Jemma Beech is back with a new single, ‘Gravy Train’. The follow-up to the 2018 debut album “That’s Just Me”, was inspired by the singer-songwriter’s will to be independent. The new song was written by Jemma while she was living in Western Australia’s Pilbara region and driving haul tracks in the mines; something she’d dreamt of doing for years.

The Senior and Junior Country Music Academy graduate shares, “‘Gravy Train’ signifies the breaking of the mould. Being free of the pressure, being sure of myself in what I desire in life and that every person has a story”. The single was produced by Tamworth’s Rusty Crook who also produced her debut album after the pair met on tour with The Sunny Cowgirls.

Sharing a hometown, Yanderra NSW, with one of Australia’s greatest songwriters, Joy McKean; Jemma started her country music career at Macarthur Country Music Club in New South Wales, at age 16. After being gifted an acoustic Maton guitar by her parents and attending the 2008 Tamworth Country Music Festival at 15, Jemma regards this as pivotal point in her music career.

“That’s Just Me”, debuted at No.1 on the iTunes Top Country Music Albums chart and No.19 on the ARIA Top 20 Australian Country Albums chart. Other career highlights include being the opening act for Sara Storer and The Sunny Cowgirls on their respective tours, attending the 2015 and 2016 Songwriter Retreats at the DAG Sheep Station in Nundle, NSW and recording her debut album in Nashville, Tennessee.

‘Gravy Train’ will be available on all download/streaming platforms from March 5th, 2021

Dad was a guitar playing preacher, his mum a teacher at Pera Bore (a cornerstone community school in Bourke NSW) and music surrounded William Alexander in his formative years. While dad taught young William to sing harmonies in church and gifted him his first guitar by age seven, they differed on their musical heroes. William remembers, “Dad was real big on The Oils (Midnight Oil) whose politics I respected but I preferred the Elvis Presley records mum would listen to”.

The music that helped shape William Alexander the artist, can be credited to an older family friend. Recounting vivid childhood memories William says, “I can still recall sitting at his feet while he played songs on his 12 string guitar and told stories about Slim Dusty and Bob Dylan”.

Releasing the single ‘Ridin’’ was never intended; the original plan, until Australia was put into pandemic lockdown, was to record an album with his new band - a first for this solo performer. Along with the B side ‘Streets Of Forbes’ (a traditional folk song recounting the final days of bushranger Ben Hall – other artists to record the track include The Bushwackers, and Weddings, Parties, Anything), the new music was created when a couple of buddies, regrouped on one side of the border, for a bit of fun in a home recording studio.

As the recordings took place William decided he wanted to champion Australia’s first singing cowboy, Smoky Dawson. “As one of my favourites, I wanted to release one of his songs for personal and moral reasons. Personally, he is a big influence on me as a performer. Morally, I want to always advocate for the Australian landscape and way of life. I want to showcase Australia as a place of romance and inspiration for songs”.
As an artist William knows exactly who he is, he cut his teeth performing mainly traditional American and Australian material from the great folk and country songbooks. His love of the genres was all thanks to the songs by normal people about normal people.

William will always throwback to the greats that came before, but says “I also want the romance and lifestyle of Australia's bush, plains, mountains and deserts as well as the people that care for and work it to get the recognition they deserve”.

‘Young At Heart’ is the new single from Victorian-based artist Vanessa Bourne. The follow-up to ‘Lyin’ Cheatin’ Heart’ released in July, this new single shares the same name of the album released alongside the lead single. Written by the songstress and her producer Curt Ryle, this is a tale of innocent love and most notably young love at any age. It was chosen as the album’s title track because it mentions Vanessa’s favourite artist the legendary, Merle Haggard.

The track was written and recorded in Nashville, USA back in February before our world turned upside. Vanessa has since been stuck in the UK as she was on her way back home to Phillip Island, Vic. Vanessa says, “I miss home terribly, I keep hoping I can come home soon to my little Island”.

The album features 12 new original tracks and is the first collection Vanessa has recorded in the USA country music capital. The singer-songwriter has always loved and performed traditional country music, all thanks to her parents’ avid appreciation of the genre.

The unapologetic classic country artist began performing cover songs in 2014 and transitioned into writing and composing original work in 2017. Fans of Vanessa’s work can be found in Australia, Europe, America and her parents’ homeland of India. Alongside Mr Haggard, Charlie Pride and Patsy Cline round out Vanessa’s musical idols.

 ‘Honey Pot’ is the latest offering from David Schaak, and the second single from his debut album “Meet My Ghosts”. The song was written in 2017, early into Donald Trump’s presidency, while Schaak was flying back home to Brisbane from a visit to the US. One of the first songs tracked for the album, it inadvertently set the tone for the tunes that followed. And while Schaak didn’t set out to include a politically charged song on his debut album, he perfectly sums it up, “I guess when there's something to say, you have to be ready to say it loud.”

Buy and sell the world, from a golden penthouse While your forked tongue tastes a silver spoon

Born into a name, but are you livin’

Sixty-five floors high, buried in your tomb

You’ve got your hand stuck in the honey pot Full of power and gold

Sneerin’ at the world through your rich man eyes You’ve got your hand stuck in the honey pot

Set in your ways

Because you’re still chasing the money not the soul

While the music video for ‘Honey Pot’ references Trump as the ‘villain’ - history has proven over time immemorial that the song is a reference for countless ‘leaders’; from the business elite to bankers, to royalty and the religious hierarchy – and not just the current US president.

Recalling the studio experience, Schaak says, “I knew it needed big drums and guitar but it couldn't be a straight up rock song – it had to have soul. Once we brought Brendan McMahon's (Tracy McNeil and the Goodlife, Saint Jude) keys and Jen Mize's three-part soul harmonies into the mix I knew we had something great.”

Preparing for this new single, Schaak will undoubtedly be hoping for continued success following in the footsteps of lead single, ‘Lost, Alone And Lonesome’. The Melbourne-born, now Brisbane-based artist was humbled with the response to the song after it enjoyed widespread support on radio stations around Australia including ABC Saturday Night Country, ABC Country, Good Morning Country, KIX Country, 98.9FM, Community Radio Network, with the accompanying music video enjoying a number of appearances on Foxtel’s CMT.

‘Honey Pot’ will be available on all major digital platforms on September 15.

Pre-order the song HERE

“Meet My Ghosts” will be released November 27, 2020.

David Schaak Press Kit CLICK HERE

Hailing from Tamworth NSW, Sky Valley Band was formed after band members met through various musician networks. Karen ‘Kaz’ Bevitt (vocals), Kurt Larkham (guitar/vocals), Dan Mountain (guitars), Josh Bilbao (bass) and Sam Levich (drums) have now been performing live for five years. Career highlights include the Gympie Music Muster, Groundwater Country Music Festival, opening shows for Eskimo Joe and The Wolfe Brothers and of course the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Lead vocalist Kaz Bevitt had been performing for several years as a freelance bass player and drummer for many Tamworth artists most notably Sally-Anne Whitten and 8 Ball Aitken and has also been fortunate to grace the stage with Gina Jeffreys and Adam Harvey. Her love of country music developed in the 1990s after being captivated by the sounds of The Chicks, Shania Twain, Reba McEntire and many more legendary voices.

As for Kurt Larkham there was no escaping the music industry, he naturally followed into the footsteps of his father and uncles, all very well known to Tamworth locals. Kurt is a multi-instrumentalist lending his talents to keys, banjo and of course guitar and vocals. The Tamworth native was also a member of Missy Lancaster’s touring band in 2019.

‘Maybe The Moon’, the band’s debut single, was given a test run when they performed it live for the very first time during their Eskimo Joe support spot at the 2019 Tamworth Country Music Festival. The track was so well received that the band immediately headed into the studio and its now ready for release.

Written by lead singer Kaz, the song’s inspiration came from a place of longing and final realisation that relationships may at times not be what you expect or are even mutual. We’ve all experienced heartache and seeing a close friend struggle with this, Kaz put pen to paper.

Check out the music video HERE