Take care,

Michelle

Hallelujah! - A Sellout In Mildura
Click here for country radio stations

Well I’m still reeling from my first Mildura Country Music Festival experience. All I can say is, “WOW!” It was such a great festival and I had such a fantastic time catching up with other musicians and friends I hadn’t seen in years.
I can’t believe the overwhelming response I received from the Mildura audiences. Before I left for the festival some people told me, “make sure you take lots of CD’s” but I had no idea that I would sell out within the first 3 days!
I got on the phone and got more couriered down from Brisbane which lasted until the final day when once again I sold out and had to start taking orders.
I thank everyone for their support. It really did blow me away.
This all came after my risky decision to release Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” as the third single from my album. I knew releasing the song was a risk in that it is not traditionally known as a country song but I thought the song told a story that country people could relate to and I believed that Roger Corbett (producer of the album, Hear Me Now) had done a great job of arranging the music in a way that would give it a country flavour and a new perspective for country music audiences.

I thank everyone for their kind words and support after all of my performances of the song at Mildura and to the radio presenters who I met and are playing “Hallelujah”. You can request it on your local radio station now. Go to www.country.com.au for a list of country radio stations and programs.
I have just confirmed that I will be performing my show, Michelle Little Sings the Songs of Patsy Cline at Wests Diggers Showroom during the 2010 Tamworth Country Music Festival. I will also be showcasing some of my own original material and some familiar tunes at another show called, Michelle Little Does Cow Jazz.
What is Cow Jazz? Well lets just put it this way; if you like Patsy Cline, western swing, country blues and rockabilly, this is the show for you! There will be more details coming soon click here for more.
I will be busy gigging over the next few months so check out the gig guide and visit the website from time to time to check it hasn’t changed. Of course if you can’t make it to a gig I always enjoy receiving your messages and emails.
Take care,
Michelle X

A New Single To Radio - Hallelujah
Click here for country radio stations

Hallelujah’, it’s an encore for Michelle Little.

Michelle Little has released Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘Hallelujah’, as the third single from her album ‘Hear Me Now’, further stamping her as the country singer with big blues and smooth jazz influences.
It’s a style that suits her well, Michelle Little’s first independently-staged concert performance became a ‘Tamworth Event’ at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January this year as she delivered what some described as a ‘spellbinding’ performance to a packed house receiving a standing ovation and two encores.
As a classically trained singer from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Michelle’s interpretation of ‘Hallelujah’ has proved to be one of the favourites on the album and follows on from her previously released singles, ‘Free To Be Me’ and ‘Forty Degrees’.
‘I never do a show without a request for Hallelujah’ says Michelle, ‘and it seems to be a favourite with country music radio as well’.
Michelle will be making the journey from Brisbane to Mildura at the end of the month to make her debut appearance at the Mildura Country Music Festival and plans are under way to return to Tamworth Country Music Festival for 2010.

Western Plains To Western Swing

Well I travelled down to Barham Country Music Stampede at the end of July/beginning of August and had a ball. It was great to perform somewhere I hadn’t been before and I enjoyed the drive up through Bendigo to the Murray. It was also great to meet and catch up with some old friends that were performing at the Stampede—Don Coster, Doug McIntyre, Stephen R Cheney, Johanna Hemara, Olive Bice and Peter Horan. Thanks to Joyce for inviting me. It was a great event!

From Barham I made my way back up to Brisbane where I had a couple of solo gigs up at the very friendly, Bramble Bay Bowls Club and also had a fantastic evening playing some old tunes with some very handy musicians on The Gold Coast.
Tony, Al and Lee helped me out with some great old Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Elvis and Nat King Cole tunes—a great blend that I am now calling, “Cow Jazz”. Its basically a rootsy mix of western swing, rockabilly, blues, and jazz and its great fun. The gig was at a bizarre little place called The Loft and although it was a small crowd there was some great music being played. And yes I’m already getting the vocal chords ready for the next Patsy Cline show so if you came to the one at the Regent Theatre in Tamworth, stay tuned to find out where and when the next one will be.

This month I’ll be doing a couple of solo gigs up here in Brisbane before making my way back down to explore the Murray River a little more as I head to Mildura Country Music Festival. Visit my website for a full gig guide and I’ll look forward to seeing you there. Of course if you can’t make it I always enjoy receiving your emails. Take care,
Michelle X

Goodbye Sydney, Hello Brisbane

Ok, so yes, I am based in Brisbane now although you could be forgiven for being a little confused over the last few months as I’ve been travelling quite a bit and thats not about to change either.
Two trips to Dubbo, my old stomping ground, and a trip to beautiful Port Stephens were the highlights of the last couple of months.
I had a great time judging, running workshops and performing in Dubbo at the OCMA’s annual Country Music Festival and Talent Quest which is where I started my country career back in 1996. It was really great to catch up with old friends and see that the country music scene is thriving in Dubbo.

From Dubbo I drove across to Port Stephens for the Blue Water Country Festival where I had gigs at Raymond Terrace BC, Salamander Sound, Shoal Bay Country Club and Beresfield BC. It was great to see so many familiar faces at Shoal Bay Country Club. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic night and you probably guessed that myself and the guys in the band had a great time entertaining you all, so thankyou.

I enjoyed being involved in Fete De La Musique Brisbane recently too. Although it rained there was still lots of music being made everywhere and I’m looking forward to next year already. I’m settling in well up here in Brisbane and I’ve recently made some new friends at Bramble Bay Bowls Club. Its a nice little club with some very nice people who I’ll see again next month.

Well I’ll be making my way down to Barham Country Music Stampede in a couple of weeks. Its my first time performing at the stampede so I’m really looking forward to it and I’m looking forward to catching up with you at a gig soon. Hope to catch up again soon,
Michelle X

Tamworth 2009

Ok. Now let me tell you about TAMWORTH!
I was very busy this year with lots of gigs, appearances and even an award ceremoney!

Once again I went up early and sang at the Young Guns of Country Concert at Tamworth Town Hall and once again – except for Greg Champion – I was the veteran of the show. I don’t mind though because it is a wonderful event to be a part of and the CCMA team do a fantastic job.

I caught up with a lot of you at my gigs at the Fitzroy Hotel throughout the festival and it was great to perform with my band again. Thanks to all of you that came along to support me and my music. It really does feel good to have people requesting your own songs so thank you very much.
I guess that’s why being nominated for a TIARA this year meant so much as well.
I received a nomination for Best Female Vocal with my song “Free To Be Me” which is the second track from my album, Hear Me Now.

As well as appearances at the TSA Showcases, the Coke Stage, the Southgate with Andy Baylor’s Cajun Combo and the Cricket Club, I staged my own show at the Regent Theatre, Michelle Little Sings the Songs of Patsy Cline.

Let me just say thank you so much to all of you who came along to my show. I worked very hard to make this show what it was and to say that I was blown away by the response is an understatement. At times during that night I felt like the show gained a life of its own and I was just there for the ride. It was definitely one of, if not the most exhilerating performance of my life which I will never forget.
The band were fantastic and it was great to be joined by fellow CMAA College Graduate, Peter Pratt for a duet of “South of the Border” after Peter’s tribute to Marty Robbins.
There is already talk of another show next year and who knows what will happen in-between times.

Then we had The Morning Show where myself and other artists who had recorded at The Valley Studio showcased our songs and albums to a great crowd at The Longyard.
Peter and I once again performed our duet and from that we were invited to be part of the Bushwacker’s famous Chardonnay Show on the final Sunday of the Festival which was such a great experience.

... And along the way I had lots of fun and met lots of great people.
As I drove out of Tamworth on the Monday I thought “Wow. Did all of that really happen?”

I hope to see you at a gig soon, but if not don’t be scared to write me an email. Michelle.XXX

New single release for summer - Forty Degrees

I've just released the latest single from my album and with summer just around the corner here's hoping that "Forty Degrees" will be playing on radios all over the country just like 'Free To Be Me" (my first single).

Forty Degrees was co-written with Amanda O'Bryan while reminiscing of the hot and steamy summers of my youth spent in Mendooran and Dubbo... with a little poetic license to spice things up of course!

It's a swinging bluesy number that draws on influences from Patsy Cline with a hint of that swampy Creedence tang in the verses.
This was one of my favourite songs to write for the album and it is always great fun to perfom live. I hope you enjoy it and remember to request it on your favourite local radio station. For a list of country radio stations go to www.country.com.au

From Perth to The Muster

Well where do I start? Let me go all the way back to July when I travelled to Perth to promote my album, Hear Me Now, and was overwhelmed by the response I received from the various country music clubs where I performed.
It all started with Brumby Country Music Club then Osborne Park Bowling Club, Stirling Country Music Club and finishing up at Crossroads Country Music Club. Performing at these clubs was such a great experience. Everyone made me feel so at home and the country hospitality was great.
I also managed to fit in some radio interviews at Radio Fremantle with Derek and Born In Boots100.1FM with Brendan which now means that Free To Be Me is receiving airplay right across Australia!

Once I was back in NSW though, there was no time to rest with gigs in Sussex Inlet, Mittagong and St. Marys RSL with the Blacktown Country Music Club.
I also had a great show at Smithfield RSL with Bob Howe and McCauley's Raiders and Peter Pratt.

I'm currently plotting a surprise…well ok I'll let you in on it. After many requests and a little persuasion, I'll be performing a tribute to Patsy Cline at the Regent Theatre during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. I am also pleased to announce that Peter Pratt will be performing some of his favourite Marty Robbins tunes as well. We are both very excited about this concert and we ask that you join us for a very special evening on Wednesday 21st January 2009. Stay tuned for information on tickets or check out the website in a couple of weeks.

Ok, well so much has happened over the past couple of months but the most exciting thing has definitely been Toyota National Muster in Gympie QLD.What a blast! This was my first time to the muster and, besides dying of the flu, choking on dust and having cold showers, it was awesome!
Although we were a little unsure the first night...2 girls driving up the dirt road into the middle of the bush at 11pm at night with no idea what to expect when we got to the muster...well it would have been funny to be a fly on the wall.

I had 3 morning shows with my band and a songwriter's circle with 8Ball Aitkin on Friday afternoon. The 3 morning shows on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday where I sold out of CDs were great and I made lots of new friends and caught up with some old ones too...thanks Ron and Barb for everything. I also had a chat with My105.9FM radio in Mackay and 98.9FM radio, which was streaming live from the muster.
It really is an amazing event and I congratulate the organisers for a job very well done.

I look forward to catching up with everyone in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival if not beforehand.
Thank you once again for all your support,
Michelle XXX

Single Release - 1st March

I'm currently in the process of releasing my new single "Free to be Me" with Door2Door.
I can't wait to see the response, especially after the response at 2DU in Dubbo.

Tamworth 08 Diary

What a blast, Click here to see what I got up to in Tamworth

Menangle House - Dec 16th

Hey guys, I just wanted to apologise to those who turned up to Menangle House to see me on Sunday.
Unfortunately the gig was cancelled on me at the last minute, and I didn't end up playing.
Thankyou to those who were there to show their support anyway it was much appreciated, and I'll hopefully be down in the area in Feb next year.

Party at the Pastoral - Nov. 17th

Wow! What a fantastic night we had at The Pastoral on Saturday night. It was the first gig of my "Hear me Now" Album Showcase Tour and it was great. I opened with the songs from my soon to be released debut album and then the boys from Desert Rain and I kicked into some good old classic and modern country rock. It was great to get back home to Dubbo and catch up so many old friends and to make some new ones. I was afraid the wild weather might deter the crowd but everyone was happy for the tiny bit of rain we got and partied even harder. I can't wait until January when I'll be returning to Dubbo, this time at The Garden Hotel on Saturday January 5th. Thanks to everyone that came along to support us and we'll see you again in January - Yeehar!

1st Oct 07 - 2pk Parkes Country Spectacular

I had a fantastic time in Parkes last weekend catching up with lots of old friends. Lots of memories came flooding back when I performed at the Friday night Concert held at the Parkes Services Club. The concert celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 2Pk Parkes Country Music Spectacular. Among the lineup of great performers were Peter Horan, Karen Lyn and Pat Drummond. Not to mention Michael Green's band, The Palmer Brother who always do such a wonderful job. Barry Williams compered the night and everyone had a great time. Over the weekend I did some judging of the talent quest and performed at the Sunday gospel service. All in all it was a very enjoyable weekend for me and everyone who came along. Congratulations Parkes and happy 40th!

21st September 07 - New Album

I've just finished laying down the tracks for my new album due out in November, and I'm really happy with how its going to sound.
I've spent plenty of time up at Valley Studios in the Blue Mountains over the past few weeks. I can't wait until I can finally release it for everyone else to listen to.

5th August 07 - Desert Rain

Well, we had a fun afternoon at the Cat and Fiddle in Balmain.
To start with, the previous act cancelled, so I got up on stage and did a small acoustic set.
Next was our band. We really managed to rock the place up and had an absolute ball playing all our old and new country rock favourites. I know I can't wait for the next gig. It was great to see everyone who came along to see us, we had great fun playing for you all.
The next few weeks will be pretty quiet as I'm songwriting for my debut album, due out November, and then heading straight into recording.

15th-16th June 07 - Port Stephens

We had a quiet weekend last weekend backing up after the Country Music Festival, but I still had a great time. Friday night at Soldiers Point Bowling Club was great fun. Thank you to everyone from the Tomaree Lodge, It was really good to see everyone having fun on the dance floor. I really enjoyed sitting back and doing some nice acoustic stuff on Saturday at the Nelson Bay Golf Club and I look forward to getting back there in July.

During July I’ll be spending time recording my debut album at The Valley Studios in the Blue Mountains with Roger Corbett and I am also looking forward to working with my new band. My first gig with the band will be in Balmain on Thursday 5th July where we will be performing a 45 min. set alongside some other fantastic urban country bands. So let everyone know and I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

7th-11th June 07 - Port Stephens Country Music Festival

Well it might have been very wet and a little chilly but that didn’t stop me from having a fantastic time at the Blue Water Country Music Festival in Port Stephens over the June long weekend. Thanks to all those who came along to my lunchtime gig at The Newcastle and Port Stephen’s Game Fishing Club on the Saturday. I also had a great time entertaining the bowls crowd at Raymond Terrace on the Sunday and as always it was great to catch up with old friends and make some new ones along the way.