Featured Artists
The Bushwackers
Australia’s best-known, best-loved bush band led by the mighty Lagerphone of Dobe Newton have been performing for over 45 years. There’s been 75 members, 20 studio albums, four books, tours, awards and enough stories to fill a dozen books. Playing Australian music, much of it based on the traditional working songs from the early 20th century they have taken their unique brand throughout the country and around the world.
Wielding fiddles, accordions, mandolins, guitars, bass, and drums this great team of musicians have shared their spirit and energy with festivals, clubs, pubs, schools and events. Their Bushdances in the late 70’s and 80’s had thousands of people doing the Heel and Toe and Strip the Willow and there’s scarcely a schoolkid who didn’t learn a bit of bush-dancing to the music of The Bushwackers.
The Bushwackers are renowned for their energetic live shows that have had thousands of fans dancing in the aisles. Legendary performances at the The Port Fairy Folk Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, The Gympie Music Muster, Woodford Folk Festival, The Americana Conference (Nashville) The National Celtic Festival and countless other events have cemented their place in Australian music history.
In 2017 The Bushwackers released their 24th studio album ‘The Hungry Mile’ featuring several singles released to radio around the country.
The Bushwackers are coming to the Sandford Bush Festival on 6th – 8th of March 2020 and will perform over two nights. A Bush Dance event, which includes all the toe tapping bush dances Australia grew up with like the Heel and Toe, The Barn dance and Queensland Backstep and they’ll be performing a concert featuring their great blend of Australian classics and popular original songs.
The Royal High Jinx
The Royal High Jinx write, play and sing music inspired by European traditions, shaded with gypsy jazz and a pinch of classical virtuosity, while sporting a spectacular wardrobe combining dapper suits and burlesque exuberance.
Sarah (Violin), Silas (Piano, Drums), Jen (Guitars) and Terry (Mandolin) formed the band in Melbourne Australia in 2014 as a way to explore their musical roots and bring their favourite spicy instrumental music and classic continental standards into the modern age.
Their most recent album “Wheel of Poor Choices” was released in March 2017. It features their most popular tunes from their live shows and captures their enthusiasm, craft and cheekiness.
The Borderers
Now Celebrating 25 Years together, The Borderers became a band by accident when in 1993 Jim was backpacking in Australia as part of a round the world trip. Whilst visiting a friend in Adelaide he was invited to a recording studio to hear a band. He loved their sound so much that he eventually co-produced the album (and married the lead singer).
Lead singer, Alex, was born in Belfast and came to Australia in 1987. She lists Annie Lennox and Joni Mitchell as major influences. Jim was born in Glasgow, Scotland and arrived in Australia in 1993. He is influenced musically by AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Status Quo and Talking Heads.
The Borderers have been voted Best World Music Act at the Musicoz Awards and Best Gospel song at the Independent Music Awards in the USA. They have also been voted South Australia’s Best Band and their double album “Tales of Love and Loss” was the winner of the Best Album of the Year.
Greg Champion
Legendary entertainer and festival favourite Greg Champion, who has performed in New Zealand, USA, France, Fiji and all corners of Australia, is part humourist, part folkie, half hippy, half bogan, part Victorian and completely South Australian.
As a radio personality he has been a member of the Coodabeen Champions since the early 1980s and is well known for his unique blend of comedy, sport parodies, country and folk music. He has performed at a number of AFL Grand Finals, One-Day Cricket Finals, countless functions at the MCG and just about every music festival in Australia.
Twa Bards
The Twa Bards are Don Grieve: Vocals, Guitar, Bodhran & Angela Preiss: Vocals, Bodhran, Harp, Flute, Whistles, Fiddle. Don’s definitive Scottish brogue, rich vocal performance and rhythmic folk guitar alongside Angela’s rich vocal harmonies and instrumental variations combines like chilli and chocolate…haggis & whiskey!
Don discovered his Scottish history through its songs and stories taught by his father and friends. The work of Robert Burns was an essential part of the tradition. Angela’s classical roots have loosened up into folk and funk styles along the way! The Twa Bards have a tartan heart that time travels! “May your pulse beat as your heart would wish!”
Crooked Road
A top bluegrass band based in Adelaide, The Crooked Road boys have come together to play original music that combines the bluegrass tradition with contemporary flair. In their long history with bluegrass in Australia and New Zealand, Crooked Road have toured widely and recorded many albums with artists from around the world.
Crooked Road are: Phill Parker on guitar and vocals, Andrew Hook on vocals, mandolin and guitar, Dave Taylor on vocals, double bass and guitar, Leonard Cohen on vocals and dobro.
Andrew Clermont
Andrew Clermont is a chameleon multi-instrumental musician from bluegrass to Indian, Scandinavian to old time. He is a 3 time Bluegrass Guitar Champion and a Director of the Golden-Fiddle Awards in Australia!
Stumpy Gully
Stumpy Gully is a fun band that was formed to support community events and raise funds for local charities and community groups. The group plays a mix of bush, folk and bluegrass often interrupted by spontaneous outbursts of bush poetry or lively banter.
Andrew Hayes
Multi instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and bush poet, Andrew will co-host the Poet’s Breakfast on Saturday morning.
Jose Garcia
Whilst embracing a variety of styles, Jose has never forgotten his folk and country roots. “Music is for everyone” he says and so he becomes somewhat of a “musical evangelist”, running jam sessions, playing in various bands and promoting music participation wherever he can. If you like John Denver and Johnny Cash there is a good chance you’ll like Jose.
Paul Wookey
Paul Wookey has been a distinctive singer and songwriter since he first discovered the music of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan and was inspired to pick up a guitar and emulate his heroes. Over many years he has honed these skills to become a polished performer and has toured extensively throughout Australia and overseas.
A regular performer at folk and country music festivals, he won the prestigious Best New Artist Award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1981 in recognition of the quality of his first album, “Mountain Breakfast” distributed through EMI. Paul’s music is not easy to classify, sitting somewhere between folk, blues and country music with a more or less even distribution of Irish, American and Australian influences.
What counts, of course, is the quality of his performance and this has been recognized and acclaimed at concerts, on radio and at festivals over many years.
In Your Dreams String Band
Adelaide Hills-based In Your Dreams String Band bring a refreshing line-up of traditional and modern tunes. Spanning genres from Scottish to Irish, Old-Timey and Bluegrass, their repertoire never fails to get the toes tapping and has been known to inspire joyful outbursts of dance.
In Your Dreams regularly perform as part of the Adelaide Scottish Fiddle Club and are fresh from recent performances at the Frances Folk Gathering, Palmer Open Mic Night and busking on street corners.
Sarah Remin
As a 3 year old Sarah went missing at a festival and eventually turned up in a costume on stage. Apparently she had gatecrashed a group preparing for their act and they didn’t have the heart to chase her away. She still loves to perform but these days she doesn’t have to gatecrash other people’s acts. Sarah sings and plays piano/keyboard at pubs, clubs, corporate events and parties.
The River Pearlers
The River Pearlers are Henk Groot (guitar, vocals), Tony Schick (double bass) and Ashley Turner (fiddle).
Band leader Henk began playing guitar at 12. He’s played gospel, cabaret, folk and country and now plays folk banjo, mandolin and fiddle. An accomplished singer/songwriter, Henk’s ambition is to write the quintessential Aussie folk song with the support of his fellow ‘River Pearlers’.
Fiddler, Ashley Turner, plays a variety of styles and focuses on ‘Old Timey’ and Western Swing. He collaborates with Henk and other great Australian musicians and songwriters.
Tony Schick started playing Celtic music as a guitarist with local bands in the 70s, but over time he developed an affinity with the double bass. In another dimension he also plays double bass with the Adelaide Scottish Fiddle Club and The “In Your Dreams” String Band.