Just loved this story from Country Weekly and had to share!

“The Atlantis astronauts got fired up for a final day at the International Space Station with a little Keith Urban, courtesy of ground control. The crew heard Keith’s “Days Gone By” as they awoke Sunday night for a final day before returning home to Earth, NASA reports. The astronauts are working overnight to pack up for the return home. It’ll be NASA’s final space shuttle mission, so Keith landed himself a pretty historic place in space exploration history!” –Country Weekly

Go Urbs!

Have a listen and see if it does the same for you!

Keith’s latest album Get Closer is available at JB Hi-Fi and TheInSong

Keith Urban blew away a crowd of 2,000+ busking at Westfield Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall on Wednesday. One young guy, Luka, had the chance to get up and perform with his hero the single Put You In A Song (from his new album Get Closer) which he’d been studying at school!

Here are some great photos & vids that capture the event…

Just before the gig Keith was awarded a gold plaque for his latest release Get Closer…

The album is out now and you can purchase worldwide from a series of outlets here. But JB Hi-Fi online has signed copies!

And if you weren’t lucky enough to be in town for Keith earlier this week, you can still catch Keith on his JUST announced Get Closer 2011 World Tour:

• Friday April 8 Adelaide – Entertainment Centre >> Buy Tickets
• Saturday April 9 Melbourne – Rod Laver Arena >> Buy Tickets
• Tuesday April 12 Tamworth – Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre >> Buy Tickets
• Thursday April 14 Sydney – Entertainment Centre >> Buy Tickets
• Friday April 15 Brisbane – Entertainment Centre>> Buy Ticket

Next week three-time ARIA and Grammy Award winner Keith Urban’s debut single Put You In A Song will go to Australian radio from his forthcoming November album Get Closer.

Of the song Keith said “I’ve always loved songs about ‘the guy in love with the unattainable girl… And the idea that the only chance that this poor guy is ever going to have to get close to the object of his affection is to put her in a song, just struck me. That way he’d be able to take her with him everywhere he goes… day and night.” (all together now: “awwwwwww!“)

Get Closer follows Urban’s #3 ARIA album and US Billboard #1 Defying Gravity, which produced two US #1 singles including Only You Can Love Me This Way and Sweet Thing, for which Urban won his third Grammy (Best Male Country Vocal Performance).

He is currently in the studio in Nashville, putting the finishing touches on Get Closer. To get a peek behind the scenes you can see it all here!

Put You In A Song has is here – you can purchase it now on iTunes.

This morning 2 mysterious pink packages arrived in our reception… Further investigation revealed they were a special delivery from the one & only Keith Urban as a thanks for helping make his latest album Defying Gravity go platinum!

And what brings a music family together more than large quantities of CUPCAKES!?

Fortunately EMI’s COO David Kassler is in Sydney this week from London, just to ensure our afternoon post-sugar-crash doesn’t affect productivity… (PS, yep this is just another day in the Sydney HQ: sunny weather, lunchtime screenings of The U.S. vs John Lennon, and sweet treats from the Urbanator).

CHEERS KEITH!

Ahhh, International Record Store Day… this time last year I was hunching over the racks in Reckless Records in Chicago’s Wicker Park, tirelessly flicking through vinyl searching for My Morning Jacket’s special Record Store Day edition of Celebración De La Ciudad Natal.

Alas, whilst Australia doesn’t have our own Reckless Records or town halls full of vinyl enthusiasts (see below), we are blessed with Red Eye Records, Landspeed, Egg, Fish, and Title. Long may they prosper.

We’re also blessed to have incredible Australian artists who give two hoots about the tangible experience of purchasing an album. Here’s what some of our guys had to say:

	John Williamson “When I release a CD it’s not just about the music. We spend a lot of time dreaming up a package that will be enjoyed for years to come as an item of history; something to hold and flick through to give the listeners a contact with me and my thoughts. So when I go into a music store I know what has gone into all the CDs on display. You can learn a lot about the artists. So go down to your local store and buy a real one!” Note – John Williamson will be participating in a Record Store Day signing this Saturday April 17 from 10.30-11.30AM: JB HI FI TOOWOOMBA Market Place 255-257 Maragret St
	Adam Weston, Birds of Tokyo “There’s something intriguing and almost romantic about purchasing a brand new CD or record. Whether you’ve been waiting for your favourite band’s release to hit stores or you decided to make a choice out of curiosity, once you unwrap the little audio bundle of joy, a relationship has begun! The majority of artists in one form or another have this in mind and as such go to great artistic lengths to present their work to you in a fashion they ultimately want you to embrace and enjoy. Illegal downloading has robbed us of these pleasures and has pathetically sacrificed the audio quality of great albums past and present. If you care to keep important elements of the recording industry alive then you too will celebrate record store day!”
	Jumps, The Cat Empire “I have been collecting records since i was 15 and have always loved my local record store. Whether you are into vinyl or cd’s a record store is a place to meet new people, talk about music and exchange opinions about albums and tunes. More importantly it gives you insight and knowledge about new and old releases, to me there is nothing better than finding a new album or song which you have never heard before that just rocks. Support your local record store”.
	Keith Urban “There’s nothing like being physically immersed in and surrounded by so much passionate art. The real beauty of a great record store is being reminded that music isn’t just an acquisition, it’s an experience.”