Project Description

Interview With

CASEY BARNES

Interviewer: Kelsey Hentschel
Twitter

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Australian Golden Guitar finalist Casey Barnes has recently announced a new single from his #1 album ‘The Good Life’. ‘Be Mine’ is a song of true love, proving that even if you have been hurt in the past, a relationship can be different, it can be forever. Upon the release of this single, Casey kindly took the time to chat with AMNplify about the release, and his career so far.

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Hey Casey mate! How’s it going? How has your day been so far?

It’s been good. It’s been a bit hectic because the Single goes out officially to radio this week. So loads of interviews today & tomorrow. It’s exciting. Its good! It’s been a really positive response so far. People are very happy.

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That’s awesome! I personally love the song. I’ve had it on repeat since it was sent to me, and I’ve found it getting stuck in my head as well. I’m confident it’ll do really well on radio.

Oh thank you! It sort of crosses over as well, its got a bit of country in there, it also crosses over into pop. It sort of covers all the bases.

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So with the track. It’s off your new album. Is this track one of your favourites off the album? What made this particular song ideal for a single?

Yeah this is definitely one of my faves and its really interesting when you finish the album & put it out there its always exciting getting feedback from everyone that buys the album & what their favourite songs are. It’s interesting because there were a couple of tracks which I was surprised got the attention they did. But this one in particular probably has gotten the most feedback & I think this is lot of peoples favourite on the album too.

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Said album actually charted number 1 on the country charts, which is so cool. Were you expecting such a great response?

I was blown away for a number of different reasons. The main was that it was the week leading up to CMC Rocks, which is our biggest international country music festival. Playing that alongside headliners like Luke Bryan, and all these massive international acts, I thought we’d struggle going up against those guys, but I got all these messages saying it’d got to number 1, I was obviously stoked.

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How was the experience of performing at CMC Rocks? Surely a career highlight?

Definitely! Its going to be hard to top that. It was my first time playing there & I’ve wanted to play that festival for years now, and we got our first opportunity. Its just awesome. Great crowd. Awesome stages. The production there is incredible. Its definitely one of my favourite performances of my lifetime.

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As you mentioned, you got to perform alongside some amazing acts like Luke Bryan. Looking back you’ve performed with a huge number of country stars. Is there anyone you would love to work with one day?

Its no secret, I’ve had a massive man crush on Keith Urban. I think he’s incredible. I love his music, love him as a performer, and he’s such a down to earth lovely person. So I’d definitely love the opportunity to tour with him one day. That’d be a dream come true. Some of the acts I have been able to play with so far are amazing, and I’m so fortunate to be able to play with them all not only in Australia, but in the States. I went over there about 18 months ago and played with Lady Antebellum, which was unbelievable. But yeah cant go past Keith.

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You’ve had such a massive few years playing all these festivals & shows, & releasing amazing music. Is there a specific career highlight for you that tops everything else thus far?

Oh that’s a hard one. It’s hard to top my very first breaking music, and that was opening for Bryan Adams way back when. When I first got the call for that tour I thought it was a joke, I thought it was a prank call from a radio station or something. But yeah we got the spot & the show when great. That whole opportunity was incredible.

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You have played a lot of music festivals, as well as your own shows. Obviously there are pros and cons to each. Do you find you prefer doing festivals or your own headline tours?

I love playing festivals I really do. Playing alongside all these other acts, and getting the opportunity to showcase your music to new audiences. Playing your own shows in front of your own fans is a whole different thing, and I love that so much as well. I’ve actually been lucky enough to tag along to the PDR Pro Bull Riding Association, I’ve been doing all of their shows, and they’re huge events. The other week we played Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Playing those shows is cool to be able to open the show in these insane venues & have the crowds sing your songs back to you. That’s been awesome as well.

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Have you gotten the change to try out riding any of the bulls yet? (Laughs)

(Laughs) No. Oh god no! I’ve seen too many of the poor guys get injured to ever want to jump on the back of those things. Those boys are so brave. But yeah it’s a great night & I’ve you’ve not been its not quite what you’d think. I’ve taken a bunch of my mates to shows & I even took my wife and kids. It’s a great night if you can get down to a show id definitely recommend.

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Going back to the new single. You released the music video last week, was the story portrayed in the video your idea? Or did the directors get involved in the concept?

I was lucky enough to be introduced to husband and wife creative team, J-Town. They’re incredibly talented people so they had a massive part in how the video came about & came to fruition. I flew down to Sydney & shot my parts over a couple of days & they used another couple to act out the rest of the clip & they did such a good job. Its one of my favourite clips I’ve done. Really happy.

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You released the music video for ‘Ain’t coming home’ recently as well. Did you film that video around the same time?

Same team behind that clip. But no, its one of the only clips I’m not actually in at all. We wanted to be a little bit different with this one, and I think it turned out great. It’s all about someone trapped in a 9-5 job that they hate, and its about this guy breaking out of that and running up the street and in the woods. It follows a story.

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That first single ‘Ain’t Coming Home’ was massive on the charts, did you feel a lot of pressure to back it up with this second release?

Yeah. I did. I think one of the biggest challenges when bringing out a new album is deciding the order of the releases. I think we made the right decision in the order. We wanted to come out with a bang with Ain’t coming home, and then follow it up with the more commercial track. I actually feel like this one might get a bit more support. Hopefully not only country, but also commercial radio as well.

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Just lastly, being a musician isn’t your typical 9 – 5, how do you manage your time between your career and your personal life?

That’s a good question. Its all about getting the balance right. I don’t tend to go away for long at a time. I’ll go away and then come back, and then head off the next weekend, and come back. I try to do it in little spurts. My wife is incredibly supportive and she’s involved in the music industry as well so she gets it. We’ve got great family that help us out if we need, and if not the girls all come with us. But yeah, it’s a balancing act.

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That’s awesome! Thanks heaps for having a chat with me Casey. Ill make sure to head down to a show soon and check out those bull riders.

(Laughs) Yes. Please do. Thanks!

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CASEY BARNES

UPCOMING SHOWS

‘THE GOOD LIFE’ TOUR 2018

30 JUN / Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast QLD

21 JUL / Mackay Wine & Food Day, Mackay QLD

27 – 29 JUL / Groundwater Country Music Festival, Gold Coast 

11 AUG / PBR, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, NSW

23 – 26 AUG / Gympie Music Muster Festival

8 – 9 SEP / RedFest, Redland Showgrounds, Cleveland QLD

27 OCT / VDM fest, Biloela Showgrounds, Biloela QLD

10 NOV / Kick The Dust Up Festival, Canberra ACT

17 NOV / PBR, AELEC Arena, Tamworth NSW

24 NOV / PBR, Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, QLD

1 DEC / PBR, Hisense Arena, Melbourne VIC

8 DEC / PBR, Adelaide Entertainment Centre SA

 

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AMNPLIFY – KH