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Produced by Bill chambers
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- Bill and Kate had a beautiful
baby boy “Tyler William” Meurs
Born 24th Sept 2007
- All the best
Bill and Kate.
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Bill Chambers,
Sunny Sweeney (from East Texas), and Dallas Way booked at
Lizottes, Kincumber
Monday, 28 January 2008
Book Now
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- "The Lost Dog Sessions"
- Kasey Chambers Shane
Nicholson
Bill Chambers Chris Haigh
Mick Albeck
Plus a different special guest every week
Every Thursday Night (from April 19)
Avoca Beach Hotel
8 pm
$12 Cover charge
Bookings: 02 4382 3899
BILL CHAMBERS
- FROZEN GROUND
Bill “father of Kasey” Chambers is one
of those growling singers who owes a substantial debt to both
Bob Dylan and John Prine. Perhaps it’s a result of those early
weathered years he spent “roughing it” in the outback with his
family. “ My kids Nash and Kasey grew up listening only to the
music I played on cassettes or on my guitar around the campfire.
Songs of Hank Williams, the Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Jackson
Browne and John Prine”…Remembers Bill. “I’m entirely self
taught, guess that’s why I sound like I do.”
There’s much
more to Bill Chambers than “just being Kasey’s dad.” The
patriarch of the Chambers Clan is considered by some to be
Australia’s premier alt-country guitarist. He can be a master of
delicate picking on Dobro or Lap Steel and a demon on Slide.
Along with producing albums for the likes of Catherine Britt,
Audrey Auld, Becky Willis (co-produced with Kasey) and the Dead
Ringer Band, Bill has still found time to write most of the
songs for both his albums. The Aria nominated “Sleeping With The
Blues” and his recent “Frozen Ground.” “ My new album is on
Nash’s label Essence through EMI, They’ve put so much into
promoting it, its up to me now to get out on the road and
perform the songs, actually that’s what I love the best. I still
play in Kasey’s band when she’s on the road and the gigs take us
all over the world. That’s where I get many of the stories for
my songs.
“The Courier Mail” Described “Frozen Ground” as “A
rough diamond of an album, honest and uncontrived” giving it a
four star review. It covers different styles from classic
country to blues, rock and points in between. From the fiery
kiss of the first single “Chasing Rainbows” to the back against
the wall fighting spirit of “This ain’t your town” through the
sweet tenderness of “Little Man” and the modern gospel track
“Stranger”, Frozen Ground bears testament to both his influences
and his vision.
“The Flood’s” Kevin Bennett appears on a
swampy version of Cash’s “Big River” in an arrangement that puts
a turbo charge under the original boom chicka boom. “We knew we
didn’t want to do it straight. We ended up with something that
was like Johnny Cash meets Tony Joe White” Bill says.
Richard
Jinman from “The Sydney Magazine” called Frozen Ground a “Fine
collection of country blues songs with dirt under their
fingernails. A lifetime of bitter experience in the sweetest
melodies. Sonically the album is reminiscent of Daniel Lanois’
eerily spacious work; all elongated guitar phrases, shuffling
drums and ambient rumbling, and the combined effect is as
seductive as hell.”
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- Bill and The Huckleberry Swedes @
The Wheatsheaf Hotel Adelaide.
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- Vicka & Linda & Jodi Martin (c) Bill,
Johnny Irion, Sarah Lee Guthrie, @ Port Fairy Folk Festival
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Bill, Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie
@ Port Fairy Folk Festival
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Bill & Huckleberry Swedes busking in
Tamworth 2006
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- Bill & Michael Muchow in Tamworth 2006.
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RecklessRecords.com
music with the dirt left on
PO Box 298
Marrickville NSW 1475
Australia
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- "The Lost Dogs" (Name
change was Harvest)
- The Lost Dogs are Bill Chambers, Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson,
Mick Albeck and Chris Haigh, playing a bunch of songs by their
favorite songwriters.
PS: A Melbourne band is already working under the name 'Harvest',
hence the name change to Lost Dogs.
Hope to see you there!
Bill Chambers
Reckless Records.com
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- * BILL CHAMBERS NEWS
- Bill Chambers has finished
recording his 2nd solo album. It will be released on Nash
Chambers' label, Essence Records, through EMI in Australia. The
release date is yet to be determined. THE most anticipated album
release in a long time!
Bill and his daughter Kasey, along with her partner,
singer/songwriter Shane Nicholson, have formed a band called
'Lost Dogs'. Chris Haigh (bass) and Mick Albeck (fiddle) join
them on songs from their favorite writers, including John Prine,
Steve Earle and Fred Eaglesmith.
Bill works with many singer/songwriters, either as a mentor,
co-writer or producer. He has a wealth of experience and offers
loads of encouragement and advice to artists young and old. Ben
Crick is an artist Bill and the Dead Ringer Band have known for
a long time. Many years ago Ben was the drummer in his own
family band, Hot Diggetty, along with his sister and father. In
recent years Ben has blossomed into a great songwriter with a
very unique writing style and gravelly vocal sound reminiscent
of early Tom Waits. Bill has produced Ben's debut album (also
due out on Essence) and it's great with a wonderful 'Australian'
sound to it.
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Shane Nicholson Kasey Chambers Bill Chambers
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Chris Haigh Mick Albeck
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- Bill's second album is inching towards completion....
To view Bill's video of "I Drink" go to the Reckless Records
site
www.recklessrecords.com
and click on the 'Bill Chambers' button. View his electronic
press kit (EPK) including gigs, bio, and some cool new pics by
Glen Hannah.
There's also a couple of pics from the debut 'Harvest' show at
Avoca Beach.
For those of you who didn't receive the email re the 'Harvest'
show last month, Bill, Kasey and Shane Nicholson have formed a
band, along with Mick Albeck (fiddle) and Chris Haigh (bass).
They play covers by their favorite writers including Tom Waits,
Fred Eaglesmith, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle and John Prine.
It's a fun side-project and an irregular return to the smaller,
more intimate gigs of Kasey's earlier days.
Bill reports their first show was excellent, with Shane and
Kasey working up some great cover songs together.
"No" the show was not recorded, but there may be plans to record
a future show, and "Yes", we'll let you know when that occurs.
Bill Chambers will be appearing at the Woody Guthrie Folk
Festival in Okemah, OK, July this year.
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- Bill Chambers has plenty to smile about, and not
just because he's one of Australia's most respected and well-liked
musicians. His daughter, Kasey Chambers, is the hottest act in Australia
and things are really warming up for her in the States too. His son Nash
Chambers is Kasey's manager and one of Australia's most in-demand
producers. Bill has a shelf filled with ARIA awards, Mo Awards, CMAA
Golden Guitars and accolades from around the world.
"Everything I know about music I learnt from my dad. He brought me up on
Hank Williams and Emmylou Harris from when I was born. He has been my
biggest influence and I would never have been able to make the music I do
without him. I am his biggest fan."
Kasey Chambers
Bill's musical vision and determination have taken him from a small town
in South Australia to theatre stages in America, England and Europe
(including the Grand Ole Opry); from Australian TV's Reg Lyndsay's Country
Music Hour (at the age of 16) to the Letterman show, Craig Kilburn show
and Austin City Limits in the USA. His dream of sharing the stage with his
idols has come true - Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Buddy
Miller, Robert Earl Keen, Matthew Ryan, Kevin Welch and Kieran Kane to
name a few.
By now the history of the Chambers family is famous, and the story would
be very different if not for the faith, persistence and talent of Bill
Chambers. It's to her dad that Kasey dedicates her breakthrough solo album
'The Captain' .
Bill has set-up his studio The Boneyard,
Kieran Kane and Billl Chambers
BILL CHAMBERS
Bill Chambers has been out and about playing solo shows with
his band.
He's currently in Nashville co-producing Catherine Britt's album for
RCA. His co-producer is Keith Stegall (Alan Jackson, George Jones)
and the musicians he's working with are awesome. He's finding the
whole approach to recording there very relaxed and focused on
creating
the perfect conditions to capture the best performance. He's
delighted to be working with a producer who has a great
understanding
and respect for traditional country music.
Whilst in Nashville Bill was invited to perform with Mary Gauthier
on her show,
along with Tom Russell and Joe Ely as part of the Americana Music
Assn.
week.
'Sleeping With The Blues' has been released to the Americana
stations
in the US and in the first week of release is among theTop 5 Most
Added new albums for airplay and is currently #66 on the AMA chart.
Check out the Superstore page on the recklessrecords.com
website for a
pic of the new Bill Chambers ball cap. It's a copy of the original
cap handsewn by Fred Eaglesmith during his first visit to Australia
when he discovered his "unnatural love" for Bill. Fred embroidered
the cap with Bill's name especially for his guest appearance on
Kasey's huge show in the park during the Tamworth festival. Fred
wore
the cap all evening and a woman working the hot dog stand asked him
if
he was Bill Chambers. "Only tonight" was Fred's reply
Send your cheque/postal order for $32
($27.28 for CD + $2.72 GST + $2.00 postage) made out to Reckless
Records.
Mail to PO Box 52 Woy Woy NSW 2256. Please include your name and
return address.
Or if you'd like to pay by credit card, email or fax the following
details to 02 9906 5466 :
Name on Card
Card Type
Expiry Date
Card Number
Address
Phone
You might say this album has taken a life time to make.
It was worth the wait.
Reckless Records
PO Box 52
Woy Woy NSW
Australia 2256
http://www.recklessrecords.com
FRED EAGLESMITH
Fred Eaglesmith made his 3rd visit to Australia touring solo,
supported and backed by Bill Chambers and I. The legion of Aussie
Fredheads is growing and this tour was very successful. My face hurt
each night from laughing so much. We played in Queensland, Victoria
and NSW, and every show was different from the last. Singing
harmonies with Fred is the best gig in the world. He's an inspiring
musician and he encourages creativity in the people he works with.
The final night at The Basement, Sydney included Simon Johnston on
bass and BJ Barker on drums. It was awesome. The guys were thrown in
the deep end and they really rocked. Fred was very happy and Bill
called it the best gig he'd ever played! We even had some real live
Freddys in the audience! It was lots of fun touring with Fred. His
ethic is to make the 22 hours off stage as much fun as the 2 hours
on
stage. He's keen to return to Australia with his band, who are as
mighty as Fred himself. It's sure to happen.
MARY GAUTHIER (USA)
Mary Gauthier is the songwriter of "I Drink" from Bill's album and
"Karla Faye", a song I often sing in live shows. Both of these songs
are from her 2nd album 'Drag Queens in Limousines'. Her latest
album,
produced by Gurf Morlix is 'Filth and Fire'. Both of these albums
are
amongst our most favorite albums of all time. All 3 of Mary's albums
are available in Australia through Reckless Records. She's an
amazing
singer songwriter and a wonderfully warm-hearted person. Mary's keen
to tour in Australia, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that this
will eventuate in the future.
Mary's albums :
FILTH & FIRE
DRAG QUEENS IN LIMOUSINES
DIXIE KITCHEN
RECKLESS RECORDS GARAGE
SALE : 1997 - 2003
A new release due in October is the Reckless Records Garage Sale :
1997 - 2003 CD. The 19 track album is made up of all the recordings
Bill and I have had lying around the garage for way too long and
have
never released on an album, including 4 songs from my debut 1997 EP,
tracks from The Yearlings, Mary Gauthier and a live song from Fred
Eaglesmith recorded at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. Guests include
Camille Te Nahu and Rick Carey.
TRACKLIST :
1. THE ANGELS REJOICED Bill & Audrey
2. FAKE LOVE WITH ME Audrey Auld
3. GOODBYE Bill Chambers
4. I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY Camille Te Nahu and Audrey Auld
5. HILLBILLY DADDY Bill Chambers
6. CRY Audrey Auld
7. TEX & BUDDY Bill & Audrey
8. THE WORLD CHANGED TODAY Audrey Auld
9. WILDER THAN HER Fred Eaglesmith and Audrey Auld
10. I'LL NEVER BE FOOLED AGAIN Rick Carey and Audrey Auld
11. MOUNTAIN HOME Audrey Auld
12. GOING CRAZY WITHOUT YOU Bill Chambers
13. 1800-GO-TELL-JOHN Audrey Auld
14. SANTA SPEND XMAS WITH ME Audrey Auld
15. HE'S A GOOD DOG Audrey Auld
16. YOU REMIND ME OF A BAD MEMORY Audrey Auld
17. HOBO'S MEDITATION Audrey Auld
18. OH, SUSANNA The Yearlings
19. CAMELOT MOTEL Mary Gauthier
AUDREY AULD
Whilst I was touring the U.S. I posted Road Notes direct to
both
websites.
Highlights include :
* meeting Charlie Louvin (of the Louvin Bros) and singing harmony
with
him on "I Saw The Light" (with Jett Williams on lead) on the Ernest
Tubb Midnight Jamboree show. I'm amazed at the amount of people
who are not familiar with the Louvins' music. I find it hard to
imagine life, and an appreciation of CM, without their music.
* The Woody Guthrie Festival in OK was amazing, especially the
finale
where all the artists were invited on stage with Pete Seeger and
Arlo
Guthrie to sing along with the few thousand strong crowd.
* Sitting on a haybale, under a blanket of stars, on a warm Okemah
night hearing Eliza Gilkyson and Jimmie La Fave play live. Check out
http://www.jimdirden.com/woodyfest2003/woodyfest_2003.htm
for a photo
of Bill and I that sums up the moment.
* Bill and I were made very welcome in Austin. Any music lover going
to the US must visit this town, and any food loving music lover must
visit Threadgill's Restaurants whilst in that town. You'll be
well-served, well-fed and well-educated about Austin's vibrant music
scene. I was delighted to sing a duet with Colin Gilmore on his new
album
(a Terry Allen song).
* In Nashville John Lomax III once again took great care of me, and
my
new best friend Mary Gauthier made me so welcome in her home. I've
been told that if you can survive a gig in Nashville then you can
play
anywhere, so I'm proud to say I had a great gig at the Sherlock
Holme's bar in Nashville - an attentive, responsive, CD-buying
audience! Woo hoo! I've made it!
* The Fred Eaglesmith weekend 'Roots on the River' in Vermont was a
wonderful start to the tour. A big family of Fredheads. These
Fred-oriented weekends are occurring in more and more places all
over
the world. There's bound to be one in Australia before too long.
I've discovered that a press release is not necessary when the news
is
of enough interest. I'm happy to confirm the rumours... I married my
life-long friend Mez (Daniel Mezera) on the eve of the Fred
tour so we spent our honeymoon at the Gympie Muster. For
non-Australian readers, it's a big music festival in Queensland and
is
quite a redneck affair with beer coolers on wheels and a leash, men
with signs around their necks looking for quick love, and a uniform
of
cowboy hats and oilskins. Yes, when it comes to honeymoons it's at
the white-trash end of the spectrum! It's been suggested that I'm
too
happy now to write a good country song. Sure enough I'm writing some
sappy happy love songs and some are bound to turn up on my next
album.
But then... you never expected it to be like the previous albums,
did
you?
THE YEARLINGS
Here's some news from Bob & Chris...
"Well The Yearlings have been busy little one-year olds.
We haven't really stopped since our east coast tour, which started
late June and took us from Brisbane to Adelaide in six weeks, with
highlights including a house concert in Melbourne (at those
beautiful
Bonannos) and our launch in Sydney at Balmain in a gorgeous old
church. We played to a sell-out crowd full of listeners. We were
lucky
enough to have Aengus Finnan play with us that night. He?s a folkie
from Canada, reminiscent of early Don McLean. We got up at the end
of
the night to sing the Johnny Cash and June Carter song ?Wayfaring
Stranger? with him and Gary Brown (on slide). We turned up to a busy
little restaurant gig in Bangalow with no PA whatsoever and us
jostling for the one vocal mic, which was going through a tiny
guitar
practice amp (lucky we like each other a whole lot). Chris was
nearly
taken out of the picture on the road to Melbourne when he suffered a
stunning longboard injury (4 stitches plus battered surfing ego) at
Bendalong.
We got home to a very excited three-legged dog and an out-of control
garden. We were asked to be a part of the Grand opening night of
CLUB
ACOUSTICA in Adelaide. It is an intimate all acoustic all
original
music night which has been successfully running in Sydney for years.
We got to open this special occasion along with Jodi Martin (she was
amazing), James Henry (Jimmy Little?s grandson who writes some
beautiful songs + very sweet voice) and Gone to Earth (melodic pop
with great harmonies).
We?re VERY proud to have been on the Qantas in-flight radio station
for the month of August.
Community radio has been very good to us and our friends in
Melbourne
(3CR, RRR and PBS) have created some fantastic opportunities by
getting us to play live on their shows. After one of these shows
Melbournian Barb Waters got in touch with us and asked us support
her
at the Cornish Arms with special guests Cyndi Boste ,Kim Salmon and
Ashley Davies. It was amazing to share the stage with these great
people and musicians.
It was after a Yearlings interview on PBS that Johnny Chester rang
us
and said he?d heard it and wanted us to support him on a tour of
regional South Australia doing theatre shows. YES PLEASE! We got to
play Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Port Lincoln and Whyalla (where we
dedicated our set to Johnny Cash). We got very used to being
introduced by Johnny every night and told some very bad jokes on
stage
just to keep up with the Chess Man. Playing
these old theatres was
amazing for us as we mic up our acoustic guitars and the crowd is so
quiet that the music is alive. It was great to work with Johnny and
maybe we can do it again sometime.
Drove back from Whyalla so early in the morning in time to catch the
red eye special to Melbourne so we could support Jimmy Little at the
Corner Hotel for his album launch. It actually felt kinda nice to
have
some low level noise in the background (but most of the crowd
listening), a bit like Tamworth they have rows of seating put in the
for gig. Jimmy was in great form and played a stripped back set with
Chris (Yearling) and Marty Haley from Sydney on guitars. We are
really
honoured that Jimmy has put a song of ours (Before You Fall) on his
new album ?Down the Road?.
Friday 26th September we will be playing at The Fad Café, Waymouth
St,
ADELAIDE, 9pm and coming up later in the year we?ve got Queenscliff
Festival in Victoria.
For the next few weeks we might just try and stay home and write
some
new tunes."
On Friday 19th September we learnt of Slim Dusty's passing. To lose
both Johnny Cash and Slim Dusty in such a short space of time is a
heavy burden. Our love and thoughts go out to Slim's family,
friends,
all his Travelling Country Band members over the years and his
agents,
managers and record label. For such an enduring artist there's a
huge
group of people who will be affected by Slim's passing, but his
influence and presence will be felt for
many generations to come.
There's a great pickin' session going on in heaven right now!
Audrey Auld
Reckless Records
PO Box 52
Woy Woy NSW
Australia 2256
Bill and Jane had a son Jake, born on 13th March (6lb) . The
future is looking good, perhaps we have a new "Dead Ringer Band"
with the 3 little boys that have just entered the Chamber's family.
Kasey and Cori's Talon, Nash and Veronica's Eden, and Bill and
Jane's Jake.
Jake, born on 13th March (6lb)
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Bill Chambers New CD
Bill Chambers "Sleeping with the Blues"
Bill Chambers new album 'Sleeping With The Blues' was released last
week by Shock and Reckless Records to stores Australia wide. Having
toured Australia for many years with the Dead Ringer Band, Audrey
Auld and now Kasey Chambers, Bill is well-loved and respected by
many folk around the country. His much anticipated solo album is
already getting a great response from fans, radio and press both
nationwide and in the USA and Europe.
"When he drops a killer line like "George Jones feels every pain you
ever felt", you know that this is a guy who understands the blues."
JEFF APTER, ROLLING STONE
"Down Under charm, glinting musicianship and first-rate honky-tonk
originals"
JOHN NOVA LOMAX, HOUSTON PRESS, TEXAS
"brimming with easy going country folk, the same type of music
Kasey's mastered, yet the elder Chambers brings a ruggedness, a
world weariness to it" JIM CALIGIURI, KUT FM, Austin TX
"brings the rich traditions of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell into
the Twenty First Century."
MERV SCHAPEL, GREAT SOUTHERN FM 90.1
Whilst the styles and influences of his previous collaborations are
evident, it's Bill's songwriting that sets this album apart. Where
once he wrote of his place in this country, these great new songs
reflect the landscape of his heart. This is a songwriters' album of
raw emotion, vivid images, plus a little humour. Bill's voice is
textured and from the heart. His talents on guitar, dobro and lap
steel are showcased beautifully, without being overdone - a
difficult feat to achieve for an album that's self-produced. His
style is bold and soulful or wild and crazy, and it always enhances
the song. There's also a duet with Kasey Chambers 'Stories We Could
Tell' (her first recording since Talon was born), an acoustic track
from the Dead Ringer Band 'Hold You In My Heart' and the honky
tonkin' duet 'The Whiskey Isn't Working' with Audrey Auld. While
most of the songs are Bill's own, there are exceptional covers of 'I
Drink' written by Mary Gauthier and Fred Eaglesmith's 'Big Ass
Garage Sale'.
"WOW! I really, really love Bill's version of I Drink. I swear, I
must have written it for him. His is the voice I heard singing it in
my head when I wrote it. " MARY GAUTHIER
"We absolutely love Bill's record. It plays night and day here."
FRED EAGLESMITH
"Sleeping With The Blues" is available from all good music stores.
In the U.S. order from
www.villagerecords.com
or
www.milesofmusic.com
http://www.recklessrecords.com
This year sees the long awaited release
of Bill Chambers' solo album "Sleeping With The Blues"
You
might expect a hard-core hillbilly/honky tonk album from Bill but
you'll discover there's more to Bill's songwriting and playing than
strictly traditional country music. His musical influence on the
Dead Ringer Band and Kasey's music will be apparent after listening
to this album. But it's Bill's songwriting that sets this album
apart from his previous collaborations. Where once he wrote of his
place in this country, these new songs reflect the landscape of his
heart. Bill's talents on guitar, dobro and lap steel are showcased
beautifully, without being overdone - a difficult feat to achieve
for an album that's self-produced. The album includes a duet with
Kasey "Stories We Could Tell" (her first recording since Talon was
born), an acoustic track from the Dead Ringer Band "Hold You In My
Heart" and the honky tonkin' "The Whiskey Isn't Working" from Bill &
Audrey. While most of the songs are Bill's own, there are
exceptional covers of "I Drink" written by Mary Gauthier and Fred
Eaglesmith's "Big Ass Garage Sale".
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Tamworth
Rage Page
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