DAVE'S DIARY - 24/7/07 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 8 - SERIES 8
MIKE BRADY HOSTS NU COUNTRY TV
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Internationally
acclaimed singer-songwriter Mike Brady joins a celebrity cast when
he hosts Nu Country TV - this Saturday July 28 - at 8 p m on C 31. Moffatt, former pedal steel guitarist for pioneer progressive Victorian country band Saltbush and member of pop chart toppers The Monitors - hired a Music City A-team cast to play on the Brady sessions. |
Expatriate
Australasian publisher Barry Coburn - former manager of Saltbush - lured
Moffatt to Nashville more than a decade ago as a house producer for artists
diverse as fellow expat and latter day superstar Keith Urban and seven
times wed country rocker Steve Earle's sister Stacey.
Brady revealed all about making of the album in interview after his celebrity
launch at a swish retreat on the 89th floor of the Eureka Tower.
The singer also performed cameos of live tunes to preview video clips
of new singles Friendly Fire and Two Or Three For Me.
Expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, Steve Forde,
Adam Brand & chart topping U.S duo The Wreckers star in the Brady
hosted episode.
Mike also donated autographed copies of Country To Country to viewers
who become members or exiting members who renew their membership.
CLICK HERE to learn how you
can support Mike and us by becoming a Nu Country member.
URBAN SOARS CHARTS
 Keith Urban - photo by Linda Di Nola |
Brady introduces
Keith Urban's video for his latest Top 3 Billboard hit I Told You So
- third single from sixth album Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing.
The singer details the massive success of Urban whose early Music City
demos were produced by Moffatt.
Urban has sold more than 10 million albums since fleeing the unlucky radio
country in 1993 to pursue his art in Nashville.
The new disc has sold 1.7 million copies despite a slow start when the
singer booked himself into rehab at Betty Ford Centre in California on
October 19, 2006.
Urban, 39, also took a break from U.S. touring with a triumphant Australian
sojourn and European concerts but recently pumped up his profile on the
Live Earth concert.
He has also punctuated touring with frequent visits to Australia to see
spouse Nicole Kidman, now making the Baz Luhrman movie Australia with
Hugh Jackman.
Since 2001, Urban has notched seven #1 Billboard Country singles, but
the first two singles from his new album haven't topped charts.
Less than two weeks after rehab, Keith Urban sang and played guitar for
a song on Martina McBride's new album, Waking Up Laughing.
"This is the first thing he's done since he's been out," said
McBride who also features soon on Nu Country TV.
"I saved this song for him. His was the only voice for it."
Urban has mysteriously postponed a European tour scheduled for October
because of "international commitments."
But Keith soared to #5 on the BRW Magazine biggest Australian earners
list at $26 million behind spouse Nicole at #3 with $35 million.
Imagine the wealth surge if he received airplay here on commercial corporate
chains.
CLICK HERE for an Urban
review from our Concert Reviews page on May 18.
THE WRECKERS
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Brady
also reveals details of the huge success of chart topping duo The
Wreckers who are touring the U.S. as Urban's support act. The Wreckers are promoting their video of My Oh My from huge selling debut disc Stand Still, Look Pretty. Jessica Harp, 25, and Michelle Branch, 24, penned the rollicking tune with Wayne Kirkpatrick and Josh Leo in Nashville. |
"That
is our favourite song for sure," Branch says of the video friendly
song.
The duo wrote 10 of 12 tunes - The Good Kind debuted on TV series
One Tree Hill - but neither woman lives down to their Maverick
record label name.
Arizona born
Branch has three solo albums in her slipstream and Kansas City born Harp
also released a 2002 indie CD.
Branch produced their first hit - a cover of Jennifer Hanson-Billy Austin
tune Leave The Pieces - with John Shanks.
John Leventhal - second husband of Rosanne Cash - cut most of the disc
in New York in 2004.
It sold more than 420,000 copies after Leave the Pieces hit #1 on Billboard's
country airplay chart - a rarity.
Branch was miffed to learn a pop version of Leave The Pieces was
released here.
"They took out all the fiddle, mandolin, banjo, it lost its life,"
Branch said.
Grammy-winning Branch and Harp made the finals of both the CMA and Academy
of Country Music Awards.
Branch won her Grammy with Santana.
Aside from a brief chat at a CMT party last year, Branch says she and
Harp had their first formal encounter with Urban just before the tour
started.
"He called each of us and said, 'Thank you for waiting for me to
get my life together,''
Branch said.
"It was really sweet and totally unnecessary."
Branch takes her 1-year-old daughter, Owen, on tour.
Husband Teddy Landau, 42, is The Wreckers' bass guitarist.
"It's not easy being on the tour with Owen, but fortunately, we get
to be together more than most families," says the singer, who adds
that they have a nanny to help out.
CLICK HERE for the
Wreckers CD review from the Diary on January 3, 2007.
SPIRIT OF THE BUSH
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Brady
also introduces the video for Spirit Of The Bush - the new
hit single for Lee Kernaghan, Steve Forde and Adam Brand. < photo by Carol Taylor |
Kernaghan,
Brand and Forde have a star-studded cast in the chorus.
Unsung heroes and heroines Tania Kernaghan, McClymonts, Travis Collins,
Dianna Corcoran, Davidson Brothers, Sunny Cowgirls, Shea Fisher, Nick
Kingswell, Aleyce Simmonds, Kirsty Lee Akers and Jake Nickolai are among
the cast.
Spirit Of The Bush is title track and first single off Kernaghan's
ninth album that was released on July 14 through ABC Music/Warner Music.
The single was launched at the Spirit Of The Bush concert for locals suffering
from drought on June 30 in Grenfell, NSW.
Artists, publishers and labels are donating all profits from the song
to Aussie Helpers - the charity helping drought victims in regional Australia.
CLICK HERE for a Kernaghan
interview in the Diary on June 6, 2006.
CLICK HERE for a concert
review from our Concert Reviews section.