I’VE told you before about the MountainGrass Festival in Victoria and the good news just keeps on coming.
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The latest artist announcements revealed the re-formed Flying Emus, who’ve earned legendary status in Australia, and The Company, with two Australian Bluegrass champions in its line-up, will congregate for the pickin’ and grinnin’.
USA band Special Consensus are the headline act and will be joined by the Davidson Brothers, Bluegrass Parkway, Chris Henry & the Hardcore Grass (USA), The Pipi
Pikers (NZ), Pete Denahy, Flying Engine Stringband, One Up, Two Down and lots more.
All up, 20 bands will be offered for your musical enjoyment over the festival.
The second annual MountainGrass promises to build on the success of the first, filling Harrietville with all things bluegrass and old-time music from November 14-16.
A 500-seat outdoor marquee will be erected in the grounds of the event’s major sponsor, Feathertop Chalet Harrietville, where there will be more incredible bluegrass bands than you could poke a fiddle at.
Tickets are now available online at www.ticketebo.com.au/abotma/mountaingrass-2014.html
Weekend passes for the festival are $125 for non-members and $95 for members when purchased at the festival site.
SOUTH Australia’s Amber Joy Poulton feels like she’s hit the jackpot – twice!
Amber Joy has been chosen to support Kenny Rogers on the Adelaide leg of his Australian tour next year, an item she happily ticked off her bucket list in 2012 when the legendary singer came through South Australia on his previous round of engagements.
If you haven’t seen Amber Joy in action before, you’ve really missed something special.
She is a TIARA winner and a regular at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, as well as other major events around the country.
There’s no doubt she’ll be jumping out of her skin on the countdown to February 11, 2015 when she again supports her long-time idol.
“Kenny Rogers is my all-time favourite singer from any genre,” she said.
“As kids, we used to listen to him every time we got in the car and we’d sing his songs at the top of our lungs.
“I may be tempted to reprise that happy pastime from the back of the Festival Theatre stage next
February!”
Along with Kenny Rogers, Amber Joy was fortunate to have also supported Brian Cadd and Russell
Morris, Melinda Schneider and Troy Cassar-Daley. Visit her website www.amberjoypoulton.com.au
WENDY Gordon’s ranch is enjoying the rain and its accommodation area for campers attending the 2014 Clarence Valley Country Muster will be well-signposted, that’s for sure.
Who could resist chucking a left at Terry Gordon OAM Blvd and “doing a Waddo” down Lindsay Waddington St?
Great camping facilities are just the start of the good things to come for the muster’s second outing.
They are offering a $2000 recording contract for the best walk-up artist, a free CD of the performers, great raffle prizes (including a week on a Clarence River houseboat), and the best locally-produced tucker in the region.
Wendy reckons she’s hit on a real recipe for success for the event on her property north-east of Grafton from October 27 to November 2.
More than 20 artists will entertain muster goers. Among them are Terry Gordon, Glenn Jones, Lindsay Waddington, The Kross Kut Showband, Marge Graham and acclaimed bush poet Ray Essery.
Fingers (and toes) were firmly crossed before the first muster last year when Wendy decided to open up her property to the festival at
Calliope – a tiny but historically-rich hamlet in the lush northern NSW Clarence Valley.
There was no need for anxiety. Country music fans – dominated by grey nomads and their vans – turned up to savour the delights of food, friendship and the sweet sounds of professional performers.
“The success of the first muster just blew me away, but the follow-up from it was even more staggering,” Wendy said.
“Given the response to bookings for this year’s muster, I wouldn’t be surprised to see up to 1500 fans on the property.”
Not by coincidence, the Clarence Valley Music Muster is held at the same time of year as Grafton’s nationally-recognised Jacaranda Festival – so it’s a real double whammy for those with time to make a real holiday out of it.
“Jaca pulls in thousands of visitors every year,” Wendy said.
“The muster offers them another attraction just a few kilometres down river.
The property is close to Ulmarra – a historic river port village settled even before Grafton itself.
“Ulmarra not only takes you back to a time when the Clarence River was the highway for goods crammed into sailing ships and steamers, but it now offers accommodation at the Commercial Hotel, the now-dry Exchange Hotel opposite and upmarket bed and breakfast outlets Woodfordleigh, Rooftops and Lulu’s.”
Proceeds from the raffles go towards easing the lot of sick kids through the Camp Quality organisation.
For more information and bookings contact Wendy Gordon on 6644 8012, 0432 741 947 or visit www.cvcmuster.com.au
I ABSOLUTELY loved Cash the Concert at the Capitol earlier this month starring Daniel Thompson, Stuie French, Brad Bergen, Artie Taylor and special guest Tamara Stewart as June Carter Cash.
With the big songwriter spread in last week’s issue, I didn’t have time or space to tell you about it (don’t forget next Wednesday is Songwriters @ The Pickin’ Pen at the Hog’s Breath Café).
The Cash show was quite an eerie experience for me at one stage. We’d moved down to the front as there were spare seats (shame on you, Tamworth for not filling that room!), and Daniel sent the band offstage for a break.
Up there with just his guitar and that beautiful, big voice he sang one of the Cash classics, a song I’ll never be able to hear again without thinking of my big brother, David, who’s no longer with us.
Daniel could have chosen any song, but when he sang Give My Love To Rose, I knew my brother was there with me – on his birthday.
Happy birthday, Dave – and thanks Daniel for opening the floodgates yet again.
Those who missed this fabulous show are most certainly the less fortunate.
I was blessed.
SPEAKING of blessings, that big, gorgeous hunk of family man, Adam Harvey will be out at AgQuip today at the Amarok stand.
It’s extremely timely in that his new album, Family Life, comes out tomorrow.
If you’re smart, you’ll pre-order it at your favourite outlet, otherwise it will be snapped up quicker than hotcakes at Maccas on a Sunday morning.
Take along a hat, cap, CD, photo, shirt, body, whatever and I’m sure Harv would be pleased to sign it for you. Well, that depends on the body part, I suppose …