Country Music Is Here

Well, it's the time of the year that I look forward to most every day of the year. It's country music time in Tamworth and I'm loving it, although I feel like sleeping for a very long time.

It's only the first day and things are already so amazingly busy I can't believe I have to survive the next week as well.

Worked a 14 hour day today and I'm now ready for bed, but I will enlighten you on some aspects of my day.

My column and first update/wrap around on the paper debuted today. For those who don't know it's called The Naked Truth and there is an appropriate photo running with it- email me if you must see it, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Today consisted of interviews with artists in order: Tania Kernaghan, Samantha McClymont, Tracy Coster, Adam Harvey and the I finished up with the CMAA Australian College of Country Music Graduation Concert. I also did an Army story in there with their hats- although they wouldn't line dance for me... oh well.

I just hope I can do a decent job of reporting on a range of aspects of the Festival and not miss too many things out.

Anyway, it's off to bed now, I have more to add but that will wait til tomorrow.

Party hard!

Shock, Horror... yes, I'm back

After a reformat of my beautiful silicon beast, I'm back and much has happened.

We're into full country music mode- my favourite time of the year, during which people with half a brain or more open their eyes and ears and the rest of the people with less than half a brain and barely a brain stem close their eyes and ears and hopefully leave town and leave those of us who want to party, alone.

And so, I have begun putting together the beast that is the country music guide for the paper- must be on my mind as I even had a nightmare about it last night. But so far, so good.

I also want to announce the winner of nicest man in country music. No, not Keith Urban as some of you may expect- gone off him and not just because he's traded me in for a multimillionaire actress aka Nicole Kidman, but this year's award (and every other year's award no doubt) goes to Troy Cassar-Daley. He is without doubt the nicest man in Australian country music. I spoke with him Thursday- he rang me:) And he's coming to town Monday... yes, I love my job!!!!

His touring partner on many occasions, Sara Storer, is in with a good chance at nicest female in country music, but there are a few in the running, but Sara could get it this year- will announce the winner when the Festival is over.

This blog will also be running the exclusive goss of the festival- guess who, don't sue-;)

All for now...
Bec

And I return... for those who didn't

It's been a few weeks of remembrance here. In my last post (how appropriate) I mentioned the light horse. Well, the memorial to the Australian Light Horse has now been unveiled- a beautiful bronze sculpture it is, too. It now sits in quiet remembrance to those horses who never returned after bravely helping Australia during the Boer War and World War I and were shot in return for their service as Australian quarantine laws did not allow them to return.

I find it ironic that these laws allowed one horse to return- Sandy, that of a General. The General, however, died two days offshore after leaving Gallipoli from wounds suffered in battle there. Sandy lived out his days in the remount yards in Sydney while his equine friends lay dead overseas.

This memorial remembers them.

During my time researching and writing about the memorial over the past weeks and months I have discovered that this group- The Australian Light Horse Association- are just a bunch of people who want to keep the memory of the light horse alive. Intriguing. It was a great sight to see them all lined up at the memorial- 47 of them with horses behaving the best they can when surrounded by thousands of people and having a pipe band play in their ears close by.

So, that's the light horses' life and death in my days..

I will be posting a photo of the memorial in coming weeks.

Riding into the Sunset

I'm going to be updating this once a week at least- I promise, after being told to keep it updated... I will:)

Since the farewell night, newsroom morale has been going downhill at my beloved newspaper, but you have to go down before you can get back up, so here's hoping the uphill climb starts really soon.

In the last couple of weeks I have also met some interesting people who will take up the next few posts. These include a Buddhist monk who travelled across the Himalayas and has since helped a family who lost a daughter and a sister and they are now helping him and on the same day I spent a while in front of a computer wanting to cry for the loss of life during the Charge of Beersheba and other battles involving the brave lighthorse, other war horses and the men who were their companions.

It's been an interesting time to say the least. I've also now driven down the main street in an armoured personnel carrier- very cool and the high point of my week so far.

Uni work does call, however, for another week and I'm heading off on some outback travels to Lightning Ridge, through outback SE Queensland and into Brisbane and back home, so shall update when I return.

Til then keep seeking...

What I've Learned...

Well, I was just typing away at a uni assignment and thought 'why not post to my blog'. I know I haven't been here for a while, so I may as well update everyone.

There have been many upheavals at my beloved newspaper, I just hope we come out better on the other side of them- and that's all I will say on that over-debated topic at work at present.

The other night I was sitting at a local pub farewelling our last senior full-time writing journalist as he has retired and was listening to many of his mates get up and give speeches and one speech really made me think of this blog. One bloke who shall remain nameless got up and gave the most amazing speech on how journalists must stay true to their calling and how management must let journalists' characters come through and not just think of them as machines to churn out copy everyday. He also made some really great points about life in general- judge your friends by the characters in the Wizard of Oz. He said most people have courage and brains but no heart, others have a heart and courage but no brains or they have brains and a heart but no courage. He said the ones who are our true friends are those who have the heart, the courage and the brains.

This bloke not only gave a bloody wonderful speech, but has led a most interesting life and is a really nice bloke to boot. He has been a major in the Army, he's been in the Navy, been a journalist and he's now flying his own plane. He's done a million other things too, but too numerous to mention here.

So, that's 'Hyphen's' life in my day. If you haven't learned anything from that- get off my blog:) If you have- I welcome you and ask you to stay.

Softly-Spoken Songwriters

In keeping with the music theme of the previous post, I bring you my foray into Pete Murray's life in one of my days last week.

I had the privilege of interviewing the singer-songwriter last week and it went great... a very short interview, but I got everything I wanted and I hope he enjoyed the experience too.

He is very softly spoken (and I had fellow journos yelling across the newsroom at the same time as I was talking with him) and just a really friendly bloke. His music seems to portray him quite well. It's understated and he admits he is certainly not arrogant, believing that if you think you'll be too successful you only fall harder when you fail- some good advice here methinks. He grew up in Chinchilla and said he just wasn't brought up to be over-confident in his work.

He's certainly not some 'rock star'. His last album- Feeler went six times platinum... SIX TIMES... that's amazing in itself and particularly from an artists who writes his own stuff and actually cares about what the lyrics say not just the clanging electric guitars taking over the songs. His latest single- released today- is already the number one song added to radio playlists across the country and his album will be released September 25. It is pretty certain to match the amazing things his debut offering did.

He's hitting town on October 25 and I reckon I might just head on down to catch him:)

Summer's In The Air and I Smell The Sweet Scents of Country Music...

Well... it's September, why do I smell country music?

It's nearly time for the Country Music Festival... well, okay, it's not until January, but it's time to start getting organised.

I jumped (well, crawled) out of bed every morning this week feeling summer in the air. We've had a long, cold winter it seems- although we didn't have too many minus temperatures this year- and I just love feeling warmth in the air. So, we entered spring this week and our ornamental plums along the street are sprouting lavender-coloured flowers and people in the street are beginning to smile again- I love it!!

Anyway, I digress. This year it would appear I am doing most of the country music writing for the festival in January. Okay, having said that I've pretty much given up my anonymity- but anything I've written here is purely personal observation and opinion and bears no resemblance to any living newspaper publication:)

I am currently watching a very interesting series on Country Music's roots away from the Nashville scene that seems to have been trying to constrict country music ever since it came around... but I am not going to rave on about that.

My point with tonight's post is to highlight the FACT (yes, fact) that major touring country music artists DO NOT visit this town to perform in the months from February-December. IN January they HAVE to be here to pick up their awards, do a few shows, get paid and they ride of into the sunset never to set foot on a stage in this town until the next January. This is only a phenomenon of the past few years it appears.

However, Sara Storer and Peter Denahy decided to go against the grain and they were more than rewarded for it. They sold out here last Wednesday night as they played to an appreciative crowd. This crowd voted with their feet (and wallets) and demonstrated to country artists that they were more than willing to get out and reward them for paying them a visit in non-Country Music Festival times.

I had been told by a very cynical person that "20 people will turn up" to the gig, so I was more than delighted when the concert sold out 5 days before the show. And you couldn't meet many nicer country artists than these two. They are having a ball on the tour and I really hope they enjoyed their concert and will return soon.

I also really hope they spread the word to other country music artists that there are actually people here in town from February-December. The town lives on during the other 11 months of the year when it's not country music festival time.

When more major touring country music artists realise this, we will truly be the country music capital.

Rant over...:)

I can't wait for January!!