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News from the folk in Girgarre is that Fat Chance and The Bluegrass Playboys, Don Gula, David Aumann and Andrew Barcham will join in the fun at this month’s Jigarre Jammin’ in Girgarre, Victoria. For the uninitiated Girgaree Township is located just 35 Kilometers west of Shepparton anr 35 Kilometers south-east of Echuca

This group of folk are just  some of the many fantastic tutors who donate their time each year at the Girgarre Moosic Muster.

It won’t always be possible for us to provide such a beaut touch to Jigarre Jammin’ but Max and Jan have tried really hard to make a long term relationship for us  with the musicians who come from Melbourne every year – and it is lovely that you have all come in strength of numbers to soak it up and there’s more -

Looking forward to seeing you all there on 24th July – Di  and the Fig Jammers.

Girgarre Moosic Muster – 7th, 8th and 9th January 2011.

Organisers of the Girgarre Moozic Muster have advised us of the dates for the 2011 muster.

this is one of the most amazing festivals in the country, this event kicked off in a time when their whole lifestyle is under threat from drought, the global economic crisis and future uncertainty. They encountered a group of people from the city, willing to help  create this amazing weekend event which most describe as nothing short of spectacular. the Moosic Muster has had an amazing affect on the town of just 200 people.

During the running of the Farmer’s Market, some 40 people aged from 10 to 70 volunteer to cook breakfast, squeeze juice, make tea and coffee, set up and pack up. People who had never volunteered before were driving over the district nailing up market signs in trees to advertise the day.

Some of the financial benefits for their community have included the funding of a community car, (so necessary as there is limited public transport), upgrading of the local CFA facilities and the local school and the Recreation Reserve also receives vital financial support.

The township of Girgarre hopes you can join them for the 2011 Girgarre Moosic Muster and Farmer’s Market.

Girgarre Moosic Muster Needs You.

If you have not have the pleasure of attending the Girgarre Moosic Muster  in Victoria then can I commend this event to you. Whether you are a seasoned player, a novice or never held an instrument in your hands before, this festival has something to offer.

My wife and I attended the event for the first time last year and we blown away with the success of the event. To see the looks on the faces of people playing music for the first time in their lives is in itself a great experience. Even more so, is the sense of achievement reflected in the faces of the instructors delivering lessons to the beginners and others en-masse.

Girgarre needs your help. If you are thinking of attending this year, we urge you to bring along a spare musical instrument. It can be a fiddle, guitar, banjo or mandolin. Even if you cannot play it, but have it sitting around in your house, please get it out and bring it along to help the people of Girgarre continue their fine work. You may even consider donating the instrument you no longer use to this very worthy cause. We’d urge you to check out the Girgarre website and learn of their history and their achievements.

If you are able to provide and instrument, could you email Max Amos and let him know. This event is unique in Australia and in terms of what it is achieving it is one of the most vitally important festivals of its kind. We are pleased to be able to support the festival in this small way. We hope you can find a way to support it too.

Email Max Amos at the Girgarre Festival.

Also check out the festival’s website – Girgarre Moosic Muster

Girgarre Moosic Muster – 8th to 10th Jan 2010

News from Max Amos of the Girgarre Moosic Muster is that Fender Australia, the festival’s sponsor, has donated another eight guitars a mandolin and a banjo for the 2010 Gigarre Moosic Muster workshops.

Apart from the many fabulous performances by the visiting artists, the Girgarre Moosic Muster is a opportunity for those looking to learn an instrument to have a go at some or all of the instruments you’d find in a bluegrass band. The artists give of their time to the festival to help run workshops in banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and bass and what’s more they are all FREE.

Max, and the team from Girgarre are busy planning the next Muster to be held from the 8th to 10th January 2010.

New Girgarre Website

The team at Girgarre have launched a new website – girgarre.com.au. which provides an overall view of the festival’s focus, the details of the weekend’s activities including concert and workshop programs.

The other great feature of the weekend is the now famous Girgarre Farmer’s Market which sees thousands of people through the small town over the course of the weekend to pick up a bargain.

The Girgarre Moosic Muster is one of those festivals that, unless you’ve been there, you will continue to wonder about.

Visit  Girgarre Moosic Muster Website to download a festival program.

We here at the Australian Bluegrass Blog along with the team at Comstar.com have been busy over the past few weeks developing a new website for the 2010 Girgarre Moosic Festival. The folks from Girgarre – Australia’s most successful beginners (newbies) festival – has now launched its new website – girgarre.com.au.

The festival site features all of the details of the 2010 Moosic Muster:

• History
• Camping details
• Accommodation,
• Workshop program
• Concerts

In addition, the festival weekend coincides with one of northern Victoria’s  most successful farmer’s market. The Girgarre Farmers Market.

Details of the the market are also featured on their website. Visit the new girgarre.com.au website today.

After running the Girgarre Moosic Muster for four years organisers have reported that they are finally breaking even financially. This is only due to the efforts of all the people that kindly volunteer to donate their time to make the festival happen according to the festival’s organisers.

We estimate that we had 350 people attend the workshops at the 2009 Girgarre Moosic Muster. A great majority of these had never played a musical instrument before and we had to borrow instruments from people to lend to these participants. Despite this, it was sad to see people wanting to learn but unable to participate, as we did not have enough instruments. As a result of this we approached Graeme Walshe at Fender Australia. They have kindly donated guitars and a mandolin and banjo. These are all damaged stock and David Aumann  has kindly volunteered his great talent as an instrument builder to repair the ones that need attention, at no cost. We are still in need of mandolins and banjos for the 2010 Muster so if anyone can help please contact me on 03-95512123. – Max Amos.

On the weekend of 9th to 11th January I attended the Girgarre Moosic Muster to play in a concert and to host a workshop for banjo pickers. I was unsure of what to expect, having never attended the event before, and had never before visited the small township of Girgarre.

I was warned it would be hot and dry, it was. I was also told there would be over 3,000 people at the Farmer’s Market on the Sunday, there was. Girgarre is a major food processing town located near Shepparton in northern Victoria. The most significant business in the town is the Girgarre Country Foods Factory which is a division of the Heinz Company, which manufactures tomato based products.

In addition to the usual festival delights, this festival provided an opportunity for people who were curious about playing bluegrass instruments to have a go in a very relaxed and casual environment. Organisers say over 300 people attended the workshops. People came from everywhere to have a go at playing, fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, tin whistle, harmonica, ukulele and mandolin. People not only learned the basics of the instrument they chose, all within the space of an hour, but they returned to rehearse and perform for the evening concert on Saturday night.  It was an amazing sight, watching dozens of people crowd onto the stage and collectively play ‘Katy Daley’. The camp site was a city of vans and tents, while music drifted from every corner of the campsite across the weekend.

The other amazing part of the weekend – for me – was to see the townsfolk band together to so generously welcome, host, feed and accommodate the festival goers over the three days.

The evening concerts were a treat with performances from a range of bands including, Appalachian Heaven, Jimmy Fong, Won’t Go Quietly, Men in Black and a Lady, Fat Chance and the Bluegrass Playboys and Pot Belly.

If you are contemplating learning an instrument and want to have a pick on a banjo, strum a guitar or vamp on a mandolin the 2010 Girgarre Moosic Muster is for you. This is Australia’s most welcoming music festival. Loads of workshops, lots of music amid a great sense of community – a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Thanks Girgarre.