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"This decision was based entirely on my observation that performers deserve much better rates than they have been getting in the past and that the rises are not budget breaking for your average folkie," Bill Arnett said recently.
Music now happens every Friday from about 7.00pm to about 11.30pm and there is a full bistro meals facility available at club prices from 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Every First Friday of the month hi-lites Australian music with free admission (if there is no advertised performance) where people are encouraged to bring along their instruments for a session style evening with Ray Mulligan of Mulligan's Flat Band.
SOURCE: Bill Arnett - The Merry Muse


Those of you who know Mike Murray and Lesley Silvester in Perth
will be pleased to hear that they have released their first CD.
Called 'Strangers on the Shore', it contains 12 original songs... true
stories of heroism, piracy, privation, settlement, life, death, mystery,
survival and horror, some going back nearly 400 years. The Western coastline
of the Great South Land (Australia) is the backdrop for these songs. Steeped
in historical facts, they tell tales of tragedy and triumph, despair and
deliverance.
Email for details


There is no cost for this weekend except food and accommodation.
It's being jointly organised by the Melbourne and Canberra Scottish Fiddle Music Clubs and tuition is free

The music, dance and performance program features over 100 artists with Ireland’s Kieran Halpin and the Orkney Islands’ Wrigley Sisters headlining the bill.
This year’s greatly expanded program includes a Celtic Film Festival, featuring Australian premieres, literary lunches, major stage productions and a traditional Celtic dinner.
Music workshops, traditional dancing and performance, Viking invasions, Celtic Kitchens, Celtic markets, clans and associations will once again be Festival favourites.
Festival concert and session tickets on sale via GPAC on 03 5225 1200.
FESTIVAL WEBSITE
SOURCE: Dominic McAlinden


For the Folk music followers The Harp has struck a deal with John Gallagher Promotions. John will be taking the last weekend of every month over to give it a Folk, Irish, Celtic and Blues type of theme.
The Harp Club is now up and running membership cards are available from 23rd of June and will be given out on request from the door person as you enter the entertainment area. This card will entitle you to a 10% discount to the majority of their gigs.



On Saturday June 9, Wollongong Town Hall and its adjoining Concert Hall will be alive with activity as the Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club celebrate Australia's musical dancing history with a great diversity of music from bush to jazz - to rock n' roll to world music!
Tickets cost only $10 and children are free if accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets are available from the door on the night or by phoning (02) 4236 0701.
This event is part of the 6th Australian Folk Gathering - Wed 6th to Mon 11th June 2001.
SOURCE: Gina Anker


This time they are off to the Northmead Scout Hall in Whitehaven Road, Northmead. The hall is more cosy, has an open fire, full kitchen etc. A bonus is that it is in natural bushland surroundings in the reserve between Windsor Road and Moxhams Road.
The move takes place on Friday 8th June at 8pm
"The driveway for the new hall is easy to miss," says Alison Boyd, the club organiser, "so I’ll try to tie some balloons, or put a sign on the gate."

But in the main it is recognition of the huge effort of over 20 dedicated committee members and over 90 volunteers over the weekend to create a truly unique, diverse, entertaining and attractive event which features folk music.

The titles are "Olympic Special" and "Federation Special".


A name="nswfed">
May 8
The address for correspondence is:
Focus on Folk,
c/o The Folk Federation
of New South Wales,
P O Box A 182, Sydney South, NSW 1235. SOURCE: Gerry Myerson



After two (one off) Programs Mostly Folk have a regular timespot 2-4pm Thursdays.
"The spot came vacant and we grabbed it," says host Michael Crichton "but we still have to take some previously arranged interviews and stuff - but we are on the air."
Contact Michael via email for details of airplay

Space for banners is limited so if you are interested and would like to know more, please email us at:

Rory Ellis is about to officially launch his debut solo album "Ride" in Melbourne. The launch is taking place on the evening of Friday May 4th at The Cornish Arms, 163 A , Sydney Rd Brunswick at 9.30pm (Cover Charge $10.00)
Playing songs from the new album with Rory on the night will be album
producer Dave Steel (multi instrumentalist) and Stuart Speed (upright bass)
with an opening set by acoustic performer Lenny Matt.
It promises to be a great evening.


The Laidley Folk Club is being launched this Saturday, 28 April - Heritage Day - with a session from 11am in the gardens of Das Neumann House in the centre of Laidley and probably adjourning to the Hotel Laidley later in the day. There are numerous other Heritage Day activities in Laidley.
Laidley is a one hour drive from Brisbane City, along the Warrego Highway towards Toowoomba, turning left at Plainland. If anyone feels like a drive out they will be made most welcome.
The new Folk Club will meet at 'The Hut' in the Hotel Laidley on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month starting in May. The 2nd Wednesday will be a session and the 4th Wednesday will be a concert.
"If anyone wishes to perform at the concert on 23rd May or any subsequent concert," say organisers John and Natalie Colville, "please contact us."
SOURCE: John Colville
email
phone (07) 5466 5570


So if you're artistically inclined then have a look at the application form.
The prize is $500 and of course 2 Season Tickets to the next Festival
Applications close 30th April 2001.


It will be held May 4 - 6, in and around Echuca/Moama. The following will be appearing:
Contact Keiran O'Connell for further information.


This is a great music festival held each year with local and visiting musicians, poets, singers, workshops, market stalls and more.
What great music will be there?
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Full Weekend Pass: Adult: $35 Children: $7 Family: $84 |
Day Pass: Adult: $18 Children: $5 Family: $46
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For more details and enquiries:
Phone: (07) 4958 8390 or (07) 49 551755
email

"It is with the deepest sorrow that Battlefield Band and all of the
management team at Temple Records and Folklore Productions in the USA
regret the passing of Davy Steele. Davy was for all too short a time
part of the Band, but the music he made with us, and the great body of
music he made before joining the Band, as well as the many friends and
admirers he made on the road, is a testament to how much he could have
contributed to not only our music, but to Scottish music in general.
All our thoughts are with Patsy, Jamie and his wider family.
This past year has been a time of growing sadness among all Davy's friends and family. The Band would like to thank all the people who have shared their feelings with us and we will now have to come to terms with the loss in our own individual ways. As a Band we have always felt a responsibility to respect the privacy of Davy and his family, but we do know that the "Davy Talk" page on the Internet hosted by Scott & Debbie McClellan has been a source of great comfort to them all.
Please give them your support at this time of loss, and for anyone who
would like to express their sorrow in a more tangible form, Patsy has
told us she would be happy if you directed donations to:
Marie Curie
Cancer Care
29 Albany Street
Edinburgh EH1 3QH
Scotland
An organisation who do much to help families at these difficult times.
We could go on and on listing Davy's achievements, but perhaps the
chorus of one of Davy's own songs, and we know one of his favourites,
The Last Trip Home, says enough:
No more we'll till or plough the fields, the horses' day is gone
An' this will be oor last trip home, so steady boys walk on"

The following Master Classes will be presented in conjunction with the 2001 Fairbridge Festival. Five of these will be held on Friday evening (20th April) at the festival site, just before the start of the festival proper. Llew and Mara Kiek and Riley Lee will also be giving pre-festival classes at Kulcha in Fremantle.
Classes will be aimed at intermediate players rather than to beginners.
For further info please email program@fairbridgefestival.com
FESTIVAL CLASSES:
This year's event will be spread across three locations - Wongawilli, Albion
Park and Wollongong and will feature a wide range of traditional and
contemporary artists.
This will be the 6th Festival. It kicked off in 1995 in response to the lack of an
event totally focused on Australian folk musical culture.
This popular event continues to recognise the contributions of our original
inhabitants and newcomers from all parts of the world. It endeavours to
present this unique mix of cultures as the world turns continues to focus on
Australia.
There are a wide range of folk performers, from traditional dance musicians,
bush poets and bands to contemporary songwriters and performers. The
performers will feature in over 30 concerts, theme and historical
presentations, and traditional instrument workshops.
Highlights of the Festival include:
SEASON TICKET ($35) allows entry to all events throughout the Gathering. You
will receive a coloured armband to allow easy access to all the venues.
There is a discount of $5 if purchased by 31 May 2000.
The CD includes the musical talents of Alan Musgrove and Jane Brownlee on fiddle, Alan on guitar, Stefan Browne on bass and John Blackburn on drums. The CD provides invaluable assistance to 'ear' players and provides a chance for a whole new 'bush band' repetoire for those interested in some authentic Australian tunes.
The production will be launched at the National Folk Festival this Easter on Saturday 14th April at 1.30pm in the Long Room.
SOURCE: Dave de Santi
The festival has a full weekend program including:
SOUIRCE: WAAN
The CD, called Keys to the Field
will also be launched at the National Folk Festival in Canberra on Saturday arvo around 3.00pm at
Wine Bar 2
Nestled among gum trees and less than an hour from Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo, the Lady Northcote Camp is an ideal venue for a wide range of recreational pursuits. The programme during this stimulating and refreshing weekend, designed for lovers of folk dance and music, caters for singles, couples and family groups. This year features Greek dance style, at beginner and advanced levels.
About the Folk Music and Dance Weekend
Parallel to the international dancing sessions we will offer two workshops on Saturday afternoon. Gary King, initiator of the folk dance weekend, will present a sequential introduction to contra or partner dance from his new Shenanigans CD and booklet, the "Federation Special". Dances will be from Canada, Denmark, Scotland. Percussionist Extraordinaire, Steve Schulz will present "Hands-On Samba!"
Music and dance classes for children will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday mornings by Steve Schulz, folk dance specialist, Marie Feigl, and music and dance specialist Debbie Tait. The children's afternoon recreational programme will be with Lady Northcote staff and includes archery, yabbying, canoeing for big kids, singing games, story time, and movietime for little kids.
A memorable feature every year is the Saturday Night Dinner Dance. Anne Hildyard and Rob Bester of the fantastic, Xenos band will provide the music on their wonderful ethnic reeds, strings, drums & bagpipes, and the Skips group will present a dance performance.
The camp begins informally on Friday evening. Dance sessions begin with the warmup at 9am Saturday. The final sharing session concludes at 3pm Sunday. Registration includes meals from Saturday breakfast to Sunday lunch.
SOURCE: John McAuslan - Across the Borders
The Alliance is seeking input to help develop and then implement a new national strategy
for the national development, improvement and growth of the folk arts in
Australia...
This plan also includes the aim to have a permanent, funded office for the
Folk Alliance, which will be able to follow up and implement this strategy.
The overall aim of the Convention is the Professional Development of all
participants, through Education, Networking and Information Sharing as well
as showcasing established and emerging artists in a series of great Showcase
Concerts, featuring a special contingent of S.A. Artists and performers from
interstate and overseas.
See the website for more details.
SOURCE: Dave McFarlane - President Folk Alliance Australia
For further information visit the website set up for the occasion.
Songs include the Scottish version of Waltzing Matilda, the Jug Rap, Peter's
shaving Blues, Ernie's gypsy serenade, Bruce's country style romantic train
song, several Pseudo-Jug band songs, a crooning lounge tango and a couple of
extended rag tunes.
The CD also features a Scottish highland pipe band, accordionist Phil
Carroll, and a Mystery Toothbrush Performer.
Hang Five, Bombora, Surfies, Crew Cuts, Grommets, Bikinis, Deltones, Little Patti, Stomp
are words that bring back the images of Australian's love for sand, surf and song.
In 1961 a young group of Australians burst upon the Sydney music scene. Drawing on their diverse cultures
they developed a unique Australian surf sound - the sound of The Atlantics.
The name was picked up from an Australian petrol company of the day.
The group went on to record many hits and were the basis
of the Australian surf music era.
See producer Rob Willis and The Altlantics along with:
You will also be able to listen on ABC National (in Canberra 666 AM) Friday 3 to 6pm, OR
Artsound 92.7 FM Saturday 9pm to Midnight.
For those not attending the festival, local ABC stations(Nationally) will be broadcasting from 3 to 6pm on Good Friday. Then on Saturday night your local community station could be broadcasting from 9pm to Midnight from the Budawang.
Starting May 11th Toongabbie Music Club will be held in the
Toongabbie Public School Hall at the
Corner Fitzwilliam Rd & Binalong Road in
Toongabbie. There is parking through gate on Binalong Road.
Please check by emailing Alison in May.
EASTER: There will be no meeting on Friday 13th April (Good Friday).
Next meeting Friday 27th April.
Jeff Lang, a solo performer with a unique energy and style, will perform his haunting songs filled with stunning imagery.
“It is exciting to have a performer of Jeff Lang's status at the Sandgate Bluewater Festival,” says Festival Manager Anne Hobbs. “He has developed a very strong following through his performances at Woodford , Livid and Byron Bay festivals and Brisbane locals are eager to see him again.”
Jeff has recently returned from touring the USA and Canada and is currently on a national tour to promote his new CD “Everything Is Still”. Sandgate Bluewater Festival will be the only Jeff Lang performance in Brisbane in March and April.
Geelong hosts the seventh National celebration of Celtic Culture in and around the waterfront precinct. Deakin Woolstores University Campus and nearby hotels and restaurants offer cosy venues to enjoy the mid-winter merriment.
The festival has now been extended to ten days of celebration from June 3rd to 11th, with the ticketed music program and Celtic Fair being held over the Queens Birthday Weekend June 8- 11.
The festival is now Australia's biggest and most comprehensive celebration of Celtic culture, attracting more than 30,000 people last year.
Celts from across Australia will join together to celebrate their rich cultural heritage with a week of special events including music, dance, film, performing arts, craft food and literature. The National Celtic Festival of culture embraces the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Asturia and Galica.
"And in time this trickle became a flow, and the flow is becoming a torrent as a new Celtic spirit pervades the cultural lives of those who did not know they did not know".
Be moved by one of the most intriguing civilizations on earth. Experience the Celtic culture through the power of
music, dance, theatre, literature, film, craft, food spoken word. Be enchanted by the vibrancy of its arts and the mystery of its past. Connect with its people, enjoy their energy for life and their quirky sense of humor. Consider
yourself invited to one of the best parties imaginable.
There are lots of folkies out there with neglected
collections of LPs etc, which they are prepared to part with (preferably
to a good home) and others who desperately would like to pick up items
missing from their collection. So it you're in the first category,
please bring what you can to the Festival so the material can gain new
life in new hands.
It will be judged by a panel of a dozen persons - not necessarily of musical background - on entertainment value, originality and crowd drawing ability.
Register at the Fiddle Festival Admin Office located at the Richmond School of the Arts on corner of West Market and March Streets, Richmond.
The Festival is held in the CBD of Richmond right in front of Richmond Station, an hour out of Sydney.
Of course, don't forget all the great workshops and performances - and there are sessions and blackboard concerts of course, at the Royal Hotel.
Festival tickets are selling like hot cakes. Please make sure to book your
camping - call the Fairbridge Village on 9531 1177
Palm Creek Rainforest Festival - June 8-11
Roy Bailey had a distinguished academic career and in 2000 was
awarded an MBE for his services to folk music.
Margaret Walters has been busy with her solo work and is working on a new CD. Kim, James and Nancy recorded some songs with her last week - working on the arrangements for
the songs and sparking ideas and harmonies off each other.
Kim Poole is a lecturer in music at the University of Western Sydney.
James Fagan and Nancy Kerr spend most of their lives in England and will be returning
there at the end of April.
Nancy is a fiddle and viola player from Northumbria.
Tickets are $16 or concession $13.50.
Faces of Folk: A Living Tradition runs from 30 March to 29 April and
includes an exhibition of instruments and a jam-packed series of evening and
free lunchtime folk concerts.
The exhibition features musical instruments from around the world on loan
from the vast and eclectic collection of Bob McDonald's Music House in
Nowra - banjos hang alongside African harps and a tube zither from
Indonesia.
The gallery space is further animated by north coast artist, Jimmy Willing's
puppets, witty characters carved from old bits of wood, and constructed from
recycled metal.
Also on display are early Jamberoo Folk Festival posters designed by local
artist Kathy Orton, and Redback Graphix posters from the Gallery Collection
that highlight the grass-roots and sometimes political nature of the folk
music tradition.
Faces of Folk: A Living Tradition traces the evolution of Australian folk
culture. It recognises that although its roots are Anglo-Celtic, it is a
"living tradition", that has evolved to incorporate the experiences of
diverse cultures and this has added unique richness - new dimensions, new
stories, new meaning and contemporary relevance to folk music today.
The performances during Faces of Folk will highlight the range of styles
that comprise Folk music in Australia today, including bluegrass and spoken
word, as well as Spanish and Turkish influences. All lunchtime concerts are
free, and tickets for evening concerts are available from the Gallery
For more information and interviews, contact Vivian Vidulich on 02 4228
7500.
For a full program of performances and concert bookings, contact Wollongong
City Gallery on 02 4228 7500.
He died on Thursday at Salem Hospital after undergoing sextuple heart bypass surgery said Mitch Greenhill, the president of Folklore Productions and John Fahey's executor. He slipped into a coma after Monday's operation and was taken off life support Thursday, said his former wife, Melody Fahey of Salem.
"His body just didn't make it through the stresses of the operation," she said. He was 61.
"He's America's leading finger-style guitarist. He invented the style," said Tim Knight, owner of Guitar Castle in Salem, who played organ, guitar and percussions with Fahey's local group, the John Fahey Trio.
The New York Times on February 25 said:
"Although he didn't sing or write lyrics, Mr. Fahey was a voluble author of liner notes. His albums were crammed with parodies of academic analysis and tales of a fictitious blues guitarist, Blind Joe Death, and his disciple, John Fahey, who purportedly "made his first guitar from a baby's coffin." He shared a Grammy Award for the liner notes to the 1997 "Anthology of American Folk Music" (Smithsonian Folkways). "
John Fahey turned to music full time after attaining a masters degree in folklore at the University of California at Los Angeles which he commenced in 1964. He wrote his master's thesis about the Delta bluesman Charley Patton.
In all, Fahey released 45 albums since the 1960s.
"People called him a genius, " Knight said. "He would laugh that off in a hurry. He was the most down-home person you'd ever meet as far as not waving his own flag. He let others do that. John was a man who played Carnegie Hall. John was a man who won a Grammy. But those things were not important to him."
Last year, he published a book of loosely autobiographical stories, "How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life" (Drag City Press).
According to his local newspaper, the Salem Advocate, "after decades as a recording artist, Fahey reportedly was miffed that he was honored for his literary skill. Friends said Fahey was a happy man, even without wealth and conventional fame."
"I never considered for a minute that I had talent," he wrote in 1994. "What I did have was divine inspiration and an open subconscious."
There is to be a broad mix of entertainment covering Australian traditional Music &
Dance, Blues, TexMex, a choir, a brass band, a swiss folk group (with an
alpenhorn!), poetry, yarns etc etc Performers appearing at this year's muster include: This is a festival in which you can participate and have intimate contact with the artists as well as being part of the audience.
The Music Muster incorporates a diverse range of talented performers drawn from throughout Australia as well as their local district. In addition to individual and group performances, there are workshops, sessions, and opportunities for jams. Professional poets offer both humour and dramatic narration. Aspiring poets are welcome. Music, song, poetry, dance and mirth are the order of the day.
SOURCE: Tony Roberts
The immediate cause of Merro's death was pneumonia, arising as a result
of leukemia weakening his immune system. He had however not been in
robust health for several years.
As he arranged many years ago for his body to be donated to Sydney
University, there will be no funeral. His family have asked, too, that
no flowers be sent.
It is no exaggeration to state that without John Meredith a large part of the
collected Australian folk song canon, and a number of our most cherished
pieces, would have been lost. He was the first person in Australia to
use a tape recorder to record traditional singers, musicians and
reciters, in the early 1950s. His extensive field recordings are a
priceless national treasure.
In the 1950s he also formed, with
friends, the original Bushwhackers - thereby establishing the modern
bush band genre, performing in the original Sydney production of Reedy
River. He played a key role in establishing the first Australian
Folklore Society and the Sydney Bush Music Club.
In later years he
wrote widely on many subjects, mainly relating to Australian folklore
and history.
As the title of his yet to be published autobiography has
it, it was "More than a life, and that's just the half of it". Above
all, he was a fine Australian and a loyal and wonderful friend. We will
miss him.
The festival will be held April 20-22, 2001.
The book was originally planned for publication in 1994 under the title of King Puck. His decision to retire from live performing is clearly understood from the frank and revealing diary pieces.
Hodder and Stoughton,
You can choose to have your list messages delivered in one of 3 ways:
Cost for the Fairbridge Festival classes will be $20 and pre-payment will be
required to guarantee reservation. Please phone Wendy Corrick, 9332 3652.
KULCHA CLASSES:
For Kulcha workshops please email operations@kulcha.com.au.
There may be some flexibility on time depending on demand.


Australian Folk Gathering Spectacular
This will be held JUNE 8-11, 2001. Formerly the Australian Folk Festival which was held each year at Kiama, it will feature performances of an Australian content and nature through folk
song, music, dance, poetry and storytelling from traditional to contemporary
folk artists
The event is organised by volunteers from the Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club
Inc., a non-profit incorporated association with the aims of promoting,
preserving and performing Australia's rich folk culture.
STUDENT ADVANCE SEASON TICKET ($25) only available till 31 May 2000.
AGED PENSIONER TICKET (on presentation of card) $3 to any event.
Children (U16) free if accompanied by paying adult.
FURTHER DETAILS:
Festival enquiries to Bev Murray 02 4236 0701, fax 02 4236 0901
Festival Publicity: Gina Anker - 0419 439 343
festival website:


Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club CD Launch
Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club's 18th and latest production - AUSTRALIAN DANCE TUNES FOR FIDDLE - is a combined production - a CD and book of tunes from a number of bush musicians. It has been arranged by folklore collector and performer Alan Musgrove and compiled by David De Santi.
The book is arranged in 12 sets with 34 tunes and the music includes schottisches, waltzes, jigs, polkas, varsoviennas, hornpipes, reels and a quickestep.

2001
Celtic/Irish
Festival
The Entrance NSW
9th, 10th & 11th November, 2001
Accommodation available phone 1800335377
Interested participants or further information
contact:
Geraldine 0243 93 6652 or Peter 0243 651218


Centenary of Federation Festival
A Centenary of Federation Festival is happening in Albany in Wetern Australia the week after
Fairbridge, starting on Monday 23rd and running through the week. Acts
featured include
Jimmy Young and James Wilkinson
Mic Conway
Trouble in the Kitchen
Dingos Breakfast
Ros and Steve Barnes
and several more.
Fairbridge Festival Website


Judy Turner and Neil Adam CD Launch
The launch of a new CD from
Judy Turner and Neil Adam, otherwise known as Neil Adam and Judy Turner, will take place at
Mark Steet Hall
North Fitzroy, Melbourne
Saturday 7 April at 8.30 pm -
ably supported by Enda Kenny

Tenth Victorian Folk Dance and Music Weekend
Tenth Victorian Folk Dance and Music Weekend will take place at the Lady Northcote Camp
at Bacchus Marsh in Victoria on 18-20 May 2001.
The Lady Northcote Camp, situated 16km West of Bacchus Marsh, offers excellent facilities for focused dance classes and for relaxed socialising. The comfortable shared cabins are equipped with all modern conveniences. Masseur, Stan Turner, will again be available on appointment!
The programme of folk dance workshops will feature Kate Goodwin, and Audrey Shoobridge. Both teachers have a wealth of experience, and Kate, our special guest from New Zealand, will concentrate on an exciting new collection of Greek social dances, plus a few surprises! 
The Idle Diddleys CD Launch
The Idle Diddleys will be launching their self titled CD on Tuesday 1 May at Irish Murphy's in Collingwood. This fantastic Irish music trio cpmprises Dan Burke on fiddle, Anthony O' Neill on guitar, mandolin, banjo & fiddle and Steve Simmonds on bouzouki, guitar and vocals.
The Diddleys made a huge impression at Port Fairy this year giving the
visiting Irish bands on the program a run for their money. 

4th National Folk Alliance Convention
Preparations are underway for the 4th National Folk Alliance Convention to be held this year at the
South Australian Folk Centre in Adelaide 24 - 26 August 2001

Nelligen Folk Family Gathering
There's going to be another folk gathering this year. It will held over the weekend of May 11-13 and the emphasis will be on the entire folk Family. Two years ago a Folk Gathering was held at Nelligen and it was rather well attended.
"It's going to be a bit more formal this year but not by very much," Jim MacQuarrie says. "The local publican, Ron Sullivan, is on side and so are Jewel & George at the Campground." 
Jugularity CD Launch
Jugularity's new CD "Unjugged" will have it's Official World Launch at the
National Folk Festival in Canberra on Saturday May 14th at the Troubadour
Wine Bar.
Jugularity will be making a surprise appearance at the festival for this
special occasion.
The group has been together for 14 years and entertained around Australia
most of that time, with time out for kids and tea-breaks. This long-awaited
2nd CD has a bonus live 5 minute video CD-Rom section from a cafe concert.
It also features a 12 page booklet full of strange photographs, stranger
puns, and meaningful song explanations.

Wet Deams - Song, Dance and Folklore of the Australian Surf
If your memory goes back to the 1960's surf scene ( or you want to learn about it), be in the Trocaderoat the National Folk Festival on Sunday April 15 at
2:30 pm.
Jacqui Bradley
Kevin Bradley
Dave Blanken
Bruce Cameron
Graham McDonald
Shelly Grant
Bev Murray
Graeme Murray
Chloe Roweth
Jason Roweth
Olya Willis
Yalla


National Festival on Radio
For the first time the National Folk Festival have Festival Radio 95.1 on your FM radio dial. This will broadcast live from the Restaurant at the festival from 10am to 11pm Friday to Monday. Depending how the main DJ Brett Hughes goes with help, it could go longer - even with specific times for announcements etc. each morning and evening.
So take your FM radio and listen to the acts live.
Toongabbie Music Club Moving
Toongabbie Music Club is on the move in May. At this stage the address below is to be their resting place, but this may change as they are still looking into some
other venues.


Jeff Lang to feature in free concert at Sandgate
Between performing with Bob Dylan in Cairns, and performing at the Byron Bay Blues & Roots Festival at Easter, Australian blues guitarist Jeff Lang will feature at the Sandgate Bluewater Festival.
The Sandgate and District Chamber of Commerce are pretty excited to have
secured Jeff Lang for a free to the public concert on Sunday 8 April from 3
pm outside the Full Moon Hotel at Sandgate. This day marks the start of the
festivities of the 2001Sandgate Bluewater Festival, which culminates in the
Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race from Shorncliffe on Good Friday morning. 

National Celtic Folk Festival
June 8 - 11, 2001
Geelong Waterfront & Deakin University
Applications to perform close Friday 6 April.
Application forms are available from the festival web site

Vinyl Folk Swap Meet
At the National Folk Festival this year they are experimenting
with a "Folk vinyl swap". It is to be held on Good Friday, starting at
noon. The idea is, any Festival-goer who wants to swap or sell old folk
LPs, singles, 78s etc can turn up with them, preferably bringing a card
table to stand them on, and do business in open trade with like-minded
folkies. 
Tribute Radio Program
Lloyd Brady has put together a special prohram on the late John Meredith. It will go to air in Melbourne on 88.3 Southern FM on Saturday 31st March ataround 9pm. It will be part of his regular folk program which commences at 8pm.
If you can't listen then, it will also l be broadcast on the CBAA's Community Radio Satellite on April 12th. The special runs for one hour


Mean Fiddler Busking Contest
Mean Fiddler Busking Contest will be held during the Hawkesbury National Fiddle Festival, 6-8 April at Richmond NSW - any act able to show any relevance to the word Fiddle is eligible to enter. 
Tribute Radio Program
Lloyd Brady has put together a special prohram on the late John Meredith. It will go to air in Melbourne on 88.3 Southern FM on Saturday 31st March ataround 9pm. It will be part of his regular folk program which commences at 8pm.
If you can't listen then, it will also l be broadcast on the CBAA's Community Radio Satellite on April 12th. The special runs for one hour


Festivals News
St Albans Folk Festival- 27th - 29th April 2001
The St Albans Folk Festival on Sydney's outskirts is up and running again, readying itself for the Anzac weekend. Its new website is now online after some major uploading problems with the changeover to its new home. The new address is:
http://web.one.net.au/~johnandbetty/
Fairbridge Festival - 20-22 April 2001
Program - Most of the program book
is now there - make sure to hit "refresh" on the home page to get the latest
updates. There is also a programme overview and the Kids program listings as well as information on master classes
This festival will be held over the Queens Birthday Long Weekend i Queensland and has set it's prices at:
Weekend Tickets $25 , family weekend tickets $60
Day tickets $15. School age children half price, younger kids free.


Roy Bailey's only Sydney Concert - great support lineup!
Roy Bailey's only Sydney concert has a great support line-up with Margaret Walters and Kim Poole, James Fagan and Nancy Kerr. The concert will be held on Friday 6th April in the Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St, Paddington. (Parking in the Church Car Park,
24-28 Gordon St, Paddington.)
"There is no
instrument he can't play," Margaret says, "but when he plays guitar - it is with such delicacy and
precision you could weep."
"Nancy is simply
brilliant: a magnificent player of English tunes, and an intuitive and inventive accompanist." continues Margaret. "James Fagan is renowned for his unique approach to the Irish bouzouki and his
striking rhythms alternating with intricate finger picking is stunning to
see and hear."
Bookings - phone 9331 2646 or 9564 2517


Faces of Folk: A Living Tradition
Faces of Folk: A Living Tradition at Wollongong City Gallery gives you a
taste of what to expect at the inaugural Illawarra Folk Festival in Spring
in September this year.

Guitarist John Fahey Dies at 61
Sadly the folk world has lost another great contributor this week with the death of legendary American guitarist John Fahey in his home town of Salem in Oregon..
" Playing a six-string acoustic guitar, Mr. Fahey used country-blues fingerpicking and hymnlike melodies in stately pieces with classical structures. Wordless and unhurried, his music became a contemplation and an elegy, a stoic invocation of American roots, nameless musicians and ancestral memories. 

Mount Beauty music Muster
The second Mount Beauty Music Muster will take place this year from April 26 - 29.
Muster website
e-mail for more information/


Death of John Meredith
Australia's greatest folklore collector, John Meredith, died peacefully
on 16 February, in the Albury hospital. Members of his family
were with him when he died. He was 81 years old.

Fairbridge Festival 2001 update
The following acts are confirmed for Fairbridge 2001:
Chris While and Julie Matthews (UK)
Rory McLeod and Aimee Leonard (UK)
Faith Petric (USA)
Enda Kenny and Lindsay Martin (Vic)
Keith McHenry (ACT)
Bluegrass Parkway (WA)
Bernard Carney (WA)
Trouble in the Kitchen (Vic)
Kate Burke and Ruth Hazelton (ACT/Vic)
Dingo's Breakfast (WA)

New Autobiography by Christy Moore Released
Christy Moore's new book One Voice: My Life in Song has been released. It is a n autobiographical work with a new approach. It contains lyrics to some 250 songs from Christy's career and with each one he describes their significance and the memories they have evoked about his childhood, family, music and the people he has encountered.Unlike the usual life story, the memories go where the songs lead him, creating an insight into his life.
287pp. hardback
$59.95


Special Offer for Folk Sites
After many years with our first website host, Lavalink in Melbourne (thanks Lavalink!), SPEEDLINK made us an offer too good to refuse. So we have packed up our domain and moved house - no easy task! Speedlink has been very generous and has also offered anyone who mentions FOLK AUSTRALIA a special price on setting up, registering or reallocating and housing folk domains. If you'd like to know more, email us and we'll give you the details.



New Folk Mailing List
We are very excited at the formation of our new folk mailing list. We have set it up to broaden the opportunities for people worldwide to discuss, swap and share ideas, announcements, news etc.pertaining to Australian folk music and those performers visiting Australia. It is a much needed extention of the FOLK AUSTRALIA site and is powered by eGroups, a free, easy to use mailing list handler.
Messages will be ARCHIVED so you can search, browse, and read past emails.
Other features of this group give the list members access to:
If you'd like to subscribe to this new FOLKaustralia eGroup, go to:
http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/FOLKaustralia
and follow the instructions. You can add and change your details and method of delivery at any time. It's easy.

Click to subscribe to FOLKaustralia
IT'S FREE!

