Events

The Blue Ridge Broadcasters to Play Southern Style

3 Nov, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

The Blue Ridge Broadcasters will be playing live to air on Southern Style on November 13th.

Comprised of some of the most inspiring, innovative, and engaging young musicians on the old-time scene, the Blue Ridge Broadcasters perform a mix of driving fiddle tunes and traditional songs.

The members of the band have been working together for over a decade, teaching, recording, performing, and competing. They have appeared together at The Appalachian Stringband Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia, winning multiple first place prizes in the traditional band and fiddle contests.

Building on their deep reverence for Appalachian old-time music to create compellingly new sounds. They can crank out blistering fiddle tunes made to move dancers or draw out the mystery from a crooked, haunting melody. They can tease out the funkiness from a country blues. They can blend their voices into sweet harmonies, breathing new life into old songs.

Bluegrass Banjo For Beginners

7 Oct, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Barb Fitzpatrick’s banjo classes start again on 23 October at the St. George and Sutherland College, 127-129 Sutherland Road, Jannali NSW 2226.

Want to play banjo? Here is your chance. Have fun learning this lively style of playing in a very friendly atmosphere. Whether you have never played before or have battled along on your own for a while, this is a chance to make great progress.

Check out the website for all the information

Mustered Courage on Tour

30 Sep, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Mustered Courage is heading out on tour next month to promote the release of a new album We Played With Fire.

Here is their itinerary for the next few months:

THU 11 OCT Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall Brisbane, QLD, Australia – Free Entry
FRI 12 OCT The Bison Bar Nambour, QLD, Australia – Tickets
SAT 13 OCT Dusty Hill Vineyard Murgon, QLD, Australia SOLD OUT
FRI 19 OCT Wesley Anne Northcote, VIC, Australia – Tickets
THU 25 OCT – The Newsagency Annandale, NSW, Australia – Tickets
FRI 26 OCT Smith’s Alternative Canberra, ACT, Australia – Tickets
WED 7 NOV Creatures Next Door Fremantle, WA, Australia – Tickets
THU 8 NOV Settlers Tavern Margaret River, WA, Australia – Free Entry
FRI 9 to SUN 11 NOV Blues at Bridgetown Festival Bridgetown, WA, Australia – Tickets
WED 23 JAN Tamworth Hotel Tamworth, NSW, Australia – Free Entry
THU 24 JAN Tamworth , NSW, Australia – Free Entry
FRI 25 JAN Capitol Theatre Tamworth, NSW, Australia – Tickets
FRI 25 JAN Tamworth Hotel Tamworth, NSW, Australia – Free Entry

Kiwigrass – February 2019

31 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath 1 Comment

New Zealand’s Pipi Pickers are currently engaged in bringing New Zealand a full-scale all-bluegrass festival in February next year. It’s been almost 50 years since the last Banjo Pickers Convention in Hamilton. Kiwigrass is scheduled for 1st to 3rd February 2019 in Hamilton, New Zealand and aims to celebrate all of Bluegrass Music has to offer.

To stay in touch and learn more, check out www.kiwigrass.nz. Join the mailing list there, and follow them on Facebook. We are told that the line-up is looking outstanding with the headline act already secured with The Lonely Heartstring Band.

The Lonely Heartstring Band wowed New Zealand audiences last year when they headlined at the Auckland Folk Festival and then toured around the country, with sell-out show after sell-out show. Their unparalleled stage presence and skill left audiences speechless and hungry for more. The boys from Boston have been hard at work on a new album, adding to their already stellar repertoire. In addition to concerts, these Berklee School of Music trained musicians will be leading workshops in their instruments.

Kiwigrass is brought to you with the support of the Australasian Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association.

Where to Catch The Pipi Pickers This Spring

31 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

It’s not often we get to deliver some news from across the Tasman but on this occasion here is a gig list from the Pipi Pickers in New Zealand.

8 September 2018: Wellington Bluegrass Society, Petone, Wellington
26 September 2018: Sawmill Brewery, Matakana. 5-8pm.
9-11 November 2018: Mountaingrass, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia
7 December 2018 Katikati Folk Club, Katikati.

We also spend a lot of time organising our local folk club at the Whangateau Hall. If you haven’t been to a concert at our hall, you really should come around and have a listen. It’s a beautiful old wooden hall with perfect acoustics, and the friendliest locals you could imagine! We’ve grown a reputation world-wide as a “must play” stop for international touring musicians. You never know who you’re going to see – Jenine Abarbanel.

Roadside Holiday To Play Ferntree Gully.

28 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Roadside Holiday is a modern Folk/Americana acoustic band that plays the original songs of Kimberley Wheeler along with more traditional repertoire. The songs are moody and evocative, and presented in a spare acoustic style, compelling melodies, and with sophisticated vocal harmonies.

Kimberley’s award winning original songs are lyrical and quirky. In 2015 Kimberley won the Tilley’s Choice Award for ‘Watching Over Joan’. She sings about modern life, and social issues. Some tracks are pure fun and some are darkly political.

The band features Kimberley Wheeler, Tanya Bradley and Liz Frencham.

Tuesday August 28th – 7:45pm, at the Ferntree Gully Bowling Club, Glenfern Rd, Ferntree Gully,
Entry $15/$12 and $10 for Mountain Pickers’ Association Members – For table bookings call 9753 5888

Also on the bill are Backwater, Nine Mile Creek and Dave Diprose.

The Devil Goat Family String Band on Southern Style

24 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Jan Dale will be hosting the The Devil Goat Family String Band on her radio program Southern Style 28th Aug 2018 on Melbourne’s PBS FM 106.7.

The Devil Goat Family String Band will be playing music from their new album, Peace, Love and Goats, to be released on Saturday 8th September at the Spotted Mallard.

Tickets for the launch are available here.

Jan Dale’s radio show, Southern Style, can also be streamed to your computer via the PBS website.

Southern Style with Jan Dale – PBS FM 106.7
Tuesdays 1:00pm to 3:00pm or online at www.pbsfm.org.au.

About The Devil Goat Family String Band:

The Devil Goat Family String Band is a five piece band that play high-energy bluegrass and fiddle tunes like they’ve never gone out of style. The band’s contemporary arrangements of traditional tunes utilise the twin fiddles of Kate Conner and Sophia Dunn, with Gus Macmillan on banjo, Luke Byrnes on guitar and Fran Evans on bass. They traverse the old-time and new-grass traditions, and generate a live energy that is truly infectious to music-lovers of all generations.

The 17th Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival

23 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Doing what Dorrigo does best.

Dorrigo Festival – 26^th 27^th and 28th October 2018.

Organisers are well on the way to finalising yet another wonderful weekend of acoustic music, concerts, workshops, jamming, dancing and more. Sourcing some of the finest musicians to contribute to the overall feel of the festival, whilst keeping the familiarity of what folks have come to expect is what we do best at Dorrigo.

It’s a family festival with something for everyone and participation from all ages is encouraged.

The line-up this year includes Folk, Bluegrass and Old-Time artists from around Australia and overseas. This year also sees the second Old Time Music School, taking place from October 24 and offering three days of learning and playing alongside award-winning old-time musicians. This year, Bryant and Brown will present old-time music traditions from North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and other Southern states, reflecting their depth of experience. Ashlee Watkins, Andrew Small, Hoot and Holler, Mike Compton and the Blueridge Broadcasters will also be presenting workshops during the school.

Also taking the stage is multi award-winning Bluegrass powerhouse Jeff Scroggins and Colorado. Now based in Nashville, they have perfected a blend of deep tradition whilst also trailblazing progressive influences. The line-up continues with South Australia’s premier Bluegrass band Bluegrass Junction which includes SA royalty Trev Warner, Nick Cawthorne, the Bridgeland brothers and Stephen Loss; mandolin players Mike Compton and John Reischman and Eli West; and from Scotland the energetic Dosca. Hear the superb guitar skills of Guy Ghouse together with the Bulladong songbird, Australia’s Gina Williams, will leave you breathless.

This year’s talent is endless with Luke Plumb and The Circuit, Georgia State Line, Liam Gerner with Luke Moller, John Flanagan Trio, Rhodeworks (NZ), Willing Ponies, The String Contingent, Lucy Wise, The Knott Family Band, Cat and Clint, The Blueridge Broadcasters and Anna Smyrk who are all just a taste of what to expect. The full line-up is on the website as well as links to ticket sales for the festival and the Old Time School. The program is fabulous and there will be plenty of workshops and favourite Old Time Dance and Ceilidh. Find all the information you need at the Dorrigo Festival Website and plan a visit to Dorrigo in Springtime and experience a little Bluegrass and Old-Time music Heaven.

Mustered Courage to Release – We Played With Fire

22 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

There is one Melbourne band in Australia that has successfully positioned itself at the forefront of Australia’s music scene. That Golden Guitar Award winning and ARIA nominated band is Mustered Courage. If you have seen this band perform or heard their music, there is no doubting their impact on the Australian bluegrass music scene over the past several years.

Mustered Courage are set to release their fourth studio album, and first new album since 2015 titled We Played With Fire due for release on in September. The single When We Played With Fire precedes the album’s release and is available for download now.

Remember back in the day? The old gang? Some of those memories are a bit hazy to say the least. Washed out in a combination of time and tonic. These days, with social media, it’s easier than ever to do your own Where Are They Now segment on your old high school friends. Yet for some, no profile pic is necessary and the memory today is as vivid as it ever was. This is a song to one of those people. Those that we’ve loved and lost and the memories that remain. Young love and crazy teenagers and reminiscing on everything in between.

Members of the band have signed many record deals for their previous album releases. However taking heed of their band name they have decided to go it alone with this album and were keen to involve fans in their recording venture and raised $15,000 through a crowd funding campaign.

We are very proud to be independent again and more excited about our new album than ever before – Julian Abrahams.

The band consists of Nick Keeling on banjo, Julian Abrahams on guitar, Josh Bridges on double bass and Josh Bennett on mandolin. It’s the love and obsession they have for bluegrass that begun their journey in 2010. Since then, they’ve toured the USA four times, played as Paul Kelly’s band, collaborated with Kasey Chambers and have graced the stages of countless music festivals across the world.

Mustered Courage’s steady rise and insatiable work ethic caught the attention of Lost Highway Australia who signed the band to a worldwide recording deal in 2014. The signing was consummated with the release of a rootsy cover of Seal’s Kiss From A Rose which garnered further accolade from not only Seal himself but fans and media alike with Rhythms Magazine raving, “the four-part harmonies are right on the money. And the string picking, whether lightning fast or mellow and relaxed, is incendiary.” The single also featured an original instrumental B-side titled Candle Creek which earned merit on its own, giving Mustered Courage their first Golden Guitar Award for Instrumental of the Year at the 2015 CMAA Music Awards.That same year, the band released their third album White Lies & Melodies – their first album via Lost Highway, which earned the band a nomination for ARIA Country Album of the Year.

Known for pushing the boundaries of what progressive folk-rock can be, they convinced prolific rock and roll songwriter, performer and Choirboys founder/singer, Mark Gable to record and perform Choirboys’ pub-rock anthem Run To Paradise with a bluegrass twist which was released in May 2018 too much fanfare and accolade.

Known for their energetic live shows, Mustered Courage will hit the road for a series of national tour dates to support the album’s release from October 2018.

When We Played With Fire available on iTunes and Spotify now.
New Album We Played With Fire available in September on iTunes and Spotify.

The band will launch their new release on Wed. 7th November, at Creatures Next Door (Red Room) – Fremantle WA.
Tickets are now available from www.moshtix.com.au

Learn more of this amazing band from:

Moliagul Celebrations

20 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

To Celebrate the discovery of the Welcome Stranger.

The Goldfields Historical and Arts Society will be hosting an event at the site of the discovery of the largest gold nugget ever found – the Welcome Stranger . The 150th anniversary of the discovery is Tuesday February 5th, 2019.

About Moliagul Victoria: (from the AussieTowns website)

Moliagul is a ghost town which was once a thriving gold mining village. The region has produced more gold nuggets than any other area in Australia. While some of the towns buildings are in ruins, there are still about 200 people living in the district. There is one significant reason for visiting this peaceful piece of the Australian bush – it was here that the worlds largest known gold nugget, the famous Welcome Stranger, was discovered on 5th February, 1869.

On February 5, 1869 a Cornish miner John Deason had been prospecting in the area for some years. He was working across an area known as Bulldog Gully, near Moliagul. While digging through some tree roots, Deason discovered a gold nugget. He broke a pick handle trying to lever it out of the ground and eventually retrieved using a crowbar. He and his partner Richard Oates kept their discovery a secret until dark. In the veil of darkness they loaded the nugget on to a dray and carted it home. The two men then held a party the following night to announce their find.

The 2,316 ounce (69 kg) nugget, later names the ‘Welcome Stranger’, is the world’s largest-known gold nugget.