Archives: Performers

Andy will be presenting tunes and songs from his varied repertoire including hybrid Aussie-Cajun fiddle music from his award-winning album, Possum Stole The Pumpkin and new songs from his recent albums.  As a fiddler, he has worked up a unique sound with elements of Swing, Celtic, Bluegrass, Cajun and old-timey folk. Andy’s singing, song writing and guitar playing skills have been honed over many years on the road with such bands as Redgum, The Dancehall Racketeers, The Cajun Combo and many others.

Take two avid and mellifluous folk singers, add two top-notch bluegrass instrumentalists in folk mode and press play. The Antipodeans bring the joy of the folk song back into full focus with best-loved and wild sourced ballads and tunes to wrap around the songs. Catch this rare and first sighting of the Antipodeans at our Cobargo Folk Festival.

Austral will transport you into full festival party mode. They are a high-energy, four-piece Australian Celtic group combining didgeridoo, Irish pipes, high-energy fiddling, journeying songs and energetic foot percussion. Whether you see them on stage or at the session afterward, Austral will get your festival going. HUP!

Benji And The Saltwater Sound System fuse Pacific flavours with the raw rolling sounds of the Australian Pacific coast. Add to this poignant lyrics and a will to transcend genre and you are part the way there. A festival favourite, we’re glad to have them back.

Australian singer songwriter Bill Jackson has a career that spans just over 16 years; most recently he was awarded 2021 Contemporary Folk Album of the Year-Folk Alliance Australia for “The Wayside Ballads. VOL.3.  Born in Albury, grew up in Gippsland and now based in Melbourne, Bill has seven albums to his name. The multi-talented KerrynTolhurst and musical maestro Dave O’Neill join him at this festival.

Borne of dark and chimeric folk blues, Black Cypress pay a melodic homage to the savage and beautiful. Inspired by remote wilderness areas, this three-piece band mesh dynamic acoustic blues, with instinctive vocal harmonies and incisive, soaring violin riffs. Black Cypress challenges us with bootlegged and bowlegged folk tales of the struggle to satisfy a twisted and unapologetic longing for wildness and love.

The Black Mountain String Band celebrates string band music in all its forms.
They combine fiddles and banjos along with guitar and double bass to draw from a deep
wellspring of tradition, while adding timeless original material.. The band is Donal Baylor,
Jacqueline Bradley, Matt Nightingale and Pablo Shopen, continuing the revival of Pablo’s
father’s band of the same name from the 1970’s.

The Black Mountain String Band celebrates string band music in all its forms.
They combine fiddles and banjos along with guitar and double bass to draw from a deep wellspring of tradition, while adding timeless original material.. The band is Donal Baylor, Jacqueline Bradley, Matt Nightingale and Pablo Shopen, continuing the revival of Pablo’s father’s band of the same name from the 1970’s.

This is Ceilidh dancing with an English accent where the new and old collide to bring frolicking good fun. We offer newly composed dances and a few old favourites. Blighty’s Revenge invite you to dance to some of the latest tunes coming out of the UK dance scene. Madness and mayhem mandatory!

Making a very welcome return to Cobargo Chris and Julie are the undisputed queens of British folk duos. Come listen to what the Guardian describes as “first class songs with to-die-for harmonies, immaculate musicianship and melodies that lodge themselves in your brain.”

CJ Shaw & the Blow Ins present his new family album ‘All Sorts’. For children and adults alike the concert combines CJ’s ‘best of’ children’s songs- acknowledged by the ARIA’s in 2020 (receiving ‘Teacher of The Year’  nomination) sung alongside his contemporary Australiana folk songs written over the past 20 years. 

 

From nearby Eurobodalla, Djembe Forte offers dynamic, high vibrational West African rhythms of drum and dance performance. The rhythm is the thing.

The Double Dole String Band are an old-time and bluegrass band formed in Melbourne during the pandemic. Releasing their debut album of original tunes, “Jobs and Growth” in 2021 to sold-out crowds up the east coast, they perform with a raucous gentleness and bring a modern and interesting take on traditional music.

Australia’s favourite festival duo are back together after a bit of social distancing! Smashing songs with amazing accompaniment on fiddle mandolin and guitar, they’ll have you singing along in no time.

Equus is a Mongolian/World/Roots music infusion combining traditional Mongolian folk, Mediterranean strings with contemporary grooves and improvisation.  From epic ballads to rollicking horse gallops through bluegrass, blues, Middle-Eastern and swing, you’ll be taken places you’ve never imagined.

Singer/songwriter par excellence, Eric needs know formal introduction. A legendary figure in Australia’s folk scene, his songs are known, listened to and recorded around the world. Not to be missed.  He’s accompanied by the peerless Pete Titchener and the eminent Emma Luker.

Glasgow-born tradition bearer Fiona Ross has secured her reputation as a highly gifted interpreter of Scots song. Finalist for Scots Singer of the Year in Scotland’s prestigious Trad Music Awards, she continues to fly the flag for Scots song here in Australia. ARIA Award winning guitarist Shane O’Mara has collaborated with a host of luminaries including Paul Kelly and Chris Wilson. 

From Melbourne, Harmaniax are Australia’s premier Zydeco and Cajun band and regular gigs at some of Melbourne’s premier venues like The Rainbow Hotel, Baropen and The Lowie. The band members come from a long line of Cajun Zydeco and roots performers: Billy Abbott…Crawfish Dave. Geoff Le Blanc, Leblanc brothers Band: Michaela Burke-Celtic City Sons. Put on your dancing shoes.

Howlin Mitch and the Habaneros are a local five-piece electric rhythm and blues band, playing a blend of original and traditional blues tunes combining quality musicianship and songwriting.

Isabel Rumble invites listeners into a cocoon of reflection on the subtleties of love, nature and human relationships. Warm and clear vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar invokes artists of the folk genre like Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling. Isabel’s her debut album has the multi-talented Luke Plumb as producer.

Graced with jazz sensibilities, exceptional vocal technique and a four-octave range, vocalist Jo Davie offers up genuine story telling. Bursting onto the Australian scene as runner-up to the 2018 Folk Alliance Young Artist of the Year, she is winning audiences and accolades across Australia.

Johnny Huckle is a proud Wiradjuri man, who admits he has had a tough life, but loves sharing his passion for music and telling the stories of his life.  A consummate performer, you will hear him before you see him and you’ll never forget him.

Kara Coen is one of the most exciting new female soul artists of the south east.  A singer/songwriter plays a unique fusion of blues, smooth Jazz and pop. Intoxicating vocals and compelling lyrics, with a message of love, empowerment and equality, she composes her music on guitar and piano. She is working on her debut album of original songs and gearing up for her first Australian tour. 

Proud Mutti Mutti songman Kutcha Edwards is a strong advocate for Aboriginal people and is dedicated to the continuum of his traditional Songline. He has been prolifically combining songwriting and activism since 1991. It is his experiences as a survivor of the Stolen Generations that has shaped his diverse creative output in groups like Blackfire and The Black Arm Band. Kutcha is now multi-award-winning singer/songwriter, and his most recent album ‘Circling Time’ has garnered critical acclaim. He tells us that music chose him. His music touches the soul, and through his humour and insights, we realise that with recognition of the true Aboriginal history, there can be hope of reconciliation.

Kyarna Rose & Matty Walker came together at the beginning of 2020, entertaining people all over Australia with their Facebook Live Loungeroom Sessions during lockdown. Kyarna and Matt bring their own flavour to classic songs with their melodic harmonies and their on-stage chemistry. The pair sing everything from soft-rock to country and everything in between, with a sprinkling of their original songs on top.

A performance poet of many years , with a large repertoire of traditional and contemporary poems with 2 best reciters awards and performances at Maldon, National , Illawarra festivals.

A standout performer at our 2022 festival, pianist Madhava’s quirky on stage antics and amazing song writing and musical abilities captivated his privileged audience. The principal songwriter in numerous bands and musical projects, Madhava once travelled the world as a circus musician, performing piano whilst riding a two-metre tall unicycle.

Vocal adventurer, multi-instrumentist and looping beatboxing songwriter Mal sings his brain provoking songs using all sorts of vocal techniques, guitar, mbira, slide trumpet, trombone, chromatic harmonica and a loop recording pedal called Derek. And Kylie (who’s played with Orchestra Victoria and the likes of Stevie Wonder and Barry White!) provides violin and voice in a perfect balance to Mal’s nuttiness. 

Ex-pat Australian singer, songwriter, poet, storyteller and entertainer based in Sheffield, UK. Known for her incredible voice, her performances are filled with lots of humour and songs of strong women. Mostly solo acapella, with surprise guests. Her repertoire draws  from Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, US and Canada, as well as her own material. 

Martyn Wyndham-Read has been involved with folk music for over 60 years. In his late teens he left his mother’s farm in Sussex, England and headed off, with his guitar, to Australia where he worked on a sheep and cattle station, Emu Springs, in South Australia. It was while he was there that he first heard the old songs sung by some of the station hands and became captivated by the character and atmosphere of these songs and the need to know more of them and where they came from. His first time back in Australia for many years. Not to be missed.

Maypole with Molly interactive dance sessions encourages 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. 

Michael’s lyrics cut along a philosophical edge, his style cuts across the musical spectrum from blues and swing to country and early rock n’roll.

A stalwart of the folk machine, multi-instrumentalist, singer and accomplished author. Mike has been through the mill and escaped unscathed and passionate about having a future for humans and the planet. 

Cielle Montgomery & James Church are 4 x Golden Guitar Award finalists, ‘Montgomery Church’. Representing a blend of acoustic folk, americana and bluegrass influences, grown and distilled in the Snowy Mountain ranges of country NSW, this captivating duo are enthralling in their dynamic intimacy and embrace all that is subtle, spacious, and sensitive.

Virtuosic, original and exciting, Malumba’s genre-defying music will take you on a sonic journey while making your toes tap and your heart soar.  With hints of Klezmer melodies, gypsy jazz harmonies, Celtic instruments and African rhythms. Malumba’s sound is unique and hugely versatile. 

Owen Campbell & The Cosmic People is alternative blues and oceanic rock at its best. Smouldering guitar work running from bluesy riffs and soulful finger-picking to lap steel guitar solos using a shot glass slide, gritty caramel vocals and a sublime rhythm section.

After 3 best-selling studio albums, 2 EPs, and over 12 years of national and international touring, Owen Campbell has cemented himself as one of Australia’s premier blues exports.

Authentic bluegrass music from the Bega Valley, Pickin’ Time Bluegrass celebrates everything from Flatt and Scruggs to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

Ralph Cullen (vocals, guitar, whistle), Fiona Cullen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Peter Hisco (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Paul McMurray (banjo, mandolin, vocals) and Luciano Bassegio (double bass) are drawn together by their love of toe-tapping bluegrass and related acoustic styles.

Nick Rheinberger and Tia Wilson perform razor-sharp, hilarious songs about modern life and love, featuring brooding accordion, seductive strings, sweet harmonies and a love of the absurd.

Dazzling swords, swirling skirts, colourful shawls, fans, finger cymbals and more ‚Äì Sapphire Tribal presents a dynamic and colourful bellydance display. The style has its foundations in Middle-Eastern dance traditions but is strongly influenced by the beautiful folk dances of India, Africa and Spain. Colourful and elaborate costuming mixes authentic tribal textiles, floral headpieces and ethnic jewellery to create a spectacular display of flying skirts and twirling tassel belts. Dancers present a blend of choreographed and improvised pieces where the connection and interaction between dancers creates a highly engaging dynamic enjoyed by dancers and audiences alike. 

Savoy Swing of Canberra is represented by long time Swing and Blues dancers Cathie, Steve, Katie and Katherine. Swing and Blues Dance is a broad term that encompasses historic dances of the African American culture. These dances evolved in response to Swing and Blues music of the early 20th century. The Dances are as varied as the music itself, from playful and fast-paced Swing to grounded, rhythmic Blues. Our performance(s) will reflect an authentic expression of Swing and Blues Dance by performing alongside Jazz and Blues musicians, allowing for real-time interpretation, improvisation and collaboration.

Settler sessions are participative. They focus squarely on collected Australian dance tunes. Sessions are acoustic and inclusive. We begin playing tunes a bit slower but we might speed up a bit later if it feels right.  Bring an instrument, even if you’re just a beginner.

With a former prime minister censured, and a current one emerging from the honeymoon period, satirical cabaret duo Shortis and Simpson are back at Cobargo with a whole new batch of razor-sharp songs. As the government slays the inflation dragon, grapples with climate targets, plays with acronyms like NACC and IR, the opposition gives us secret portfolios, a new-look Peter Dutton, and turns down the volume on The Indigenous Voice to Parliament. John Shortis’ witty songwriting and Moya Simpson’s vocal and comic flair combine to tear it all down in hilarious and poignant style in Cabaret Politico.

Sionnach Rua’s Great Irish Song Book is an authentic music and story catalogue from Irish born and raised frontman, Gallie. Enjoy hearing about Gallie’s Irish upbringing with tales of traditions & histories, audiences will be transported back to a lively session in a celebration of Celtic music with songs ranging from Planxty to Van Morrison to the Dubliners. Joining Gallie [Vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán] are acclaimed Australian maestro’s and multi- instrumentalists, Ruth Wise fiddle, Paddy Montgomery bouzouki, guitar and Sam Davies uilleann pipes.

We saw them briefly at a concert held when the 2020 festival was cancelled after the bushfires. Best described as a ‘trance/ trad band from Brittany, they have a solid line of traditional instrument played by superb musicians and backed by some rock energy.  You will dance the night away.

Based in Byron Bay, Steve Tyson has released four critically acclaimed records, the latest, “Banjo’s Last Ride”, with his band The Train Rex. A set of blues-infused contemporary folk songs, intimate story-telling one minute, swaggering alt.country the next.

Allan Stone is a poetry bloke also known as Stonybroke
He’ll make you laugh and make you cry
And tell you tales of pie in the sky
So come along, get on yer bike
When Stonybroke is on the mike.

A hijacked taxi ride of classic tunes from the backstreets of Bucharest. Featuring the mighty cimbalom (imagine a mashup of honkytonk piano and xylophone) backed by blistering accordion, plaintive violin, and thumping double bass.
From diverse and colourful strands – Ottoman court music, raw Balkan peasant folk, a handful of tango and jazz – Super Rats’ lăutarească music weaves a magic carpet to whisk you away to other times and places.

Traditional English stick whacking mayhem from Canberra, continuing a strange dance tradition that dates back hundreds of years, and makes no more sense now than then. But it does serve to scare off evil spirits and wake up apple trees! Morris at its finest.

 

The “Rhymer from Ryde” has been performing as a Bush Poet since legend Frank Daniel introduced him on stage with that moniker in the late 1990’s. In his formative years he was mentored by such luminaries as Milton Taylor, “Blue the Shearer”, Terry Regan & Denis Kevans and has now developed into the vibrant and entertaining performer that you see commanding the stage today. 

Hailed as the world’s greatest finger-style Celtic guitarist, Scottish-bornTony is attending his first Cobargo Folk Festival, though he has played twice at our Yuin Folk Club in recent years. An absolutely mesmerising musician and a wonderful educator of young guitarists.  

Hailed by John Renbourn as ‘the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ Tony McManus has been listed as one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine. His fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music. Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes – even the phrasing of a Gaelic song – onto his own six strings.

The triceps ain’t what they used to be but the funny bone has only gotten sharper. The Tuck Shop Ladies are an amalgamation of Australian folk music darlings Sam Lohs (Fruit) and Rosie Burgess (Rosie Burgess Trio). Strapping on a pair of ukuleles, the duo pull back the curtain to share an intimate selection of the often ridiculous, but always harmonious songs that were birthed in the back of a tour van, to amuse themselves.

Hold onto your hats as Ungus Ungus Ungus, Australia’s premier peddlers of vaudevillian psychedelia, strap you in for a rollercoaster ride of dance and mayhem. This is carnivalesque party music for the creatively inclined, traversing territory from global folktronica to swing, Eastern European influences and their signature carnie-hop. Featuring a dynamic stage presence and a dash of seasoned carnie chaos, this cosmic circus is on a mission to make you boogie, gawp and expand your perceptual horizons.

Whiskey Dram is a hard driving folk band with influences ranging from traditional folk, punk, blues, bluegrass and funk. The full line-up includes guitar, banjo, double bass, mandolin, fiddle, trumpet, concertina, flute, tin whistle and percussion. They have a penchant for sea shanties and Australian folk songs, and a reputation for being fast-paced, loud and fun.

Songs that tell a story. Willie and the Correspondents, a country/folk/roots band has been writing and performing for more than 25 years. With two Bega-born residents they sing songs about Jimmy Sharman’s Boxing tent, fishing, the struggles of country life plus humorous songs with a political bent. Featuring former ABC International Correspondent, Phil Williams, who is no stranger to Cobargo in much darker times.