Come to the picturesque township of Dorrigo for the last weekend of October 24 to 26 and enjoy a fantastic line-up of talented musicians. This will be the 7th Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival and promises to be yet another wonderful weekend full of great entertainment, in a small, friendly and relaxed environment. As in previous years, the Festival will include some concert style presentations, some dancing, lots of workshops, jamming round the campfire, fun for kids and delicious food! A taste of the line-up: • Bluegrass Parkway from WA are one of the longest continuously performing Bluegrass bands in Australia. This band places priority upon presenting Bluegrass music in its most authentic form. Bluegrass Parkway are also appearing in a special pre-festival concert which traces the history of bluegrass and its traditions in an intimate presentation in Dorrigo’s Old Gazette Theatre. This is a separately ticketed event ($12) on Thursday the 23rd at 7pm. • Twisted Oak showcase some of our up and coming talented young bluegrass players and is THE Hot new Bluegrass band to hit the New Zealand and Australian scene. All members have spent some time in the US this year honing their skills. The trio consists of Fiddle, Banjo, and Guitar and they mix things up to create complex arrangements of the old standards and some original tunes. • Tonchi McIntosh whose music illustrates the richness and complexity of his cross-cultural influences and lifestyle is performing with his cohort Jaezez with his unlimited repertoire of rhythms, lyrics and rhymes. Tonchi has been writing and recording songs with young people, capturing and encouraging their own perspective, dreams and experiences for over 10 years. • Gondwanaland features Charlie McMahon who has become the most acclaimed didjeridu player in Australia. While Charlie revered the playing of the Aboriginal people in their traditional ceremonies, he did not seek to mimic their performance, but took the didjeridu to contemporary music. Charlie learned how to tune didjeridus to concert pitch and practised different styles while jamming with bands at gigs. Charlie recently did his Rhythm Organism tour of 18 club dates in Japan. He has stayed relevant by inventing new ideas for that old instrument - the didjeridu. • Sydney’s My-T-Fine Stringband who will play some old-time foot-tapping dance tunes for the Friday night square dance which kick off the official Festival opening at 6.30pm on Friday in the Main Pavilion as well as presenting workshops and concert performances across the week-end. • Pat Drummond whose highly original music crosses genres including country, folk & even Rock ’Roll will be appearing with Karen Lynne to present a special kids performance on Saturday arvo showcasing their very different but complementary talents. Both are great singer/songwriters, but it must be said that Karen is an exceptional singer and Pat an amazingly skillful songwriter & entertainer - sometimes his song introductions are just as long as his songs, and just as entertaining. Karen Lynne will also be performing with her acclaimed bluegrass band Acoustic Shock. • Ange Takats a singer songwriter and winner of the Lis Johnston Award for Vocal Excellence at the National Folk Festival earlier this year. Ange began her musical journey in Bangkok where she was based for two years as a foreign correspondent. Spending her days on the road with a TV news crew, and her nights singing Joni Mitchell songs in a small music bar...Ange was able to mix her two greatest passions. Ange's songwriting has been greatly influenced by her time overseas. • Pirate Brides repertoire spans acoustic originals, bluegrass, contemporary folk and old -time. These seasoned performers combine great four-part vocals with tasty guitar, accordion, mandolin, clawhammer banjo, autoharp and double bass. Since 2002 Pirate Brides have been a well-loved fixture in the Brisbane acoustic music scene, playing at folk clubs, festivals, fetes, concerts, sessions, live radio, private functions. and of course there are the ship boardings… • The Miles to Go Trio with a Celtic infused mix ranging from lyrical guitar based pieces inspired by the Australian landscape to blistering jigs and reels with their roots firmly planted in source traditions. Dave Hyams & Andy Copeland will also be presenting workshops. •Shanaway who present the lively and authentic beautifully rich sounds of West Clare where members of the band lived for 2 years. •Black Train from the Deep South of Lismore who are bent on recreating musical history from the early 20th century. • George Jackson & Davydd McDonald who take you on an exciting journey through an array of Celtic music, Scorching hot instrumentals and Powerful Male Dancing. • Evan Mathieson who includes Trad & Contemporary, Australian & International, Folk, Blues, & good fun with Autoharp, Guitar, Kazoo, vocals • Headland who play a rich and entertaining mix of traditional and recent Irish songs as well as jig, reels and original tunes. The Festival “centre” might be the Showgrounds but this is a real community event. There will be workshops for young & old, day time performances, musical breakfasts in the town cafes and guest appearances by some performers in the schools. * Music in the Cafes aka Folk & Bluegrass Breakfasts will kick off around 8 am in 6 of the township cafes - Lick the Spoon, Dots on Cudgery, Tallowood Cafe , A Touch of County, Ruby’s and the Plateau - on both Saturday & Sunday mornings. * On Saturday morning only there is a Poet’s Breakfast at the Heritage Hotel. This is hosted by Sam Smythe from Kempsey (7.30am for a 8am start). * Tonchi McIntosh and Jaezed are performing at Dorrigo Public on Friday morning and the High school in the afternoon. There is also a Saturday night concert at the High school with Tonchi, Jaezed and Gondwanaland.* ?Each year the Festival looks at ways to involve our young people. This year, teenagers are helping with stage set-up, lighting, being MC’s and catering and with the enthusiastic support of Dorrigo High’s music department, we hope to have more on stage participation. There will be Johnny Cash Competition open to all High School students of the Shire with performances on Saturday afternoon at 3pm in the Main Pavilion. Many of the Festival performers will present small intimate workshops covering all aspects of Bluegrass and old timey music. On Saturday morning there will be a walk-up Poet’s breakfast in the Heritage Hotel. There are dedicated kids events each day and Sunday morning gospels for all. Website: www.dorrigo.com/festival or email festival@dorrigo.com