Hard working country musicians Chris Reiger and Paul Grierson have an extra reason to be excited about making their annual trek to Tamworth for the annual country music festival.
The pair have earned themselves a nomination in the 2017 Golden Guitar Awards – the most prestigious awards in Australian country music – for their stirring Raise Your Glass video clip.
The song is a tribute to Australia’s military heroes and the clip features numerous descendants holding photos of the servicemen in their families who lost their lives.
Grierson said he and bandmate Chris Reiger was “stoked” Simply Bushed got the Video Clip of the Year nomination, alongside Graeme Conners, Kasey Chambers, O’Shea and Travis Collins.
“It was a complete shock to be honest,” he said.
“But if there was ever a chance that we were going to walk away with an award, this would be the song to do it.
“That said, we are up against the cream of the crop, the very best in Australian country music.”
Grierson said honouring Australia’s military past was of great importance to the band.
“There would hardly be any Australian out there who’s family hasn’t been touched by military service at some point,” he said.
“We’ve had great feedback for the song and clip already and some lovely words from the military as well.”
Simply Bushed had previously scored nominations for Best New Talent and Bluegrass Recording of the Year but were unsuccessful.
Grierson is from the Macarthur region, while Reiger calls the Hawkesbury home.
The Tamworth Country Music Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs for ten days.
The 45th annual awards will be held on Saturday, January 28, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre and are regarded the premier night of the event.
Simply Bushed are set to play four major shows during the festival, including their highly popular bush dance at Wests Leagues Club on January 23.
The next local gig for Simply Bushed will be on Saturday, February 18 at the Hawkesbury Hotel.
Raise Your Glass is available for download from iTunes now or can be purchased hard-copy in Tamworth.