The Angels
The irony is TheAngels have never gone away. As the book The100 Best Australian Albums points out, “The Angels can lay claim to beingAustralia’s longest-lasting band.”
The Angels have astoried history. And it’s a story that’s still being written by foundingmembers John and Rick Brewster, and singer Dave Gleeson, drummer Nick Norton,and John’s son, Sam, on bass.
John Williamson
His unofficial anthems, tributes to legends andunsung heroes and tender ballads have captured the spirit of the nation in songunlike any other. His honest and passionate songs are synonymous with thecountry that inspires him and connect him with his countrymen regardless ofage, sex or creed.
Add to this his ability to deliver unforgettablelive concert experiences that combine the perfect blend of humour, romance andcampfire stories woven together by his music. You can understand why he remainsone of the most in-demand live performers in Australia.
John Williamson released his twentieth studio album, Butcherbird, in August 2019. This washis first original album since 2014 and garnered John a new Golden Guitar toadd his mantel at this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival.
John is a masterstoryteller and Butcherbird is noexception to that. Songs on this album are a combination of humour, romance,travelling songs and campfire stories. There is no doubt it will resonate withAustralians all over.
Busby Marou
The overwhelming feeling that emanates from BUSBY MAROU isjoy.
Tom’s playful onstage presence combined with Jeremy’sfreakish instrumental ability has cemented their reputation as one of the mostloved live bands to come out of Australia in recent times. They have created acompletely unique vibe based on Tom’s everyman’s approach to story tellinginterspersed with Jeremy’s guitar virtuosity. They sell out shows everywherefrom Surry Hills to Cairns and have an incredibly loyal and diverse following.
BUSBY MAROU have recently released their latest single”Sound Of Summer” produced by Oscar Dawson (Alex Lahey/Holy Holy). This is thefirst single from album 4 which will be recorded in February and released inmid 2019.
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley has released 10 studio albumsthroughout his thirty years of making music. He comes from a long line ofstorytellers and shares his musicianship with so many artists across differentstyles of music.
His passion to pen stories about this land andwhat lies at the heart of it has been a driving force in his career.
Troy’s natural authenticity is the bloodline ofhis music that endears him to his ever-growing number of fans from every walkof life.
Troy has been awarded numerous accoladesincluding 37 Golden Guitars, 4 ARIAs, 2 APRA Country Song of the Year awards, 9Deadlys (Australian Indigenous Artist Awards), 4 CMAA Entertainer of the Yearawards plus 2 NIMAs (National Indigenous Music Awards). In 2017 Troy washonoured as the 50th inductee into the prestigious Australasian Roll Of Renown. He has had numerous gold and platinum albums and achieved a staggering 32Number 1 chart singles.
His songs have been the soundtrack to the everyday triumphs, strugglesand good times for Australians from our small towns to the big cities.
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll’severyman appeal lies in his honesty, he strikes a chord with legions of musicfans, tapping into a pure emotion that’s both his own and instantly relatable.
His rise to fame asthe first runner-up of the initial Australian Idol series in 2003changed his life from farm hand in Condobolin forever.
Since taking to thestage and commencing his successful recording career, Australia’s favourite son”Nollsie” has on to receive acclaim with certified triple-platinum sales,number #1 hits, five top 10 albums, has 17 platinum and three gold accreditations,and boasts a reputation as the only Australian male artist in national charthistory to have ever achieved ten consecutive top ten singles.
Undeniably, ShannonNoll has captured the hearts and minds of music fans around Australia andoverseas with his raw, gifted rockvoice. He remains one of the most recognisable namesand faces in the Australian music industry with only a few matching hissuccess.
Aloving husband and father, he is also a voice to be reckoned with. Shannon iscurrently working on his next album which will once again be sure to only addto his success thus far.
The McClymonts
The McClymonts have enjoyed incredible success since the release of their debut EP in 2006 with over 250,000 album sales and 20 million track streams. They have achieved one Platinum and two Gold album sales accreditations and received thirteen Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA Awards and an APRA Award all whilst becoming one of Australia’s favourite touring groups. Their latest single "I Got This" recently achieved the highest debut in the history of the The Music Network Country Hot50 Airplay chart when it entered the top 10 upon release. It is the first taste of their sixth studio album ‘Mayhem to Madness’, which will be released on Friday 12th June.
Fans can expect to hear songs from the new album along with their trademark hits such as "House", "Forever Begins Tonight" and "Like We Used To", performed with their full live band when they hit the Deni Ute Muster stage for the first time in 3 years.
McAlister Kemp
Country-Rocktitans, McAlister Kemp made a triumphant return to the live arena with two hugeshows at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and they are now ecstatic to becoming back to the Groundwater Country Music Festival for the first timein five years.
Consisting ofDrew McAlister and Troy Kemp, McAlister Kemp are one of the most successfulAustralian country acts of the last decade. From the immediate breakout successof their debut album ‘All Kinds of Tough’ in 2010 through to their parting in2015, the pair earned their stripes as one of the highest selling and mostexciting touring acts in Australia.
But it is notjust the strength of their live shows that brought them acclaim, their threealbums; ‘All Kinds of Tough’ (2010), ‘Country Proud’ (2012) and ‘Harder toTame’ (2014) are veritable classics of the genre packed with hands-in-the-airrockers such as “Hell Yeah”, “Hard Work”, “Country Proud”, “Harder To Tame”& “Tats” and anthems like “It Don’t Buy You Love”, “Home”, “Fight Me”, “100Years the Anzac” and “All Kinds of Tough”.
The five yearbreak has been rewarding for Drew & Troy individually with solo albums, hitsingles, awards and touring and with a legacy as enduring as the MK catalogue,it was only a matter of time before the pair would unleash once again.
Sara Storer
Writing from the heart and singing from the soul, surveying the peopleand land around you and letting stories inspire your creativity andguide your craft. That’s what makes a songwriter genuine and honestand 21-time Golden Guitar winner Sara Storer has consistently shownshe personifies those qualities. In fact, she’s done that right from thestart, nearly 20 years ago when she released her first album ChasingBuffalo. Now she has a brand-new collection of songs that comprise her2019 album Raindance, another fascinating musical chapter in the lifeof Australian songwriter Sara Storer.
Born in the Mallee in country Victoria, Sara has studied in Melbourne,wrote her first song in Western Queensland, worked as a teacher in theNorthern Territory and now lives on a rural property outside of Albury,NSW with her husband Dave and their four sons. The land, family andan innate and empathetic understanding of what it is to live inAustralia are themes that run strongly through the songs onRaindance, the title track in particular continuing a tradition of songsabout rain that feature on many of her albums.
Shane Nicholson
Shane Nicholson inhabits a rare space in the music industry:songwriter, recording artist, producer/engineer, multi-instrumentalist,guitar pedal builder, whiskey-enthusiast, motorcycle-lover, and musicalmentor.
Shane has received three ARIA awards – most recently for his soloalbum Hell Breaks Loose in 2015 and for his hit collaborations withKasey Chambers – Rattlin’ Bones and Wreck and Ruin. He has also won10 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards, including 2018 Male Artist of the Year,and an APRA award.
Felicity Urquhart
FelicityUrquhart has long been one of the best-loved and most decoratedsinger-songwriters in Australian song. In a career encompassing seven studioalbums, two EPs, and countless sold-out headlining shows and capacity festivalappearances.
2020 will see Felicity going from strength to strength off the back of hersuccess at the recent 48th Country Music Awards of Australia – The ToyotaGolden Guitar Awards.
Felicity was the night’s big winner taking out five awards from hereight nominations for Frozen Rabbit including APPLE MUSIC SINGLE OF THE YEAR(Chain Of Joy), APRA AMCOS SONG OF THE YEAR (Chain Of Joy), FEMALE ARTIST OFTHE YEAR, TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Frozen Rabbit), and TOYOTAALBUM OF THE YEAR (Frozen Rabbit). She also took home a sixth award, arecognition as co-writer of ‘Sing Me A Song’ (co-written with Luke O’Shea, whorecorded the track with Lyn Bowtell). The song took out the HERITAGE SONG OFTHE YEAR award.
Felicity’s Golden Guitar Award tally now sits at fourteen. Her seventhsolo studio album ‘Frozen Rabbit’, was also nominated for a 2019 ARIA Award inthe Best Country Album category. These accolades acknowledge the strength ofthe album, Felicity’s first stand-alone album release in over a decade, and herfirst since signing a new record deal with ABC Music.
A constant presence onAustralian screens and airwaves, Urquhart has hosted ABC Radio’s flagshipcountry music variety show Saturday Night Country since 2010—as well as servingas the face of Tourism NSW’s nationally broadcast Heart of Country NSWcampaign.
Hurricane Fall
Hailing from Newcastle,Australia, Hurricane Fall,are living proof that rawtalent, ambition andhonesty can still prevail intoday’s music industry They do it theold fashioned way, touring constantlyand winning fans at the gigs with aperformance style that is reminiscentof the glory days of Classic Rock andthe Golden Age of Country Rock ofthe early 90’s.
Hurricane Fall’s sound is a modern but earthy fusion of their Country roots, andthe classic rock heritage of the Steel City where they reside. This combined with aPop sensibility in their song writing suggests a wide range of influences. Classiccountry like Garth Brooks, Aussie Rock legends Cold Chisel and moderncontemporaries like Brothers Osborne.
The band is one of the hardest working acts in Showbiz.
Hurricane Fall also toured Canada in July 2019, playing at the prestigiousCavendish Beach Music Festival alongside Carrie Underwood and Eric Church.The release of the Band’s Debut Album “Aint Leavin” has seen the band beinghailed as the next big thing is Australian new age Country.
Their live show is second to non..
Darlinghurst
Whatever and wherever they perform, Darlinghurst are creating a buzz andgarnering a positive reaction, nowhere more so than at CMC and all major countryradio networks who’ve helped keep Sorry … at #1 on The Music Network CountryMusic airplay charts for an incredible five weeks.
Only four other Australian artists [Morgan Evans, Amber Lawrence, The Buckleysand Lee Kernaghan] have scored the coveted #1 slot in 2019. Some seriously goodcompany for a debut artist to find themselves in!
