DAVE'S DIARY - 17/12/2018 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 4 - SERIES 38

HAY BALERS HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV

Australian combo The Hay Balers headline Nu Country TV on Saturday December 22 at 9 pm on Channel 31/Digital 44 with their drought relief anthem.

Texan troubadour Sunny Sweeney returns to the show, hosted by Mid Pacific Bob Olson, and repeated Sunday 11.30 pm.

Canadian chanteuse Catherine McGrath and Californian Heather Myles open the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.

Oklahoma star Toby Keith, Georgian rapper Colt Ford and Americana band The Devil Makes Three also appear.

Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.

Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/

HAY BALERS LIVE IN SCONE

The Hay Balers travelled way out west to Scone in northern NSW to film their drought relief anthem Shout The Land A Drink.

Matt Scullion, James Blundell, Tania Kernaghan, Drew McAlister and Simply Bushed united in their plea to help drought stricken farmers with Charles Alder from Rural Aid/Buy A Bale .

Scullion wrote the song on a trip to Tamworth where he was overwhelmed by drought impact on farmers and local communities.

The band filmed the video with Klik Productions for the song produced by Shane Nicholson at Sound Hole studios.

“We're passionate about this song and what it represents,” revealed Scullion who was born near Milton/Ulladulla on the NSW south coast and now lives in Newcastle .

“Hopefully Shout the Land a Drink can raise not only more awareness and desperately needed funds, but also the spirits of the folks doing it tough out there in one of the worst droughts in recent memory.”

All profits from the sale of the song online will be donated to the people who need it most - Rural Aid/Buy A Bale.

Matt last fronted Nu Country with Roadside Cross - his tribute to musician Michael Cowderoy who died after a concert in a car accident on New England Highway south of Tamworth .

The 2108 Golden Guitarist appeared in Paul Hogan-Shane Jacobsen movie Charlie & Boots that also featured his song Giddy Up from his previous album Put It Down To Experience .

Further info - http://mattscullionmusic.com/

SUNNY SWEENEY LIVE IN TEXAS

Austin singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney performs live in San Marcos with Jack Ingram on another of our sibling TV shows in Behind Bars.

Sunny and Jack are regular guests on Ray Benson's Texas Music Scene.

She celebrated her 42nd birthday this month with Austin police sergeant husband Jeff Helmer

Sunny also filmed a video on autobiographical song Bottle By My Bed after she tried to have a baby with fertility treatment but suffered miscarriages.

Better Bad Idea is on her fourth album Trophy.

It's a sibling of sorts to Bad Idea performed by Americana band The Devil Makes Three - also in Behind Bars this week.

She also recorded The Next Big Nothing , penned by late Tasmanian Audrey Auld, on 2006 debut CD Heartbreaker's Hall Of Fame.

CLICK HERE for a Sunny Sweeney feature in The Diary on March 27, 2011.

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE

The Devil Makes Three hail from Santa Cruz on the coast of California but perform live and high at Red Rocks festival in Morrison, Colorado, on their Nu Country debut.

They performed Bad Idea from their eighth album Chains Are Broken.

The trio - Pete Bernhard, Cooper McBean and Lucia Turino - formed in 2002 and spent 2018 touring the U.S. , Canada and Europe.

Their 2016 album Redemption & Ruin featured guests Emmylou Harris and Jerry Douglas.

"The last record, that was really fun and then, this time, we were like, 'Okay, let's not do that at all. Let's go in the total opposite direction,” Bernhard explained.

“Let's not have anything on the album that isn't in the band. It was a complete about-face, kind of."

Further info - http://thedevilmakesthree.com/

CATHERINE MCGRATH RETURNS TO HOMETOWN

Irish singer Catherine McGrath takes us back to her home town - historic fishing village Rostrevor in Northern Ireland - in her video for the title track of her debut album Talk Of This Town.

She filmed snap shots of her family in Rostrevor - also inspiration for Narnia Chronicles and locale for several episodes of Game Of Thrones.

“A lot of it was filmed in Ireland , me hanging out with my friends and family and some of at shows in London ,” Catherine revealed.

“It was my story so far.”

Catherine, now 21, toured here with Novocastrian Morgan Evans - singing spouse of Tennessean Kelsey Ballerini - in September.

She was discovered by Sir Elton John as a teenager - a similar story to Novocastrian Catherine Britt.

CLICK HERE for our interview with Catherine in the Diary on October 8.

HEATHER MYLES MATERNAL STARDOM

Californian honky tonker Heather Myles returns with a maternal memory in her video for Mama's A Star on her fifth album In The Wind.

Heather, now 56, hails from Riverside in California where her parents bred race horses.

She returned live to an old style dance hall on one of our sibling TV shows for her maternal tribute.

Heather has also released three live albums and a compilation disc.

CLICK HERE for a Heather Myles feature in The Diary on February 5, 2004.

TOBY KEITH AND COLT FORD

Oklahoma star Toby Keith and Georgian rapper mate Colt Ford return with a different style of drinking song.

Time Flies When You Are Having Rum is on Colt's sixth album Love Hope Faith.

Colt, 48, was born Jason Brown in Athens - Georgia , not Greece

He was a professional golfer before he changed careers for music and acting.

Ford acting debut was in Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser in 2015.

Toby, 57, toured here for our late benefactor Rob Potts in 2014.

Toby was joined by fellow singing actor Willie Nelson, now 85, and comedian Rodney Carrington in their 2008 movie Beer For My Horses that followed his 2006 acting debut in Broken Bridges.

Willie and Toby performed their video for Waccy Tobbacy - sequel to Toby's historic hit Weed For Willie - from Keith's 21st album The Bus Songs .

Keith performs Don't Let The Old Man In from The Mule - new movie by Clint Eastwood, now 88.

CLICK HERE for a Toby Keith feature in The Diary on January 18, 2014.

Further info - https://coltford.com/

HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR

We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 38th series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.

You can win Kip Moore's third album Slowheart , thanks to EMI promotions chief Dave Parker, and Blake Shelton's 12th CD If I'm Honest from Karen Black and Tony Midolo at Warner Music.

We also have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing membership.

They include Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.

CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for full details.

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