Get ready to get folked with the National Folk Festival this Easter

Posted on 28 January, 2015

There’s just 63 days until the annual pilgrimage that is the National Folk Festival begins. First held in Canberra in 1972 with permanent roots set in our city from 1992, the Festival attracts over 50,000 people to the national capital every year over the Easter long weekend.

With 18 venues set amongst a vibrant streetscape, there are ticketing options to suit the whole family (children under 7 are free) ranging from day, evening, camping and season passes as well as Earlybird 2 tickets that close this weekend (Saturday 31 January).

For consecutive years equating to a decade of attendance, the aromas of late-night food stalls, blushed and slightly chilled cheeks and fire drums with patrons and their mulled drinks in tow, will forever remind me of this little community that forms for five days.

The Festival attracts people from all over Australia because of its stellar music program as well as the unique atmosphere it presents—even if you don’t venture into one of the festival venues, there’s so much to take in—from street theatre to immersive hands-on art experiences to roving street choirs, vibrant street parades, a cavalcade of world food up for grabs and some fantastic emerging acts strutting their stuff on the numerous blackboard stages peppered across the festival precinct.

With over 200 national and international acts, the programme this year sees 38 Canberra acts including:

The Burley Griffin are wild and warming like your grandma’s combustion stove. With voices entwined, wood and steel in chorus, The Burley Griffin resonate the souls of the saints in 5.1 surround sound. Unabashed and unrelenting, The Burley Griffin will embrace you with their heartfelt lyrics and raucous tunes.

Canberran 20-year old Darcy Welsh, will capture you with the first note he sings. Influenced by a wide variety of artists, wanting neither to prejudge others nor be pigeonholed himself, his pure voice and unassuming manner have been at the heart of his past National performances. Now you can share in the evolution of this young talent as he continues to develop as a perceptive, thoughtful and entertaining songwriter and artist. A performance that will not disappoint you.

Sparrow Folk

Award winning duo Sparrow Folk are the only confirmed “glam folk” band. The “adorkable” Fox and Lark present their most delicious confessions on ukulele. Described as Australia’s answer to Flight of The Conchords, the pair are hilarious, original and just a little naughty.“The ukulele-donning duo captivate with their sharp wit and heavenly harmonies” (The Advertiser).

Fred Smith’s remarkable career as songwriter and diplomat was the subject of a recent Australian Story documentary. He returns to the National with Liz Frencham and band to play songs from his back catalogue and his new album Home—a collection of songs about coming home and calming down. Home follows up on Fred’s 2011 release, Dust of Uruzgan, which earned him a national profile and comparisons to the great Australian songwriters Eric Bogle, John Schumann and Don Walker.

Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen

Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen bring their visceral and intoxicating Kabaret Noir to the National Folk Festival. The group has played to packed houses and received awards and accolades from the Sydney Opera House to Budapest and back. In concert Mikelangelo commands the stage with his thunderous baritone. He is part-ringmaster, part-crooner, part-beast-possessed. The Black Sea Gentlemen are his formidable musical ensemble. Together they waltz, tango and polka their way through a show bristling with humour, pathos and beauty.

But among the Aussie talent you’ll also find a few from across the seas including some US favourites.

Kim Richey

Two-time Grammy nominated Nashville alternative-country artist Kim Richey heads the list. A singer-songwriter whose music tugs at the heartstrings and with a sound that’s tender, arresting and honest, Richey’s music is aching life’s truths. With two No. 1 singles, six critically acclaimed albums, a Top 10 Album listing in Time Magazine for her album Glimmer and her album Rise named as People Magazine Alt-Country Album of the Year Kim Richey should be on your must-see list at this year’s Festival.

Blues music is coming to the fore at this year’s National with delta blues and roots duo Joe Filisko and Eric Noden, and the authentic blues of the Kipori Baby Wolf Woods New Orleans band. Joe Filisko and Eric Noden are expert practitioners of the fabled harmonica and guitar ethos that defined the blues in its earliest days but is all too rarely heard. Prepare to be totally immersed with a spirited show taking you on a blues journey from 1920s delta blues to today.

Experience the hottest blues coming out of New Orleans when Kipori Baby Wolf Woods takes to the stage. Grandson of Luscious Lloyd Lambert, the NOLA band leader and bass player who played with Ray Charles, Little Richard, and Guitar Slim, Kipori is a natural crowd pleaser with a high energy stage show.

Steep yourself in the rich tradition of American roots music with Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller from West Virginia. With close harmonies, finger-picking guitar and a healthy dose of old- time fiddling and songs that sparkle with hope, love and old-time goodness their sound is reminiscent of the Louvin Brothers, Melvin Wine and Ernie Carpenter. Inhale some more old time country and bluegrass music with the Whitetop Mountaineers. Based in Whitetop, the highest mountains in Virginia they are Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham.

With a show that will transport you to a different time and place, the Whitetop Mountaineers combine old time country duet singing, up-tempo old time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass mandolin, guitar instrumentals and Appalachian dancing.

For a full list of the National Folk Festival’s national and international performers, visit the National Folk Festival online. And remember if you’re on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to follow the National Folk Festival and us the official Festival hashtag—#5daysinaperfectworld

The essentials

What: National Folk Festival
When: Easter Long Weekend, Thursday 2 to Monday 6 April
Where: Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC), Flemington Road
How much: $65 and up depending on ticket pass
Web: www.folkfestival.org.au