Cowboys In Cybersp@ce - September 1999

"The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth"

If you are in any doubt about the impact of current technology on the music business, then you should listen carefully to some recent Country Music lyrics. The title track from Alabama's aptly named new album "Twentieth Century" contains the line, "...in 1900, who'd a bet we'd all be surfing on the Internet". Check out Alabama's Web site Keith Glass wrote for his album "Southerly Buster". The song is a tale of infidelity, not in a honky-tonk bar, but in an Internet chat room!
Final proof: It's hard to imagine "son of a son of a sailor" Jimmy Buffett using any Net except a Fishing net, while sailing around Key West. Sure enough, in his song "Flesh and Bone" he confesses that he's "a carbon based caveman honey, just flesh and bone". In this unlikely love song he tells his Internet girl, "I can't e-mail my heart, I can't see your face in cyberspace". However, you can see Jimmy's face in cyberspace at Radio Margaritaville. In July his Web site broadcast every show of his "Beach House on the Moon" tour live, and in August, Radio Margaritaville Television (RMTV) broadcast every show with live pictures. "Beach House on the Moon" is the title of Jimmy's new album which contains not only 13 great new tracks in his inimitable style, but a video that can be viewed on your personal computer. The video features a behind the scenes look at the making of the album and some live footage from a performance at the Magaritaville Club. There must be a few "tech-heads" amongst the "Parrotheads", that's for sure!

At the recent 4th National Entertainment Industry Conference in Sydney, produced by IMMEDIA!, two facts became clear. Firstly, despite all the publicity and hype surrounding the Internet, on-line music sales have not yet made a huge impact. Secondly, that will all change, very soon and dramatically. While independent artists have been the early adopters of the benefits of Internet technology, the major labels are now preparing to flex their multi-national muscle. EMI have finalised a deal with Liquid Audio to encode their music catalogue to prepare it for digital downloads. Universal and BMG have formed an alliance to launch an online music store called Getmusic.com, while CDNow have merged with giants Sony and Time Warner. It is just a matter of time until the SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) settle on accepted formats to protect the copyright owners of music, and then 'digital music' on demand will become a reality.

• The Bushwackers bring their heritage to new frontiers with their new Web site. Check out the Roll Call for a list and links to past and present band members. Read the history of the band as well as their latest news.

  

• Speaking of history, the legend of Gram Parsons often threatens to eclipse the excellent songs that he wrote in his all too brief life. Emmylou Harris, who has long kept the flame alive, has now co-produced a stunning tribute to Gram Parsons, the album "Return of the Grievous Angel". With no shortage of willing participants, we can now enjoy Gram's songs interpreted by the likes of The Mavericks, Chris Hillman and Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and David Crosby, and of course Emmylou herself, in duet with The Pretenders. Start your Web pilgrimage at The Gram Parsons Homepage, a complete GP resource by Larry Klug, then visit Kate's Emmylou site for a full track listing and links to the Web pages of all the participants.
  

• MO Award winners Aubrey and Martin are delighted to find that their 1986 track "Lights of Wollongong" has found a new life since Macca started playing in on "Australia All Over". Aubrey and Martin recently spent five weeks performing at World Fest held in Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, performing alongside their mate (and World Fest veteran) Wayne Horsburgh. The lads then went from MO to MO; MO as in Missouri, to the Australian Entertainment MO Awards. Aubrey and Martin picked up a well deserved award as the Vocal Duo/Trio of the year. As well as performing in their own right, the boys can often be seen here in Australia in the "Love That Country Music Show" with Wayne (who is currently touring Wisconsin), and Judy Anne Barnes. Judy is originally from New Zealand, but now calls Sydney home. Expect to hear her beautiful voice on a forthcoming Wayne Horsburgh album, while a visit to Judy's own Web site reveals that her own new album is nearing completion.

• One of the most ambitious Australian projects to involve the Internet, is the Snowy Mountains Scheme 50th Anniversary Reunion. The music used on the "White Pages" TV commercial, publicising the search for former workers, is by The Settlers. The band was formed by Ulick O'Boyle, a concrete worker on the scheme, and their legendary album "Songs of the Snowy Mountains" has just been released on CD for the first time by BMG.

  
  

• Gold Guitar finalist Karen Lynne has been on tour in the UK where her music has been receiving a lot of exposure and great reviews. Pete Smith of Britain's "Country Music Round-Up" raved "...a woman who has looks to kill for and talent in abundance". Karen can often be found performing in Australia with Pat Drummond, and pictorial proof can be found at Pat's Web site. "The Local Rag" site has recently been revamped, and is still as entertaining as it is intellectually stimulating!

  
  

• Raebekah Roycroft has just released her first single called 'Stronger Than I've Ever Been' and you can hear a sample on her Web site. Read Raebekah's monthly letter to her fans, her biography, and keep coming back for updates on her career and fan club.

• Kelly Willis is a classic American country singer in the raw Texas vein, so it is interesting to find her singing Australian Paul Kelly's "Cradle of Love" on her latest CD "What She Deserves". This is the second of Paul's songs that Kelly has recorded, and she has been quoted as saying, "Maybe I'll do an entire album someday!". That would be something to hear. Whether she is singing her own tunes or well chosen covers, Kelly Willis brings a unique quality to her interpretations while preserving the integrity of the song.

• Lyric Avenue was where Walt and Roy Disney bought adjacent lots on which they built homes once their fledgling movie studios began to take off. Lyric Street Records is the name of Disney's new Country Music label. Their artists include SHeDAISY - Kristyn, Kelsi, and Kassidy Osborn, three young women whose album "The Whole Shebang" has made huge leaps up the U.S. charts. Visit the Lyric Street Records site to see the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews from their first video and album photo shoot, and go to The Official SHeDAISY Fan Page for a whole lot more.

• As I write this, "Amazed" by Lonestar had held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for 5 weeks in a row, longer than any group has held the top spot consecutively. Lonestar's new CD "Lonely Grill" reached Gold certification in less than one month. The band has also picked up two nominations in the forthcoming CMA Awards, in the Group and Single of the Year categories. You can visit the band at their own Web site or at Twang This!

• While Cowboys In Cybersp@ce celebrates it's second birthday with this column, the re-release of "The Blue Ridge Rangers" album on budget priced CD brings back enough memories to make me feel just a little old! While the recent inclusion of John Fogerty on the local Country Charts caused plenty of controversy, there is no doubt this first post-Creedence effort in 1972 was pure country. A masterpiece of multi-tracking, not every one realised at first that Fogerty sang and played every note on the album. Not only that, he can be credited with getting a Hank Williams song (Jambalaya) played on the pop radio stations of the day!

Don't forget to listen out for Cowboys in Cybersp@ce each month on the radio waves with Belinda Miller of Murri Country , 4AAA –FM (98.9 in Brisbane).
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. Until next month, happy surfing.

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