Scroll below to see who is performing in 2018.
Euripi
* Friday Night, The Underground Motel
Brief Bio
Euripi is a Mudgee based, original, folk and cover duo, composed of husband and wife team, Glenn and Emily Van Reason. Although coming from different musical backgrounds in Classical and Music Theatre and Aussie Rock, they share a love of an eclectic range of music which transverses many genres.
Euripi draw inspiration for their unique style and harmonies from the musical artists they admire, particularly singer/songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly, Rodriguez, Debra Conway and Damien Rice. They can be found performing through out the Central West at pubs, clubs, weddings and functions, markets and festivals.
When not performing Glenn and Emily are busy raising their four children on the family farm, growing organic vegetables and fruit and tending to their increasing menagerie of animals.
Hillbilly Goats
* Saturday Night Concert
* Saturday Workshop
Brief Bio
Festival favourites, the Hillbilly Goats exude an undeniable passion for mountain music, the instruments and the harmonies. Their mission is to strip back the layers of modern music and transport you on a journey that began centuries ago when the immigrants first settled in the Appalachian Mountains of America. These guys aren’t just a band – they’re a show!
2016 Golden Guitar Finalists for "Rabbit in a Log" - Bluegrass Recording of the year
2017 Golden Guitar Finalists for "Cumberland Gap" - Bluegrass Recording of the Year
Baylou
* Saturday Night Concert
Brief Bio
Victoria Baillie has been working as a solo artist for many years in Australia. Highly regarded in her own right, having won a Golden Guitar for Best New Talent at the 2010 Country Music Awards of Australia in 2011. Along side major festival appearances including the Gympie Music Muster, Deni Ute Muster & showcasing at Nashville’s CMA festival, Victoria has also toured extensively around Australia on and also has had four Top #10 music videos on the Country Music Channel (CMC).
Barb Baillie has been an integral part of Victoria’s solo career as a guitarist and and backing vocalist for most of her live shows and recordings. As a result of this and touring with artists such as Adam Havery, Beccy Cole and Troy Casser-Daly, Barb has carved out her own reputation as a player and singer, capitalizing on touring with these acts and in effect creating her own fan base.
As a duo, Baylou will bring an exciting and fresh new mainstream country sound to the Australian Country Music market and with the backing of ABC Music and Universal Music Australia.
Nick Charles
* Saturday Night Concert
* Saturday Workshop
Brief Bio
Performing on average 150 shows a year across Australia, New Zealand and the USA Nick Charles is known internationally as “Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic roots and blues”.
He has released a dozen albums on Australian and US labels including his latest “The River Flows” which saw him awarded the 2016 “Album of the Year”, “Song of the Year” and “Solo Performer of the Year” in the Melbourne blues scene. He was named “Port Fairy Folk Festival Artist of the Year 2014” (Australia’s highest folk accolade) and is a twice winner of the Australian Song Contest.
A recent accolade is the 2016 “Age” Blues album of the Year, the most prestigious album award in his home state.
He has toured with and supported artists including John Hammond, Guy Clarke, Ralph McTell, Robyn Ford, Junior Wells and BB King and toured the US eleven times in recent years.
This recognition has succeeded in having Nick signed to the Grammy Award winning label, Solid Air Records USA (“Home of the World’s Finest Guitarists”). The only other Australian recognized by the label being Tommy Emmanuel.
This is dazzling fingerpicking roots music magic and a lifetime’s stories and songs from the world’s musical highways.
Slim Dime
* Saturday Night Concert
Brief Bio
Slim Dime are an acoustic duo featuring old-time mountain sounds, seamless harmonies and some mighty-fine pickin’. They make music that sounds as though it’s always existed somewhere on a mountaintop.
Their material is both original songs and traditional songs made new. They reference the old time and bluegrass repertoire and write original compositions with mesmerising story telling and precise musicianship with a broad emotional range. It’s music that makes you lean in and listen.
Mama’s Mountain Jug Band
* Saturday Night Concert
* Saturday Workshop
Brief Bio
Mama’s Mountain Jug Band plays a mixture of back to roots music, old Hillbilly songs, Jug band gems, Hokum, Jazz, Blues, and that dash of Barbershop Harmonies.
Recently Mamas have featured at several festivals including the Fiddlers Convention in Yarra Junction, The Kelly Country Pick in Beechworth, The Foggy Mountain Festival in Kinglake and the Mornington Street Festival.
They have a regular gig at Hickinbotham winery, pulling in crowds from far and wide.
Sympatico
* Friday Night, The Underground Motel
* Saturday Workshop
Brief Bio
Fiddle, mando, slide guitar, tenor banjo, guitars and vocals blend into an extraordinary Sympatico of musical energy.
Sally Carter is a singer/songwriter who plays violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin and piano.
Sally is a New Zealand Australian who indulges in her love of music with joy and gusto . She got her first fiddle when she was 11 years old, but only after she was told that she had to learn the mandolin first, as it had the same fingering. After 6 months, Sally had the basics down, so Santa was obliged to give her a fiddle…Upon hearing some beautiful classical piano music being played one day Sally became entranced with all the possibilities that she felt the piano had to offer and Sally went on to study classical piano.
Sally is a prolific song-writer and loves to tell a story, pull at the heart-strings, or simply pen a good song. Her first jam session with Evan was a “test’ to see how well he could improvise, as Sally needed a duo partner………playing only her originals, Sally was delighted to see just what Evan could do on dobro and mandolin. Evan passed with flying colours, and so Sympatico was born. Sympatico…the blending of like-minded souls to create wonderful music!
Evan Webb is a (reluctant) singer and multi-instrumentalist – guitar, bass, mandolin, dobro, harmonica, tenor banjo, uke and piano
Together with Roy Carter and Keith Rea, Evan started Mamas Mountain Jug Band, playing mainly dobro and mandolin. “Mamas” are still together 16 years later. Evan eventually bought a double bass and played with Faux Grass, The High Times String Band, The Chestnut Street Orchestra, Appalachian Heaven and the Johnny Cash Tribute Show. Sally saw Evan accompany a performer at the folk club on mandolin and dobro. A short time later, after an audition (supposedly a “jam”) she suggested forming a duo – thus Sympatico came into existence. At about the same time, Sally joined “Mamas”, much to everyone’s delight. Evan is both surprised and thrilled to be Sally’s musical partner in not just one, but two great lineups.
Royden Donohue
* Friday Night Street Party
* Saturday Night Concert
Brief Bio
NAMED 2005 TIARA AWARDS MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - 2005 NATIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS BEST NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR - 2005 GOLDEN SADDLE AWARDS FINALIST
Royden Donohue is already a familiar name in Australian country music. Over the past few years, the 24-year-old has released no less than four independent albums — Born to be a Heartbreaker, Rope the Moon, Solitary Man and Kentucky Rain. He’s enjoyed considerable radio airplay, and gained the respect of the whole country music industry, as well as building a large and solid fan base around his home town of Nyngan in western New South Wales.
His third album, Rope the Moon, took him into the finals of the Australian Independent Country Music Awards in Mildura in 2000. He’s twice been a Star Maker grand finalist — in 1999 and 2000 — and graduated from the prestigious CMAA College of Country Music in 1999.
But during his time in the desert over the past couple of years, Royden came to the realisation that it was time to take the next step forward with his career. So he contacted award-winning producer Rod McCormack — who’s been responsible for the success of artists like Beccy Cole and Adam Harvey, amongst others — to produce his new single.
Royden was keen to capture the quality of his live performances on the new tracks. “I wanted songs that were positive, that reflected my musical style — which is influenced by people like Dwight Yoakam and Elvis — and that would appeal to a mixed audience,” he said.
Under Rod’s guidance, Royden selected three songs to record: “We’re Gone” “Call It What It Is” and “Is It Love?”
The songs are all pure country, and reflect Royden’s deep country roots as well as showcasing his powerful voice and dynamic style. “I’ve gone that extra step with these songs, and given them everything I’ve got. Working with Rod has made the world of difference, and I’m really happy with the result,” Royden said.
The catchy single “We’re Gone” is extremely radio friendly – and was a Top 20 hit on the Australian charts.
