"Home Improvements" Sometimes it's not enough just to buy a new table. Occasionally you feel the need to give the walls a new coat of paint, put up some new curtains and generally spruce the place up. Well, it can be like that with a Web site too. Sometimes an artist has something momentous happen in their career (like a new album) that prompts a change of theme, while sometimes it can just be for fun. The recent release of Completely dominates the DIAMOND RIO site, from the neon sign introduction to the download section that is full of goodies. Over the last 11 years Diamond Rio have won every award imaginable and still manage to sound fresh and exciting. Their music is truly the sound of six masters at work. BECCY COLE is enjoying success with the bonus edition of her album Wild at Heart and her Web site has had a makeover too, rendering it more accessible for Beccy's legion of fans. Peruse her 'Brag Wall' and see lots of famous people who have queued up to have their picture taken with Beccy. Don't miss her famous recipe for Chicken, Corn and Noodle Soup. Toyota devoted a whole section of their Web world to the TOYOTA NATIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC MUSTER. Photos and video came streaming in from the Amamoor State Forest and you can relive some of the fun on-line without getting your feet muddy. BROOKE SCHUBERT was this year's winner of the Outback Muster Talent Search and at Brooke's site you can read how excited she was to fulfil a dream. More Muster photos by Terry Phillpot, including The 'Year Of The Outback' Muster Talent Search. A new site too for 'Australia's King of Country Rock' JADE HURLEY O.A.M. Check out the latest on this great showman and browse his photo gallery (look for Slim Dusty at the top). You can order Jade's albums or, for something different, you can choose up to 15 tracks of your Jade Hurley favourites to be placed on your own personalised Audio CD. Nicole Brophy and Jodi Moore not only changed their site but their name too. As DIRTY LUCY they have been around the world in the last year, including the 2002 SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas where they received three standing ovations at their full house showcase gig. Travelling the world has also been on the agenda for ANDREW CLERMONT. The U.K., U.S.A., France, Germany, Japan, Australia...phew! Looking at his 'zigzag USA tour map' alone is tiring enough, so make sure you look at the restful sunset photos taken with his Web cam.

DVD REVIEW KASEY CHAMBERS BEHIND THE BARRICADES EMI MUSIC BEHIND THE BARRICADES is a fascinating look into the life of Kasey Chambers and the spectacular rise of her solo career. The viewer is given a fly-on-the-wall look inside the makeshift studio on Norfolk Island where Kasey and the band are seen rehearsing and recording her ground breaking solo debut album The Captain in 1997. These home movies are interspersed with more recent interview footage that gives an insight to the songwriting process and also the dynamic of the Chambers' family unit. In one particularly telling moment we hear Bill Chambers describe how daughter Kasey can be a crazy fun-loving person one moment and then change completely when becoming immersed in her music. This is then played out before our eyes as Kasey herself explains how at one particularly happy time she worried about not being able to write another meaningful song. As she then sings the resulting effort, we see her instantly transform as the emotion of the song takes hold and the fragility of her performance bares her soul in a way that makes her so extraordinary. Interviews with Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris lay testament to the regard in which they hold Kasey's talent and her personal charm shines through in many ad-lib moments that are refreshingly delightful. Musical highlights include an appearance on-stage with Emmylou, plus 10 live performances recorded specifically for this release at the ABC Studios in Sydney last January. There are also snippets from the early days right up to the present time, including hints of what to expect in the future. A treasure trove for Kasey fans and if you're not already one, watch this DVD and become a convert! EMI MUSIC Australia (96 Mins) Release date: October 14, 2002 BOB HOWE Don't forget to listen out for cyberBob each month on the radio waves with Belinda Miller of Murri Country, 4AAA (98.9 FM in Brisbane) and Barbara Morison on 2SER (107.3 FM in Sydney). If you want to share the location of an interesting site you've seen or request a topic for discussion in future columns, why not E-mail me.

© 2002 Bob Howe Productions - ShowNet