NEWS

GOLDEN GUITAR WINNERS

The winners of the 2005 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards were announced Saturday tonight at a star studded ceremony at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre in Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth.

Facing stiff competition from Adam Brand, Troy Cassar-Daley and newcomer Jedd Hughes, Adam Harvey took out the Male Vocalist of the Year award for the second year running for his performance of “That’s What You Call A Friend”. Fans across Australia will be able to hear Adam when he hits the road with the legendary Willie Nelson. “I can’t wait! I feel like I’m supporting the Pope! This has to be the greatest gig in the world,” says Adam.

Kasey Chambers’ mantelpiece will be groaning with Toyota Golden Guitars when she adds this year’s haul to her already substantial collection. As well as earning the Female Vocalist of the Year award for “Pony”, the opening track of her recent album Wayward Angel, she also collected the coveted Single of the Year award for “Like A River” and the Best Selling Album of the Year award for her critically acclaimed third album.

Nominated for five awards this year, Melinda Schneider added two more Toyota Golden Guitars to her trophy cabinet. She took home the APRA Song of the Year Award for “Real People”, a song she co-wrote with Michael Carr, and the all-important Album of the Year Award for Family Tree, produced by Graham Thompson for Compass Bros. Records.

The New Talent of the Year award for 2005 belongs to South Australian guitar prodigy Jedd Hughes. Still in his early 20s, he already has a Grand Old Opry appearance (with Patty Loveless) under his belt and a list of fans that includes Nashvillians Rodney Crowell, Alison Krauss and Guy Clark.

Another great guitarist, Australia’s multi-award-winning Tommy Emmanuel, won the Toyota Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year for his amazing fretwork on “Tall Fiddler”.

Lee Kernaghan and Colin Buchanan shared a Toyota Golden Guitar for Heritage Song of the Year for their collaboration “Missin’ Slim” and although the great Slim Dusty is no longer with us, his extraordinary record of achievement continues. Nominated for five awards this year, Slim won the Video Clip of the Year award for 2005 – his 37th Golden Guitar!

The award for Vocal Group or Duo of the Year went to vocal trio Bella (Kate Ballantyne, Karen O’Shae and Lyn Bowtell) for “About a Girl” and balladeer Jeff Brown scored this year’s award for Bush Ballad of the Year with “Where The Yellow Kapocks Bloom”.

The complete list of winner’s in each category in the 33rd Toyota Golden Guitar Awards are:
Male Vocalist of the Year: Adam Harvey
Female Vocalist of the Year: Kasey Chambers
Album of the Year: Melinda Schneider - Family Tree
Single of the Year: Kasey Chambers - “Like a River”
New Talent of the Year: Jedd Hughes
Top Selling Album of the Year: Kasey Chambers - Wayward Angel
Video Clip of the Year: Slim Dusty - “Get Along”
Vocal Group of the Year: Bella
Vocal Collaboration of the Year: Tracy Coster & Anne Kirkpatrick - “Back to the Saltbush Plains”
Bush Ballad of the Year: Jeff Brown - “Where the Yellow Kapocks Bloom”
Heritage Song of the Year: Lee Kernaghan & Colin Buchanan - “Missin’ Slim”
Instrumental of the Year: Tommy Emmanuel - “Tall Fiddler”
APRA Song of the Year: “ Real People”– Melinda Schneider

Links:
Organisation: County Music Association of Australia

BRIGHT FROM CRYING TEARS OF JOY

Bright Eyes protagonist Conor Oberst has come to mean so much to so many.

It is rare to find music with this degree of expression, this much personal depth. Bright Eyes is an emotional landslide of fragility, sincerity, sensitivity and melancholy conviction. Oberst sounds as if at any moment, he could collapse into uncontrollable sobs, and in the next moment, could be full face red, yelling at the top of his lungs in anger.

As he skirts comparisons to Bob Dylan, there is no denying that his profile is on the up. Over the past two years the young musician has found himself hurled from his indie rock enclave onto the world’s stage. While reaching new heights of commercial success, by simultaneously having the #1 & #2 singles on the U.S Billboard Charts last month and being hailed by numerous polls as the finest songwriter of his generation; Oberst remained, and remains, an artist unwilling to leave his hometown label for any major label’s promises.

This uncompromising spirit permeates through every aspect of the Bright Eyes experience. In conjunction with the release of two separate albums, being simultaneously released on January 24 - I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning & Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, Australia is fortunate enough to be granted an extensive visit by Bright Eyes as Conor & Co travel the length and breadth of the nation in March/April 2005, performing a limited number of headline shows which will highlight songs from I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, as well as supporting one of their biggest fans in the legendary REM.

Dates:
Solo:
Sunday 27 March - Brisbane, The Tivoli
Monday 28 March - Byron Bay, East Coast Blues & Roots Festival
Saturday 2 April - Sydney, The Metro
Tuesday 5 April - Melbourne, Prince of Wales
Thursday 7 April - Perth, Fremantle Arts Centre
Supporting R.E.M.:
Thursday 24 March - Christchurch Westpac Centre
Saturday 26 March - TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth
Tuesday 29 March - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Thursday 31 March - Sydney Entertainment Centre
Sunday 3 April - Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park
Wednesday 6 April - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Friday 8 April - Perth Burswood Dome

Links:
Artist/Band: Bright Eyes