What's Been Happening

Hello all!  It's been a while since my last update, and wouldn't you know that this one comes soon before I'm leaving on a jet plane.  Leave it to me to quote song titles in my newsletter.  I'm leaving the Land Down Under for a few months to pursue song writing in Nashville and for some quality time with my long lost Yankee relatives.  It seems so odd to be 'heading home' as everyone keeps telling me.  It feels like more of a holiday to me, which will be followed with coming back home, to Australia.

In other news, my latest single 'Her Heart's on the Land' is sitting at 32 on the Top 100 Country Hits Chart!  You can hear the track at www.mistin.net or at www.myspace.com/mistinsummers .

The last few months have been great!  The year started off with the Tamworth Country Music Festival.  The above picture was taken at the Cavalcade of Stars parade.  The parade is an annual event of the festival and fans line the streets for hours to watch it.  I was lucky enough to hitch a ride with the 12^th/16^th Hunter River Lancers on the newest infantry mobility vehicle, the Bushmaster.  It's Australian designed and built and very cool.  If you're interested in more details, check out this link:  http://www.army-technology.com/projects/bushmaster

As for what shows I did while in town,  the Tomkins Guitar Showcase was a great success this year (my own performance biases my opinion in no way, ha-ha)  Although I've only been a part of the showcase for the past 3 years I'd have to honestly say that it keeps getting better and better.  It's a must see show for anyone going to the festival, but don't forget to book your tickets early because it's a sell out show every year. 

The Tamworth Aero club was kind enough to invite me back to do a few shows this year as well.  Good friend Anthony Stewart, who is currently touring with Travis Sinclair, was able to join me and I had a blast with the laid back acoustic duo set.  Not to mention that Anthony is a great guitar player and vocalist AND he can play a hand full of Dixie Chicks songs which puts him in my good books.  Among the normal patrons and pilots were Warren H. Williams and John Williamson who stopped by to grab a bite to eat before flying out of town.  Thanks for your support guys!

Tamworth is a great place to meet people from the industry and the artists are easily accessible to the fans.  This year I met world famous guitar player Louie Shelton.  Louie has been playing lead guitar for decades and among the list of artists albums that he's been featured on are Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers, James Brown, Whitney Houston and the list goes on and on. 

I'd like to send a big thank you to the Hunter River Lancers, Terry Philpot, Dad and Mildura's 3Hot-FM for their continued support.  Also, thank you to all of you for coming along to my shows and for your kind emails.  Please keep in touch while I'm away! – Mistin

Mistin Renee Summers
September & October Newsletter

What's Been Happening?

New single On Radio:
'Her Heart's On The Land' is the third single from my self-titled EP. I co-wrote this song with good friend Roger Corbett, inspired by the Hayes family from Alice Springs. Released to radio last week, the track tells the story of a young girl from the country who is sent to boarding school to experience a different kind of life. You can hear the track online at: www.mistin.net.

Raising Money for Cancer Research:
The Tumut Cancer Council has done it again! Their now annual 'Relay For Life' was held in September to raise funds for cancer research. Although I wasn't part of the walk I was invited to come and sing to support and encourage the teams.

The team members are all volunteers. Each team seeks donations or sponsorship for the 18 hour relay in which at least one member from each team must be walking at all times. I was touched by the effort that everyone put into this event. I know that so many of us get busy and wrapped up in our schedule, but here these people were, staying up all night, walking to raise money for cancer research.

The day started off with the survivors of cancer walking the first lap together. Some were older, some were very young and still in school. Just behind the survivors walked women with framed photo's of their husbands who had lost their fight to cancer. To the left is a photo of candles lit for the Hope Ceremony where everyone gathered to share memories of loved ones and to pay their respects with a moment of silence.

Mistin Opens for Marcia Hynes:
Disco diva and Australian Idol Judge Marcia Hynes finally made it to Canberra for what turned out to be a sold out show. I am very excited to say that I opened the show for her. It was such an inspiration open for an artist of her caliber and to meet such a talented performer.

I'd like to send a big thank you to 'Dot' an amazingly talented guitarist who performed with me and to everyone who came out to support us. (Photo, left to right: Mistin, Marcia, Dot)

Mistin Renee Summers

July & August Newsletter

First, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who signed up for my newsletter over the past few months. I hope you enjoy the news and please forward it to anyone that you think might want to have a read.

What's Been Happening?

Celebrating Independence Day with the American Ambassador:
4th of July is America's Independence Day; usually a reason for big celebrations and fireworks whilst in America. This July Canberra got it's very own taste of the celebrations when the new American Ambassador hosted the celebrations. I was invited to sing both the American and Australian anthems during the official ceremony. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I had to rehearse the American 'Star Spangled Banner' as it had been years since I last heard it! The celebrations also included Elvis impersonators, a fireworks show after sunset, and a chef and BBQ'd pork ribs where flown from Memphis to Canberra to give us a taste of a real southern BBQ!

Rooty Hill RSL:
I did my first ever show at Rooty Hill RSL this last August. Rooty Hill is the 'Las Vegas' of RSL clubs in Sydney. They don't have anything like it in Canberra! I have now been booked for three consecutive shows at the club this year, which I'm very excited about. I've got a great band backing me which includes Terry Philpot from Eyeball Photography (Eyeball Photography does all of my promotional photos and created and maintains my webpage, www.mistin.net), Alan Tomkins (Alan custom makes the world famous Tomkins guitars, used by performers such as Gary Allan, Gretchen Wilson and don't forget me!), Jack Pledge burns up the lead guitar fret board and Australian Industry newcomer (although no music newcomer), Mike Kirkley plays steel guitar. Come check us out if you're in the area. We'll be performing 2pm to 5pm on Sept 23rd, Oct 21st and Nov 23rd.

What's Coming Up?

Shows to catch in September:
September is going to be a fairly busy month for me with lots of duo, trio and band shows. I'm very excited about this, as I tend to do a lot of solo shows. It's a great change to have a full band behind me. The show becomes much more dynamic and I'm forced to be on my toes. If you'd like to come out and see us in action I've listed some of the venues below:

Sept 15 – Queanbeyan Leagues Club – 9:30pm to 12:30am
Sept 23 – Rooty Hill RSL – 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Sept 28 – Belconnen Labor Club – 10:00pm to 1:00am
Sept 29 – Dapto Citizens Club – 6:30pm
Sept 30 – Smithfield RSL – 3:30pm

Hope to see you soon!

What's Been Happening?

Down That Road in Top 30 for 10 weeks!
"Mistin celebrates a huge success with her debut video clip 'Down That Road' charting on the Country Music Channels (CMC) Top 30 countdown for 10 weeks". Thank you so much to everyone who requested the clip and helped it climb up the charts. It couldn't have happened without you. It's not the end though. 'Down That Road' will still play at medium rotation for about a year so keep the requests coming!

Polo Anyone?
Braidwood didn't catch a wink of sleep on the 12th of May. That was because the Braidwood Polo Club were partying it up at their clubhouse. The music came courtesy of myself and guitarist Peter Murphy. Surprisingly the Braidwood polo players were one of the rowdiest crowds I've sang to in a while. I think everyone came dressed in his or her best and ready to have a good time. That makes a huge difference in the success of a night. I thought I would put in this little story to amuse anyone who's ever been to Braidwood. ?

NASHVILLE!!
I don't know where to start…how about the beginning: I have been wanting to go to Nashville for a long time. I think my family drove through the town once many, many moons ago when we lived in America.
I was watching the Country Music Association (CMA) festival on TV last year (formerly know as Fan Fair) thinking, geez I would love to be there! Just a few weeks prior to this years festival Allan Tomkins, who made my Tomkins 'Star Guitar' invited me to be a special guest at a series of Tomkins Showcases he was running in Nashville during the festival. I finally had a legitimate reason to go to the home of country music for one of their largest festivals of the year.

The next few weeks consisted of madly packing and planning for the trip. I wasn't sure what to expect so of course I packed anything and everything I could think of, which resulted in a quick ditching of unnecessary items and repacking at the airport due to my overweigh bag. Who would have guessed? Ha-ha.

My trip started with a quick visit to Arizona to see my family. I was able to spend time in Tucson, Phoenix, New River, I even made my way over to Texas for a few days. It had been two years since I last saw everyone so it was fun reunion. No sooner than I arrived I was on my way to Nashville, Tennessee!

The airport in Nashville is a mini museum. There are glass cases housing some awesome looking guitars complete with pictures and stories to read up on the musicians who played them.

The Tomkins Showcases were booked at the Sheraton Hotel for seven days. Our last show would be at the 'Fiddle and Steel' (The bar where Rascall Flatts were discovered!). The star lineup ? included Travis Collins, Brianna Lee, Rob Wilson, Travis List, Allan Tomkins on bass, Pete on drums and of course Mistin. Beccy Cole and her mum made several surprise visits whilst taking a break from their tour group. We did a four-hour show every night before heading out on the town to see what other shows we could catch.

During the day I got to see all the sights that I'd heard so much about. No trip to Nashville would be complete without a visit to the Grande Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame!

Broadway Street is the main strip, similar to the strip in Las Vegas, where all the tourists go. I have never seen so many bands in my entire life! Actually, I think I saw more bands play in one night in Nashville than I have in my life. The street is like any small town here in Australia, just add neon signs at every door and make half the shops bars. Each with a full size band playing inside and lots of people wearing cowboy boots walking the streets. It was very surreal to be walking past places like 'Tooties' and 'The Cadillac Ranch' which I have seen on TV and heard so much about.

During the four main nights of the festival there is a huge concert where all the big stars perform. Travis Collins and I headed over for one after our show at the Tomkins Showcase. I was embarrassed to say that I had never been to a concert in a stadium. I had seen Troy Cassar Daley and Sara Storer in concert at the Todd Tavern in Alice Springs! Thousands of people were walking over the footbridge towards the stadium. You could hear the music miles away. Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town were on that night. The crowd was going crazy. These people REALLY love their country music. The Mexican wave was going round and round the stadium. At the end of the show there was a big fireworks show. I'll never forget it!

Unfortunately my time in Nashville flew by and I was packing my once again bulging suitcase and heading to the airport. My trip home took over 24 hours. Oh my. During my entire trip I flew on a total of 10 planes! I will definitely pack lighter next time…always have wheels on your carry on luggage! It's no fun carrying those things around airports.

Chief Minister's charity gala:
Almost as soon as I got off the plane in Sydney I was doing my sound check with guitarist Peter Murphy for our performance at the Chief Ministers Annual charity concert. We were the supporting act for FABBA, formerly and previously known as ABBA ? and the Beatnix. The Canberra theatre had a full of 800 people on the night.

What's Coming Up?

The World's Greatest Impressionator:
What's an impressionator? Well…you really have to meet one to fully understand. I will be supporting the world's greatest impressionator 'Kevin A Legend' for his two performances in Canberra. Details are still being confirmed but the shows will run on the 14th and 15th of July. Keep an eye on my website for the final details.

4th of July:
The American Embassy based out of Canberra are hosting a big BBQ bash to celebrate the 4th of July; Americas Independence Day. I will be performing both the Australian and American anthems during the official ceremony. The Americans are putting on a big show to include Elvis impersonators, fireworks and BBQ ribs and sauce shipped all the way from America especially for this event. It's an honor to be part of such an event.

Hope to see you soon!

 

Mistin Renee Summers

January, February & March Newsletter

Want to see all of the pictures with the news? Head to www.mistin.net/news.php to see this newsletter with all of the action shots.

It's been an amazing few months and I'm looking forward to finally sitting down and putting it all on paper. First, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who signed up for my newsletter over the past few months. This one has turned out to be a quarterly edition. I'll try to keep the updates coming at a monthly basis from now on. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and please forward it to anyone that you think might want to have a read.

What's Been Happening?

'Down That Road' debuts on the Country Music Channel: I'm really excited to say that my debut video clip is now airing on television. If you have Foxtel at home, keep an eye on CMC it! It's been a long time coming as the filming was completed mid December 2006. I'm really thrilled it's finally being aired, to make things even better, it debuted as 'Country Pick' of the week and as #24 on the CMC Top 30 Countdown. Thank you so much to everyone who has been requesting the video and are helping make it such a success.

If you haven't seen the clip you can check it out at: www.mistin.net. If you like it, please request it at: www.countrymusicchannel.com.au and help it climb the charts!

Down That Road Official video Launch: The official launch of the video clip was on Friday the 25^th of February. I had a blast putting on this show and I am so thankful to all the newspapers and magazines in Canberra that publicized the event. I was featured on the front cover of City News as well as features written on the event in the Canberra Times, The Chronicle and Queanbeyan Age.

The Show included a Tomkins Guitar Showcase featuring Allan Tomkins and his beautifully hand-crafted, custom made Australian guitars, a live radio broadcast, Special guest performers 'Carter and Carter' and Roo Arcus, as well as presentation of the new video.

  

The Today Show: Did any of you early birds happen to see me on the Today Show? Last month I headed up to Goulburn in the weee hours of the morning to be a part of the Australian Women's Weekly Tour Bus show. For those of you who haven't heard of the tour. Australian Women's Weekly and Commonwealth Bank have joined together and created a tour that brings live music, cooking shows, live television broadcasts and audience makeovers (for the local ladies) to the Australia people. I was invited as a special guest and was lucky enough to be featured on the Today Show during my performance. How exciting! If the tour bus is coming to your town, I recommend popping by to watch, as it's great fun.

Tamworth: Going back even further…to the Tamworth country music festival in January…. what a week! Some of the highlights for me were placing in the top 20 of Toyota Starmaker, performing at the Tomkins Guitar Showcase, riding down Peel street in an armored personnel carrier, the 2006 College of Country Music Reunion Concert, the AERO Club concert and my late night interview with Ken Date and Bryen Willems (you can read my world famous quote in Ken Date's Tomworth Report: www.krdcountry.com. 

I've got a funny, or at least interesting story to add to my ever-growing collection. I was staying in a rented house during the festival. The place was a bit run down as most of the doors didn't open/close and it smelled pretty bad. One day in-between shows I had to quickly stop by the house to grab some things for my next gig. One problem, the front door was jammed and I couldn't get in. I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed watching me crawl through the front window. I couldn't even open it from the inside, so I had to crawl back out too. Fun, fun times.

The Bonnie Bishop Band: Straight from Texas, the Bonnie Bishop Band was in Canberra last month. The American Embassy and Australian National Capital Authority put on the show in Commonwealth Park in celebration of the friendship between Australian and America. The line-up for the day also included myself with guitarist Peter Murphy and another Canberra local, Elkie Stuart.

I was celebrating my 21^st the weekend that the band was in town, so we had a night out on the town (except for Bonnie who was in bed with the flu) and by the end of it I was talking with a southern drawl. How is it I grow up in Australia without losing my Yankee accent, but spend two days with a few Texans and I start saying Y'all and Howdy. Ha-ha.

  

Happy Tunes,

Mistin

 

P.S. You can view this newsletter on my website at www.mistin.net/news.php to see all of the photos.

This is my favourite song! Written by my bud Harmony James. It's on her self titled EP. She's an amazing songwriter. I hope you guys enjoy it.


I got quite a reputation for moving on
So why am I still Lying here when it it almost dawn
There must be something wrong
My get up and go is gone

I rode off in the sunset before the credits even rolled
I was the epitome of that old rolling stone
I gathered no moss
It was me and my horse

Somebody stole my horse
That must be what it is
You ever tried to run in fancy cowboy boots like this
No I ain't falling for you
That's just crazy talk you fool
Somebody must have stole my horse

You go find the sherrif and file a report
There must be outlaws in this town
The damn thieves breaking laws
I'll just have to wait right here
I'm no good without my gear

Somebody stole my horse
That must be what it is
You ever tried to run in fancy cowboy boots like this
No I ain't falling for you
That's just crazy talk you fool
Somebody must have stole my horse

(This song is copyrighted by Ms. Harmony James, sorry guys)

Happy New Year!

What's Coming Up?

Tamworth: Yet another countdown. This one, to the largest country music festival in Australia. 2007 will only be my second year in Tamworth and I can't wait to get there. I'm very excited to say that I have been selected in the top 20 of the Toyota Star Maker competition. This is the largest country music talent quest in Australia. Some previous winners that you may have heard of are Beccy Cole, Travis Collins, Keith Urban and Samantha McClymont. On the 20th of January, all 20 competitors will take to the stage to perform two songs each. These 20 are then narrowed down to a top 5 which are then interviewed. The remaining five compete for first place that same night. What a day! Quite a few people I know have also made the top 20, to include Katrina Burgoine and Tim Farren who are classmates from last year's College of Country Music.

What's Been Happenin'?

Some Recent News:

• Down That Road places 2nd in the YELP Songwriting Awards.
• My first single 'Head Over Heels' made it's debut on the Top 100 Country Hit Chart and now sits at #81.
• I placed in the top 10 of the MusicOZ Awards as Best Independent Country Artist.
• My first show in Goulburn was at the Goulburn Workers Club on the 24th of November.
• I was recently featured on John Nuttings ABC program 'Saturday Night Country'

Down That Road: The second track on my EP is titled 'Down That Road'. I wrote this song at the 2006 College of Country Music with Jessie Che, who also attended the College. The song came together after three days of effort and a bit of help from our group and group leader Mike McClellan. To our surprise it was selected to be recorded with producer Garth Porter. It was even more of a surprise when I found out several months ago that it was named the 2006 South Australian APRA Song Of The Year as well as placing in the top 5 of the ASA Songwriting Competition in the Australian category.

I've just finished filming my very first music video to 'Down That Road' which was released as my second single in December 2006. On Saturday the 9th of December the whole video cast and crew headed up to Camden, Sydney for the filming. Our first location was at the 'Gledwood Homestead and Winery'. We were a little behind schedule because I had a little car trouble (not a very good start to the day). All the crew and actors had a meeting while I was thrown into my first costume and first round of make up. (Until last weekend, I didn't know that so much makeup and hairspray could be used on one person! It was a remarkable feeling to be highly flammable for 48 hours.) Back to the filming, the homestead has a resident peacock that very much wanted to be in the film clip. He spread his tail feathers and pranced around us for most of the day. Very cool!

Sunday didn't start out very well either, but ended on a wonderful high. The day started at 5am when I pranced (like the peacock) or maybe it was more like rolled out of bed and headed over for the first makeup call of the day. Filming was supposed to start at 8am, so to make sure I didn't get lost and arrive late, I brought along my friend Daniel who was visiting from Alice Sprigs to read the map. Daniel didn't tell me that being from Alice Springs, he'd never read a map before. So an hour after we were supposed to be there, we arrived. This was after about 20 phone calls, 2 dozen U-Turns, losing my phone in a taxi…and every local driver passing us, shaking their head saying 'they're not from around here' (or at least that's what I'd like to think they said). I survived the Sydney traffic yet again!

The highlight of the weekend for me was the filming of a scene where I'm singing on the rooftop of the Jive Hotel. The full band was up on a stage with skyscrapers towering above us. A few minutes into the shoot, people started coming out onto the balconies of other buildings, waving and dancing to the music. How cool!

So many people helped make the video shoot happen as seamlessly as it possibly could and I am so appreciative. Especially to Pauline who housed 11 of the crew. It was like a big slumber party. I'll never forget making this video. Thank you so much to everyone who helped in any way.

Down That Road was released to radio as my second single on December 4th. If you would like to support the song you can call your local community radio station and request it. If you'd like your own copy, the song is available as a free MP3 download from the front page of my website www.mistin.net.

Halloween in Jerrabomberra: Talk about spooky!! Ha-Ha. A few people reading this newsletter may know that I was born in Arizona. Therefore I grew up celebrating Halloween. I was 'oh so' disappointed to find out 11 years ago when my family moved to Australia that Australians don't celebrate Halloween. You guys are missing out! When else do you get to disguise yourself and knock on your neighbors' doors to get free food?

After briefly stopping by a Halloween party (I was dressed as a superstar…from the movie 'Superstar') I headed over to the Jerrabomberra Hotel. Nobody was dressed up! I did have a good night after all despite the lack of festivities. It's always a good night when Earl has to die…several times. (From Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks, for all you non-Chicks fans.)

Marine Corps Birthday Ball: The United State Marine Corps celebrated their 231st Birthday on the 10th of November. To celebrate, every year they throw a ball. The evening includes an official ceremony, dinner and live entertainment, which is where I come into the picture. This was perhaps the most formal event that I have performed at and I was a bit worried that crickets would be the only ones busting any moves on the dance floor. I was wrong! It was a lovely night, and the band looked soo good dressed to the nines. Yes, there were a few gangsta hats, and perhaps a little bling bling. Poor Terry, the drummer, was severely traumatized after being forced to wear a tie until the end of the show ? .This was my first ball, and I can't wait for the next one. Very different from the pub scene!

'Walk For Life': The Tumut Cancer Council hosted their annual 'Walk for Life' fundraiser. I was lucky enough to be invited to perform for the crowd who were spending 24 hours walking around an oval to raise funds for the Cancer Council. I felt kind of bad watching everyone walk around the oval in the sun as I sang in the shade! The entertainment was happening in the back of a truck facing the oval. It was so great to see everyone supporting such a wonderful cause. What a way to spend a Sunday!


Happy Tunes,

Mistin

What..s Coming Up?

New Years Eve: It may not feel like it but the New Year is just around the corner! I can..t believe this year has gone by so fast. It..s both scary and exciting to think back 12 months ago and realize how much has happened!

I will be celebrating the arrival of the New Year at the Burns Club in Kambah. I..ll be with a full band in the functions room from 9pm .. 1am, singing some of the top hits from the last few decades. If you..re up for a party, be sure to head over and have a dance!

What Happened in September?

Evermore: I was in the middle of my last set for the night at the Bungendore Harp Inn a few weeks ago, when I noticed a group of very stylish boys walk in the door. For those of you who have ever been to the Bungendore Harp Inn, or any country pub for that matter, you would know that the dress of the day is tradies shirts and/or singlets, stubies and/or jeans. Turns out, they were from the band ..Evermore.. which is currently in the pop charts with their single ..Running... They were in town while filming their next music video. Of all the places to bump into a group of rock stars...errr, pop rock stars that is, the Bungendore Harp Inn!? So girls, if you though you..d never meet the man of your dreams at the local pub, you may want to give it another thought ; )

Floriade: I..ve been bombarding my newsletters with advertisements for the Floriade flower festival and it has finally come and gone. .. Compliments of the American Embassy, Canberra, I was privileged enough to represent America at the festival. I opened for an amazing group, The Gospel Hummingbirds. (You can hear them on the web at www.thegospelhummingbirds.com) . It was a beautiful day (no rain!) What a blast! Thank you so much to everyone who came to support me and have a listen. You can see more photos of me and the Gospel Hummingbirds at www.eyeball.com.au/gospel. I hope a few of you caught my television debut on WIN News the following Monday!

Head Over Heels: ..Head Over Heels.. was released as my first single on the ACMEC Records Winter Sampler just over three weeks ago. This is one of three tracks produced by renowned producer Herm Kovac at ..Ramrod Studios... You can download and listen to Head Over Heels.., at: www.mistin.net. Please feel free to have a listen and send me an email with your comments. I..m always up for some audience feedback!

Top 10 finalist in MusicOZ Awards: I just found out that I have been nominated in the top ten of the MusicOZ's Country Music Channel Best Country Artist Award! I..m so excited and honored to be placed in the same category as an amazing group of artists that include Felicity Urquhart and Carter & Carter. The awards ceremony should be a blast! In my next newsletter I will let you know how I placed. (Wish me luck.)

Young Show: Singing in the back of a truck. Isn..t that the way it..s meant to be done at a show? So that..s what I did do. A few weeks ago I drove up to Young, NSW for the night and played at my very first show. It had been warm for most of the week, but it was freezing that night! There..s not much you can do to warm up when you..re singing and playing guitar in the middle of an oval! I did survive, although since I was singing throughout the night I missed out on most of the rides. I had my first go on a mechanical bull. (It was a night of firsts!) I never realized how much of a work out you can get from one of those things! Every muscle in my body was sore the next day. I am awed by bull riders now. ..

Mistin EP - Now on sale: I..m so excited to be able to say that my EP is finished and will be on sale at my gigs. It includes six tracks, five of which I wrote. For anyone who is interested, it will also be for sale on my web site shortly. It..s such a great feeling to finally have it in my hands. Now I..m ready to move onto the next project! ..Music video!

Mistin + Dale + Roo =: Mistin, Roo and Dale (or Tex as he likes to be called) will be performing together yet again at the Belconnen Labor Club on the 26th of October. These gigs are so much fun for me, as I perform as a solo artist for a large percentage of my gigs. It..s alot of fun to have these two guys up there with me. Dale is a very talented singer, songwriter and guitar player, plus he has an unlimited number of jokes, some good.... some not so good (sorry Dale) ..

You can keep up to date on Mistin..s gigs at:

http://www.mistin.net/gigs.phpp
Hope to see you there!


Happy Tunes,
Mistin

Whats Coming Up?

Floriade: I will be representing the United States of America on the 30th of September, at this years Floriade festival. I was fortunate enough to be asked by the US Embassy to represent America and will be live on Stage 88 in Commonwealth park with a full band, singing some of the USAs top songs and a few of my own tunes too! The Floriade festival runs from 16 September to 15 October 2006, and is Canberras largest event. Musicians representing countries from around the world will be performing all day so if you are in the area, please stop by and enjoy a day of great music. I will be giving away CDs, shirts and anything else I can throw off stage so I hope that you will stop by and say hello. More information on the festival can be found at www.floriadeaustralia.com.

Loaded Dog: I will be making my second appearance at the Loaded Dog Hotel in Tarago! I am looking forward to having a great time, as I will be singing the night away with Dale Juner and singer/guitar player Roo on the 16th of this month. I normally perform solo, so this is a bit of fun for me to have two other people up on stage with me. For those of you interested, the three of us will also be performing at the 15th of this month at the Belconnen Labor Club. I would love for you to stop by and say hello, maybe even have a dance!


What Happened in August?

Disco Ted: By far the coolest thing I have seen in a long time was, of all the places, at the Commercial Hotel last month in Young. It was a quiet night in Young. I was set up in the corner of the pub, singing to a melancholy audience of about 20 locals. Jeff (the best roadie a singer could ask for) was working with me that night and we decided to up the pace and play a few dance songs to try and shake a reaction from the crowd. Halfway through my rendition of Jolene by Dolly Parton, an elderly man, thin with white hair and tight flare jeans, strutted over to the dance floor, his jacket coolly draped over his right shoulder. He strikes a pose that could have passed as John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. He spent the rest of the night burning up the dance floor with his awesome moves. The biggest disappointment of my life may be that I didnt have a video camera with me that night! Disco Ted, if you are out there somewhere, please come to another one of my shows! You rock!

Sydney ASA Awards: As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Down That Road, A song that I co-wrote with College of Country Music classmate Jessie Che, had placed in the top 10 of the Australian National Songwriting Competition. Unfortunately Jessie couldnt be with me on my very first ASA Award night, but I was very excited to accept 5th place in the Australian category. If you are interested in seeing pictures from the awards night or hearing Down That Road, you can head to my website for a peek and listen. ?

Head Over Heels: New Single on ACMEC Records Sampler: Head Over Heels is the name of my first single to be officially released on radio! This is one of two tracks produced by renowned producer Herm Kovac at Ramrod Studios. You can download and listen to Head Over Heels, at: www.mistin.net. Please feel free to have a listen and send me an email with your comments. Im always up for some audience feedback!

Self Defense: The Australian Defense forces hosted their annual T2 Dinner and I was fortunate enough to provide the entertainment for the evening. The Event has held at the Ottoman Restaurant in Barton. For those of you who have never been there for a bite to eat, I heard on the night that it was very good. Several of defenses own provided a backing band for the last set of the night and it was suits and flying limbs packed like sardines on the dance floor!

Video Killed The Radio Star??: Head Over Heels will soon be in full color! I am currently working with a producer storyboarding my very first music video. Actually, that statement isnt completely true, as Ive been in quite a few home made music videos. None of which would be suitable for large-scale public viewing (no offence to the producers) ha-ha. As soon as the video is completed it will be available to view at: www.myspace.com/mistinsummers. So far the cast includes: Disco Ted, my brother dressed as an elderly lady jumping a pushbike, and a can of air freshener. Ill leave you with that thought. ?


Happy Tunes,

Mistin

What's Coming Up?

Floriade: Australia's largest flower festival will burst into bloom from 16 September to 15 October 2006. Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park will become a bustling platform for musicians from around the world. I have been fortunate to have been asked to represent the United States. This entails a performance with a full band ; on Stage 88.

The theme for Floriade this year is Carnivale, The world on Show. As you may know, I was born in New River, Arizona. I was approached by the American Embassy who offered me a set on the main stage to be the American representative at the festival. On the day I will be singing a mixture of originals and some of the best tunes to come out of the U S of A. If you have a chance, Floriade is a great opportunity to have a family day and there will be lots of live music happening on stage 88 so bring a picnic blanket and enjoy the tunes! More information on the festival can be found at www.floriadeaustralia.com.

Trio: September 14th is my next performance with a trio! For most of you that have attended one of my shows you would know that quite a few of my performances are solo, so this is a bit of a change for me. The show will be at the Belconnen Labor club from 8:30pm to 11:30pm. If you're having a quiet Thursday night and are up for some entertainment, come along for the show!


What Happened in June:

Head Over Heels, New Single on ACMEC Records Sampler: 'Head Over Heels' is the name of my first single to be officially released on radio! This is one of two tracks produced by renowned producer Herm Kovac at 'Ramrod Studios'.

Down That Road Hits the top 10: 'Down That Road', as song that was written by myself and Jessie Che, has placed in the top 10 of the Australian category in the ASA's 26th National Songwriting Contest. Jessie and I wrote this song last January at the Australian College of Country Music in Tamworth. We are both so excited as this was the first song we wrote together. We will both attend the awards night Thursday to find out what place it has taken. You can listen to 'Down That Road' on www.mistin.net. Just click on the MP3 download link.

New Mixer: Look out! More power than ever before! Sounds like a car commercial, doesn't it. Actually I am referring to my new mixer that was purchased just over a week ago. It hasn't even been broken in yet. It's a Mackie ONYX 1620. Now I just have to figure out what all the knobs and buttons do

Acting Classes?? Look out Hollywood, I am now a professional actor! HaHa, well not quite. I think I got a good start though. NIDA; The National Institute of Dramatic Arts was on. So I took full advantage of their stop in Canberra to take a class in performing for television to prepare myself for my upcoming music video. The video will be for my first single Head Over Heels.

It was a surprisingly intimidating experience to have a video camera invading your personal spacenot to mention being coached by the stunning Nick Bishop from the TV show Home and Away. Oh My! Ha-ha. I studied drama all through high school and it was my favorite class. Ive never had to act in front of a camera other than the odd home video. It was fun but I don't think I would like to make a career out of it. Stage acting is a lot more exciting to me.