Tuesday 29 January 2013

Tasmanian Folk Festival Jottings.



CYGNET 11-13 January,TAMAR VALLEY  18-20 January,

Tasmania is already a beautiful destination but to all that, add a world class Folk Festival in a coastal setting in a bird sanctuary, and a wonderful welcoming community.  Now in its 31st year, CYGNET boasts of having launched many a budding talent, and this one was no exception.

There were eight venues on the Friday alone so it would not have been possible to see them all.  The Town Hall concert had our Gleny Rae and the boys, Battlers’ Ballad (Jason Chloe and Bill) with the Perch Family to finish.  Being of quieter frame of mind, I opted for the Church concert.  Andy Salvanos gave an intriguing performance on a guitar-related instrument called a Chapmanstick. Frank Yamma, sat Buddha-like while dozens of beavering roadies got the set up right, then he let loose in impressive style – superb big tone and a fine performance.

I recognized Horse and Wood – Horse was Bukhu, the Mongolian fiddler and throat singer, who entertained us at the club last year.  Wood, was John Robinson and his Arabic Oud.  With John providing the underlying structure, Bukhu is free to be really lyrical and dramatic. The pair were given the honour of being chosen for the Director’s Choice concert at the close of the Festival.  It is always a mystery who is going to be selected .  The Company , Stiff Gins, and Rory Macleod were also featured.

Saturday I was able to dip and dive into a number of venues.  I also took part in a Cornish tunes workshop given by Sarah Calderwood of SUNAS which was fun.  It seems the fashion these days not to provide written music sheets and I wish they would.  It is so much easier to remember them.  Next to that hall there was a park with free music all day.  Not the best spot for Danny Spooner, but I caught up with him later.  We also talked briefly about him coming North to see us sometime so maybe……

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.....In the budding talent department...... I am predicting a great future for a young singer-guitarist called Matthew Dames, ex UK but now resident in Launceston.  Indeed the locals were very well represented from Ballpoint Penguins, New England Honeyeaters (an actual bird as well as a group)  Elfa and Emily who also played to Bob Brown and partner who sat just in front of me (my slender link to fame)  There were more local choirs, instrumental groups, than you could poke a stick at.  It must be the healthiest scene around. 
I was determined to see the two hot lads in the innovation department, Linsey Pollack and Mal Webb.  You couldn’t get near Linsey Pollack’s concerts – he is very popular.  He makes extraordinary instruments from household instruments like rubber gloves, then makes beautiful music on them.  Mal Webb seems to me like Leunig’s Mr. Curley, but on steroids.  I was almost scared to laugh in case I missed something.  His ‘lessons’  are almost unbelievable like the Geography of Africa on his head and the Physics of  sound Harmonics with a cable.   ‘Unique’ is an overworked word but I do believe that applies to this strange and marvelous man.
Mark Cryle, singer songwriter from Brisbane, gave a lovely smooth set of songs, and I caught a little of Richard Gilewitz, from USA,  with his super guitars.  The quality from all these people was absolutely the tops.
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  • THE TAMAR VALLEY FESTIVAL, Georgetown.  
 On the Eastside of the Tamar River, in a once bustling Port the whole area is surrounded by natural beauty.  I spent one serene afternoon at Bonnie Point, below the mining town of Beaconsfield, watching happy folks fish. It’s on the following week from Cygnet, and of course, makes full use of having such wonderful performers on their shores.  Many of them have a double booking which is why I will be briefer about this festival.  One delightful surprise was the number of Territorians who were down; sort of Top Half meets Bottom Half.  Folk from Alice, Darwin and Nuriootpa had got together a tribute concert to Woody Guthrie, and very good it was too. 
That did not last: there were some wonderful concerts, notably Ange Takats, Backseat Driver, with Nick Charles (looking so like Julian Assange I had to look twice)  Danny Spooner commanded a good appreciative crowd in the yacht club, Kerrie Maguire with the West Coast singers, The Company, a Brisbane Bluegrass group who were magical.
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OK, I know it is a long way to go but some folk manage it – I was delighted to see Jengis Osman who sessions here at the Bennett, and was backpacking in Tassie -  some drive, others fly and rent accommodation.  Combine it with some touring, a visit to MONA in Hobart (Museum of old and new art) and some interesting shopping, and it makes for a jolly good holiday.