By TANIA PHILLIPS
DON’T be surprised if country music star Adam Brand’s next album is all about building.
The man who burst onto the country music scene back in 1998 with the album Dirt Track Cowboys, has been swapping his guitar and cowboy hat for a hard-hat and nail gun while he renovates his house on the lower Gold Coast.
Adam, who is winding up his Australian tour at Twin Towns this weekend, lived on the Gold Coast a few years ago but fell in love with the lower Gold Coast Tweed when he and ex-wife Jade Hatcher lived here while she was partnering Mark Occhilupo in Dancing With The Stars. He has now moved to the region and has been busily turning his “old shack” into a comfortable home.
“I’m on the tail-end of the tour,” he laughed as we sat on his newly renovated verandah for a chat.
“I’ve been touring most of the year pretty heavily, the album came out in the middle of last year and we did a bunch of shows before Christmas and then starting February we did a fairly extensive tour.
“I moved back to the Gold Coast – I was in the States for a couple of years. Bought this little place and I’ve been working on this since January. I go away on tour and I come back here and do some work on the house and then I go away and do some shows.
“I’ve had a builder – a guy who’s got all the technical knowledge but I’ve been helping him – I’ve been his off-sider.
“So the next album might be Adam the Builder,” he laughed.
“I’ve been doing everything from glueing in the storm-water pipes to putting in the frames. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve really enjoyed it.
“It’s been a whole different mindset. You get up and start work at 7am and do the whole thing whereas usually when I’m on tour you don’t get to bed until 1-2am in the morning.”
Adam said he had really enjoyed balancing building and playing shows.
“The tour is kind of winding down now though, I’m just doing what I call my cherry shows,” he explained.
“They are the shows where I cherry-pick the really cool places; Twin Towns is one of the best places to play.
“You save the best until last. We’re doing Brisbane on the same weekend and then we’re doing a little three-day run. Then we have things like the Gympie Muster, the Denny Ute Muster – things like that. “
Dirt Track Cowboys! The iconic song that came out on Adam Brand’s debut album back in 1998 captured the imagination of thousands!
Adam has enlisted the help of his good mates Travis Collins and Matt Cornell. These three boys know how to get loud and get the room rockin’!
Travis Collins is well-known for his masterful guitar playing and stellar vocals as well as his storytelling style of song-writing. Travis is a powerful performer and its only a matter of time before the world finds out about this budding superstar!
Matt Cornell is one of Australia’s up and coming country artists, who for the past decade has been in demand as a musician and backing vocalist. He has toured the world with some of the biggest names in the music business. His new single ‘Days To Remember’ is airing nationally on CMC and his new EP will be on iTunes early 2013.
Forget about your week … put your party boots on and spend the night with the Dirt Track Cowboys!
WHO: Adam Brand with Travis Collins and Matt Cornell
Where: Twin Towns
When: Saturday 3 August – 8:30pm
Interested?: Tickets via box office on 1800 014 014
