With close to two decades recording and live performance experience, eight Golden Guitar Awards (including Male Artist Of The Year in 2021) and seven studio albums to his name, Travis Collins is a certified star of Australia's country music scene.
Alongside his Golden Guitars success, Travis has also won four CMC Awards (twice Male Artist Of The Year) while being nominated for Best Country Album at the ARIA Awards (2018, 2020).Earlier this year, Travis released the single 'One Of Them Nights' his first new music since 2020 album 'Wreck Me'. "It's an unmistakeable feeling when you just KNOW this will be a night to remember.
"['One Of Them Nights' is] about those rare 'royal flush' sorta nights when everything just falls your way. The right people, the right place. Turning the night into life-long memories.
"You can't really put your finger on what it is, but there's something magic in the air. As the chorus says, sometimes it's just 'one of them times, everything's right, one of those things, one of them nights'."
Set to support Midland on their Australian tour in December as well as a regular country music festival performer, and ahead of his appearance at 2022 Groundwater Country Music Festival on the Gold Coast later this month, here Travis shares five reasons why you should check out a county music festival irl.
1: Country Music Is Way More Than You Expect
These days, country music is a long way from the one-dimensional cliché it is often confused for, and frankly, portrayed as by the ill-informed.Country artists are consistently topping mainstream sales charts, breaking venue attendance records, and fuelling incredibly fast-growing festival and touring scenes around the world – particularly here in Australia.
It just might be the largest genre umbrella there is, under which many, many sub-genres and communities are thriving in their creative and sonic individuality and identities. Spend anything longer than a few minutes diving into some streaming platform playlists and you'll quickly realise that there are a lot of branches on this tree, and there are definitely a few for you.
Same goes with attending a country music festival; I dare say you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger range of artists, sounds, subject matter and performances.
Many times in my career I've been met by excited music lovers after a show saying: "I don't like country music, but I love what you just did." I take it with equal parts appreciation and frustration, but I always excitedly respond: "Well, you DO like country music."
It's been said that a listener has to be ready for country music; it might take a bit longer to find you, but when it does, it doesn't let go. I really feel that.
2: The Community Of Fans
The single most common thing I hear from new fans is how amazed they are to meet like-minded people. Friendly, salt of the earth, from all walks of life, who end up becoming great, lifelong mates.It's in the campgrounds, shoulder to shoulder in the crowd, or the line at the bar – but strangers meet, hit it off, then return to that festival every year, either together or at least looking to catch up, or expand their crew, or campsite. I see this ALL the time.
It's a real testament to the willingness of the average country fan to meet people and create lasting friendships. It's a common thread in the music, too. No coincidence.
3: Location Location Location
More often than not, a country music festival is gonna be set against some ridiculously beautiful backdrop. Groundwater Country Music Festival for example, at the Gold Coast's stunning Broadbeach and surrounds.There are others in picturesque state forests, on tropical islands, in red-dirt covered outback towns, by rivers, by lakes, in cities, on the plains. All offering incredible open spaces and atmosphere that'll have you asking 'how's the serenity?'.
4: The Artists Willingness To Connect
I'm a little biased on this, but I truly feel that at the heart of every country artist is first and foremost, a country fan. Because of this, country artists are some of the most accessible, giving and connecting with their fans.In most cases, most will actually engage in conversation, take the time of day to hear you, happily take a pic with you and genuinely take interest in you – especially if you're polite and not intrusive of their space and time.
In the case of Australian artists, most of us run our own social media accounts and will personally respond to fans where appropriate.
5: Unbelievable Local Emerging Talent
Here in Australia, the genre is in world-beating hands of a seemingly always evolving bunch of amazing homegrown artists. Check out Sarah Berki, Blake O'Connor, Melanie Dyer, The Buckleys, James Johnston to name just a few.Groundwater Country Music Festival is free and takes place in Broadbeach (Gold Coast) 28-30 October.
Groundwater Country Music Festival 2022 Line-up
SeaforthAndrew Farriss
Tami Neilson
Andrew Swift
Jayne Denham
The Viper Creek Band
Darlinghurst
Chloe Styler
Montgomery Church
Hayley Marsden
Sweet Talk
Bella Mackenzie
Max Jackson
Bud Rokesky
Michael Carpenter And The Banks Brothers
Rex G Miller
Rae Leigh
Dane Sharp
Who join the already announced:
Fanny Lumsden
Travis Collins
Brooke Mcclymont & Adam Eckersley
Catherine Britt
Gina Jeffreys
Kirsty Lee Akers
Kaylee Bell
Dan Davidson
Hayley Jensen
Kristy Cox
Andy Golledge
Lachlan Bryan & The Wilds
Dozzi
Open Season Band
Southbound XO
Cass Hopetoun
Raechel Whitchurch
Whistle Dixie
Abbie Ferris
Freight Train Foxes
DJ Colonel's Country Music Cottage
