Only Australian Music

This post will remain on top of the page until the competition is over and the winners announced. It will be updated as each event unfolds so please scroll down for fresh information.

Telstra sponsor one of the greatest talent searches in Australia called The Road To Tamworth.

For more information visit
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There are 12 heats, held around the country, the winners of each heat get to attend a two day music mentoring workshop in Sydney, where they will get to spend time with local legends who will talk them through the industry.

Overall winners in each category will get a return trip to the global home of country music Nashville. The winning Songwriter will work with some of country music’s best songwriters. The winning Performer will perform at a leading country music event and receive a professional photographic session and music video.

This is a priceless opportunity for our talented young musicians to get out there and been seen, Telstra is to be applauded for sponsoring such an important event.

I urge all site readers to follow progress of the entrants and winners and support local musicians.

Currently the competition is up to heat 6, which is being held on Thursday the 2nd of September at the Toowoomba Show Grounds, Glenvale Road, Toowoomba, QLD.

The winners of the 5 heats so far are

Heat 1

Beau, 17, from Karama, NT, proved tenacity is the key to success in the music business. Beau re-entered the Telstra Road to Tamworth this year after receiving encouragement from country music legend James Blundell at last year’s heat to “keep at it!”

A self-taught musician, Beau picked up the guitar for the first time just over 12 months ago and is drawn to the real life stories the country genre centres around. He juggles his passion for music with school studies, currently completing Year 11 at Marrara Christian College where he is also a Prefect.

Heat 2

Kelsie Rimmer, 18, from Palmwoods has been named the winner of the Brisbane heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth talent development program.

Kelsie, supported by her family, travelled down from the Sunshine Coast to perform at the Brisbane event and said she’s always been drawn to the country music genre as it brings people together and she feels part of the country music family whenever she’s on stage.

A self taught musician who grew up with country music around her, Kelsie performs regularly around the Sunshine Coast but was a little stunned when her name was called as the Brisbane heat winner.

Heat 3

Brett Clarke, 24, from Tamworth was recently crowned the winner of the Gunnedah heat for the Telstra Road to Tamworth.

A graduate of the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) College in 2007, Brett has lived and breathed country music since as young as he can remember. A Tamworth local, he has been a regular at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and one day hopes to make it up on stage to collect the coveted Golden Guitar.

Brett has previously entered the Telstra Road to Tamworth in 2007 where he qualified for the finals. He has gained valuable experience since 2007 and he can’t wait to perform in Sydney.

Heat 4

Codee-Lee Down, 15, from Bunbury is the latest Telstra Road to Tamworth heat winner, from the Dowerin Field Days.

As a year 10 student, Codee-Lee already has an impressive musical resume. She is a 2010 Academy of Country Music Graduate, 2010 WA junior songwriter and teenage artist of the year and has met and played with the likes of James Blundell, Felicity Urquhart, Kasey Chambers and The McClymonts.

Codee-Lee admitted to being a bundle of nerves throughout the competition. The crowd and the support from her family really helped and Codee-Lee credits them as being an amazing force behind her ability to follow her dreams of a career in the music industry.

Heat 5

Nikki Jensen, 24, from Edmonton is the winner of the 5th heat of the Telstra Road to Tamworth held in Cairns.

Originally from the Gold Coast, Nikki (or Nikki J as she’s known when performing) moved to Cairns a few years ago to take up a role as a sports journalist at a local television station. Whilst she combines her love of sport as her full-time job, Nikki’s other passion in life is centered around her music, having studied music throughout school on scholarship.

Nikki has grown up with music her whole life. She took a break after finishing school before getting back into writing and performing about nine months ago. Nikki saw the Telstra Road to Tamworth as a potential opportunity to grow as a musician and was stunned, but excited to have won the Cairns heat.

Heat 6


Alan Boyle
Originally from Ireland, Alan has called Brisbane home for the past five and a half years. He performs regularly around the city and has been previously recognised for his songwriting skills, receiving accolades in the QSong Awards and the Vanda and Young songwriting competition.

He performed two originals songs, ‘The Ground on which I’m standing’, written about his arrival in Australia and the long distance from his hometown and family, and ‘New York’. Both tracks feature on his EP, Oxygen, which he released independently earlier this year.

Boyle was inspired to enter the Telstra Road to Tamworth after attending the APRA Song Summit in Sydney earlier this year and meeting current TRTT songwriting winner, Luke Webb.

Heat 7 ????

Several years ago Leigh was tagged by fans as Australia’s Country Music Outlaw based on his music and lifestyle. Seeing as Waylon, Willie and Johnny were his heroes Leigh took this as a compliment.

With the various jobs Leigh has held including diesel mechanic, Army, Computer programmer/consultant, manager and more, he’s lived more so far than most would fit into a lifetime. He’s driven tow trucks, 18 wheelers, raced sprint cars/motorbikes/minis and owned several Harleys (favourite bike and rides with a club). He’s been shot at, someone try and stab him, had a grenade thrown at him and still alive. He’s been there done that and got the tattoos….

Three broken marriages, two daughters – Leigh has seen his fair share of good times, bad times and life in general. As George Straite said – ‘I guess I should of checked the price tag before I gave em my last name’, though as Leigh puts it, “I guess that makes it easy to write country songs, you know just serving an apprenticeship and living the life, besides today is a new day”.

With music being Leigh’s passion, his life’s experiences are reflected in his music and his lyrics. People say you draw on life’s experiences to help you in what you do in life – if that’s the case then Leigh has plenty to draw on…. and plenty to offer. We hope you enjoy Leigh Warren Australia’s Country Music Outlaw…

See you out on the highway and remember, there is a little bit of outlaw in all of us – Leigh

Info taken from his Myspace page

They say it’s easy to spot a fake. It could also be said it’s easy to spot the real thing. Leigh Warren is the real thing. His music is heartfelt and genuine. You can literally feel the honesty pouring from every note.

Visit Leigh Warren
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When it came to launching her debut album, Sunshine Coast-based singer Stephanie Brownlee didn’t think twice. Obviously the official launch had to be in her hometown of Noosa among friends and family! And this is exactly what the young starlet is doing… with the release of her debut album titled ‘Keep It Real’ on Friday 23 July, Stephanie and her new band will be celebrating the release with a massive concert at The J on the same night.

After a pre-release gig at the beginning of July in Tamworth, the country-pop singer is geared up to showcase her album, which features her already popular first two singles – Keep It Real and Good Friend / Girl Friend – to the people who have helped support her in the start of her music career. In fact, this isn’t the first time Stephanie has involved her hometown in her career, it was only a couple of weeks ago that the 17-year-old filmed the clip to her third single in Noosa, stopping traffic in Hastings Street as she weaved the visual to the musical story of That Kind Of Day.

It may sound something like a whirlwind career for this youngster, but in actuality, her music career has been more than a few years in the making. Discovered at 14 by former Fleetwood Mac manager Dennis Dunstan, Stephanie mixed the hard work of her music career with high school, heading over to Nashville last year to record her album. Now, fresh out of school, Stephanie is releasing her first album through Compass Bros Records / Shock.

Info taken from the official album launch press release

Visit Stephanie
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Megan Laurie sings country/folk/rock and she does it with heart. Her songs are stories set to an accomplished musical backdrop. Her voice is soaring and very strong, she is able to convey a full range of emotions without losing a beat.

Visit her Myspace page to hear some wonderful country songs.

Visit Megan
Myspace
Official site

Fun, raucous and very very enjoyable pretty much sums up Psycho Wombat. Their music is country/blues with a nice old dash of Southern Rock thrown in for good measure.

Don’t be fooled by the name or their attitude, these guys can really play.

Not only that, their songs are down loadable for free right here!

Visit Psycho Wombat
Official Site
Reverbnation

Felicity is a country/folk/rock singer who is not afraid of mixing styles. She has achieved great success with her two albums to date, “My Life” 2006 and “Landing Lights” 2009. She won the 2010 female artist of the year, awarded by the Country Music Awards of Australia. Felicity is poised for big things in the near future.

The world awaits….

Visit Felicity
Official site
Myspace

Jayne drove on to the country music scene two years ago with her hit ‘Chick Ute’ which struck a chord with country music fans and especially the ute fraternity. Her debut album ‘Sudden Change in Weather’ was rated as ‘a superb debut album’ in Country Music Capital News magazine.

Her latest album Shake This Town was recently rated by Capital News as “impossible not to love” and “full of spirit, strength, humour and passion”.

Jayne’s success has seen her perform at country music festivals all over Australia including Tamworth and Main Stage at the Gympie Muster. Jayne’s energetic on stage performance marks her as a true entertainer.

Info taken from Jaynes Reverbnation profile

Visit Janye
Official site
Reverbnation
Myspace

Bluehouse is a folk/country duet consisting of
Bernadette Carroll – guitar/vocals
Jacqui Walter – Bass/vocals

Who first met in a pub in Melbourne in 1995. They have since forged a successful career worldwide, by honing their performance skills through beautiful singing, clever thinking and near constant touring. With the original line-up as a trio (including Sam Harley) Bluehouse independently released two EPs and three full-length CD’s, Big, 6 Minutes of Breathable Air, These Days. Their latest CD “One More Kiss” (May 2007), their first as a duo, was produced by guitar legend (and fellow Aussie) Tommy Emmanuel.

WIth their first tour of North America, in the summer of 2002, they have continued to impress audiences at many prestigious US music festivals including California WorldFest, Philadelphia Folk Festival, the US National Folk Alliance, Kerrville Folk Festival, and the Ann Arbor Folk Festival. They have performed for millions on Mountain Stage (syndicated on PBS), the Woodsongs Radio Hour and at showcase venues all over the US including the House of Blues (LA), Freight and Salvage (Berkeley), The Birchmere (near DC), The Ark (Ann Arbor) and many more. Bluehouse have shared the stage with other stars including Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, UB40, Elvis Costello, and Neil Finn (of Crowded House).

Info taken from their Reverbnation profile

These ladies have a wonderful combination of fun and vulnerability, their music is captivating, and you can listen to a whole 24 songs right here!

Visit Bluehouse
Official Site
Reverbnation
Myspace

Spike Flynn is a down home storytelling type singer. His sound is a blend of country/blues and folk. His smooth vocals are at times reminiscent of Roger Waters (Pink Floyd).

Spike has recently emerged from semi retirement, fresh with a clutch of new songs to share with us. He has a new CD out now, called “It’s Alright”, and another on the way.

You can buy Spikes cd at CD Baby. You can also listen to some great samples while your there.

Spike is a great storyteller along the lines of a Bob Dylan and the aforementioned Roger Waters. His songs are the type you never tire of, there is something fresh to be heard with every listen. The contrasts between light and dark are expertly handled and captivating.

Visit Spike
Myspace
CD Baby

Press release
An extraordinary year followed for Lana Ross when she released her debut album ‘Stories To Tell’ in Tamworth in January 2008.

Her second album ‘Restless Wind’ released last month promises a similar scenario for the Australian singer songwriter, based in Mackay Queensland.

Two singles were immediately released to radio. ‘Little Western Gully’ on NfS in Australia, and ‘The Walls’ to the international market through Canadian distributor Hillcrest Marketing Service.

A product of renown producer Lindsay Butler, who also produced Lana’s first album, LBS management says ‘Lana obviously felt the pressure to say the least! but if this is the end result of being under pressure, then it’s a great outcome. The Industry is very excited at what will come in future albums from this talented singer songwriter.’

Lana says ‘Lindsay and I felt the pressure to deliver a great second album after the success of the first album. It was Lindsay’s cool head and meticulous production that has made this a fantastic album.’

Seven of the songs are written by Lana herself. Other tracks include a Shirley Thoms classic and selected songs from songwriters Ben Jacobs and Manfred Vigars who have contributed a track each, both co written with Shaza Leigh. The Lana Ross | Shaza Leigh track “The Walls’ is the first selection for the international market.

‘I’m excited about the co-write with Shaz ’The Walls’ – the result of this song, is magical! It was a first choice when we discussed releasing a track overseas.’

‘The Walls’ is a very special song to write having recently lost a grandparent leaving behind his widow of 50 + years and to see her waiting as if behind, is a very heartfelt emotion.’

‘Hillcrest feedback already indicates the song is receiving strong airplay among the favourites of most of the DJs on the media boards. But it’s still a bit early to tell.’ Lana added

Of the remaining songs, she says ‘Cat Yella’ is a tongue in cheek song about how we girls sometimes will do anything to get attention from our men. ‘Chorus of the Bushland’ was written while I was working 100 miles west of Nebo basically in the middle of nowhere, just a beautiful songwriting experience. ‘Little Western Gully was written on a road trip, observing the changes in the landscape from one area to another …a roll of the dice!’

‘The Murray River Song’ written on the Banks of the Murray where I went a lot when I was a child and returned there recently after 20 plus years and noticed how fragile she had become. ‘Calling you Home’ was written as a tribute to the Australian bushland – the closest thing to heaven to me. And, the title track ‘Restless Wind’ – simply a reflection on my life so far.’

‘I love what I’m doing. I have no regrets.’ Lana concludes. ‘The first album taught me not to be afraid! To be myself! I have learnt many industry lessons over the past two years and I’m sure I will learn a few more….over the coming years’.

Visit Lana
Myspace
Official site