ELEVENTH AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT
COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS
THE SOUTHERN STARS - THE AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS
Mildura Arts Centre 6pm - 8pm Saturday 6th October, 2007
2007 F I N A L I S T S
1. APRA/AMCOS AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY MUSIC SINGLE OF THE YEAR
LIFE DON'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS |
Tania Kernaghan |
THINGS THAT BRING ME DOWN |
Amber Lawrence |
BIG BLACK CLOUD |
Felicity Urquhart |
TAILWIND |
Harmony James |
2. ONE STOP ENTERTAINMENT AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR
RECOVERED |
Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French |
LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK |
Carter & Carter |
LOVE SOMEONE |
Lou Bradley |
RESTORATION |
Paul Costa |
3. AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT HERITAGE TRACK OF THE YEAR TRADITIONAL
WOMAN ON THE LAND |
Graham Rodger |
CAN'T CUT GIDGEE |
Ian Quinn |
BUSH GIRL'S HEART |
Anita Ree |
DAYS ROLL BY |
Tom Curtain |
4. CAPITAL NEWS AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT RISING STAR MALE
JASON RYAN |
Live On An Island |
TOM CURTAIN |
Born Out Here |
AARON BOLTON |
Rockin' Up |
MARKUS MEIER |
Matilda Road |
5. CAPITAL NEWS AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT RISING STAR FEMALE
NELLIE DONOVAN |
Steppin' Out |
GEMMA DOYLE |
All I Want Is Tonight |
CASEY WATT |
I Don't Want To Work This Hard |
JAYNE DENHAM |
Chick Ute |
6. AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
TRAVIS SINCLAIR |
Rockin' The Rig |
PAUL COSTA |
A Lover's Question |
NIK PHILLIPS |
Postcard |
DREW McALISTER |
Along For The Ride |
7. AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
AMBER LAWRENCE |
Things That Bring Me Down |
TANIA KERNAGHAN |
Life Don't Get Much Better Than This |
LOU BRADLEY |
One Shoe |
FELICITY URQUHART |
Big Black Cloud |
8. AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
CAMILLE TE NAHU & STUIE FRENCH |
Let's Make A family |
LUKE O'SHEA & MEDICINE WHEEL |
Ragged Bloody Heroes |
CARTER & CARTER |
Runaway |
JONAH'S ROAD |
Counting Down The Days |
9. AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF THE YEAR
No Finalists. To be announced on the night.
Winners announced on Saturday 6th October 2007 at the awards presentation concert at 6pm in the Mildura Arts Centre Theatre.
Tickets are available by calling 1800 039 043 ($33.00 including GST)
ABOUT THE FINALISTS
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Aaron Bolton  |
Aaron is a 22-year-old singer who hails from Canberra, and is now based in Tamworth
where he is fronting a leading Tamworth band, The Rockerfellas.
Aaron is a gifted singer and songwriter, who has been performing since he was 10 years old.
Recognising his potential, Joan Douglas signed Aaron to The Pub Management as an artist in
development in 2003. He has since been steadily working on crafting his career, furthering
his songwriting and musical skills to match that great big voice of his His debut single
Rockin’ Up was commissioned by Tourism Tamworth and adopted
it as their theme for the festival promotion. |
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Lou Bradley is bursting onto the music scene with a vitality and originality
that blows you away. Lou's experiences have an authenticity that's reflected in memorable songs
sweeping across a vast terrain of life, love and friendship - she’s a genuine storyteller and
one of the brightest new Australian singer-songwriters to emerge in years. Her debut album
Love Someone has already created an enormous vibe, combining Lou’s
unique vocals and songs with superb production by multi-award winning Rod McCormack. She followed
the radio success of her debut single Love Someone with the wonderfully
poignant and compelling One Shoe, a sad but also uplifting tribute to her late sister. |
Lou Bradley  |
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Carter & Carter  |
Golden Guitar Winners Carter & Carter have created history as independent artists with their
multi-award winning albums and chart topping hits. They received honours in 2004 with the APRA
Most Performed Country Work. Carter & Carter have been voted CMAA Independent Entertainers of
the Year and Australian Independent Country Music Artists of the Year at the Southern Stars
Australian Independent Country Music Awards three years running, plus numerous other awards for Single of the
Year, Album of the Year and more. They have released 11 singles, all of them making the National
Top 10, including six #1's, and four albums to date, Dance Away The Night,
Every Minute, Acoustic Gospel and their latest Leap Before You Look.
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It’s been a huge 6 months for Paul Costa. In October last year he was
named as the Australian Independent Artist of the Year at the Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
In February his new album Restoration reaped him 5 wins at the Victorian
Country Music Awards including the prestigious Independent Album of the Year and Duet of the Year.
Restoration has received rave reviews, and Paul’s emergence as one of
the new stars of Australian country music seems assured. The album has already garnered two Top 10
chart hits with The Way You Make Me Feel (with Aleyce Simmonds), and the
most recent single A Lover’s Question. |
Paul Costa  |
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Tom Curtain  |
Tom Curtain jumps from one saddle to another as he juggles his horse-breaking and country music
careers, and does it admirably. Following the enormous success of his debut album
Smack Bang which grabbed two Golden Guitar nominations and four hit singles including the #1
smash hit Smack Bang, Tom once again teamed up with multi Golden-guitar
winning producer and writer Garth Porter and was back last November with his new album
Heatwave. The first two singles Born Out Here and
Chew Like Hell continued Tom’s amazing chart success, and the latest single Wearing
Out Leather looks certain to follow suit. |
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There's something special about Nellie Donovan that draws you in the
moment that you hear her sing or witness her perform. Perhaps it's her rich, soulful
voice delivering every song with absolute conviction and emotion. When she closes
her eyes and sings you feel every word, every line, and embark on a journey
with a songwriter not afraid to expose her life openly and honestly. 2006 was a hugely
successful year for Nellie with the release of her album Steppin’ Out,
a Finalist in the MusicOz Awards, and 2 successful radio singles
Sing Me An Angel and Cruisin’. In 2007 Nellie attended the Australian
College of Country Music, and was a finalist in Toyota Star Maker.
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Nellie Donovan  |
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Jayne Denham  |
Jayne Denham has performed as backing singer on recordings by well know Australian country
music artist Colin Buchanan and performed as backing singer for Tina Arena at the ARIA Awards,
toured throughout Europe, USA and New Zealand singing for various Australian artists. After jumping
the tracks and joining a rock band for several years, Jayne has finally returned to her roots
performing country music with her debut single Chick Ute already
creating a stir in the industry. Renowned producer, Golden Guitar and Aria Award winner John Kane
produced her debut album, Sudden Change In Weather, and fans can look
forward to an eclectic mix of rocking country, heartfelt ballads and down right hilarious tunes.
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It has been six years since young emerging artist Gemma Doyle took her first tentative
steps, releasing first an EP and then her debut album Twists & Turns. Gemma
now continues her journey with the release of her second album Nothing, with
all but one of the ten tracks written by Gemma herself. She is a naturally gifted songwriter whose unique
sound and music is currently being aired internationally as well. Her much acclaimed
Permission To Breathe film clip saw Gemma walk the red carpet as a Golden Guitar finalist in January,
and she was also a finalist in the Sunscreen Awards. Gemma’s music is hard to categorise, stretching from
country to contemporary, and the young singer/songwriter’s unique vocals and style come to the fore.
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Gemma Doyle  |
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Harmony James  |
Since graduating from the CMAA College of Country Music in 2006, Tennant Creek based Harmony has spent
her time in the outback performing throughout the Territory and songwriting. A former ringer, she has a
close association with the bush and continues to work in the cattle industry during the fledgling stages
of a promising career in country music. Her debut self-titled EP was released at Tamworth 2007, produced
by Herm Kovac, featuring the talents of some of Australia’s leading musicians, and highlighting Harmony’s
songwriting and performing talents. Harmony has already achieved a Top 10 hit with
Tailwind, and her second single Somebody Stole My Horse is quickly
following in its tracks.
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Jonah’s Road is a Sydney based country-pop band enjoying increasing
recognition and a rapidly growing fan base. The highly anticipated new album,
Counting Down The Days, was released at the Tamworth Festival in January 2007 and is
repeating the success of the band’s award winning first album Hold On,
with shared lead vocals by Jay, John & Rodney, great songs and a fantastic live show. Jonah’s Road
is one of the hottest bands in country music today. The first single and title track,
Counting Down The Days, has been the latest chart success for a band that that has already proved it
knows how to make them. |
Jonah's Road  |
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Tania Kernaghan  |
Multiple Golden Guitar winner Tania Kernaghan announced emphatically in 2006 she was back
after a four-year hiatus, with a brand new independent album Higher Ground
and the chart success of her comeback single That’s What I’m Here For.
The new album, with its universal musical appeal, is testament to the fact that Australian
country music is evolving – and getting cooler every day, and Tania is still the authentic female
voice of Australian country music. Tania recently celebrated the success of her latest hit,
Life Don’t Get Much Better Than This, the fourth single lifted from
Higher Ground, which hit #1 on the official Country Tracks Top 30
Singles Chart in July. |
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Sydney based Amber Lawrence is an exciting talent on the rise.
Amber has had a huge amount of success over the past three years, with her most
recent achievement being presented with the prestigious 2006 Golden Saddle award.
She is a passionate performer and an insightful songwriter and her debut album showcases
this beautifully. The Rod and Jeff McCormack produced album The Mile
is already gaining major attention, and the first single Things
That Bring Me Down has given Amber her first major chart success. |
Amber Lawrence  |
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Drew McAlister  |
It was a great start to 2007 when Drew Mcalister and Allan Caswell won a Golden Guitar in Vocal
Collaboration for their hit song A Little Bit of Country In Us All.
Drew’s recent single Change made an impact on the Country Tracks Top 30
Chart, and his newest radio song Along For The Ride followed suit in August.
Along For The Ride from the songwriting collaboration of Drew and Allan, was
written to support the launch of Tour De Cure, an annual cycling event that aims to raise money for three
Australian charities. The song will also feature on Drew’s debut album due for independent release late 2007.
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Markus Meier burst onto the country music scene in 2005 when he took out 3 sections
at the Adelaide River N.T. Country Music Talent Quest, going on to represent the Northern Territory
at both the CMAA College of Country Music Tamworth and in the Finals of the Telstra Road to Tamworth
in January 2006. Markus Meier’s debut album Raindance, produced by Garth Porter,
was released in June, hot on the heels of his debut radio single Matilda Road
that became a Top 20 chart success. The album highlights both his strong songwriting (with the
likes of Garth Porter, Colin Buchanan and James Blundell), and Markus’ great vocal talents that mark
him as an emerging star. |
Markus Meier  |
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Luke O'Shea & Medicine Wheel  |
It has been a wild rollercoaster ride for Luke O’shea & Medicine Wheel since the release of their
2002 single No Day Like Today. Their debut album saw
them become finalists in the 2003 Golden Guitars. What followed was a succession of national and international
tours, rodeos, B&S’s, major Festivals, live television appearances, chart successes on national radio and CMC,
as well as being two time finalists in the MusicOz and TIARA Awards. Their latest album
Listen To The Words has yielded two chart hits, Making Memories and
Ragged Bloody Heroes, and saw them as dual finalists in the 2006 Australian
Independent Country Music Awards for Album of the Year and Group/Duo. |
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Brisbane singer/songwriter Nik Phillips has had a real kick start to his year. Following
the release of his album Songs From The 4th Floor, Nik received a finalist
berth in the New Talent Category of the 2007 Golden Guitars with his radio hit
Not In This Life. Nik’s music is an honest reflection of contemporary Australian life, as lived
in our global village. With his musical styles ranging from pop/roots through to alternative/country he
is the style of writer who moulds a canvas of lyrics around an emotional melody, and presents a song
with a craftsman’s vocal ability. |
Nik Phillips  |
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Ian Quinn  |
Ian Quinn has developed a strong reputation as a bush ballad writer – 2 of his songs performed by
other artists were amongst the Finalist at the 2007 Golden Guitars – but his current album
River Or The Road really highlights the breadth of his writing skills, and also his unique attributes
as a performer. The first single Can’t Cut Gidgee demonstrated that with a Top 5
position on the Country Tracks Top 30 chart, and it’s obvious that the time has come for Quinny to take centre
stage in his own right with a well balanced collection of great Australian story songs from a talented man who
has stretched the envelope and now sits in that broader Australian story teller paddock. |
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Anita, from Maryborough (Qld), was the winner of the 2003 Bush Balladeer Star
Quest, and is a terrific example of a growing number of talented ladies in the bush ballad field.
Her exciting new album Bush Girl’s Heart, recorded with producer Roger
Corbett, offers a great collection of genuine Australian story songs. With a sound all her own,
Anita is quickly making her mark as one of Australia's best songwriters and performers, and her
songs tell stories of Australia and are reflections from her own experiences and observations.
Bush Girl’s Heart from the Ringbark Records label is receiving great
accolades and secured several 2007 awards nominations including two Golden Guitar finalist berths.
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Anita Ree  |
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Graham Rodger  |
Graham Rodger is one of our most awarded independent singer/songwriters. 2007 started sensationally
for Graham with Golden Guitar finals berth, and 14 overall nominations in a variety of awards which
included 3 wins in the TSA Songwriter Awards. Graham’s latest album Thunderbolt
is full of wonderful stories of Australia, its characters and the bush, and is the latest in the
line of successful releases for the prolific performer. The first single Woman On
The Land hit the Country Tracks Top 30 chart to confirm his standing as both a highly talented and
popular performer. |
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Jason Ryan’s debut album Long Summer's Day,
produced by Michael Fix, was released in April 2006. Jason was the Winner of the 2004
Male vocal Qld Champion of Champions, also a Star Maker Finalist and a graduate of the
Australian CMAA College of Country Music. The album has produced three successful singles including
Live On An Island, the title track and the latest
Movie Girl. The album contains 12 fresh original tracks, all written by Jason, showcasing the
diversity of this talented young artist. With numerous shows and festival appearances around the country.
Jason is now gaining the attention of many in the country music industry with a style that is very much his own.
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Jason Ryan  |
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Travis Sinclair  |
It’s been an amazing journey for Travis Sinclair since the release of
his debut album Rhythm of The Highway and the
current album Rush. He’s collected a Golden guitar,
and ten Top 10 chart singles including the most recent,
Rockin’ The Rig climbing to #3. Rush has enjoyed incredible
success with three #1 spots on the Top 30 Country Tracks Chart as well as adding a host of awards
to his already impressive list along the way. The combination of Travis and his producer and
often songwriting partner Garth Porter has proved extraordinarily successful. In 2005 Travis was
named Australian Independent Artist Of The Year at the Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
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Award winning duo Camille Te Nahu and Stuie French have reaped plenty of success
with their two albums, Without You and Recovered.
Camille’s superb vocals and the brilliant musicianship and production talents of Stuie have garnered
a series of chart hits including the #1 smash Wives Don’t Like Old Girlfriends,
and a host of awards and nominations along the way including 3 TIARA Awards, 2 Golden Guitar
nominations and a win for Group/Duo in the 2006 Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
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Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French  |
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Felicity Urquhart  |
It’s been an amazing couple of years for Felicity Urquhart following the launch of her latest album
My Life in January 2006. A series of hits followed including
Big Black Cloud which spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Country Tracks Top 30 radio chart, and #1 on the CMC
Video chart. Other accolades include Country Songwriter of the Year at the 2006 Australian Songwriters’ Association;
Best Country Artist 2006 Musicoz Awards; Independent Entertainer of the Year at the CMAA Achiever Awards;
Female Vocalist, Album, and Single of the Year at the 2006 Australian Independent Country Music Awards. In 2007
Felicity won her second Golden Guitar taking home Video Clip of the Year. |
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Casey has already built a strong following around the South East Queensland Club circuit,
winning Best Female Vocal Act for three consecutive years. She has had a wealth of experience in live performance
in impressively diverse genres of music, but her country roots still shine through giving her a unique vocal style.
Casey is a two time Star Maker Grand-finalist and multi-award winning female vocalist. Her first single
I Don’t Want To Work This Hard reached #6 on the Country Tracks Top 30, and the second single
If I Needed You, a TIARA winner at Tamworth 2007 was another Top 10 chart hit. Her acclaimed debut album
Lead You Astray features excellent production by first class country guitarist Brendan Radford, a top line-up of
studio musicians, a terrific collection of songs, and wonderful vocals from Casey. |
Casey Watt  |
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2007 |
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