Archive for month: January, 2018

Zoë Ryan is a wandering singer-songwriter, who hails from Western Australia. Enigmatic and ever changing, her live show is made up of upbeat and down-tempo acoustic folk-roots, known for a distinctive vocal and narrative style. Recently, Ryan has toured the country solo and has appeared at a number of metro and regional locations and festivals, including Bellingen Turtle Festival, Perth’s Fringe world and Adelaide Fringe Festival. Ryan brings her new band to Cobargo Folk Festival for the first time, off the back of releasing a live EP captured during her Winter 2017 tour.

The Swamp Stompers play funky rock and blues with heavy grooves. Featuring local favourite Corey Legge on vocals and guitar, the band sounds like the musical lovechild of John Butler Trio, Led Zeppelin, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Searing slide guitar, contrasting dual-lead vocals, catchy guitar riffs, and dubstep-inspired didgeridoo soundscapes will have you on your feet bobbing to the groves. Bring your stomping boots and dance your blues away to one of Australia’s most promising young original acts!

From just over the border in Eurobodalla Shire, The Somedays are a captivating seven-piece Folk and Country Band with grooves to fill the dance floor and emotional heart wrenching ballads with sweet harmonies. Sizzling fiddle, dancing keys, funky base, driving drums, and rhythmic guitar and soaring vocals have been likened to a unique mix of Stevie Nicks, Deborah Conway and Johnny Cash.

The Fuelers come at you like a cross between a cereal box cowboy band and a TV game show scripted by Frank Zappa. Describing their swinging, hot-rodded brand of country as “char-grilled racing tunes and deep fried dieselbilly” might give you a snapshot of their act. From the roar of the rodeo ring to the lonely streets of loss, the Fuelers will take you there. BYO hat, spurs and parachute.

Steve Wilson is on a mission – to restore appreciation of the concertina as an instrument for accompanying singing. His concertina style is refreshing and his songs, an eclectic mix of trad and contemporary folk, pop, country, jazzy, bluesy and original material, will bring a smile or a sigh and get toes tapping. Steve’s passion for the concertina is infectious. He likes it when you sing along.

Oud, darabuka, voice and wind instruments blend seamlessly in a sparkling demonstration of instrumental unity. Melodies from Asia Minor and the Middle East combine with original compositions and extraordinary improvisation by two of Australia’s most proficient exponents of these exotic instruments. Andy Busuttil and John Robinson are Oud Vibrations.

Another most welcome return act. Neil Murray was a founding member of the pioneering Warumpi Band, and has since released a string of remarkable solo albums – the latest being “Hindsight”- a 2 CD back catalogue selection. He received the 1995 APRA song of the year for “My Island Home” and in 2017 was made the Port Fairy Folk Festival Artist of the Year. Both “My Island Home” and Jailanguru Pakarnu- (Out From Jail) a 1983 co-write with Sammy Butcher in the indigenous Luritja language- have been included in the National Film And Sound Archives- “Sounds Of Australia” series. Widely covered, his song writing is diverse and influential and in concert, accompanied by renowned guitarist Damien Neil, he always captivates and inspires.

Festival regulars and favourites, Maypole with Molly audience participation sessions encourage children and adults to dance around the maypole or play percussion. Dancers will learn how to make a Barber’s Pole, a colourful Weaving Pattern and a Spider’s Web with maypole ribbons. Founder and accordionist, Erika Cleaver (Molly) has been an accompanist and leader of several folk dance groups and is an experienced early childhood teacher who loves sharing music and dance with kids.

Lily and King describe themselves as “a quirky, musical junkyard from Melbourne”. Their aim is to make music using all of their limbs at the one time. Lily and King create rousingly catchy music that sits somewhere between a captivating 40’s nightclub routine and the raw, rambunctious spirit of New Orleans street buskers. Dixieland punk, junkyard blues, sailor songs, weird carnie show tunes and the odd bit of curious pop, their music is joyful, beautiful and a bit dirty and wicked too.

Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton are one of Australia’s favourite festival acts, renowned internationally for their vocal harmonies and exceptional musicianship on guitar and banjo. Their latest album “Declaration” is an album full of atmosphere and shifting gears – from tales of strong women and hardships to wistful vignettes, infidelity, true love, spirituality and the complexity of the world in which we live. They also featured recently on Andy Irvine’s new album with Luke Plumb, so they could pop up at the Festival in another guise.

Making a return trip to Cobargo, Jed Rowe is an acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist from Melbourne. His music walks the line between folk, blues and country, and his 4th album A Foreign Country is a richly told collection of stories of Australian life. Rowe’s sublime slide guitar playing and emotive vocal delivery have earned him a reputation as a standout live performer, and he has toured extensively in Australia and Europe. He was nominated for The Age Music Victoria Award for best folk or roots album in 2017.

Delightful, insightful, warm and engaging, Jane’s pure singing voice and award-winning song-writing, combined with James’ intricate guitar and strong harmonies, capture the essence of Australia’s heart and soul, landscape and humanity. Songs of reverence for life, our precious earth and a plea for tolerance and understanding, including beautiful songs from the late, great Michael Kennedy who said: “You come away from their concerts with your faith in human nature restored”

Swing not bling, grease not dust, laughter not tears, beer not whiskey, two step not boot scooting. Gleny Rae Virus and her Playboys – Sam Martin (bullfiddle), Robbie Long (guitar), Pete Fidler (dobro and mandolin) – are taking a leaf from the book of Ray Charles by experimenting with modern sounds within an old genre. Each performance starts with hillbilly swing then moves seamlessly through gypsy jazz, bluegrass, western and blues. Add a good dose of cheeky innuendo and some tales from Gleny’s western NSW upbringing, and you have an entertaining package of hillbilly swing music from Newcastle via Austin Texas!

From a scarily young age, the Holden boys have been playing with fire. From their home in Candelo, about 40 minutes down the road from Cobargo, they honed their skills with the aim of running away to join the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne. Jesse and Sammy busk around the beautiful Bega Valley, having fun at festivals and fairs as FUEGO. It’s a hot act in more ways than one.

The word “legend” fits with ease on the shoulders of Eric Bogle, internationally known and respected singer/songwriter who, along with his long term partner in crime, John Munro, has been travelling the world for the past 38 years or so, generally having a good time and callously inflicting his songs on the mostly innocent bystanders he meets along the way.

Eric and John will be joined by Peter Titchener on bass. If you’ve never seen him perform, prepare to be magically inflicted.

Den Hanrahan’s music is a compendium of ballads, laments and reckless dirges from his songbook of the open road. He puts a very Australian stamp on his love for Americana music with an acoustic backing band that is steeped in the traditions of Ireland. Intrigued? So is the band and that’s why their concerts are so edgy, dynamic and real as Den’s powerful voice and driving guitar tackle the songs of remorse, love, addiction and redemption.

The son of an ex jazz trumpeter/dentist, David ditched geology to fail at jazz college then took up washboard to join The Waifs over a Port Fairy Guinness before falling in love with a 1935 Gibson guitar while touring the USA with Bob Dylan which lead to him performing his grab-bag of songs and stories from the road less travelled but long toured. We’re sure he will explain a bit more at his concerts.

This all-woman band from Greece, Púrpura took their name from the Latin word for “purple”, a colour that is the symbol of spirituality, of mystery and of nostalgia for a time when people’s differences were not a cause of division and pain. Púrpura perform songs from the discography of band leader Chrysoula Kechagioglou, as well as traditional and modern songs from different countries, including Greece, Argentina, Portugal, Armenia, and Italy. Chrysoula K. & Púrpura combine elements of tradition with classical forms creating a new sound that is real, nostalgic, vivid, playful and airy. They combine the traditional lute, with the classical flute and cello.

“1917 Strike” is a fascinating and entertaining story of one of Australia’s greatest class struggles – the 1917 great strike. To mark its centenary, AWGIE award-winning writer PP Cranney has created a docu-concert that tells the story through words and music. Christina Mimmocchi, Chloe and Jason Roweth and Catherine Golden perform the songs – some from the time and some original.

Black Joak Morris performs the traditional folk dancing of the bucolic English Cotswolds. Their Morris dancing is fresh and varied, friendly and skilled, danced to live music provided by talented and knowledgeable musicians. The dancing ranges from single-person jigs to nine-person spectaculars. Morris is an ancient tradition associated with fertility rites and celebration of the seasons. It is also a living tradition and Black Joak perform many dances written recently, including Australian Morris dances developed by the side itself.

Storyteller and children’s songwriter, Annie Bryant, takes you on a musical story journey through the garden, around the farm and into the Australian bush. Annie’s heartwarming stories and sing-along family folk songs tickle and delight the senses, while celebrating a child’s sensory connection to the natural world, growing food, living with animals and caring for the earth.

Alistair covers the field from comic ditties, big ballads, songs of struggle (usually unsuccessful) and against temptation, odes to conviviality and songs of unashamed sentimentality. Of course there are also outrageously funny stories from a master of the art. Born in Scotland, he has been singing the old songs, and new songs written by people who like the old songs, since he was fifteen years old and a regular at his local folk club.