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It is with great pleasure that the Rotary Club of Galston announce the 2006 Grand Finalists who will be appearing at the Galston Country Music Festival on Sunday September 10th 2006 Rotary's decision is as follows-

AMBER LAWRENCE SYDNEY NSW
SWEENEY KILLEEN SYDNEY NSW
KAREN LYNNE WENTWORTH FALLS NSW

Finalists for this year are: Paul Costa, Carol Donovan, Ronni Rae Rivers, Amos Morris, Craig Stewart, Karen Lynne, Amber Lawrence, Drew McAlister, Peter Pratt, Sweeney Killeen, The Atherton Bros and John Stephan. (Please note that John Stephan had to withdraw because of commitments and was not part of this Grand final decision).

Each year the decision in regard to the Grand Finalists becomes harder for the Rotary Club of Galston as the standard is so high and this year was no exception. The 2006 Grand Final looks set to be one of the most exciting on record.

Presenting the award this year will be International Recording Star and Living Legend KEVIN JOHNSON, (Rock And Roll I gave you the best years of my life, Man of the Twentieth Century, Bonnie Please don't go etc). Kevin will also be performing some of his songs for his many fans and is looking forward to being part of Sydney's most successful Festival.

All three Grand Finalists, will come to Sydney on September 10th to perform at Fagan Park, Galston, to compete for prizes which include, a beautiful handcrafted Golden Saddle Trophy courtesy of Cooper's Brewery, Cash, a Certificate of Excellence, A Production Package courtesy of Herm Kovac, Publicity for the next twelve months and an invitation to come back to the Festival held in 2007 as a Special Guest Artist to perform.

Previous winners have been DARREN COLSTON, Rob Wilson, Mark Tempany, Double-Decker Dave, Michael King, Dave Debs, Colin Greatorix and Tracey Faith.

DARREN COLSTON will return this year as an Invited Guest to perform at the Festival in September, which was part of his win in 2005.

Tony & Vikki Page - Festival Organisers, Helen Kay - Director Cooper's Golden Saddle Award 2006, Frank Ifield - Festival Patron

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Sydney-based duo, SweeneyKilleen had a fabulous Tamworth Festival, drawing large crowds to their shows at Wests' Diggers leading up to the golden night of nights.
Partners in music and great friends in life, Nikki Sweeney and Tracy Lee Killeen were rapt to arrive in town with a finalist nomination in the Golden Guitars under their belt, as well as an ACMLA People's Choice finalist nomination for Group or Duo of the Year.
The delightful pair were thrilled to be in such fine company in the New Talent of the Year category with The Sunny Cowgirls, Paul Costa, Karl Broadie and eventual winner, Samantha McClymont, the 2005 Toyota Star Maker. It was the girls' latest single, Running, from their album, Along For The Ride, which was produced by Roger Corbett at his Blue Mountains studio.
It was at the 2000 CMAA Australian College of Country Music that Nikki, originally from New Zealand, and Tracy, from regional Victoria, met each other and Roger, who was a college tutor.
At the 2005 Akubra Hat Cedar Awards the girls took out the prized Duo of the Year, so perhaps a GG is on the cards for them in that category in the future.
Keep an ear to your favourite radio station for Running, which followed the success of the album's first single, The River Rose, achieving top 10 success in the airplay charts.

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TALENT AND FUN FOR ALL
One of the most energetic bands you'll catch this festival is SweeneyKilleen.
These two girls give their all when they take to the stage and are bringing their shows to Wests, The Longyard and The Pub.
This year their talent has been recognised with a finalist placing in the New Talent of the Year category in the Country Music Awards of Australia.
They are also finalists in the Best Country Duo / Group of The Year in the TIARA Awards and finalists in the ACMLA People's Choice Awards for Best Country Duo / Group / Band Of The Year.
Nikki Sweeney and Tracy-Lee Killeen are great friends, but also share a passion for great country music, witty antics and entertaining audiences.
The girls formed the band at the 2000 College of Country Music in Tamworth and are originally from New Zealand and regional Victoria but are now firmly based in Sydney.
With their combination of humour, fun and distinctive sound, this charismatic duo has been delighting audiences at every festival performance and concert. "I was mesmerised by their performance and sheer energy. Having fun is what it's all about for these two and this certainly shines through," Rob Potts from Allied artists said.
They launched their album Along For The Ride, produced by Roger Corbett, last February with the track The River Rose reaching the top 10 of the country Music Top 30. If you like some fun with your country music, catch these girls in concert.

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GYMPIE TIMES - LEISURETIME - 29 April 2005
GREAT VOICES HEAD TO MUSTER
By Christine Harch

HAVING been to New Zealand, one of my first thoughts was - why do they so many kiwis want to live in Australia when they already live in the most picturesque place on earth?
"Opportunity," Nikki Sweeney of the music duo SweeneyKilleen tells me.
"There's nothing in New Zealand like the country music set up in Australia; there's just one huge overall committee for the whole country.
"When I first started coming to Tamworth, hooking up with people and doing guest spots, there's no way could I go back and explain it to the Kiwi's because there's nothing like that for them to compare.
"I was originally inspired to move to Australia after a trip to the Norfolk Island country music festival.
"I've always been into country music and I was accepted into the College of Country Music at Tamworth" - and that's where she met Tracy Killen who hailed from regional Victoria.
"I feel we were meant to meet; we really bounce off each other on stage and when we are together we have so much fun" - you just have to look at the album cover to know that's true.
Their first album titled Fun has been followed up by Along for the Ride - and some lucky readers have the chance to win a copy. "We were so spoilt for choice of songs for Along for the Ride."
The songs are quite versatile - from the fast-paced Running - a look at the hectic life of a wife and mother who never stops but doesn't get paid - to the sorrowful Sonny's dreams - the upbeat Along For The Ride - the true-to-life lyrics of The River Rose, which they have released as their first single - and the inspirational Almost Maybe - I just loved this CD.
When pushed for an answer as to which song was their favourite, Nikki said Along For The Ride - my personal favourite is Running - "And oh Lord, she's running like a taxi; running all night and day; 365, 24/7; running but she's not getting paid." And the girls are heading this way for the Muster for their third consecutive year.
"We felt so lucky to be there and debut on the main stage; we'd never experienced anything like it.
"When we arrived and wound down the window for directions, we heard Fields of Gold (from their first album) playing at someone's campsite; that was such a buzz.
"Gympie was wonderful to us."
To be in the running to win a SweeneyKilleen CD, please fill in the coupon on this page and return it to: Leisuretime CD giveaway, PO Box 394, Gympie, 4570 or drop your entry into the Leisuretime competition box in the foyer of The Gympie Times, 197 Mary Street, Gympie by 5pm on Monday, May 9. Winners will be announced in the May 13 edition of Leisuretime. Please see Thursday's Gympie Times for competition terms and conditions.
Don't miss the May 10 edition of The Cooloola Advertiser for a more in-depth interview with SweeneyKilleen and another chance to win their CD.
www.sweeneykilleen.com

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Nikki Sweeney and Tracy Killeen met at the College of Country Music and both graduated in 2000. They found that they shared the same sense of fun and formed an instant friendship, but the idea of forming a duo didn't come until a little later. Nikki had already established herself as a performer in New Zealand and Tracy had made a name for herself in country Victoria, but when these girls sang together it was evident that their two distinct voices blended so well together that a duo act was inevitable. They chose Roger Corbett (the Bushwackers) to produce 'Along for The Ride', and he's selected a top line up of musicians for the project including Mitch Farmer on drums, Stuie French and Duncan Toombs on guitars, Michel Rose on dobro and pedal steel, Hughie Curtis on fiddle and mandolin, Martin Louis on banjo and Clare O'Meara on keyboards and accordion. The album includes 14 songs that work really well for duo performance, including a lovely sunny song by Tamara Stewart and Joline Mandrakas called 'One Of Those Days'. There's a bluegrassy track called 'Big Smoke', a Celtic sounding tune called 'Sonnys Dreams', and a terrific song that I'm sure most women will relate to called 'Running'.

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It's impossible not to be captivated by SWEENEY KILLEEN's passion for life and music, their exquisite harmonies and their heartfelt songs. Their last album, Fun, was a sensational debut, and with Along For The Ride, they've taken their music a major leap forward. This album is packed with great songs, performed with class, feeling and heaps of talent. It's a winning formula, and one that's sure to earn this bubbly duo a lot more fans over the next few months. Harassed mums everywhere will adore Running, and it's impossible to listen to the ethereal harmonies on tracks like Across The Great Divide and Sonny's Dreams without getting a tingle down your spine. The real strength of the album lies in tracks about the human experience, including The River Rose, This Old Town and Across The Great Divide, but lighter tracks like One Of Those Days, Almost Maybe and Can't Do A Thing Without You work brilliantly as well. And there are some great covers, the pick of which is the girls' take on Mama Was A Working Man. This album is a breath of fresh air, and a wonderful addition to the current crop of country releases.

One Stop/Independent SKCD02
SUSAN JARVIS

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Like the rest of us, the recent tragic tsunami disaster sent a chill down the spines of Nikki Sweeney and Tracy Lee Killeen.
But they were particularly award of the impact of the disaster because they'd already been contemplating the awesome and sometimes cruel power of nature during the recording of their new single, The River Rose.
"The song became especially poignant for us after the tsunami, because it is really about the futility of resisting nature - it doesn't matter what you do to stop it, it's way too powerful a force," Nikki said.
The River Rose is the first single from SWEENEYKILLEEN's new album, Along For The Ride, and it marks a new era fro this talented and popular duo.
"Our first album focused on what we do in our live shows - having a good time. So we called it Fun. We're still about having lots of fun, but we wanted to get a bit more serious with our music, to cover a wider spectrum of emotions and experiences," Nikki said. Along For The Ride is a stunning collection of music that lifts SweeneyKilleen to a whole new level, and will make them impossible to ignore - by the industry and fans alike.
Produced, like Fun, by ROGER CORBETT (rapidly becoming a fresh and innovative creative force in Australian country music) Along For the Ride has a very distinctive sound and style that are unique to SweeneyKilleen.
"We've been performing together for five years now, and in that time we've really developed a style of our own - the combination of our voices, our harmonies, the kinds of songs we sing and the way we present them. It really feels like it's evolved into our own style, and it's one we're really comfortable with," Tracy said.
Nikki and Tracy have very distinctive voices - a Tracy's a strong, powerful, resonant sound; Nikki's more delicate and pure. Together, however, they achieve sublime harmonies, which are evident time and time again on this album.
The River Rose is a definite highlight of Along For the Ride, but it's not the only one. SweeneyKilleen's version of the NANCY GRIFFITH track Across The Great Divide is electrifying, and they also do a superb job on This Old Town.
The album kicks off with One Of Those Days, a positive take on life that suits the girls perfectly, then moves on to an anthem for the aspiring Supermums out there (and behind this computer!) trying to do it all. It's titled Running and was penned by Roger Corbett after he watched the daily schedule of one such woman unfurling. There are plenty of women around who'll relate to this song!
Nikki and Roger joined forces to write the beautiful Big Smoke, a song about a small town girl's relationship with the big city that's clearly come from experience, and Tracy also did some co-writing with Roger on the catchy Can't Do A Thing Without You.
The album boosts a stellar line-up of writers, including SARA STORER (Restricted Area), TANIA SAVOURY (The River Rose), TAMARA STEWART and newcomer JOELENE MANDRAKAS (One Of Those Days), BECKY WILLIS (the sensational Almost Maybe) and JANIS IAN (This Old Town).
Covers like Those Words We Said and Along For The Ride have been included to appeal to fans of contemporary country, with an exquisite version of Sonny's Dreams and a wonderful take on the old country classic Mama Was A Working Man sure to appeal to traditionalists.
SweeneyKilleen were a huge hit at this year's Tamworth Festival, where they performed more than a dozen shows. They've become well known through the success of their first album, and because their live shows are so incredibly appealing.
"We've worked hard over the past few years, but there have been plenty of rewards," Nikki said.
"Of the three singles we released from Fun, two - Fun and Plastic Princess - made it into the top 20, and the last one - Working Man - went top 10.
"We've also made the finalist of the Galston Golden Saddle Award, the Independent Entertainer of the Year Award and reached the Top 10 in last year's Golden Guitars. And we've had a couple of great years Tamworth and at the Gympie Muster," Nikki said.
"With this album, we're hoping to take our music and our careers a step further: we've got a finalist berth in next year's Golden Guitars in our sights."
SweeneyKilleen head off with JIM HAYNES in June for a tour of north-western New South Wales.

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SweeneyKilleen have hit Tamworth with new songs and a new album on the way.
While here they'll provided fans a sneak preview of many of the tracks off their album, Along For The Ride, recorded with Roger Corbett in the Valley Studio.
Hand in hand with plugging their new album they'll also sing, smile and dance their way through the Festival at Wests' Diggers and Leagues Club, Fanfest, The Longyard, along with other guest appearances.
Sweeney-Killeen formed their duo after meeting at the College of Country Music in January 2000 and have been entertaining audiences with their unique voices and their own brand of humour ever since.

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NEW SINGLE

Working Man
NFS Release # 85
Track 12

SweeneyKilleen are back with their third single release 'Working Man', from their debut album 'FUN'.

2003 was a standout year for Sweeneykilleen (Nikki Sweeney and Tracy Killeen) with major festivals like the Gympie Muster and Mildura, but right near the top of the list has to be the chart success of their last single Plastic Princess. The song rose to a top 20 slot on the national country charts, making their familiar smiles even bigger.

The energy and talent of this duo is well recognised by the country industry and fans alike, and their album continues to receive enthusiastic reviews from around the nation.

After two highly charged singles, the pair settles back with the powerful 'Working Man', one of their most requested songs at their live shows, and it is their salute to all the hard working men and women throughout Australia and New Zealand.

To hear a sample of 'Working Man', check out the single at NfS Publicity.

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   Click here to download our first album review in pdf format.

   Click here to download our latest album review in pdf format.

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