DENI UTE MUSTER
Turns 20!!
First artists announced for our biggest party ever!
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International Superstar CARRIE UNDERWOOD
to headline the festivities!
KASEY CHAMBERS, BUSBY MAROU, TROY CASSAR-DALEY, THIRSTY MERC, GORD BAMFORD, TRAVIS COLLINS, FANNY LUMSDEN, THE PIGS, AMBER LAWRENCE
and more set to celebrate at the biggest Party on the Plains yet!
#allroadsleadtodeni20 #DeniUteMuster
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Australia’s iconic Deni Ute Muster is set to hold its biggest Party on the Plains yet when we celebrate 20 years of mateship and music when the ‘Muster’ opens the gates on 28 and 29 September 2018.
Tickets to the 20th birthday celebration have been selling like proverbial hotcakes with our Muster Adorer ticket allocation selling out within 2 hours of going on sale. Early Bird ticket allocations have also sold out and General Admission tickets are on sale now.
Muster HQ are thrilled to announce international country music superstar, Carrie Underwood, will be headlining this year’s festivities with Kasey Chambers, Busby Marou, Troy Cassar-Daley, Thirsty Merc, Gord Bamford, Travis Collins, Fanny Lumsden, The Pigs, Amber Lawrence, Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters and Kirsty Lee Akers all confirmed to join the party.
The Deni Ute Muster is one of the top ‘bucket list’ events in Australian and annually attracts close to 20,000 people of all ages to celebrate all things laconically Australian and, of course, the iconic ‘ute’. The Deni Ute Muster has amazing community support with more than 1,000 volunteers mobilising each year to help put on the event which donates close to $100,000 back to community groups.
Back in 1999, a group of community minded locals came together with the aim to start a rural themed festival to bring visitors to Deniliquin, a beautiful vibrant town on the edge of the outback, which was struggling with a crippling drought.
The first Deni Play on the Plains Festival, as it was known at the time, took place in October 1999, on the flattest, natural, open plains on earth, and with “ute culture” being an intrinsic part of Deniliquin, it was unanimous that it would play a major part of the festival and hence the Deni Ute Muster burst into the national psyche.
The Deni Ute Muster has since become the Labour Day long weekend destination of choice for ute and music enthusiasts and thanks to the AFL Grand Final Friday holiday our Victorian friends get to join the fun with their own long weekend too.
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall, said the Deni Ute Muster is proudly supported by the NSW Government.
“As one of the country’s premier regional events, the Deni Ute Muster encapsulates the uniqueness and vibrancy of Australia’s rural heritage and culture and we’re delighted to be celebrating the event’s 20th birthday this year,” Mr. Marshall said.
“Since its inception the event has grown steadily, generating considerable economic benefit for the region. With a sensational program scheduled across two days, I encourage visitors to start planning their trip to Deniliquin for the chance to experience this standout regional event.”
Headlining the 20th Deni Ute Muster will be country music superstar, Carrie Underwood.
Carrie Underwood emerged from the promise of her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media superstar, spanning achievements in music, television, and film. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, she has sold 64 million records worldwide and recorded 26 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote.
In 2013, the Grand Ole Opry member starred as Maria von Trapp in NBC’s three-hour holiday blockbuster, the Emmy Award-winning The Sound of Music Live!, whose airings attracted 44 million viewers. Earlier this year, Underwood released the hit event anthem, The Champion, featuring Ludacris, which she co-wrote to open NBC’s Super Bowl and was incorporated into NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and she recently took home her 18th CMT Music Award (Female Video of the Year for “The Champion”) and 14th career ACM Award (Vocal Event of the Year for The Fighter, her collaboration with our own, Keith Urban).
Carrie’s last studio album, the Platinum selling Storyteller, produced four #1 hits, and her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, is set to be released on 14 September. The title track/lead single has already topped the iTunes Top Songs charts in 12 countries and racked up over 1.3 million streams in the US with two days. The Deni Ute Muster is beyond excited to welcome Carrie Underwood to our stage in September.
There’s a moment in most artists’ young lives when they realise music will shape their future and define who they are. Kasey Chambers didn’t have to wait for that moment to arrive. Music is part of her DNA.
Born in Mt Gambier in South Australia, Kasey Chambers grew up in a home environment where listening to and performing country and roots music was a way of life. It had to rub off, and it did – just as in later years, living on the Nullarbor Plain and travelling all over Australia with her family, the young Kasey got an education like no other.
Chambers has recently released her 12th studio album, the aptly titled Campfire, her ninth Top 10 on the ARIA Albums saying,
“I think I’ve wanted to make this album my whole life. I grew up with such a unique childhood living on the Nullarbor Plain with my family for the first 10 years of my life. We did all of our cooking on open fire – my dad hunted for our food and then mum would put it in the camp oven. After we’d eaten, my dad brought out the guitar and we’d all sit around this campfire and play music together. For this album I wanted to bring people to the campfire that was such a big part of my life when I was growing up.”
A revered live performer, Kasey Chambers will bring the songs and stories from around the Campfire, as well as her extensive catalogue of captivating tales and melodies, when she joins us in Deni later this year.
The mandolins, ukulele and whistles of Busby Marou tell the stories of travels across the globe, and the pull of home. It’s like catching up with old friends you’ve been hanging out to hear from. On stage, Busby Marou’s core element – the intertwining vocal interplay of the two long-time pals – is magic. These are stories of our land, from suburban love songs to memories of the Kimberley.
Busby Marou’s first self-titled album was certified ARIA Gold in Australia in July 2014, while their follow up, Farewell Fitzroy, debuted at #5 on the album chart. The band’s latest album, Postcards From The Shell House, returned the pair to their roots in a number of ways. The shell house in question, an old heritage-listed building on Great Keppel Island off the coast of their native Rockhampton, has great significance. Early in their career Tom (Busby) and Jeremy (Marou) would sit around a campfire there and sing songs, one or two of which ended up on record.
Unpretentious, best mates, and always ready to have fun, Busby Marou will leave you cheering for more at our birthday Party on the Plains in September.
Troy Cassar-Daley is regarded as one of Australian country music’s finest – an extremely successful artist, much adored by country music fans across Australia. Troy is a man who believes deeply in community and giving back to the industry. Troy is a proud member of the Bundjalung nation who has a true connection to his land and people. Most significantly, through his generosity of spirit as a man, artist, husband, father and son, he reminds us of what is real, of what matters and what doesn’t, through his music.
Troy Cassar-Daley’s career has spanned 10 studio albums over 30 years. He has sold in excess of 500,000 albums, received multiple gold and platinum records, and has achieved a staggering 31 #1 chart singles. Throughout this time, he has been awarded numerous accolades including 4 ARIA Awards, 36 Golden Guitar Awards, 2 APRA Country Song of the Year Awards, 9 Deadlys (Australian Indigenous Artist Awards), 4 CMAA Entertainer of the Year Awards plus 2 NIMAs. In 2017, Troy was honoured as the 50th inductee into the prestigious Australasian Roll Of Renown.
It is said that in art it takes a lifetime to make something appear extremely simple, and yet this is what Troy has achieved. Troy’s music is beautifully honed, and crafted so seemingly effortlessly, that people feel a real connection to Troy and his songs. Troy’s music is honest and true, the emotions, remembrances and yearnings spoken of are common feelings we can all relate to. A great chronicler of the human heart Troy’s live show is an experience to be revered. The Deni Ute Muster is thrilled to welcome Troy Cassar-Daley, a living treasure of country music and country Australia, back for their 20th birthday celebrations.
15 years ago, Thirsty Merc bounded onto the music scene with their Summertime sounds, making their mark on radio and TV over the ensuing years. Forming in Sydney in 2002, Thirsty Merc released their debut EP, First Work, in September 2003, before being signed to Warner Music. The band’s big break came in 2004 with the release of their debut, self-titled, album which included the hits, Someday Someday and In The Summertime (the theme for Bondi Rescue since 2006).
Two more studio albums followed – Slideshows in 2007 (#4 ARIA Album) and Mousetrap Heart in 2010 (#14 on the ARIA Album chart) which included radio staples, 20 Good Reasons, Mousetrap Heart and Tommy and Krista. In 2015 Thirsty Merc released Shifting Gears, their first wholly independent and first new material in five years and has spent the past few years crisscrossing the country, running up thousands of Frequent Flyer points and sold out shows, and we’re thrilled Thirsty Merc will be making their first pitstop in Deni this September for our birthday celebrations.
Gord Bamford is country through and through. In the way he lives his life and in the way he writes his songs, Gord brings a unique out-look to his music in which his heartfelt sincerity can instantly be heard. Born in Traralgon, Gord moved with his mother, a native Canadian, and sister to the small town of Lacombe Alberta where he resides today. Gord had a love of music from an early age and one experience as a young child set the ball in motion for a career in music – being invited on stage to sing Rockabilly Rebel with legendary rocker Rod Stewart!
Through his teenage years Gord Bamford spent the majority of his time involved in sports and actually entertained the thought of a professional career in baseball. His love of music, country music especially, however continued to grow and in 1994 he made to the finals of a local Search for the Stars contest. He won first prize which included a recording session at a professional recording studio. It was at this point that Gord decided to put sports on hold and focus his energy into music and a lot of country music fans are glad he did!
2008 was a banner year for Gord Bamford and he has showed that he has the skill and talent necessary to keep him at the top for years to come when he received his first ever Juno nomination for Country Recording of the Year, performing on the nationally televised show. This honour was followed by the Calgary Stampede asking Gord to write the 2008 Stampede theme song, This Old Hat. The year was topped off at the Canadian Country Music Awards, where he picked up the CCMA for Top New Male Talent, Record Producer of The Year (with Byron Hill) and Video of The Year.
With a growing string of hit albums, #1 songs, awards and a decade of winning fans all across the country under his belt, Travis Collins continues to cement his footprint as a mainstay on the Australian music landscape. He is as well-known for his masterful guitar playing and powerhouse vocals as he is for his depth of song-writing and high energy live performances.
In 2017, Travis Collins took home not only his first Golden Guitar but a total of three: Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (Just Another Girl) and APRA AMCOS Song of the Year (Call Me Crazy). Two months later, he was also awarded three CMC Awards: Australian Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and CMC Oz Artist of the Year. As well-known for his masterful guitar playing and powerhouse vocals as he is for his depth of song-writing and high energy live performances, Travis continues to go from strength to strength with his most recent solo album, Hard Light, producing three #1 songs and charting in the ARIA top 20 all- genre charts.
In 2017 Travis collaborated with fellow Muster performer, Amber Lawrence, with the release of Our Backyard, which went on to collect three Golden Guitar Awards at the 2018 Country Music Awards for Vocal Collaboration of the Year, APRA AMCOS Song of the Year and Single of the Year. We’ve got everything crossed that Travis Collins and Amber Lawrence will treat us to songs from Our Backyard when they join the party in September.
Five years on from the release of her debut EP, Fanny Lumsden hit new highs in 2017 with her second, crowd-funded, album, Real Class Act, debuting #1 on the ARIA Country Album chart and #23 on the ARIA All-Genre chart, making it is one of only eight Australian artist albums to hit the top of the Country charts that year and the only independent release to reach #1. One of the songs from the album, Roll On was #1 on CMC and was also in the top ten radio charts for 18 weeks running.
The chart debut is another highlight in an already stellar year for the Tumbarumba based singer-songwriter who received both the Golden Guitar Award and CMC Award for Best New Talent along with the 2017 APRA Professional Development Award (Country) and was nominated for an ARIA Award for Country Album of the Year in 2016.
No stranger to the road, more often than not you’ll find Fanny and her husband, bandmate and business partner Dan Stanley Freeman, traversing Australia in their little caravan playing shows all over the country and having a cracking good time! Her live show is an insight into the ‘gentle rhythms of regional Australia’ presenting it the ‘way it is rather than the way it was’ according to Rolling Stone magazine and what’s more, it’s exciting, inclusive and downright fun and we can’t wait for her to play her first Deni Ute Muster this September.
Joining the Muster stage for its 20th birthday party are Australia’s favourite bluegrass funsters, The Pigs. Known worldwide for their combination of super-catchy original tunes and foot- stomping ‘Piggified’ cover versions, The Pigs crash through musical genres like a runaway tractor, marrying superb musicianship with a distinctly Australian sense of humour – and hints at the uniquely bent energy of The Pigs’ exceedingly popular live shows.
The Pigs are a family band, never found without their trademark blue singlets and Hillbilly hats. Brothers T-Bone and Stretch Pig sing lead vocals and play acoustic guitars, with Cousin Bert Pig on double bass and Cousin Shamus Pig beating his stand-up drum kit and are often joined on stage by wayward family members Cousin Montz on banjo and Cousin OINK on fiddle. The Deni Ute Muster are thrilled to have The Pigs’ party at their party this September!
Amber Lawrence is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter who captured the nation’s attention and heart with her songs about Australia; it’s people and the things that matter to them. A former Qantas Airways employee, and Chartered Accountant, Amber risked it all in 2008 to pursue a career in music. The risk finally paid off in 2015 when Amber was awarded the iconic and prestigious ‘Female Artist of the Year’ award for her song Superhero, at the 2015 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards. This was quickly followed up with the Country Music Channel 2015 ‘Female Artist of the Year’ Award making her the first artist to have won both awards in one year.
2016 saw the engaging entertainer win Female Artist of the Year at the Country Music Channel Awards, once again, plus the people’s Choice Award for Female Artist of the Year at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. 2016 also saw Amber release not one, but two albums – the critically acclaimed 5th studio album Happy Ever After, and her high selling children’s album The Kid’s Gone Country. In 2018, Amber’s latest album, the Travis Collins’ collaboration, Our Backyard, won the pair three Golden Guitar Awards.
Amber is also a mentor to young artists in the Australian music industry and has provided free entertainment and mentoring in over 300 schools Australia wide, as part of her ‘Be Your Own Superhero’ program. She is also the face of iHeartRadio Australia Country, hosting the show each week, a guest presenter on Channel 9’s ‘Getaway’ and was the co-host of the CMC Music Awards in 2017.
Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters perform country music with authenticity and passion. Since moving to Australia 12 years ago, the Texan expat has brought the authentic sound and feel of the Texas honky tonks with him down under. Honing his craft as a singer-songwriter over two decades, Doug self-produced all five of his commercially released albums to date with the last two singles producing two #1 hits (The Tears, Bad Weather) on country radio and the CMC Chart (The Tears) and was a Golden Guitar Male Artist of the Year finalist in both 2017 and 2014.
Recently described as ‘the love child of America and Australia’, in recognition of Doug’s Texas origin and his adopted country, it seems audiences can’t get enough of the authentic, honky tonkin’ country Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters keep serving up and we’re looking forward to seeing them back at the Muster later this year.
As a musician, Kirsty Lee Akers’ pedigree is impeccable. Music is most certainly in her blood, having performed in public for the first time at the tender age of three years and recording her first EP at the age of 16. She funded that recording with the money she made busking tirelessly on the streets of Tamworth. This connection with Australia’s Country Music Capital lead Kirsty to study at and graduate from the CMAA Academy of Country Music (2004, 2005) and then further afield through the Talent Development Project (2006).
Kirsty Lee Akers’ journey as both a recording artist and a person is unique within Australia and around the world. Proud of her indigenous heritage as a woman of the Wonnarua people (Hunter Valley – Australia), she has embraced a global musical culture and now spendsher time between Australia and the USA. Whilst she lives in Nashville for a large portion of the year, Australia will always be her spiritual home. Her vocal delivery is often described by those who hear her sing as sitting somewhere between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, a reference she sees as “a massive compliment” and “big shoes to fill” but fill them she does and it’s great to have her returning to the Muster stage for our 20th birthday celebrations.
Our MCs for the weekend are Yackandandah comedian and singer/songwriter, Pete Denahy and the amazing Amber Lawrence.
The Deni Ute Muster isn’t just about the music and footy, as well as the return of family favourites including wood chopping and whip cracking demonstrations, the World Record Blue Singlet Count, Ute Count, Show N Shine, the Bull Ride Spectacular, organisers are pleased to announce the return of the Brophy Bros Circus, Bob the Butcher, Peter Hodge Camel Rides and Circlework, Barrel Race and Go to Wo competitions to the entertainment menu.
Also returning after a 4-year break, The Australian Ride on Lawn Mower Racing Association will host Lawn Mower Races keeping the crowds entertained with their modified ride on mowers which can reach speeds of up to 100km/phr. Our competitors are revving to go so make sure you don’t miss the chance to come and cheer them on in the Deniliquin Freighters Sports Arena each afternoon.
For our littlest Musterers, the Family Centre will be open from 9am each day with free children’s activities including face painting, bubble blowing, stilt walking, hookey and much more. And a Deni Ute Muster wouldn’t be complete without the rides in Carnival Corner for our large and small adrenaline junkies.
World Champion Sand Sculptor, Dennis Massoud, or Sandman as he is more commonly known, will be joining us over the weekend to sculpt two incredible pieces of art. Dennis has travelled all over the world 9 times creating masterpieces. Can you try and guess what creation he will come up with for the 20th Deni Ute Muster?
The all new Shimano Fishing Tank Show which will be hosted by nationally known fishing presenter and enthusiast, Dave “Mossy” Moss. The Shimano Fishing Tank Show features a 10-metre-long fishing tank and will provide show goers great demonstrations of catching and releasing, as well as showcasing some of the New Shimano fishing gear and lures.
Laser Tag is also joining the entertainment menu for the 20th Birthday celebrations. Musterers of all ages will be able to head to the combat zone for a game with their mates or jump into a team and have a go.
Who doesn’t love a jumping castle? Fantasy Island isn’t just any jumping castle, it’s Australia’s Largest Jumping Caste. And it’s not just for the kids, adults are welcome to get their bounce on too. The Eliminator is an all new inflatable with poles that you must jump or risk being knocked to the ground in . This is sure to test your coordination!
For our younger Musterers, Wild Action, Australia’s leading wildlife education Zoo will perform three shows each day with a chance to get up and close with an unbeatable array of wildlife.
Tickets and reserved camping for the 2018 Deni Ute Muster have been selling well with Edward River Flat, Wheat Fields and Peppin Paddock campsites are all sold out. Attendees are urged to be quick to ensure they don’t miss out on reserving their team’s base.
In its first year (1999), the Deni Ute Muster had approximately 5,000 patrons and set a new Guinness World Record for the most number of legally paraded utes at 2,839 – a record which still stands today. Since 1999 the Deni Ute Muster has become the region’s biggest tourist drawcard and a celebration of all things Australian.
Deni Ute Muster General Manager, Vicky Lowry, said today, “It is always exciting to celebrate a special milestone and musterers of all ages will not be disappointed with the entertainment – 15.5 hours each day of Around the Ground Activations and Australian and International Acts. If this is your first Deni Ute Muster, have been many times before or it’s your 20th, you’ll be part of the memorable celebrations of Australia’s most iconic event”
All Early Bird and Muster Adorer tickets are SOLD OUT. General Admission tickets are available at www.deniutemuster.com.au.
The Deni Ute Muster is proudly supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
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DENI UTE MUSTER
Conargo Road, Deniliquin, NSW
Friday, 28 September + Saturday, 29 September, 2018
Carrie Underwood, Kasey Chambers, Busby Marou
Troy Cassar-Daley, Thirsty Merc, Gord Bamford, Travis Collins
Fanny Lumsden, The Pigs, Amber Lawrence
Doug Bruce & The Tailgaters, Kirsty Lee Akers
and more to be announced
www.deniutemuster.com.au
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