CMC ROCKS THE HUNTER 2014

FRI 14 MARCH – SAT 15 MARCH – SUN 16 MARCH

TICKET PRICES

3 Day Ticket – Adult (15 and above) $269 3 Day Ticket – Child (Ages 4 to 14) $134 Friday/Saturday only Ticket – Adult (15 and above) $159 Friday/Saturday only Ticket – Child (Ages 4 to 14) $79 Sunday only Ticket – Adult (15 and above) $159 Sunday only Ticket – Child (Ages 4 to 14) $79

Free admission to children under 4 years & accompanied by an adult. 

‘Time To Pay’ tickets plans are available. Go to www.cmcrocks.com for more info.

TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 9 SEPTEMBER, 9AM

Book at www.cmcrocks.com

Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, Chugg Entertainment and Foxtel’s Country Music Channel are thrilled to announce that American superstar TOBY KEITH (USA) will be headlining the CMC Rocks the Hunter 2014 festival at Hope Estate. This will be Toby Keith’s first time performing in Australia.

Joining him will be international and local stars, including ELI YOUNG BAND (USA), KELLIE PICKLER (USA), LEE KERNAGHAN, CRAIG CAMPBELL (USA), LOVE AND THEFT (USA), PAUL THORN (USA), plus The Greencards (USA), Morgan Evans, The Flood, Luke O’Shea, Adam Eckersley Band, Jody Direen (NZ), Peter McWhirter, Kaylens Rain, Jason Owen and The Viper Creek Band. More artists will be announced soon.

CEO of Entertainment Edge, Rob Potts said, “Toby Keith has been in our sights for years and we’re thrilled to finally bring him down under. We can’t wait to see him blow the punters away with his twenty years of incredible hits at CMC Rocks the Hunter next March. It’ll be a ripper!”

Executive Chairman of Chugg Entertainment, Michael Chugg said, “The festival keeps getting bigger and more exciting each year and what better way to see CMC rocking the Hunter in 2014 than with Toby Keith performing in Australia for the first time ever!”

Now in its seventh year of operation and fourth year in the Hunter, CMC Rocks the Hunter festival has established itself as the biggest International Country & Roots Festival outside of North America. One of the premiere events on the Australian music calendar, it brings together the best international and local country and roots performers at Hope Estate in the beautiful Hunter Valley.

Chugg Entertainment CEO, Matthew Lazarus-Hall said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing CMC Rocks back to the Hunter for its fourth consecutive year. The reception from businesses in the area has been so wonderfully mutual over the years; Over a quarter of the event staff are locals hired from across the region and more than 25% of the event’s total expenditure is with companies within the region too. We’re proud to be supporting both local businesses and local Australian music.”  

Previous years have seen performances by Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Big & Rich, John Butler Trio, Kasey Chambers, Sugarland, Dierks Bentley, Joe Nichols, Gary Allan, Pete Murray, Ian Moss, Tex Perkins, Jack Ingram and The Waifs.

Once again, camping will be available on site. The late-night Campers’ Bar (exclusively for campers) will be back in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights following the conclusion of the main stage program.

2014 will also see the return of the CMC Rocks Songwriters Shows, held on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the Campers’ Bar. Each show will feature some of the biggest singer-songwriters in country and roots music playing their biggest hits in an intimate, acoustic setting. Access to the Songwriters Shows is open to all patrons of the festival.

Tickets go on sale Monday 9 September at 9am with limited one-day tickets available.

‘Time to Pay’ option will be available for ticket buyers, where tickets can be ordered immediately, with payments spread over four months.

For tickets, camping, travel and accommodation details go to www.cmcrocks.com

Singer/songwriter TOBY KEITH (USA) is one of the most consistently successful artists in country music history, with over 24 million album sales and 20 US #1 singles in as many years, including “Should’ve Been A Cowboy”, “How Do You Like Me Now?!”, “My List”, “I Wanna Talk About Me” and “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight”. Winner of multiple CMA, ACM and American Music Awards, the Billboard Country Artist of the Decade is renowned throughout the globe for his swaggering party songs, soulful ballads and rowdy, high-energy live performances.

The ELI YOUNG BAND (USA) honed their skills as an Eagles-esque live force in the Texas Red Dirt scene, building up an enviable fan following, before breaking into the mainstream country scene with their album, “Level”, in 2005. They blew us away in 2012 on their first trip to the Hunter, now they’re returning with even more hits under their belt – including ‘Crazy Girl’, ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’ and their latest ‘Drunk Last Night”.

Since rocketing to fame on American Idol, KELLIE PICKLER (USA) has been charming the public with her inimitable twang, cheeky charisma and powerful country pipes. Her three best-selling albums have seen her run the gamut from soul-baring vulnerability to girl power anthems and she constantly reaches for more honest, powerful and dynamic ways to tell her story. A multiple CMT Music Award winner and ACM and CMA nominee, Pickler has also triumphed on television, as the 2013 winner of the US Dancing with the Stars. Fans have demanded her in Oz for years and she’s excited to be making her first trip down under.

Two decades of chart-topping hits have cemented LEE KERNAGHAN as the modern-day King of Australian Country Music. He has criss-crossed the country countless times and his fans keep coming back for more of his patented brand of hard rocking, uniquely Australian country, backed on stage by the ferocious Wolfe Brothers. Lee has soared to new heights in recent years, with his latest album “Beautiful Noise” receiving some of the best reviews of his career.

CRAIG CAMPBELL (USA) has put a fresh take on the traditional country sound, racing up the US charts with hits both heartfelt (“Family Man” and “Outta My Head”) and cheeky (the smash “Fish”). The singer-songwriter’s warm baritone and laconic sense of humour has seen comparisons to Alan Jackson, and the Georgian was warmly embraced by Aussie crowds during his two previous trips down under – and local stars like Troy Cassar-Daley, with whom he recorded a hit duet.

Two-time CMA nominated duo LOVE AND THEFT (USA) combine influences as eclectic as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Maroon 5 to create a sound all their own. Comprised of singer-songwriters Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson (who have also written hits for other performers like Martina McBride), Love and Theft have taken the country world by storm since the release of their self-titled album, following the number one hit lead single “Angel Eyes”.

Hailing from Mississippi, famed troubadour PAUL THORN (USA) is acclaimed by his legions of fans for his unique combination of wry, quirky lyrics and a swampy blues-rock sound that electrifies live crowds. With his distinctive Southern twang and songs that are equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, Paul Thorn is set to grow his fanbase even further with his CMC Rocks debut next March.