it’s music that always brings him home.

His new single ‘One Gun’ is his most accomplished track to date, collaborating with writer /producer/ musician Carl Dimataga (Khalid, James Fauntleroy, Thundamentals, Baker Boy) creating a roots-based sound harking back to his regional Victorian upbringing, melting rock, blues and jazz influences into a unique and contemporary country sound. With his soulful vocal winding through a shuffling, minimalist guitar lick, ‘One Gun’ explores the relatable story of a man trying to find his identity. A parallel to Whitehead’s own fulsome career coming full circle to his country roots, the song is Axle Whitehead at his confident and accomplished best.

“I am incredibly proud of ‘One Gun’, said Whitehead. “Through writing many songs, Carl and I have stumbled across this Soul/Country sound. By taking the drums out it allows the listener to sit and breathe
with the song whilst the guitars do the heavy lifting.”

“Before I went to music college to study Jazz all I wanted was to be Garth Brooks or Steve Earle. Now after exploring a few different genres over the years, I’ve finally found my own sound.”

‘Miss You’ is a story of what it’s like to be on the other end of a love that’s fallen apart early, where one of the partners has to watch the other move on when they thought maybe it was more.

Jarred Taylor has been playing his heart and soul out over the country for the past few years, developing and perfecting his craft and sound. When opportunity arose to open for Dragon and Mental as Anything, it gave Jarred a taste of what an audience gives back and strengthened his urge to want to perform and share his music.

His debut single ‘Songs We Know’ went to number #1 on the All-Australian Country Charts, with his most recent single ‘I Won’t Sleep Tonight’ featuring the Crawford Brothers, winning the International Song Writing Competitions Unsigned Section, and landing top 10 in the Country Section of the competition.

Listening to Jarred’s original songs, you can’t help but hear his diverse musical tapestry with influences ranging from AC/DC to The Eagles, Keith Urban to Cold Chisel. In 2018 Jarred was the first recipient of the prestigious John Minson Scholarship to attend the Country Music Academy of Australia, where Jarred worked with the industries best and brightest to help further his career.

Since then, Jarred has taken large strides to push himself, playing events such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival, The Deni Ute Muster, and becoming a top ten finalist in the Toyota Star Maker Competition.

Since the easing of Covid restrictions, Jarred has made a huge comeback, playing gigs in Queensland and New South Wales, all whilst adding two new beautiful twins to his family.

A recording born during lockdown, Big Sky Mountain pay tribute to their country roots with their latest single ‘Bed Of Roses’. Lassoing the talents of producer Jackson Barclay (Vera Blue, The McClymonts), this evocative, tell it like it is, boot skootin’ ballad captures all that it means to be human. The hopes, the failures and the comebacks.

The seven piece all female Americana band from Sydney bring it on home with soaring harmonies and lush arrangements and quotable lyrics. Featuring guest Aussie slide legend Bruce Reid who puts the twang in the …. “The ultimate silver lining in a really crap year – this is one to curl up in bed with.”

Big enough to be a netball team but small enough to be a good luck charm … BSM don’t look like your typical Australian country band … Seven women, a kaleidoscope of harmonies and one trumpet – chaotic, earthy and real. Big Sky Mountain make no apologies for not having an obscure cool edge, they are what they are and they love what they do.

With a sound reminiscent of The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and a pinch of Kasey Musgraves, these ladies can sing and they’ll hold you to ransom with their jaw dropping harmonies, driving rhythm section and fierce musicality.

2019 saw the birth of ‘All Our Minutes’ – the first studio album from Big Sky Mountain. Produced by ARIA award winner Paul McKercher, the album is clean, classy and commercial and already boasts international sales in Europe, South America and Asia.

In their short time together, the band has already played gigs at the Perisher Peak Music Festival, Girrakool Blues Festival, completed regional tours, become regulars on the Sydney live music scene and where also invited to perform at the 2020 National Folk Festival in Canberra. Early 2020 also saw Big Sky Mountain make their debut at the Tamworth Country Music Festival to packed shows that captured them a bounty of new fans.

During the COVID pandemic Big Sky Mountain got busy in the studio re-defining their recorded sound with producer Jackson Barclay. The results were two fantastic new singles, a new contemporary twist on their sound and a fabulous musical partnership.

Golden Guitar winner Ashleigh Dallas ponders this question in her upbeat new single.

“The song is a balance between real life and dreaming,” the Tamworth singer-songwriter said. “My husband works away with his job and being a musician means I’m often away with work, in normal times, so it’s that zone of wishing, knowing we have great things around us and winning the lottery wouldn’t be about material things, but to have an essence of freedom, rather than worrying about budgets and also being able to travel in a non-COVID world.”

Ashleigh wrote ‘Lottery’ while preparing for her upcoming album, and this is the third single she’s released this year in preparation for her next full-length offering.

“I wrote this as a letter to (husband) Chris and I,” she said. “We do the balance quite well, but sometimes it tips and this song is all about celebrating the fact that you can live like you’ve won the lottery even if that’s sitting outside and not worrying about work for a little bit.” The premise of the song is how we always put things off and we keep working and that’s where the idea of living like we won lottery.

“I reckon this pandemic has really cemented what you want more from life,” Ashleigh said. “It’s about allowing yourself to do things that make yourself feel good and are fun, which could be a stress on the budget, but the memories are worth more. I do hope that people take the fact out of it that sometimes it’s good not to look at the bills, don’t get into debt, but live simply and do what makes you feel great with the people who make you feel good.”

Produced by Brett Dallas, ‘Lottery’ is another track with Ashleigh’s country style written all over it with a solid 90’s country driving feel. “I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to create with this and it feels nostalgic for me because it combines the inspirations of what I listened to when I was a kid,” Ashleigh said. “The pandemic has forced us all to create in different ways, as this is the first time that we haven’t had to record solely on a weekend”.

“I also still wanted to give this song the visual that I think it needed with Chris, my husband, on the video camera and we shot our parts over three days locally, which was a lot of fun and it gives me a new respect for what videographers do. Our vision came to light with Jay Seeney from Blacklist Productions using the footage we shot, along with other footage he had.”

The title track of The Wolfe Brothers new album, Kids On Cassette, was always going to be a special single release. Embodying the soul of the album and taking the listener back to the retro heart of where the brothers first started their musical journey. The Tasmanian duo have created a trip through time with the new video clip of the single. Watching the clip, filmed on-location on The Wolfe Brothers’ Berry Farm in Southern Tasmania, viewers will have flashbacks to their own childhoods, it invokes memories of lazy days exploring and innocent fun.

For Nick and Tom Wolfe, the clip was a real exploration of their own childhood. “Kids on Cassette is all about that amazing feeling of being a kid, when everything seemed bigger and it felt like the summer holidays lasted forever,” says Nick. “Tom and I are so grateful to have grown -up where we did as country kids, and in this video, we tried to capture a day in our childhood. Exploring, learning, getting into strife, and of course, playing music with our mates.”

The video features two young actors from Tasmania – who themselves are actual brothers – playing younger versions of Nick and Tom. The clip was filmed where The Wolfe Brothers would ‘knock around’ as kids. “To watch the brothers play us was amazing,” says Nick. “I think their personalities really reflected ours, I could see a lot of similarities between us – a couple of country kids who make their own home movies and recordings and write songs and jam. Really, we could not have found a more matched pair! To watch the kids all jamming in the old fruit pickers hut where we used to 20-years ago was uncanny. It was like stepping into a time machine. Seeing the kids jamming out at a band practice really brings a smile to my face. I remember being in that very room, rocking out with our mates, all just totally high of the joy of music, long before any thoughts of business or careers ever entered our heads.”

Written with Erik Dylan (Kip Moore, Luke Combs, Eric Paslay, Eli Young Band), the brothers also wrote the track “Ain’t Seen It Yet” from the album with the Nashville songwriter. The Wolfe Brothers consider him one of the best lyricists in the world. Kids on Cassette was recorded between MCC Recording Studio in Calgary, Canada and Love Hertz Studio, in Sydney. It was produced between Nick Wolfe, Matt Fell and Johnny Gasparic.

The last single from The Wolfe Brothers latest album – “Startin’ Something” featuring LOCASH – achieved the brothers their 15 consecutive #1 single on the day the album was released. The album “Kids on Cassette” debuted on the ARIA Official Country Album Chart at #1, the ARIA Official Australian Album Chart at #2 and the ARIA Official All Genre Chart at #6.

“Kids On Cassette” was one of the first tracks that The Wolfe Brothers wrote for their latest album, and they instantly knew they wanted the track to be a key single and set the tone for the record. “As we all know vinyl has made a huge comeback in recent years, but much of the soundtrack of when we were kids was on tape,” says Nick. “We had Walkmans and boomboxes as kids and cassette players in our first cars. We’d play those things till they got chewed up and we’d have to pull them out and try to salvage them by winding them up with a pencil. So much of the music that we absorbed into our DNA and shaped us as musicians came from cassettes.”

The song is also a bit of a call to arms from The Wolfe Brothers to the next generation, and they hope kids take something away from watching the video. ” Don’t ever truly grow up,” says Nick. “Always keep a little bit of that ‘kid jamming in the garage’ spirit, and if you’re lucky enough to do it for a living one day, that’ll help you remember why, and help you get through the challenges.”

Kids On Cassette is released to radio on Monday 20th September. The video clip for Kids on Cassette launches online on Friday 24 September 2021.

The Wolfe Brothers fifth studio album Kids on Cassette is available now internationally through BBR Music / BMG.

“Whatever” is a swaggering celebration of girls-night-out, sisterhood-is-powerful solidarity.”

• Cowboys & Indians

“Look out Country Music video world… JD Reynolds has left her mark! WHATEVER… Just in time for going back out on the town. Outtakes… worth the wait.”

• The Hollywood Times

“JD Reynolds released her unapologetic, vivacious single “WHATEVER,” which is filled with a lot of sass and attitude. The listener can recall Shania Twain meets Gretchen Wilson.”

• Markos Papadatos, Digital Journal

“JD Reynolds lays it on the line with a ‘no muss no fuss’ performance in her new video for “Whatever”!”

• Guitar Girl Magazine

Country singer/songwriter JD Reynolds sets the scene for a carefree, feel-good time with the release of her hot new single, “WHATEVER “. This girl-power anthem features Reynolds and her girl gang headed for a night out, enjoying each other’s company because it’s simply all they need. Playful and powerful, “WHATEVER” is the perfect tune to add to every girls-night-out playlist. The music video shows JD’s “WHATEVER” attitude, dancing on tables and ignoring all country boy temptation. “WHATEVER” signifies that the only approval needed is your own!

The “WHATEVER” music video was exclusively premiered by Country Rebel and is available to download and stream on all digital services now.

“WHATEVER is the attitude of 2021. Go out, do WHATEVER you like, wear WHATEVER you like, say WHATEVER you like, and don’t give a dang about WHATEVER anyone thinks of you. Let’s go!” shares Reynolds.

About JD Reynolds:
A true singer, a real songwriter, a neoteric producer, an incredible dancer, and a striking performer, all wrapped up in a stunning package, and yet, her down-to-earth country girl charm is what makes this extraordinary artist so real. JD’s sound is fresh originality for country music. “My entire album came to me like a bolt of lightning, the JD sound, my sound, respecting country music roots yet having my own next level twist”. As an up-and-coming producer, JD teamed up with Grammy-nominated seasoned producer Braddon Williams, credits include Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, The Script, and Kelly Clarkson. Together, Braddon and JD have produced what country music insiders have nicknamed “The Jagged Little Pill of the Country”.

“It’s my favourite song of mine that I’ve ever recorded – and I’ve recorded a few now,” enthuses Allison Forbes of her new song ‘Pieces Of Silver’.

This is a beautiful song of hope and aspiration, built around a musical melange that seems to come from another time and place. The feel of distant locations and musical textures combine in a musical performance that’s part Appalachian mountains, part remote Irish countryside and part backroads Australia. And then there’s the words. Despite everything the world throws at us we’re all looking at the same stars that every generation has gazed at – and hoping for the same things.

“No matter how dark the darkness gets, there will always be the stars.”

With ‘Pieces Of Silver’ Allison Forbes may have created a new genre. “Punkgrass”. This thrashing and energetic new release from 4 x 2021 CMAA Golden Guitar finalist Allison Forbes is the third single from her forthcoming album ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’. Produced by ARIA-winner Matt Fell, this bone-shaking, monster tune is one you will want on repeat. With thumping rhythm, soaring vocals and resounding guitars, Allison Forbes is at the top of her game. And it’s her game. You can join in too. Why not? What have you got to lose?

Allison Forbes is a new-age outlaw of country music. Tamworth’s rebel child is a breath of fresh air and an outburst of originality in songwriting.

Nominated for 4 x CMAA Golden Guitars in 2021, Allison’s debut album ‘Bonedigger’, produced by ARIA Award-winner, Shane Nicholson, debuted at #1 on the ARIA Australian country music charts in February 2020 and was the second highest-selling independent artist across all genres that week. She stuck around on charts and radio all year and was voted Most Popular Female Artist in the Independent Country Music Awards.

The controversial single ‘Broken Radios’ reached #1 on Australian Country Radio and she has no intention of slowing down any time soon. Already, Forbes has recorded a brand-new album ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ with ARIA Award-winner Matt Fell set for release later in 2021.

Allison Forbes has secured her spot tightly in Australia’s alt-country scene. Brave and authentic insightful lyrics and addictive melodies, her stories will charm the pants off you. An honest and inspiring performer, her voice soars easily through any style with strength, warmth, and consideration. A dark gothic thread weaved through the straw of a country music basket of goodies.