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FESTIVAL LINE UP MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

ECOPELLA

Since Ecopella’s formation in 1998 we have performed at numerous environmental events, protests, community gatherings and folk festivals. In 2001 we opened the Global Greens Conference in Canberra – the first large-scale conference of activists from Greens parties around the world. During the same visit we also helped launch ‘Greensongs’, a double CD compiled by the Greens, at the National Folk Festival. In 2003 our first CD appeared, whose title track An Organism Called Earth by Paul Spencer is one of six original works on the album. We began the following year with our most spectacular gig so far. We were selected to participate in the Fire Event that closed the Woodford Festival in Queensland. Before a crowd of around 50,000 we performed alongside the 400 voice festival choir, led by our director Miguel Heatwole, and also performed a piece by ourselves. During the next few years we extended the choir beyond the Sydney region, and we now have bases in four cities. Whenever possible, at festivals or at major events, we gather together and perform our music to awesome effect. Early in 2006 we gave a series of concerts to raise money for Tasmania’s old-growth forests. Over $1,300 was raised for the Gunns Twenty – a group of environmentalists being sued by a wood-chipping company because they spoke against the clear-felling and burning of Australia’s natural heritage. In July 2006 we raised $1,600 for a medical clinic in East Timor. Our second CD, Songs In The Key Of Green was released at our 10th anniversary celebration at the National Folk Festival in 2008. The term a cappella describes a style of singing in which the music is performed by the human voice only. Commonly the singers are divided into four parts that each sing a line of music that blends or weaves through the other parts. The variety of effects this style can produce is evident in Ecopella’s repertoire, which ranges from sonic tapestries of intermingled texts and tunes to passionate anthemic pieces where all singers deliver the same message in harmony. The emotional range of an Ecopella performance is considerable. One might expect a choir that sings about the environment to be a gloomy ensemble, but Ecopella's sense of fun ensures an abundance of positive and satirical messages. When the mood becomes serious the beauty and solemnity of the music uplifts the listener. Our website is well worth a look for the lyrics. To a large extent the songs we sing have come from ourselves or from our friends. Paul Spencer, Tony Eardley and Miguel Heatwole have all contributed pieces that have attracted public approval over many performances. Our close connections with the folk scene have brought us many more Australian songs (by writers like John Warner, Margaret Bradford, Peter Hicks, Fay White and Wendy Joseph) most of which were arranged by Ecopella and are flavoured with folk, jazz, pop, and Western classical influences.

MCGEE....Mudgees latest sensation and a welcome addition. Theyre rock based tunes should spice up the event and the explosive Blues Voice of Jez Holland will thrill everyone ....fresh from their appearance at the recent Day on the Green they will also be featuring their latest release...."Southern Comfort"

THALIA..POET

thalia started writing lexikon and visual poetry in 1972 and became > known as an anarchist poet in Melbourne, writing about migrant culture > and working class life. She was a co-editor of 925 - a mag of poetry > for the workers by the workers, about the workers' work, and is a > founding member of the Poets' Union of Australia. thalia's work has > been published extensively in Australia and overseas. >

ALAN MUSGROVE

Alan Musgrove has been performing and collecting Australian folk songs > and tunes since the 1970s. Alan is well known to audiences across the > country. He has performed nationality and internationally for 30 years > and has several recordings to his credit, including traditional and > original ballads, Australian and American old-time music, collected > fiddle tunes and a collaborative album of poetry, songs and music with > thalia.

ANDRIS HEKS......

'STOP PRESS! In honour of the Gulgong OPERA HOUSE, E co median, Andris Heks will world premier an aria or 2 from his brand new Rock Opera, entitled 'RUDD THE DUD', starring Kevin 2009, 'Lest we forget Howard', The Minister for the Greenhouse Mafia :Peter Garrett and a cast of thousands. Be among the first to find out in this sneak preview, Kevin's top secret Final Solution for global warming.'

Andris Heks.....'Andris' seditious Hungarian Gypsy Cabaret.' A combination of spicy Hungarian Gypsy songs, a couple Andris' performance poems and stand up comedy of politically satirical kind. Andris has been doing such cabarets on the Music Festival circuit and last year his seditious cabaret on John Howard landed him two top prizes at the Blue Mountains Theatre Festival, including Best Actor. Multi-award winner songwriter and performer, Pat Drummond writes:' Andris Heks is a very quirky and dramatic Hungarian gypsy poet, musician and political satirist who presents his work with humour and passion. I thouroughly enjoyed his performance at the St Albans Folk Festival in 2006.'

a.heks @ hotmail.com Ph: 02 47 87 91 73 mobile: 0413325423

BUCK AND DEANNE....'Buck & Deanne are entertaining, witty, spontaneous and oozing with charm. As a bonus , they make good music too! Drawing on a combined 30 years musical experience, this romantic, musical collaboration has been laying 'em in the aisles from Araluen in W.A. to Woy Woy, NSW. They perform Buck's original material and their own special arrangements on traditional blues, pop and folk classics. Come and be inspired by this duo featuring fine vocals, close harmonies and nifty finger-pickin' guitar.'

ROSS AND JUDY KURTZ will be performing on their own with interpretations of German Folk songs and Ross's own quirky songs , poems and lyrical observations

GERARD GILET Famed guitar maker will be running workshops Gerard Gilet is a Sydney based guitar maker who has been at the forefront of acoustic guitar design in Australia. With over 30 years of experience making for a clientele of serious musicians and professionals, the Gilet guitar has become highly regarded and sought after.

GREG CARLIN........ is a refreshingly uncommon songwriter and intricate finger-style player of acoustic and resonator guitars. An intimate of both bush labouring and executive city life, Greg brings to life in his words and music a potent album of snapshots of modern Australian living. His intelligent poetry takes just a few words to evoke vivid images and emotions.

He toured professionally for a few years with bluegrass band Rosewood, has played in other folk and dance bands in Central Western NSW and was the voice of Canberra blues duo Handpicked. A familiar of coffee-houses and folk clubs throughout the land, Greg has appeared at the National Folk Festival, Illawarra, Uranquinty, Gulgong, St Albans and other folk festivals. A lifetime of absorbing old jazz, Delta and other traditional blues, Django and music from every decade since, has spawned an extensive repertoire of intriguing original songs; some poignant, some addictively rhythmic, some relaxing, some just foot-tappingly satisfying. Each song is appealingly different to the next, and we challenge you to pick the influences!

CRAIG AND SIMONE DAWSON will be playing and also facillitating workshops on tuning/capoing/slack key and flute interpretation

STRINGY BARK BAND the original and the best...including the tea chest bass!!!

HOME RULE...celebrating the release of their much awaited anthology and headlining the street dance on New Years Eve

BLUE VALENTINE...following up their debut release of 2007 with their new Bluesgrass approach and fiery Banjo playing of Gulgong boy Jesse Grover

BOB CAMPBELL....performing new songs/potry and the Jimmy Governor song cycle

THE GAUDRY BROS, MATT AND LUKE

Matt [Pictured]

...legendary Gulgong mercurial talents and vagabonds will be raising musical hell wherever they lay their instruments

LIMERICK KAYE...Gulgongs own Fairy Queen will be celebrating the release of her debut CD recorded with Matt Gaudry and Rob Long in Newcastle

ROB LONG...The Golden guitar himself will be bringing his beautiful lyrical style to Gulgong and also be celebrating his CD...check it out on our music player

HORTON RIVER BAND....The Wide Open Road: 25 Years of the Horton River Band. The HRB's uncompromising approach to fieldwork, scholarship, and performance spearheaded the 'second revival' of Australian Traditional Music, setting the national agenda and developing the method, repertoire and 'style'. Band members made 1500 recordings, collecting and documenting countless tunes and songs, and have performed alongside 'Traditional' musicians on many occasions. Rare archival footage and live performance showcases the Band's seminal Australian musical journey.

TOM BROMLEY....Celebrated song and Irish traditional interpretations in a Beautiful key

ELIS DOYLE...explosive blues of this Irish expat...

SEAMUS DUFFY

JOHN SPENCER

CATH AND LIONEL O'KEEFE

RICHARD LAWSON...legendary rock musician and now Gulgong resident will be performing with Home Rule/Blue Valentine and on his own with David Miles and busking skiffle with Ross Kurtz in the "Pheasant Pluckers"

ARCH BISHOP POET

KERRY DONACHY will be launching her book of poetry....In my poetry I have tried to tell the story of various moments in time, capturing the emotion, the feelings-love, happiness, peace, my thoughts, a little humour, beauty, wonder and nature...........most of my work is inspired by the natural world. I grew up South of Sydney, then moved to the country in 1984

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BRONNIE WARE

"Bronnie Ware writes songs of the life she has experienced and the landscapes she has observed. Her style is a strange variation of styles, from alternate, to roots, from country to folk, and every now and then you can hear a hint of bush balladry. Bronnie's music can be strangely haunting and sometimes hypnotic, but mainly her music is unique"..........Country Update

SUGARFOOT

GULGONG HIGH SCHOOL BAND

HUBERT HUBERTSON SHOW BAND...legendary incarnation of Gulgongs own superstars...returning from triumphant world stadium tour!!!

ROBYN BINKS AND THE VELVETS....Gulgong is lucky to have her perform her beautiful and poignant songs from her CD and new works

JOHN AND TINKER DUFFY...Johnnie and Tinker Duffy live and breathe traditional music. Johnny has found his way in life through his music. For him, music has become a concentration of life. It is philosophy, mythology, melancholy, pyramids, spirit-raising, alcohol, nuts, cheese and raisins all in a single melodic rhythm. When he draws the bow across the fiddle, he probably believes in Hippola - or someone rather like Her. However, you have to be careful with Tinker. She has her squeeze box spit fire and can be frightening. But her music is spot on - punchy, dance-insisting and capable of converting the disbelievers to try and solve all the problems of the world - all within a few bars. Whether they play combinations of Irish pipes, fiddle, accordian, guitar, harp, whistle or voice, they make sounds that inspire. It is doubtful if they have ever stopped to appreciate just what they do to listeners.

TIM BYRON

http://www.myspace.com/slicedbreadau

JADEY O'REGAN

http://www.myspace.com/janevsworld

http://www.myspace.com/theonedersau

BRUCE CAMERON AND SENOR CABRALES...

Señor Cabrales is a band from Eastern Australia playing traditional music from Northern Spain and Brittany. Our band members all have long pedigrees playing various types of folk music, mostly with past emphasis on the Scots and Irish tradition and long experience in Celtic music sessions, including active involvement with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann. We became increasingly drawn to the European Celtic traditions through the recordings of Alan Stivell, Sonerien Du and Kornog (Brittany), Milladoiro, Carlos Nunez (Galicia) and Llan de Cubel (Asturias) and were greatly influenced by meeting the Asturian band, Felpeyu, which toured Australia on three occasions over the last decade. Close contact with Felpeyu gave us the opportunity to explore the repertoire and begin playing Asturian tunes. The original Señor Cabrales band formed in Bathurst NSW in 2003 to pursue what had proved a great musical experience. In 2004 the band recorded a live CD, now out of print. The band’s line up has grown over time and now includes members from Bathurst, Lithgow, Canberra, the NSW South Coast and Brisbane but, despite the tyranny of distance, the repertoire continues to grow as does enthusiasm for Northern Spanish and Breton traditional music. Señor Cabrales has been well-received at the Illawarra and National Folk festivals over the last couple of years and remains, as far as we're aware, the only band in our part of Australia concentrating on this material. The instrumentation includes fiddle, flute, whistle, mandolin, bouzouki, bodhran, banjo and Galician pipes (in various combinations) and the music is presented with plenty of "craic" (or its European Celtic equivalent !)

JANE HARDING...... Secrets revealed! Jane Harding, from Coonabarabran in the Warrumbungle Mountains of NSW, sings and writes songs inspired by the people she knows and the places she's been. Her songwriting influences include Kristina Olsen, Pat Drummond, Bruce Watson and Banjo Patterson, with melodies heavily informed by traditional Irish Scotish, and Australian folk tunes. Blessed with a fantastic voice and gentle touch on guitar, she weaves a story in song that will continue to haunt you, long after the performance is over.

CHRIS SULLIVAN

ECOPELLA

DAISY BURRS.....a fairly new comedy/country outfit from Mudgee featuring Danielle Scott and Friends “Daisy Burr has been on the road for over 30 years, entertaining audiences with her Australian country songs and stories about truck drivers, vegetarians and crochering bread wrappers. Managed by her son, Neville Slim Dusty Springfield Burr, who also drives the station wagon & tows the Viscount caravan, Daisy has yet to attain her ultimate goal of a Golden Guitar at Tamworth. The judges say her material is too off-colour, but Daisy says Australian country music thesedays is dominated by flibbety gibbets wearing flim flam.”