Bèla Fleck’s Africa Project – The Arts Centre, Melbourne
The wonderful Bèla Fleck’s African Project featuring Oumou Sangarè, in the country for Bluesfest over Easter 2010, will play a theatre sideshow at Hamer Hall on Thursday 8th April.
New York City native Béla Fleck is regularly considered the premier banjo player in the world. He made a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects as a virtuoso instrumentalist unbounded by genre. The man has won eleven Grammy awards and has received 25 nominations in more diverse categories than any other musician in history. His latest album, Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning documentary of the same name, which premiered in 2009. Motivated by a deep love of African music, the film follows Béla on a boundary-breaking musical adventure to explore the little-known African roots of the banjo and record an album.
Bèla Fleck plays:
- the Arts Centre, Melbourne on 8th April 2010
- the Sydney Opera House on 6th April 2010
Events, Promotions
Bela Fleck
Innes Campbell – The Muddy Farmer 14th January – 8:00pm to 11:00pm.
Innes Campbell is a guitarist with a love of singing, songwriting and playing great music with great musicians.
Innes’s festival appearances in 2009, included Redlands Bluegrass Festival, The Gympie Muster, Dorrigo Bluegrass Festival and more recently the Woodford Festival, where he showcased his virtuoso bluegrass guitar chops, thoughtful songwriting and sense of humour.
Innes is the 2009 National Bluegrass Guitar Champion (Tamworth), and since arriving here in August last year he has hunted down the best bluegrass musicians Brisbane has to offer in Luke Moller (mandolin), George Jackson (fiddle) and Mark Webber (bass).
The Bug features three booked acts along with occasional blackboards each week. 7.30pm every Thursday night at the Muddy Farmer Hotel cnr Ipswich Rd. and Annerley Rd., Annerley. Admission is free – meals are available.
Check out the website at brisbane-unplugged.org.
Bluegrass News, Events
Innes Campbell, Muddy Farmer
Terry Cook advises that the Bluegrass Jam Session at Palmwoods Bowls Club is held every 3rd Sunday of the month. The next session will be 17th Jan from 1.30pm until 5pm. Bring your own instrument, or just come along to enjoy the music, there is no charge.
To get there exit to Palmwoods just past the Big Pineapple and then left again at Nicklin Rd before the railway at Palmwoods. Its then just 200m up on the left. You cant miss it. The club is fully licensed. For any further details you can contact Terry Cook on 54921727 or email bluegrassjam@hotmail.com
Bluegrass News, Events
General News
Sunday, 24th January at 11am at Wests’ Diggers
The Australian National Bluegrass Championships in Tamworth had its origins in 1979 and have attracted Australia’s best pickers, all competing to become the national bluegrass flat pick guitar, mandolin, banjo or fiddle champion.
The majority of the previous winners are now at the forefront of our country music industry – performing in the best bands, with all our major artists, and playing on the finest of our Australian country albums.
The Championships were the single most driving factor for the emergence of such great musical talent through the eighties and early nineties.
The 2010 CMAA Australian National Bluegrass Championships will be held on Sunday, 24th January at 11am at Wests’ Diggers. Tickets are on sale now at www.wtlc.com.au Tickets are $25.00 and $20.00 concessions.
Bluegrass News, Events
Tamworth
A self professed All-star Interstate Musical Collaboration
The Wilson Pickers are Queenslanders Danny Widdicombe, Ben Salter, Andrew Morris, and Victorians Sime Nugent and John Bedggood. They got together after a crazy idea of uniting some Queenslanders with some Victorians in the vague hope of inventing a bluegrass-style band.
The Wilson Pickers feature five individual singers/songwriters, who all embrace the spiritual feeling one gets when singing in harmony. The band creates an earthy energy by using purely organic stringed and reeded instruments.
The Australian-born lads dare not take on bluegrass traditionalists of old but instead are aiming to craft their own unique take on the bluegrass configuration of instruments and ideas which can be experienced on their debut album Land of the Powerful Owl.
CMC Rocks the Snowys – 5th – 6th March
Check out their website
Artists, Events, Festivals
CMC, Wilson Pickers
Futher news from the Illawarra Folk Festival program is that Blue Mountain Rain are scheduled to play several concerts at the 2010 festival. Their performance dates and times are:
- Fri 15/01/2010 08:00pm to 08:45pm – Nag’s Lounge
- Sat 16/01/2010 11:00am to 11:45am – Slacky Flat Bar,
- Sat 16/01/2010 03:30pm to 04:15pm – Grandstand Bar
- Sun 17/01/2010 03:30pm to 04:15pm – Grandstand Restaurant
Artists, Events, Festivals
Blue Mountain Rain
News just in from the Illawarra Folk Festival is that their program has been announced. The program reveals that the comically irreverent team of pickers masquerading as a bluegrass band, otherwise know as Coolgrass are scheduled to play at the 2010 Illawarra Folk Festival. Performance times and locations are:
- Fri 15/01/2010 08:15pm to 09:15pm – Grandstand Bar
- Fri 15/01/2010 10:15pm to 11:15pm – Show Pavilion
- Sat 16/01/2010 10:15pm to 11:15pm – Show Pavilion
- Sun 17/01/2010 02:45pm to 03:15pm – The Shed
- Sun 17/01/2010 04:30pm to 05:15pm – The Chapel
Article, Events
Coolgrass
Karen Lynne to Launch “Wishing Well”
Karen Lynne will officially launch her new album Heart Songs in a bluegrass concert scheduled for Friday, 22nd January, 10am, at the Tamworth Community Centre, Darling Street, Tamworth, (Heritage Room)
Entry is free. (Gold Coin Donation if you want to help cover room hire).
I am currently in the studio working on my next album, a country album called Heart Songs. We will make pre-release copies available to those that would like them, so please keep in touch. It’s as country as,.. ‘Cow poo’ and you can’t get much countrier than that. It’s also gorgeous and allows me a gentle return to that lovely traditional country that I have always loved. If you loved Second Wind you’ll love this one more. It has all the sweetness and gentleness of the way ‘real’ country music is supposed to sound,.. yep!, without even a hint of crossover country/pop or country rock (which always sounds like rock to me). That, along with Australia’s best musicians, some of the best (& most familiar) country songs ever written and Herm Kovac’s magic at the producing desk, this is a real winner. This album is also different to my others in that it is full of well known songs – rather than new ones,.. although there’s a few you won’t have heard too. Karen Lynne
Bluegrass News, Events
Karen Lynne, Tamworth
25 Years as part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival
Karen Lynne is to celebrate 25 years at the Tamworth Country Music Festival with a free concert to include guest artists, giveaways, prizes, and lots of fun.
Thursday, 21st January, 2:00pm at the Tamworth Community Centre, Darling Street, Tamworth, (Heritage Room)
Bluegrass News, Events
Karen Lynne, Tamworth
Jane Germain (guitar, vocals) and Ian Simpson (banjo, guitar, stompbox, vocals) will be playing in duo mode at the E Shed Harbour Stage on Sunday 6th December.
Music starts at 2.30pm.
The E Shed is at Fremantle Harbour – a great place to relax and enjoy a drink and some cool music. Jane & Ian will be playing a mix of original songs from Jane’s latest album Chinese Whispers, lots of blues, bluegrass, and much more!
Artists, Events
Ian Simpson, Jane Germain
A gathering of pickers on the Sunshine Coast for the 2nd annual banjo conference will provide an opportunity for residents of the community to see some of the hottest picking around. The line up is top class and features The Hungry Hill Band from Canada, Martin Louis from New South Wales Gary Van and Stu Porter as well as Peter and Mark Nahuysen from Queensland.
We had initially listed the Davidson Brothers as playing in this concert. This was our error and offer our apologies for any confusion – Editor.
Where: Maleny Community Centre
When: on 3rd Dec 2009, from 7:30pm
Cost: Full -$12.00 Concession – $8.00
Events, Promotions
Hungry Hill, Martin Louis
Pigeonwing Strings – 28th Nov 2009 – 7:30pm
The small community of Yinnar in south-east Victoria is fastly gaining a great reputation amongst the bluegrass fraternity as the number of appearances by bluegrass and Ol’ Timey performers continues to grow.
The cross continental duo, Pigeonwing Strings, represent the novelty and organic nature of American old-time music from the 1920-30s. From Australia, Pria Schwall-Kearney on vocal, fiddle, banjo & feet, teams up with Greg Fair from upstate New York, USA, on voice, mandolin, guitar, banjo & percussion.
Pria and Greg capture the mystery, joy, grit, and sorrow that is at the heart of traditional American music. Their sensitivity is a testament to their maturity and accomplishment as musicians, both have toured internationally.
Supporting Pigeonwing Strings will be The Strzelecki String Busters, Gippsland’s finest string-band ensemble, performing tunes from their new CD Arnie’s Barn. Lead by Yinnar’s Ray Negro, the Strzelecki String Busters perform a wide variety of Country Blues, Old Time & Bluegrass music.
Bluegrass News, Events
Pigeonwing Strings, Yinnar
Hungry Hill will be performing at the famous Yinnar Community Hotel this Wed 25th Nov 2009 at 8:00pm
This great band from Canada, have just wound up their hugely successful festival appearances at the Harrietville Bluegrass and Ol’ Timey Convention in northern Victoria.
If you plan to eat then has it that meal bookings are essential – Yinnar Community Hotel 51631263.
Bluegrass News, Events
Hungry Hill, Yinnar
Bellbird Banjos presents Hungry Hill – Wed 2nd Dec 2009 at 7:00pm
Hungry Hill is a contemporary acoustic bluegrass unit with a focus on original material. Based in northwest Canada, Hungry Hill features five seasoned musicians with a desire to create a fresh sound while staying true to the roots of bluegrass and old-time music. Lush vocal harmonies resonate from three singers around one microphone in the traditional acoustic setting of old time music.
Also featuring that eveing are The Redland’s Bluegrass Boys and The Nahuysen Brothers
When – Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 at 7:00pm.
Where – Redlands Modern Country Music Club, Pinklands Reserve on Cleveland –Redland Bay Road, Thornlands
Tickets are $10 and available at the door
Bluegrass News, Events
Hungry Hill, Nahyusen Brothers, Redland's Bluegrass Boys
21st Nov will see the final Orphanage Session for 2009.
So to celebrate a year full of quality live country/roots music, the Dear Orphans will be featuring Golden Guitar nominee Ronni Rae Rivers as their guest.
The evening will kick off as usual with the Dear Orphans weaving Americana goodness as they play tracks from their recently released, self-titled debut album. Dear Orphans consists of singer/songwriters Lyn Taylor and Nick Payne playing bluegrass-inspired, acoustic guitar-driven songs accompanied by pedal steel virtuoso Mike Kirkley. Also joining them on stage will be Elsen Price on double bass and Adrian Kyneur on drums and percussion.
Following on from Dear Orphans, Ronni Rae Rivers hits the stage to celebrate her Golden Guitar nomination for the Maton New Talent of the Year Award for her song Running On Fumes. All the folks from Dear Orphans will be joining her on stage to provide musical backing for Ronni in the spirit of collaboration that the Orphanage Sessions has become famous for.
Events, Promotions
The Orphanage
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