press release - European Country Festival

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Preview:
Doug Seegers plays the European Country Festival –
Jordan Mogey pulls out due to illness.
The 64-year-old country newcomer is making his live debut in the Germanspeaking world and will appear at the European Country Festival in
Achensee before the official ‘Walking on the Edge of the World Tour’. The
Irish singer-songwriter Jordan Mogey has had to pull out due to illness.
Doug Seegers is one of the oldest newcomers in his genre and now the country
singer is coming to play live dates in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the
first time and showcase tracks from his second album, Walking on the Edge of
the World, due for release at the start of September 2016. The native New Yorker
is taking to the stage on 24 September 2016 at the European Country Festival in
Achensee and will continue his tour around Germany, Austria and Switzerland at
the end of October.
Just three years ago, the American musician Doug Seegers was still living under
a bridge in Nashville. Then, by sheer coincidence, he became a superstar in
Sweden – a real musical fairy tale. In 2013 Doug Seegers was sitting on a patch
of grass in Nashville and leaning against a wall with a sign next to him that read
‘Out of work / Anything helps’. He was playing a country song on his guitar that
he had penned himself a long time ago: ‘Going Down to the River’. It’s about the
yearning to cleanse yourself from sin. Sitting in front of him were two Swedish
musicians, a man and a woman, who were filming a documentary for the
Swedish TV broadcaster SVT. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.
This voice. A few months later, Doug Seegers was living a different life – as a
country music star in Sweden.
Doug Seegers, born in 1952, was not even washing dishes; he was homeless in
Nashville. Drugs, alcohol, bridge, soup kitchen – the lot. He had been living in the
city for more than 15 years after leaving New York, where his ex-wife and two
children still live. In Nashville he wanted to play country music again, like he had
previously done in Austin, performing under the name Duke the Drifter. But it
didn’t go according to plan. He scratched a living doing casual jobs and ended up
on the street.
Then Jill Johnson – a successful Swedish country musician and TV journalist –
came into his life. For her national broadcaster SVT, comparable to Austria’s
ORF or Germany’s ARD, she was filming a six-part series called Jills Veranda
about Nashville and also wanted to report on homeless musicians. During her
travels, she and her companion Magnus Carlson stumbled across Doug, who
played them ‘Going Down to the River’. She was so impressed that she invited
him to record the song in a studio in Nashville where Johnny Cash also once
recorded.
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By the time the episode was broadcast on Swedish television, the song was
already available on iTunes. It immediately went to the top of the Swedish iTunes
charts. A Swedish record company then offered Seegers a contract. Within three
days he was recording his debut album Going Down to the River in the USA. It
was released in Sweden at the end of May and went to number one in the charts.
Straight after, Seegers embarked on a tour of the country with a Swedish backing
band. It was his first ever flight. At 62 years of age, he played 70 concerts. In
2014 his album was also released in the USA; he opened the Americana Music
Awards in September with one of his songs. Even in his homeland they now talk
about his rags-to-riches story – the American dream, which came true for
Seegers in Sweden.
Hansi Kiesler, the organiser of the European Country Festival, is both delighted
and proud to have the US artist at the event: ‘In Doug Seegers we are presenting
a totally authentic musician, who describes life’s highs and especially the lows in
his songs like no other and ‘genuinely’ enriches country music in the truest sense
of the word.’
Due to illness, Jordan Mogey has had to cancel all concerts planned over the
coming months. As the Irish singer-songwriter’s management communicated in a
brief press release, Jordan Mogey has contracted a virus that is proving very
hard to shake. Jordan apologises for having to cancel and hopes to be back
onstage soon. The manager of the European Country Festival, Stefan Winsel,
regrets the fact that Jordan Mogey has had to pull out: ‘We wish Jordan a speedy
recovery and will keep a slot on the stage free for him in 2017. We want to
provide a stage for extraordinary young artists like Jordan Mogey. In Laura van
den Elzen – who recently came second in the German reality TV music
competition DSDS – Chiara S. and Marina Jay we have incredible young talent
who will more than complete the line-up alongside more seasoned bands such as
Truck Stop, Home Free, Nashville and many others. We look forward to a
fantastic European Country Festival in Achensee.’
Tickets are now available and can be bought at www.european-countryfestival.com or from the Achensee Tourist Association.
Web links:
www.european-country-festival.com
www.facebook.com/EuropeanCountryFestival
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Images that are free to use can be downloaded from
http://www.european-country-festival.com/pressekontakt/pressekit.
You can find the registration form for press accreditation at
http://www.european-country-festival.com/pressekontakt/pressekit.
Press contact:
EUROPEAN COUNTRY FESTIVAL
IT’S LIVE! Advertising GmbH
Stefan Winsel
Balanstraße 73, 81541 Munich
0049 (0)89 2020 6660, kontakt@european-country-festival.com
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Information about the bands
HOME FREE (USA)
When the country vocal band Home Free were crowned the winners of the
NBC show The Sing-Off in 2013, it was the greatest moment in the career
of the five country stars from Minnesota. It was the reward for almost a
decade of continuous hard work, during which they perfected the art of
performing a cappella. Now these outstanding artists are coming to
continental Europe for the first time, and will present their highly energetic
stage show in Austria, studded with quick-witted humour that combines
with a unique a cappella Nashville sound. The band, made up of Austin
Brown (high tenor), Tim Foust (bass), Rob Lindquist (tenor), Adam Rupp
(beatboxer) and Chris Rupp (baritone), reached number one in the iTunes
country charts and number four in the general charts in 2014 with their
debut album Crazy Life. With more than 200,000 albums sold, over 50
million YouTube views and over 100,000 concert tickets sold, they are
among the most successful winners of a TV singing competition. Now the
amiable men, who are not only revered by the ladies, are celebrating their
premiere in continental Europe. After all, there is already a huge fan base
here and they can hardly wait to see this incredible band live. We look
forward to a very special performance by Home Free in Achensee.
LAURA VAN DEN ELZEN (NL)
Dutch singer Laura van den Elzen is just 18 years old and probably one of
the biggest talents in Central Europe. Most striking of all is her versatility.
While her own songs are mostly soulful ballads, she also has the ability to
sing gritty numbers such as Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. She proved this while
taking part in the German reality TV programme Deutschland sucht den
Superstar, reaching the grand final and ultimately coming second. At the
European Country Festival she is sure to showcase both sides of herself
and really get the audience fired up.
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TRUCK STOP (D)
The most successful German country band released their latest album
Männer sind so last year and enjoyed double chart success. The six lads
from the North Sea coast will be playing the new songs. Musically, the
band has been refreshed, yet remains as authentic as ever with its wellseasoned sound. It is country music for 2016 with plenty of passion and
rock ’n’ roll.
‘In terms of lyrics and music, the audience will hear something fresher and
more modern. There are fewer clichés and there is less America. In their
place are more private and personal themes. Songs that deal with refound
love or the annoying mother-in-law and, of course, the title track ‘Männer
sind so’, the eternal woman’s issue,’ says Andreas Cisek. ‘And we get the
feeling that the intensive band feeling comes across. The music is well
crafted and honest and that is precisely what we want to show our fans upclose in autumn.’
Authentic, honest and creative, with a well-crafted, rocking country sound
– that is how Truck Stop is winning over fans on the latest album and live
onstage. Besides classics like ‘Take it easy’ and ‘Ich möcht’ so gern Dave
Dudley sein’, they will be playing new songs such as ‘Männer sind so’,
‘Deine Mutter ist immer dabei’, ‘Bauchgefühl’ and the current single ‘Die
Party geht weiter’. The new cowboys are sending the fans into raptures –
you have to wonder what exactly is going on onstage.
DOUG SEEGERS (USA/SVE)
Doug Seegers was born in 1952 in Long Island, New York. After a few
initial attempts to find his feet in the clubs of Austin, Texas, in the 1980s,
he returned to his native New York, where he started a family, worked as a
carpenter and raised two children. After getting divorced, he later moved to
the Mecca of country music, Nashville, where he scraped by as a
homeless street musician. Following alcohol withdrawal, he made regular
appearances at a charity event in West Nashville, where he came to the
attention of the singer-songwriter and producer Aaron Espe, who
distributed a brief excerpt of Seeger’s song ‘Going Down to the River’ on
the Internet with no notable success. It would be almost another 18
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months, in autumn 2013, before everything changed: while the Swedish
musician and TV journalist Jill Johnson was filming a six-part documentary
on Nashville, a street trader recommended that she check out Seegers,
who was sitting on a park bench opposite. He told her that he had ‘the
most extraordinary voice in country’. Johnson was so impressed by
Seegers that she invited the then 62-year-old to make a recording in
Johnny Cash‘s Cabin Studio. When the episode featuring Seegers was
broadcast on Swedish television at the beginning of March 2014, he had
scored his first hit: ‘Going Down to the River’ remained at number one in
the Swedish iTunes charts for 12 days. The song was also released on
Johnson’s next album Livemusiken från Jills Veranda Nashville, which
reached the top spot in the official charts and later even achieved gold
status. As a result of this success, Seegers was given a record deal. His
debut album, Going Down to the River was released at the end of May
2014, initially in Sweden. On the album produced by Will Kimbrough (who
has worked with Jimmy Buffett, among others) there is also a cover
version of the Gram Parsons song ‘She’, which Seegers recorded with
superstar Emmylou Harris and her band. The album immediately climbed
to the top of Sweden’s charts at the beginning of June 2014 and a 70-date
summer tour around Sweden followed, during which the album returned to
the number-one spot and was initially awarded a gold disc and later
platinum. In the USA Going Down to the River reached number 25 in the
country charts. In March 2015 another album was released with Jill
Johnson: In Tandem also reached the top of the Swedish charts. A
Christmas album named Let’s All Go Christmas Caroling Tonight reached
number 7 in October 2015. The second album Walking on the Edge of the
World was once again produced with the help of Will Kimbrough in
Nashville in 2015. He was backed in the studio by the cream of Nashville’s
musicians: Al Perkins, Phil Madeira, Chris Donohue, Bryan Owings, Buddy
Miller and Elizabeth Cook. The album also features another duet with
Emmylou Harris, the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash song ‘Far Side Banks
of Jordan’. The long-awaited follow-up will be released at the beginning of
September.
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THE BUFFALO BELLS (AUT)
The Buffalo Bells were the discovery of the European Country Festival
2015. Yet while they were only briefly able to show the audience their
breathtaking talent last year, a place in the Tyrolean sun surely awaits
them in 2016. Visitors and organisers alike were so amazed by the
newcomers from Lower Austria that another appearance at the 2016 event
was immediately guaranteed. This is not only down to the energy of front
man Roman or the wonderful voice of singer Sophie, because the Buffalo
Bells are a complete package seemingly made for the stage. With
dedication and a love of well-crafted music, which they call rock ’n’
country, they deliver a musical stage show in the style of Johnny Cash that
guarantees the audience entertainment, fun and, above all else, first-class
music. Not for nothing was the band named Newcomer Band of the Year
in October 2015 by the ACMF (Austrian Country Music Federation). The
Buffalo Bells will be releasing their new CD just before the European
Country Festival.
JAMBALAYA (DK)
The boys from Jambalaya are a perfect mix of seasoned country veterans
and young musicians, resulting in a show featuring classic sounds and the
fresh wind of modern country. And as befits a real country band, the
Danes will also be bringing along a pedal steel guitar to the event in
beautiful Achensee, together with their most experienced musician. One
thing is certain – visitors to the European Country Festival 2016 can look
forward to a top-class international combo.
TARSO MILLER (BRA/SK)
Brazilian roots, appearances with Dale Watson in Austin, Texas, and now
based in Slovakia – that is the explosive mix used by Tarso Miller and his
Wild Comets to deliver an original and energy-charged honky-tonk show
without equal. The native Brazilian gave 130 shows in his homeland last
year. Now he has moved from Sugarloaf Mountain to Bratislava and is
conquering the whole of Europe.
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RONNY NASH AND HIS WHITELINE CASANOVAS (D)
Ronny Nash and His Whiteline Casanovas are now one of the finest acts
that the German country scene has to offer in the English-speaking
domain. Clearly the band embodies the certain something that conveys
the feeling of sitting in a honky-tonk in Nashville listening to stylishly
crafted ‘pure and handmade country music’. Their act has been honed in
hundreds of stage performances over the last 17 years, guaranteeing
professional entertainment. The five country musicians take the audience
on a musical journey across the south-west of the USA. With professional
arrangements, everything is played here, from classic country and western
to modern country music and gritty country rock. New songs from various
styles and eras of country and western music are always appearing in the
band’s extensive repertoire. The selection of songs played is mostly
spontaneous and influenced by the prevailing mood at the time. As such,
no two performances are ever the same. The band cultivates a close and
informal relationship with its audience. The band’s love of the music and
the fun it has in skilfully and honestly conveying it are in evidence at all
times, convincing not just die-hard country fans. Look forward to a live
stage show of authentically crafted country music, seasoned with a gritty
country sound. Ronny Nash and his band are currently in the studio
putting the finishing touches to a new album.
NASHVILLE (AUT)
These four men from the Salzkammergut region know what’s what when it
comes to country music. This not only became clear in 2014 when they
picked up the ACMF Award for Song of the Year with their track ‘Back in
Town’. The mix of classic country music, country rock and Texas swing
turns Nashville into a unique and entertaining stage experience that is sure
to leave no shirt in the house dry. The self-proclaimed Austro-Americans
epitomise power and down-to-earthness in equal measure. One song may
feature potent guitar sounds, while the next embodies simple,
straightforward and honest country music. Not for nothing did the ACMF
(Austrian Country Music Federation) bestow the award for Album of the
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Year 2015 on Nashville for its album Rodeo Man. The diversity of a live
Nashville performance will also be very much in evidence at the European
Country Festival 2016, because this band’s concerts are always a special
experience.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Chiara S. (D) – Sixteen-year-old up-and-coming talent Chiara S. from
Germany will entertain the audience at the 2nd European Country Festival
with modern songs. Country music is her big passion and she has already
been able to demonstrate this at the Chiemsee Country Festival and the
ITF organised by the Southernstars in Hallbergmoos.
Marina Jay (AUT) – Marina Jay, two-time winner of the ACMF Award for
Singer of the Year, has made quite a name for herself on the country
scene. She has been performing as a country singer since the age of 14,
wowing crowds at country festivals and proving popular as a guest singer
by joining international musicians onstage. Among others, she has made a
guest appearance alongside Grammy winner John Arthur Martinez.
Road Chicks (AUT) – The Road Chicks are the local matadors, because
in Alina Mahrhofer they have an artist onstage who spent her youth around
Achensee. Since the band was formed in 2010 the Road Chicks have
toured throughout Central Europe and have already received awards from
the ACMF (Austrian Country Music Federation). They will delight fans at
the European Country Festival as a duo. The repertoire includes country,
rock ’n’ roll, oldies, pop and rock, and is particularly popular with line
dancers.
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