Over the weekend The Woodford Folk Festival revealed its 2013 program and it’s pretty darn impressive. With over 500 artists announced in 28 venues over six days Woodford 2013 is arguably Australia’s biggest and most diverse folk festival.
The festival doesn’t really have headliners as such but we’ve spotted a bunch of international and Australian Timber and Steel favourites including Bearded Gypsy Band, Beth Orton, Buffalo Tales, Busby Marou, Castlecomer, Clare Bowditch, Darren Hanlon, Jordie Lane, Rose Cousins, Matt Corby, Sam Amidon, The Crooked Fiddle Band, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats, The Twoks, Andrew Winton, Claude Hay, Hat Fitz & Cara, Whitetop Mountaineers, Andrew Clermont, Andy Irvine, Spooky Men’s Chorale, Thelma Plum and many many more.
Having been announced as part of the Brisbane Festival a couple of weeks ago an Australian tour announcement for Calexico was almost inevitable – we just had to be patient. And lo and behold today we got confirmation that the nu-folk legends would be making their way around the country this September.
Calexico will be touring their 2012 album Algiers and have selected some pretty impressive supports for the tour including Depedro (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth), Tiny Ruins (Byron Bay, Meeniyan, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth), Brighter Later (Meeniyan) and The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth). Check out the full list of dates below:
Tuesday 17th to Wednesday 18th September – Brisbane Festival, Brisbane, QLD
Friday 20th September Byron Theatre, Byron Bay
Saturday 21st September – Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan, VIC
Sunday 22nd September – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW
Tuesday 24th September – Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Wednesday 25th September – Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Thursday 26th September – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Friday 27th September – Astor Theatre, Perth, WA
Saturday 28th September – Wave Rock Weekender, Hyden, WA
In celebration here’s my favourite Calexico song, “Sunken Waltz”:
– The latest song from the upcoming album Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys has hit the internet and it’s a version of “Shenandoah” featuring Tom Waits and Keith Richards. Details here
– UK indie-folk darlings Daughter has announced the details of their upcoming debut album If You Leave, complete with 10 single word track titles. Details here
– The Crooked Fiddle Band are taking the crowdfunding route with their second album and are asking fans to contribute to a Pozible campaign. Details here
– UK singers Eliza Carthy, Lucy Farrell, Kate Young and Bella Hardy have joined their considerable talents for a brand new folk supergroup project Laylam, with a new album due on the 28th January. Details here
– Donavon Frankenreiter is bringing his brand of surf-roots (and his moustache) back to Australia this February and March for a massive 30+ shows. Details here
– The new video from Hayden Calnin, “Summer”, is better written, acted, shot, directed and of course soundtracked than anything on Australian television at the moment – that’s my claim anyway. Details here
– The Counting Crows have confirmed a handful of sideshows when they’re in the country for Bluesfest. Details here
– Melbourne instrumental three-piece The String Contingent announced their new album Talk and started streaming it online all at once. Details here
– “Winter Make Way”, the new single from Melbourne’s Sleepy Dreamers is pretty stunning. Details here
– Matt Walters has finally released his Vacant Heart EP, four months after the original release date. Details here
– Ex-Middle East memeber Mark Myers has unveiled his new solo project, The Starry Field, with a poppy debut single and a bunch of east coast tour dates. Details here
– The Starry Field’s debut single “All Of My Love” also has a brand new video to go with it. Details here
– “Line of Fire” is the brand new single from Junip from their upcoming self titled album. Details here
– The Staves released their brand new video “Winter Trees”. Details here
– UK trio Bear’s Den have made their latest single, “Pompeii”, available as a free download. Details here
– Passenger has revealed a brand new song “A Thousand Matches” via a live video that also features Stu Larsen and Isobel Anderson on backing vocals. Details here
Interviews
“We started off on New Year’s Eve at Peat’s Ridge, and that was amazing. We’ve also ended up with large amounts of nude Australians, twice in a fortnight” – Jorge Kachmari from The Underscore Orkestra chats to Bill Quinn. Interview here
“We’ve decided quite recently that we’re not going to record anything all three of us together. Because Laura wants to focus on her career and I want to focus on mine. And I’m happy to play with Amelia and Laura when we’re together, but it’s kind of like a side project being The Miss Chiefs” – Laura Zarb, Amelia Gibson and Vendulka Wichta of The Miss Chiefs chat to Bill Quinn. Interview here
Reviews
Gigs
“As a country-wide heat wave began to take hold you’d be forgiven for thinking only a crazy man would leave the beach lined coastline of Sydney for a weekend in New South Wales’ central west. And you’re probably right except I was driving over the mountains to take part in the Gulgong Folk Festival, an event I had heard so many good reports on in 2012 and which boasted a 2013 lineup that seemed lifted straight from the pages of Timber and Steel – how could I not attend?” – Gareth Hugh Evans reviews the Gulgong Folk Festival. Review here
Grizzly Jim Lawrie with Kat Arditto Sunday 20th January – The Workers Club, Melbourne, VIC
Gigs Next Week
Archie Roach Friday 25th January – State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Illawarra Folk Festival Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th Januray – Bulli, NSW
Kim Churchill Friday 18th January – Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fremantle, WA
Saturday 19th January – Settler’s Tavern, Margaret River, WA
Sunday 20th January – Indi Bar, Scarborough, WA
Tuesday 22nd January – The Loft, Gold Coast, QLD
Wednesday 23rd January – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, QLD
Thursday 24th January – Sol Bar, Maroochydore, QLD
Friday 25th January – The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
Leah Flanagan Sunday 20th January – Salon Perdu Spiegeltent, Sydney, NSW
Lianne La Havas Friday 18th January – The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 20th January – The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney, NSW
Monday 22nd January – Salon Perdu Spiegeltent, Sydney, NSW
Tuesday 23rd January – Salon Perdu Spiegeltent, Sydney, NSW
Tamworth Country Music Festival 18th to 27th January – Tamworth, NSW
The Mouldy Lovers Friday 18th January – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 19th Januray – The Rails, Byron Bay, NSW
The Starry Field Sunday 20th January – The Public Bar, Melbourne, VIC
Wednesday 23rd January – The Round, Dowse Bar, Brisbane, QLD
Thursday 24th January – The Barcode, Wollongong, NSW
Friday 25th January – Hibernian House, Sydney, NSW
The Underscore Orkestra Tuesday 22nd January – Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood, VIC
Wednesday 23rd January – Toff in Town, Melbourne, VIC
The Waterboys Wednesday 23rd January – State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Friday Folk Flashback
“Don’t Forget Your Shovel” – Christy Moore
Was stoked to discover this song has an official film clip complete with a shirtless Christy Moore. This was one of those songs I used to love when I was a kid, mainly because the lyrics (and the way Moore sings it in his staccato Irish accent) are just so absurd, at least to a kid. But it really has a timeless message – that “if you’re going to do it don’t do it against the wall”. Mind your sandwiches.
I have to admit it, I was jealous. When I saw the lineup for last year’s JamGrass Music Festival in Melbourne and the subsequent videos that were posted online I immediately wished I’d been there to see it for myself. Here was a festival that celebrated and supported the new, progressive bluegrass artists that have been popping up all over the country (and particularly in Melbourne), the vast majority of which had at some point appeared on Timber and Steel.
I made a vow that if JamGrass returned for 2012 I would go, not matter what.
And that’s how I found myself hopping on a plane to Melbourne with Timber and Steel co-contributor MackaJay on Friday afternoon, checking into the smallest hotel room I’ve ever been in (“there’s a toilet in my shower!”) and scarfing down a quick meal to make sure we didn’t miss too many of the festival’s opening acts.
By the time we walked into the Thornbury Theatre the festival’s third act of the first night, The Stetson Family, were already in full swing on stage and the crowd was already pumped having already toe-tapped their way through Oh Pep! and The Fletcher. We grabbed a couple of beers, MackaJay unslung his camera and we negotiated ourselves to the front of the stage.
Which is where we promptly stayed for the next two days.
I had all these grand plans of mingling with the musos (many of which I had only met via email), snaffling a few beers from the green room rider and even trying to conduct a few between set interviews. But those plans disintegrated as soon as I was planted in front of the stage – the music had captured me and just wouldn’t let me go. The alternating two-stage setup of JamGrass probably contributed to keeping me front and centre with the only downtime between acts to change the lighting and for JamGrass founders Jason Taylor and Phoebe Preuss to introduce the next band. All I had to do was turn 90 degrees to face the next stage and let the music take over.
The alt-country stylings of The Stetson Family made way for the Big Bug Trio who messed with my mind by having anywhere between four and five members on stage at any given time. They did also introduce me to the music of dobro player Pete Fidler and fiddle player Kat Mears who would gone on to make so many appearances throughout JamGrass that they began to become ubiquitous with the festival iteself.
Mustered Courage, a Melbourne five piece I’ve been digging for quite a while now, were up next and were so tight instrumentally and vocally it was amazing. These guys have got their live act down to a fine art and were an absolute joy to watch. When they added festival special guest (and Golden Fiddle winner) George Jackson to their lineup the combination was some of the best bluegrass we’ve seen in a long time. Mustered Courage lead singer Nick Keeling revealed the band had emerged from the studio to play the gig (they weren’t around on day two because they’d locked themselves back into the studio) and were busy recording the follow up to their magnificent self titled album – quite frankly I can’t wait.
The Jim Green Trio were up next and not only were they an actual trio (take that Big Bug Trio! #doeswhatitsaysonthetin) but they also took the festival in a completely new direction, building each of their songs around jazz inspired improvisation and demonstrating just how amazing each of them are as musicians.
The first night of JamGrass was rounded out with two electric-guitar acts – locals The Merri Creek Pickers and Queensland alt-country-rockers Rattlehand. The Merri Creek Pickers had traded in the acoustic sound of last year’s JamGrass set for electric guitars and two (!) drummers. The result was a series of 10 minute long jams (putting the “Jam “ into JamGrass) that culminated into tightly presented rock and country songs. At one stage, if you count the bass and slide, The Merri Creek Pickers had five guitars on stage producing a massive sound that shook the Thornbury Theatre. Rattlehand continued the big sound theme and had the crowd up and jumping to their blend of blues, rock and country. When festival special guest Jimi Hocking dragged his mando on stage and joined the band there was no stopping them – truly the perfect way the end the day.
As MackaJay and I made our way back to our tiny hotel rooms we reflected on the night, agreeing that JamGrass had far exceeded our expectations so far. The venue was the perfect size (it felt full without ever feeling overcrowded), the running of the night had been slick and professional without a moment wasted and the calibre of the music was second to none. We made the decsion that for day two we needed to get to JamGrass right as it opened, plant ourselves in front of the stage and do it all again.
We were late again on day two, having spent much of the afternoon sampling Melbourne’s many fine bars and cafes and misjudging exactly how long it would take to get around by tram. Walking in while The Stillsons thumped out their unique brand of bluesy folk (and kicking ourselves that we’d missed Old Town) history started to repeat itself as we grabbed a couple of beers and planted ourselves in front of the stage.
The Stillsons gave way to the Americana of John Flanagan and the Begin Agains who had some of the most gorgeous harmonies of the entire festival. I feel like I need to know more about these guys as prior to JamGrass I didn’t know their music but I was very impressed with their show.
As I was with The Strzelecki Stringbusters – a twelve or thirteen piece band (I lost count) from the Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria’s Gippsland who played old time music like they were born with is running through their veins. None of the instruments were amplified, the vocal duties were shared throughout the group and at times I’m not sure they were all playing exactly the same song but this rabble of a string-band represented so much of the music I grew up with and had me smiling from ear to ear through their entire set. There may have been guest musicians playing with The Strzelecki Stringbusters on the night – with so many players on stage it was not always easy to tell.
Up next was Uncle Bill, legends of the Australian bluegrass scene and making their second Timber and Steel reviewed festival appearance after I saw them at the National Folk Festival earlier in the year. Gerry Hale is a truly gifted performer and the musicians he’s gathered around him are very fine indeed – I think I developed a fiddle-crush on Kat Mear’s playing (yes, fiddle-crush is a thing) throughout this festival but it was her turn with Uncle Bill that solidified it. Known for their covers as much as their originals I was impressed with the Uncle Bill versions of songs by Paul Kelly and Johnny Cash.
If Kat Mear (and of course George Jackson) had helped me develop a fiddle-crush then Nashville based four-piece The New Worlds gave me fiddle envy. All well versed session musos on the Nashville Americana and Bluegrass scene The New Worlds had made their way to Australia especially to take part in festivals like JamGrass and boy did they deliver. Their musicianship (on five-stringed fiddles, mando, upright bass and occasional banjo) was unequalled and their set was one of the most professional and slick of the whole festival. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding The New Worlds – much of it emanating from George Jackson who joined the band on stage at one point – and quite frankly they lived up to every word of it.
You may have noticed me beginning to blog about Nigel Wearne and the Cast Iron Promises right before JamGrass took place and that’s because I discovered their Americana music coincidently right before I realised they were on the bill. Huddled around a single mic, bluegrass style, Nigel Wearne and his band produced some beautiful harmonies and absolutely lovely old-time music, leaving me to wonder why no one had told me about them earlier.
The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats are frantic. That’s all I can say. For almost forty minutes straight they played the fastest, most hectic bluegrass of the entire festival and the energy level in the room just shot up. The crowd was dancing, the crowd was whooping, the crowd was hollering, and not even a broken guitar string in the first couple of songs could stop these guys from putting on an absolutely blistering set. If you have seen The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats live then you need to change that as soon as you possibly can – in a festival filled with highlights the set from these guys stands out as one of my favourite.
Melbourne alt-country supergroup Immigrant Union were on hand to close off what had been another incredible night of music. After the frantic energy of The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats, Immigrant Union were able to chill the crowd out and have them grooving until the lights came up and the crowd poured out onto the street to look for the after-party or try and remember where their tiny hotel rooms were. By this time I was exhausted and had even dragged myself away from the front of the stage, but I couldn’t think of a better way to finish up than watching some of Melbourne’s finest jamming on stage.
Overall JamGrass was a huge success. It managed to showcase the up and coming stars of local bluegrass while still paying tribute to the legends. While interstate and international acts were peppered through the lineup this truly was a festival of Melbourne music and it’s great to see the how much the scene is thriving there. Jason and Phoebe should be commended at putting together such an amazing event – I walked away exhilarated, exhausted and already hanging out for next year. Will we see you there?
Our matinee shows at The Workers Club in Melbourne are set to get a whole lot more bluegrass this Sunday 26th August with a set from some of our favourite pickers, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats. We’ve been following these guys for a while now and we’re super-excited to be given the chance to present them in such an awesome venue.
Tomorrow night one of the most exciting bluegrass-old-timey-string-bands to emerge in Australia over the last few years, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats, will be launching their new album Bloodhound Killed My Squeezebox at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne. We managed to catch a few minutes with Wishy, the mandolin player from the band, to chat about it’s recording, the rise of bluegrass-flavoured music in Australia and what’s in store next The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats.
Gareth Hugh Evans: Let’s start with the new album which you guys are launching this weekend. Tell us a little bit about it – it was produced by Shane Nicholson right?
Wishy: Yeah, produced by Shane Nicholson. We went up to Nash Chambers house, Foggy Mountain studios. He and Shane record people there – we were stoked because I think they get a lot of people wanting to record there so the fact they wanted to work with us was really great. So we went up there for the week and we churned out 12 songs in about, well we recorded in three days and then we put the final backing vocals and a little bit of extra percussion on a couple of songs. So it was pretty frantic – a few of the songs were basically one take and most of them were in just a few. So it’s got that live feel to it. It was pretty full on actually – we were doing about four songs a day. Shane was just great to work with – he was just super chilled. We were all probably a little bit nervous about recording for the first time, especially as we were spending all this money and you want to get it right. To have someone with that calming aura about him was just great
GHE: It sounds like with the short time frame, the single takes and the minimal overdubs you went in there with a plan – you knew the sound you wanted to produce. Was Shane Nicholson really open to your ideas or did he come in with a plan?
W: To be honest with you I think we’re pretty vague at the best of times. We just had these songs we’d written and we’d been playing live anyway so it had just come time to record them. Shane was great. As a producer we were just open to anything he had to say. He had a lot of small ideas. He added in percussion, little bits here and there that made the songs have more impact in certain spots. All of his ideas were great.
GHE: The album’s called Bloodhound Killed My Squeezebox which just makes me smile, especially as a folk fan. Where is that from?
W: That’s one of the names of the songs. It’s probably not one of the songs we’ve been pushing as singles, we just thought that was a great name for the album. I used to play piano accordion in the band initially and the banjo player, Sudzy, had a dog that pretty much destroyed it one day. It just ran into it and it smashed into a million bits. And that was it for me playing the accordion because I couldn’t really afford another one. There was just a shitty old mandolin lying about and I just started playing the chords on that and straight away it just sort of worked a little bit better for the music we were playing – the speed that we’re playing at, you just get that sort of mando chonk going on that really keeps everything in time. So I just stuck with it.
GHE: Obviously your music is rooted in the bluegrass and old-timey tradition but you’re so much more than that. How would you describe your sound?
W: That’s a toughy. People usually describe us as bluegrass but we’re definitely not bluegrass. Bluegrass is usually these guys with these sweet voices and perfect three part harmonies and they’re playing these sweet, seemless, honey solos. We’re kind of the opposite. We’re definitely heavily influenced by bluegrass but people who are into bluegrass might almost get offended by the way we play it. We’ve got a little bit of the old-timey vibe about us, it’s a bit more raw I guess and a more similar attitude to the mountain music. We all came from rock and roll backgrounds – we still listen to a lot of rock music as well and I think that comes out in the songs we write, how we get a rocky sound in there.
GHE: It seems quite prolific at the moment, all these bands influenced by bluegrass. What do you think it is about right now that sees so many of these bands popping up?
W: I don’t know. Maybe for a while now a lot of the stuff you hear on the radio is ultra-produced electronic stuff. Maybe it’s people trying to get away from that, trying to go the other way and get back to acoustic music. That’s definitely something I’ve felt. I can’t stand the computer beat and this synthetic sound – I’d rather get something real.
GHE: There’s also an immediacy to this kind of music – that you can be sitting around in a living room, pick up some instruments and just start playing.
W: Yeah, i think that’s originally how we got into it – we wanted to spend a summer’s day outside down at the park and you can bring your acoustic instruments and have a jam in beautiful surroundings. You can’t do that with a drum kit and electric guitars and amps and stuff like that.
GHE: So with the launch show on Saturday are looking forward to finally getting the album out there?
W: Totally. We recorded it last year so it’s been a long time coming. We’re really looking forward to getting it out there and the [launch] night in general. We’ve got some other really great bands playing with us – Howlin’ Steam Train, Sweet Jean and Master Gunfighters. They’re really great bands. And I think we’re heading for a sold out show – they reckon there’s going to be no tickets on the door.
GHE: I’m sure five years ago you wouldn’t be able to sell out the Northcote Social Club with a bluegrass act.
W: I think that’s the thing. A lot of the time you stand out if you’re doing something a little bit different. People want to see that. If you’re playing in a three piece rock band you’ve got to be the best.
GHE: Following the launch show on Saturday what’s coming up next? Are you touring the album?
W: Our guitarist [Lachlan Alcorn] is going to have a kid within the next month so we’ve put it a little bit on hiatus, for a few weeks anyway. But we’ll be heading to Adelaide and I think there’s talk of going to Western Australia as well. We’ve never been out that way so that’ll be pretty cool. And then I guess we’re going to start trying to work towards the next album.
GHE: And I saw you’re on the lineup for JamGrass as well.
JamGrass will take place over two days on the 19th and 20th October at The Thornbury Theatre’s Velvet Room in Melbourne. And just in case you think that the amazing lineup is all there is, never fear – the organisers are planning a third announcement soon.
Following a successful sold out 2011 debut Jambands Australia have announced their 2012 JamGrass Festival which is looking even bigger and better than before. There’s a new, bigger venue – The Velvet Room at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre – with the festival now stretching over two days, the 19th and 20th October.
“The new venue is the right size for the festival, has the right character and most importantly has phenomenal sound which is extremely important to help showcase the artists,” Jason Taylor, co-producer of the festival, explained via the festival’s press release.
With the festival organisers finalising the full lineup soon they’re encouraging progressive bluegrass acts get in touch ASAP. For more information on this and the rest of the festival – including how to get tickets – check out the official JamGrass Festival website.
Summer may be officially over but that doesn’t mean the end to music festival announcements. No siree. We have a whole winter of festivals to look forward to and the wintery-est of all is the Snowy Mountains of Music who have just this morning announced their first round of artists. And what a lineup – as always it’s leaning heavily to the folky end of the spectrum and we couldn’t be happier.
The Snowy Mountains of Music takes place over the June long weekend (8th to the 11th June) in Perisher, NSW. Super early bird tickets are available until the 29th March. Check out the official web site for more details.
The one folk genre that really seems to have taken off in Australia over the last couple of years would have to be Bluegrass. Originating in the Appalachia region of the United States, Australian artists have taken to the genrelike a house on fire with new jam bands, string bands and pickers popping up all over the country.
Once associated with bearded old men plucking banjos and mandolins, the new Bluegrass (or New-Grass) scene in this country and overseas has seen a new generation of artists evolve (and in some cases subvert) the genre to create something very very exciting. These artists are not just confined to folk, country and bluegrass festivals either – you’d probably be surprised to find that many of them are emerging from the urban indie-music scene in our capital cities and performing at mainstream festivals or New-Grass specific events like the recent Jamgrass Festival in Melbourne. We thought we’d spotlight just a few of our favourite Australian bluegrass artists to get you acquainted with the genre – but keep in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg and there’s plenty more where this came from. Let’s get pickin’!
Davidson Brothers
Hamish and Lachlan Davidson (above) from Yinnar in south-eastern Victoria are the shining lights on the Australian bluegrass scene at the moment having picked up Golden Guitars, appeared at festivals around Australia and even appeared on Spicks and Specks. The Davidson Brothers have really been embraced by the country music scene in Australia (bluegrass is one of those genres championed by country and folk fans alike) so you’re more likely to catch them at Tamworth than you are at The National – although they are scheduled for Port Fairy this year so that’s definitely not a hard and fast rule.
The Davidson Brothers, like most of their Australian contemporaries, are pretty traditional in their approach to bluegrass sticking with the tried and true instrumentation (guitar, banjo, mando) and singing with an American inflection. They’re also pretty savvy when it comes to social media (which you kind of have to be when you’re not based fulltime in a capital city) and we highly recommend following them on Twitter to keep up with everything that’s going on in the bluegrass and country world – @davidsonbrother
The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats are the first of a number of Melbourne bands on our list. We don’t know what’s in the water down there but we hope people keep drinking it. Originally from the Mornington Peninsula, The Quarry Mountain Dead Rats play frantic, jam style bluegrass music which contains that ever important element – the washboard.
If you cast your eyes over the lineup for just about any festival in 2012 (Cygnet Folk Festival, Illawarra Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, etc) you’ll probably come these guys are they appear to be everywhere at the moment. And as far as we’re concerned that’s a good thing.
WA’s entry into the Australian new-grass scene comes to us in the form of Perth six piece The Seals. Prolific buskers in their home town and bluegrass evangelists everywhere else The Seals combine guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass and drums/percussion along with vocals from all five members (listen to their track “High” and tell us you don’t imagine the entire band crowded around a single mic Bill Monroe style).
The Seals have put together a lovely little mini-doco on themselves that you can watch below. Given how entrenched these guys are in the burgeoning new-grass scene don’t be surprised to start seeing them pop up everywhere – even if it’s just busking in your local mall.
Another Melbourne outfit is Mustered Courage (who seriously have one of the best band names going) whose mission is “to bridge a gap between traditional bluegrass music and the Australian alternative music scene”. While most of the music that Mustered Courage plays is original they are probably best known for their covers including Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” and Boys II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You”.
Mustered Courage released their debut, self titled album in September 2011 and toured it in Victoria and NSW. They’ve managed to get themselves some triple j airplay recently (which we guess helps them in their mission) and are about to hit Tamworth for the country music festival.
Timber and Steel have been promoting Sydney based subversive bluegrass trio The Lurkers since we first launched and there was no way we were going to complete this list without us. The Lurkers are the point at which political activism and banjo picking meet – in fact the legend is they first got together after discovering a shared love of bluegrass while attending a climate festival. So much of The Lurkers’ music is tied to their political ideals from Pretty Boy Floyd’s graffitied guitar (sporting the Woody Guthrie inspired “This Machine Kills Facists”), to the lyrics of their songs right through to the gigs they play which take place both at festivals and climate rallies around Australia and the world.
The Lurkers slowed down for a moment last year following on from the birth of Desert Rat Shorty’s first child but yellow biodiesel-powered Lurker-van can once again be seen parked in festival camp sites and hooning around Sydney’s inner west with their second album Who’s Got a Padlock and Chain? in tow.
The ultimate jamband the Merri Creek Pickers see themselves as The Grateful Dead of the Australian bluegrass scene. The band have incorporated the very un-bluegrass electric guitar into their band and as a result regularly venture into country, folk and rock during their jams. But at they’re essence they are (as their name suggests) pickers and very fine ones at that.
The Merri Creek Pickers will be joining the likes of Justin Townes Earle and Lanie Lane at this year’s Boogie Festival which they’ve got to be pretty stoked about. They’re also regularly seen around their hometown of Melbourne along with a few other names on this list – track them down and check them out.
Jordie Lane described The Perch Creek Family Jugband’s new album Tall Tales as “A beautiful example of great bluegrass and ol’ time standards coming from this quirky Australian ‘real’ family band” when he chose it as his top album of 2011 in Timber and Steel’s poll. The Perch Creek Family Jugband have created this myth around them that often makes it hard to separate fact from fiction – apparently they include Australia’s top one-legged saw player, are all brothers and sisters despite their ever increasing numbers and their dancing skills are a direct result of being forced to dance on hot coals as children.
Speaking of children it’s not uncommon to see the vocal chores of The Perch Family Jugband shared with adults and kids alike. They’ve become a staple at folk festivals around the country, have appeared on Spicks and Specks and have toured extensively overseas. Fitting somewhere between a string band, a jugband and a dance troop The Perch Creek Family Jugband have to be seen to be believed
The new-grass scene in Sydney has become synonymous with one name in the last year: Bellyache Ben. Along with his band The Steamgrass Boys, Bellyache Ben has been holding court in Newtown’s Madame Fling Flong on Wednesday night’s where they tear the place up each and every week. Bellyache Ben and the Steamgrass Boys has a a whopping 7 members (and even more on a good night) covering everything from banjo to resonator to dobro to mandolin to fiddle to washboard.
They’ve just launched their self titled debut album and have been announced for the Blue Mountains Music Festival so it looks like 2012’s going to be a big year for Bellyache Ben and the Steamgrass Boys. We have no word whether their Madame Fling Flong residency is set to return this year but we’re hoping it does – it’s just what the Sydney bluegrass scene needs.
What makes new-grass so subversive is that it breaks so many of the “rules” set out by bluegrass traditionalists. One of the biggest no-nos on the traditional scene is incorporating other musical styles and songs into the genre – something new-grass artists have been doing from the very beginning. Sydney quartet The Pigs are probably best known for their bluegrass cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, the video of which (featuring John Williamson) has garnered them more than 200,000 views of facebook. But The Pigs are more than just a one trick pony and they have a whole back catalogue of hilarious bluegrass covers and originals.
The blue chesty-bonds wearing boys completely a residency at Sydney’s Empire Hotel in November last year and have already been announced on the lineup of a number of festivals in 2012 including Port Fairy, Corinbank and The Northern Beaches Music Festival – it’s going to be a very big year for The Pigs.
Obviously this is not an extensive list and there are hundreds more Australian new-grass players out there. If you’re up for more banjo and mado pickin’ head to The Australian Bluegrass Blog or Jambands Australia and get exploring. We hope you’ve liked our little slice of bluegrass heaven.
If Kat Mear (and of course 
catherineelaine
chordsandcandles
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KTBell
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Serena Skye
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Overheard Productions
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Timber and Steel 