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Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Convention 20th, 21st, 22nd August 2010

News from the folks at the Kelly Country Pick in Beechworth Victoria, is that this year they’ll include Western Swing at the festival through the fabulous music of the Dancehall Racketeers – featuring the Baylor Brothers. To complement this, they will be offering workshops in Swing Dance, Swing Guitar and Swing Fiddle – plus all of the other regular workshops.

Other acts confirmed for this year include: Coolgrass, The Strezlecki Stringbusters, Flying Engine String Band, The Stetson Family, Orange Blossom, Fat Chance and the Bluegrass Playboys, High and Lonesome, The Le Blanc Brothers Cajun Band, String Theory, Hotwired, The Lonesome Low, Charlie Horse, Chilli Strings, Mel and Bec, Appalachian Heaven and Andrew Clermont.

A small group of volunteers is required to help run the main desk, MC, and operate sound over the weekend. Complementary weekend passes available. If you are interested in volunteering, call Wendy Jackson on 0408 543 439. If you would like to be added to our mailing list Click Here.

Download the program here – BeechworthProgram

Other Information:

• Peter Hisco 0425 134 976.
• Weekend Tickets: $50.00
• Day tickets available

Joie de Vivre

One of the many workshops that feature in bluegrass festivals across Australia is the Cajun dance workshop. These have been a regular festival feature, certainly in the southern half of the country including the National Folk Festival, for some time.

After seeing the Beechworth Festival program this year I thought I’d delve into the person behind Cajun dance – Margot Hitchcock.

Margot started dancing with the Melbourne Colonial Dancers in 1983 and took an interest in Cajun music in 1994 after meeting Geoff LeBlanc who played at a Melbourne folk club. Geoff secured a video on Cajun dance for Margot and she started learning the dance style.

A year later, in 1995, after learning the Jitterbug, Two-step and the Cajun Waltz, Margot was ready to teach. Her first gig was the Cajun dance workshop at the National Folk Festival that Easter. Margot continues to conduct regular Cajun dance workshops and has been a regular feature at the National Folk Festival, at the Harrietville Bluegrass and Traditional Country Music Convention – since 1999, and the Beechworth Kelly Country Pick – since 2003.

Since teaching Cajun dance, Margot has broadened her dancing interests and has branched out to learn Rock and Roll, Jive, Swing, Lindy Hop, Ceroc, West Coast, Texas Two-Step, Tex-Mex, Latin dancing, Zydeco. She has also learned Appalachian clogging at a Cajun Creole festival in West Virginia in 2001.

On Friday 13th March, during the 2009 Brunswick Music Festival, Margot suffered a stroke on her left side while Cajun dancing at the Brunswick Town Hall to the music of the ‘Red Stick Ramblers from Louisiana. Margot was rushed by ambulance to the Austin hospital where she spent 4 days in intensive care. She was later transferred to the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in Kew, where during the next 10 weeks she was learned to walk again.

Driven by her desire to dance, Margot was back dancing and performing in just 5 months.

My belief is that Cajun music is for dancing and through this art form, I hope to continue to share in the Joie de Vivre – Joy of Life - Margot Hitchcock.

Margot has not let her stroke stop her promoting Cajun music in Melbourne or her love for teaching Cajun dancing.  In her role as Cajun Queen and Honorary Cajun, Margot is dedicated to sharing this unique music and dance from Louisiana with her fellow Australians.

Visit Margot’s Cajun Website

We caught up with John Werner this morning and got chatting about the coming bluegrass festival in Beechworth where John is taking the bass workshop. So for all those bottom-end folks with bad backs heading to Beechworth in vans, station wagons or simply in a sedan with the front seat wound down, a great bass workshop awaits.

Ironically, the largest instrument in the bluegrass and old-time string band line-up is often the least considered, with the focus more on the front line. Hey, and rightly so I hear you say! They’re the guys (and gals!) who are taking the melody out for walk, weaving silky instrumental skills in between tight rhythmic chops and generally taking the lead roles in tune.
However, the subtle power of rock-solid and dependable bass playing, providing the foundation for these instruments and artists to shine should never be under-estimated. I look forward to meeting up with old friends and making new ones, and welcome bassists of all levels to an informative and fun Saturday morning Bass Workshop at the Priory – John Werner.

Kelly Country Pick – Beechworth Victoria, 21st – 23rd August 2009.

Festival The Kelly Country Pick website has published a list of workshop tutors for this years festival.

Workshops and Tutors:

There is a fabulous weekend planned featuring concerts, instrumental and dance workshops, jam sessions, instrument displays, blackboard concerts and the Sunday gospel sing-a-long.

Visit the website Kelly Country Pick.

The program for this year’s Kelly Country Pick has been altered. If you’ve downloaded the program for this year’s KCP from this site in the past couple of weeks, then chances are you may have an out-of-date program.

The revised 2009 program is available here – Beechworth Program.

Wendy Jackson from the Beechworth Festival has provided details of the program for this year’s Kelly Country Pick which is coming up 21 – 23 August.

Wendy Jackson and Peter Hisco are two of the principle organisers of the Beechworth bluegrass festival and on behalf or the bluegrass community can I offer our sincere appreciation for the work and commitment which you and your team of volunteers undertake for us all.

The program is available here – Beechworth Program.

Kelly Country Pick – Beechworth, Victoria.

The Kelly Country Pick website has had a facelift and now updated with all of the details on this year’s festival to be held in the historic town of Beechworth in Victoria on 21st to 23rd August.

Festival producer Peter Hisco advises that performers have been confirmed for the event and include: Uncle Bill, Blue Mountain Rain, High Time String Band, High and Lonesome, The Bridgland Brothers, Luau Cowboys, The Bluegrass Souls, Coolgrass, Appalachian Heaven, Senile Delinquents, Craig Woodwards Friday Night Old Time Band and Fat Chance and the Bluegrass Cowboys.

Instrument workshops over the weekend will include sessions for fiddle, mandolin, double bass, guitar, dobro and banjo.

Check out the new Kelly Country Pick Website

Beechworth Festival Victoria.

Festival producers Wendy Jackson and Peter Hisco have announced some of the details for 2009′s Kelly Country Pick later this year in Beechworth, Victoria.

In addition to an expanded artist schedule they have added  another two venues to the Beechworth festival. This will see two concerts in every time slot on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and evening, as well as Sunday.

The festival is developing into a  significant community event that attracts a tourist audience while, due to venue sizes, retains its intimacy.

The talent confirmed for 2009 includes:

• Gerry Hale’s Uncle Bill
  
• Blue Mountain Rain
  
• Bridgland Bros. (aka Southland)
• High and Lonesome
• Appalachian Heaven
• Craig Woodward’s Friday Night Old Time Band
• Mama’s Mountain Jug Band
• The Luau Cowboys
• Bluegrass Souls

The Kelly Country Pick is scheduled for 21st to 23rd August 2009.